National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Expands Investigation of SUV and Truck Fires

By Merylee Robbins

Published on August 01, 2005

The initial investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration included only 738,000 vehicles. As a result of 512 fires being reported, many of which occurred in vehicle models not included in the initial investigation, the administration decided to expand the number of vehicles in question. The fires have caused property damage, injury, and death. Families of three victims are suing Ford for wrongful death of their loved ones.

Although the investigation is still continuing, and no statement as to the absolute cause of the fires has been made, many are convinced that a defective switch that disables the cruise control when the brake is used, is to blame. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what is causing the fires since the vehicles involved become so badly burned making evidence a challenging to examine. In some cases, the car was not even on when it caught fire, leading investigators to believe that electricity, which constantly flows from the battery to the switch, began the blazes. Ford has said they do not have any conclusive evidence indicating the switch has caused the fires.

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