Cruise Control Problems of Ford Excursion - part 1

Cruise control cutout switch mounted on master cylinder is full of brake fluid including the electrical connector. The VIN number doesn't link to a recall. Perhaps the previous owner had switch replaced under recall or perhaps this VIN wasn't in the original recall. In any event a fire hazard is present.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Excursion 🔎.

When using cruise control, the cruise control will not turn off when pushing the brake. I literally have to pound on the brake to disable the cruise control.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Excursion 🔎.

It will not disengage when cruise control is in use. It continues to do this if used.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, she applied the brakes to disengage the cruise control and the vehicle continued to accelerate independently. The contact was able to get the vehicle to stop after several minutes. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 176,000.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Excursion 🔎.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked and unoccupied. The fire originated in the engine area. The contact was able to extinguish the fire by disconnecting the battery and determining that the cruise control deactivation switch failed and caused an electrical fire. The contact repaired the vehicle. The cruise control Smart switch harness was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileage was 168,000.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Excursion 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph with the cruise control engaged, he depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle did not decelerate. The contact had to apply repeated pressure to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, but the dealer was notified and stated that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The manufacturer was also notified and stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure and current mileages were 175,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Excursion. In July of 2009 the vehicle was taken to the dealer for recall 09v399000 vehicle speed control; however, the repair didn't correct the failure. On July 30, 2010 while driving the contact noticed smoke under the hood. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who stated that a faulty switch in the cruise control area caused the fan and fuses to fail. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and the switch was only replaced at the time of the recall repair; therefore, if it was leaking they are not responsible for the switch failing. The failure mileage was 131,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Excursion. The abs light illuminated intermittently so the contact checked the oil and discovered oil was leaking at the cruise control deactivation switch. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where he was informed that his vehicle was not included in recall 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). He called the manufacturer but was told that they would not assist with the repair expenses. The vehicle was to be repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 149,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. While driving approximately 45 mph, the contact noticed smoke coming from the steering column. The consumer pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician observed that the control box and electrical wiring burned without warning. The failure was related to the cruise control switch. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign id number 07v553000 (engine and engine cooling:engine:diesel); however, the manufacturer refused to assume financially responsibility for the $4,500 repair cost. The vehicle is currently inoperable and has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 92,000. Updated 8/10/09 updated 08/13/09.

Cruise control stuck; does not release with pressure on brake pedal. The cruise will only release with the cruise 'off' button on the steering wheel or if brake pedal is pushed to the floor. This is dangerous and has the potential to cause a rear-end collision. Plan to take it to dealer next week; hopefully this will be covered even though vehicle warranty has expired. I won't use cruise until then.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Excursion 🔎.

Have had my Excursion recalled for 2 years now for a faulty cruise control. Had it disconnected in 9/2007. Ford keeps putting me off getting in fixed. They are now telling me that the parts will not be avail until 6/2008.

: the contact stated the vehicle was parked for about ten minutes when smoke was noticed coming from the engine compartment. The contact determined the cruise control switch melted causing minimal damage to the vehicle. The vehicle was not operating unusual prior to the fire. The cruise control switch was replaced by the dealership. There is a NHTSA recall, #05v388000, regarding the vehicle speed control. The VIN was not included in the recall.

On Friday may 12th my wife had picked up the kids from school and returned home around 3:10 p. M. Parking our Ford Excursion in the garage. Around 4:15 p. M. A cable tv technician pounded on the front door and indicated there was a fire in the garage. My sons opened the door between the garage and house and saw a fire coming out of the Excursion at the front drivers side tire. One of the boys ran next door and called 911 the other went to the back yard and got my wife. My wife ran into the house and opened the door to the garage and saw flames coming out of the hood of the Excursion. She shut the door and started looking for the phone, the cable tv technician yelled at my wife to get out of the house at which time she left the house and went across the street. The fire spread from the vehicle to the structure. The fire blew out the window to the garage and spread to our boat that was stored next to the house. The fire fighters were able to put the fire out just as it burnt through the door between the garage and the house.

: the contact stated while driving 40 mph the smell of smoke was present but no other indicators. The vehicle was moved off the road where a fire was noticed coming from under the hood. The fire was immediately extinguished. The fire department responded and filed a report. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was determined the cruise control switch caused the fire and needed to be replaced.

: the contact stated the cruise control plug was burned and there was visible smoke damage to the master cylinder upon inspection by the contact. The dealership determined the cruise control switch needed to be replaced. Prior to this incident, the cruise control would only engage intermittently. There is a leak in the master cylinder making the vehicle inoperable.

: the contact stated while changing the oil on the vehicle, the cruise control switch was identified as having melted to the master cylinder. The cruise control switch indicated signs of charring underneath the hood of the vehicle around the engine compartment. However, no fire incident was noticed or reported. Several months ago, the cruise control had failed to engage when activated. The contact replenished the brake fluid and the cruise control resumed normal working order.

On 3/24/06 while driving my Excursion the cruise control & speedometer stopped working , the check engine and abs light came on and the overdrive indicator light started flashing. On 3/26/06 while watching tv with my wife, a local off duty firefighter stated pounding on my front door, when I opended the door I noticed my dream truck in flames in my driveway. The truck was a total loss, also have damage to my deck, the siding on my house and the wheels on my bbq grill melted.

: the contact stated after the vehicle was parked for 20 minutes it caught on fire. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire before extensive damage was done. It was evident the fire started at the cruise control deactivation switch. There is a NHTSA recall, # 05v388000, regarding the cruise control. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however, it is not included in the recall due to the VIN.

The contact noticed smoke coming from the brake cylinder while the vehicle was parked. After pulling the speed control deactivation switch the smoke stopped coming from the vehicle. Since the speed control deactivation switch has been unhooked the cruise control worked prior to this incident. The cruise control was difficult to engage. The dealership and the manufacturer were contacted and agreed the smoke was coming from the cruise control. The manufacturer stated they will investigate this defect further. Updated 01/11/06.

On 26jan06 I took my 2000 Ford Excursion limited edition to eddie yalklin Ford dealership in kingsville texas for a safety inspection of my SUV due to the fact that I had a fire and smoke coming from under the hood of the Excursion after a trip. When I took the Excursion and they inspected it they could see where the fire had started, it was coming from a switch that is located on the brake master cylinder body area. I told them that the only way I was able to stop the smoke and fire from starting was to disconnect the electric wire connector which was from the cruise control switch from the brake master cylinder system. After going over all this with the service rep. They told me that this was not a problem and that there were no recalls at this time. Well I told him that I knew about the other Ford trucks and SUV that had the same problem and some did hurt people because the cars caught on fire in the garage and well you know where im going with this and the service rep. Said that they would be replace the defective parts but that I would have to pay. I told them no that why should I pay for something that is a safety defect from Ford and I was not going to pay for that. I explained to the service rep. That now the brake fluid was leaking out also and that if I loose my brakes what was going to happen. They just acted like it was no big deal and said that I would have to pay to get it fixed. This is as we all know a safety hazard and Ford knows about the problem and knows how fires have killed people and hurt many of them and I don't want to be a victim.

While driving to work smelled burning odor from ac vents. When stopped at work, smoke was pouring out from under the hood. Shut off ignition and raised hood. Speed sensor deactivation switch was smoldering. Reached in with rag to disconnect electrical plug to switch and plug fell off in hand (melted).

2002 Ford Excursion. There is a speed control deactivation switch that has been recalled on every Ford truck except the Ford Excursion ,and the recall number is 05s28. The identical switch is in the contact's Ford Excursion which caught on fire on September 29, 2005. Had contacted my dealership, and they said it was not covered by the recall. Contacted manufacturer, and they said it would be turned over to the legal department, and they would render the opinion today. Contacted Ford again , and they said they would reescalate the problem. Was not aware of the problem until too vehicle to the dealership to be repaired. The speed control deactivation switch was on vehicle when purchased in November 2001. The fire was small, and the vehiclewas not drivable, and there was no property damage. There were two people in vehicle when it caught on fir,e but they were not injured. Had not reported the incident to insurance agency.

2000 Ford Excursion. The consumer stated vehicle caught on fire while in the driveway. The vehicle had been in the driveway for approximately an hour. There were no problems prior to this. The vehicle was towed to the Ford dealership; they stated they did not know what had caused it. The entire wiring harness had to be replaced. The fire department was called and they filed a report. No one was injured, and there was no other property damage. The fire was on the driver's side near the steering gear.

My cruise control malfunctioned and about 3 months later a fire broke out while parked for 5 minutes. My wife smelled something coming from SUV and saw smoke start to come from driver side of engine compartment, immediately after she saw the glow on street from fire break out (9:00pm). Fire dept was unable to open hood because of cable damage due to fire. The fire dept said it was some type of electrical failure. I now know that the cruise control switch mounted on brake master cylinder caused a fire to start. I previously noticed while toping up my fluids there was moisture around the pressure switch and it was brake fluid. I hope Ford is held responsible and repairs my vehicle, and every one else who is going through this rolling fire hazard.

Concerning my 2001 Ford Excursion - VIN number 1fmnu42s11eb99611, (not part of recent recalls by Ford!). After short trip, (25 miles) drove to late evening of the 16th of July. Parked my 2001 Ford Excursion directly in front of home in center of the circular drive approx 4 ft from front door. Turned off vehicle & went inside house to bed. After about 50 mins, (12:15 am July 17th) startled by loud sound outside. I opened the front door of home and saw Excursion ablaze on driveway where I had parked it. I woke up family, (wife and 3 young children) sent them next door, called 911. Quickly ran outside drove my Cadillac away from the Excursion. Flames leapt 16 to 20 feet in air. Neighbor and I grabbed water hoses and able to contain till the fire dept arrived 15 minutes later. My family traumatized! thank goodness was not parked in the driveway. The fire also caused extensive damage to my driveway. There is now a large black area of melted material fused into the cement. Outside of home looks okay. . Not sure if any internal structures damaged from heat of fire or smoke. Also damaged and destroyed surrounding plants and shrubs. This was a real struggle to keep fire contained. Some smoke inhalation and continued cough since incident. Nationwide insurance said cause of the fire was the cruise control switch!!. An independent forensic fire investigator from advanced investigative concepts, (aic-fire ) investigated cause of fire examining evidence on July 19, 2005. Determined origin and cause. From their report they stated that, "the fire originated at the brake master cylinder located in the rear driver's side portion of the engine compartment. The fire was caused by a defective cruise control deactivation switch. " I am very concerned this could happen to somebody else especially given that I have not seen anything released by Ford concerning a recall for the Excursion. Please diligently pursue Ford to recall the Excursions to get this rectified.

The consumer states that the cruise control on his vehicle caused the vehicle to catch fire. This occurred on June 28, 2005. The vehicle had been parked in the driveway for approximately two hours. The consumer was mowing his lawn and noticed the smoke coming from the engine and was able to put it out. He then drove it to the Ford dealership and was told it was because of the cruise control. The dealership told him to call the manufacturer and they told him there is not a recall and there is nothing they can do. Just the cruise control was damaged. The fire department did not respond.

Vehicle's fire possibly caused by the cruise control switch.

After parking the vehicle for 20 minutes, then, while walking to the vehicle, the consumer smelled smoke coming from under the hood. The hood would not open. The fire department responded, and the fire was put out. There was minimal damage. The cruise control module was the cause of the fire. Per the invoice, the wiring going to the cruise control DE-activation switch caught fire. The deactivation switch and harness was replaced.

Nhtsa recall campaign 05v017000 concerning cruise control switch. Vehicle was parked for approximately 6 hours in the consumer's driveway. Consumer was in his garage with the door up when he nets recall campaign heard a loud noise, and the fire came from the vehicle. He tried to put out the flames, however was unable to so. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire, however, vehicle was totaled.

Vehicle experienced cruise control problems. When driving down a hill cruise control disengaged. When the driver pressed cruise control it will not engage, and vehicle will continue to slow down, and then it stalled.

Purchased new 2004 Ford Excursion on 3/9/2004. Within a month we discovered a problem with the cruise control. When going down hill, the unit would fail to re-engage as it started back up the hill. Sometimes it would re-engage with a massive surge of engine. Once the engine totally stalled forcing us to fight the vehicle off the road and out of the flow of traffic. After three returns to the dealership, they finally admitted that there is a known defect and Ford is working on determining a fix. We have been calling and waiting since April, 2004 to have this repaired. In the meantime, we do not dare use the cruise control for fear of another stall in heavy traffic. We have continually called the dealership and Ford motor (reference number 1684711834). Each time we call, they ask the same questions over and over and have yet to tell us an estimated date for a fix. (note in the number of failures below, this is a best guess as it happens every time we go down/up a steep hill. . . We've stopped using the cruise control because of this. . . Also the incident date is best guess as to when it first started happening.

When in speed control at 55 mph after a long down hill the cruise control will sometimes cause the engine to stall. This occurs while the vehicle is still traveling at 20-30mph. The result is loss of steering control and power brakes. The engine can be restarted immediately. Reported problem to selling dealer on about 11 November 2003. No action taken. Reported problem to service dealer on approximately 15 Feb 2004. Updated rom. Reported problem again to service dealer on 19 March 2004. Re-flashed rom. Otherwise no action taken.

Vehicle was parked in the garage which was attached to the home, and without warning the vehicle burned. It was a total loss. Also, it burned the house down to the ground. The fire department was notified and extinguished the fire.

Failure of cruise control to cancel from the steering wheel or from the brake. The cruise control was activated at approximately 65-70 mph. After applying the foot brake the vehicle failed to disengage the cruise control. I was fortunate enough to be able to reduce the speed even as the rpm continued to stay at 2000rpm, although it took a much greater distance than normal. I brought the vehicle to a stop and the engine continued to rev at 2000rpm. The cancel button on the steering wheel would not disengage the engine rpm at 2000, and neither would the brake pedal. I pulled to the right side of the road and and placed the transmission in park, and the engine continued to rev at 2000rpm. I applied more fuel and was able to rev the engine between 2000 and 3000rpm only. The cancel button on the steering wheel continued to be inoperable. Finally, at one point, I released my foot from the brake pedal and the rpm then dropped to the normal idle range. I then opened the hood and inspected the engine compartment but was unable to see anything significant to have caused this to have occurred. I consider myself quite lucky to have been in the particular driving situation where I had ample room to bring the vehicle to a stop without having been involved in an accident or to have involved others in an accident. My suspicions are that the code that monitors the switches was somehow confused. I have taken the vehicle to covert Ford where it has been since 11/14/2000. Yesterday, I am told, a fmc technical rep has looked over the vehicle. To date no one else , I am told, has been able to replicate the problem. This is the second time reporting this problem. The initial report was identified by NHTSA as "odi-735-005" but the report does not appear on your databases.

The cruise control was activated at aproximately 65-70mph. After applying the foot brake the vehicle failed to disengage the cruise control. I was fortunate enough to be able to reduce the speed even as the rpm continued to stay at 2000 rpm, although it took a much greater distance than normal. I brought the vehicle to a stop and the engine continued to rev at 2000 rpm. The cancel button on the steering wheel would not disengage and neither would the brake. I pulled to the side of the road and placed the transmission in park, and the engine continued to rev at 2000 rpm. I applied more fuel and was able to rev the engine between 2000 and 3000 rpm only. The cancel button on the steering wheel continued to be inoperable. Finally at one point I released my foot from the brake pedal and the rpm then dropped to the normal idle range. I then opened the hood and inspected the engine compartment but was unable to see anything significant to have caused this to have occurred. I consider myself quite lucky to have been in the particular driving situation where I had ample room to bring the vehicle to a stop without having been involved in an accident or to have involved others in an accident. Having worked with computers for most of my life I suspect that the code was somehow fouled up that may or may not be involved in monitoring the status of the cancel switches. . . Just a hunch. Have there been any other reports of such an incident on Ford Excursion or Ford f250 from which this model is derived?.