Cruise Control problems of the 1996 Ford Windstar

My van was in great shape and great condition. I was driving to work on may 6th 2012 about 45-50 mph entered the I-215 collector, started to smell a burned rubber smell, I looked at the temp gauge and it was normal, the van started to sputter like running out of gas, the van was not out of gas almost full, the service engine light started to flash on and off, I pulled over to the shoulder and came to a complete stop, looked at the temp gauge again and it still was normal, the burned rubber smell got worse and I noticed then a black smoke coming from under the hood. I got out of the van and stood at the front of the van to call aaa and the engine burst into flames under the hood. There was not indicator what so ever that the vehicle was overheating. This all occurred in about 5-10 minutes. The police came and could not put the fire out with extinguisher. The fire department had to put the fire out. It burned up my entire vehicle with all the contents inside. The fireman stated that even the front tires were burned up and melted. I did get pictures of what happened. I only had liability insurance so I thought I was just out of luck. A security specialist from work said that it sounded like the fire could have started due to a factory safety defect and told me to do some research. I did find that there was a recall on the speed switch or control on 1996 Ford Windstars. I always use my cruise control. I have filed a claim with my insurance based on a burn under the assumption that the fire occurred due to the speed control recall. Please let me know what I can do. I never received any notification of the recall or I would have taken it in to be fixed before this happened.

I have a 1996 Ford Windstar van that caught fire while I was driving. The cruise control was on. The vehicle lost power, then a boom and there were flames around the firewall. The master cylinder, wiring harness, hoses etc. Were destroyed. The fire was located more on the driver's side of the vehicle. This vehicle has been more than properly maintained, and my mechanic can attest to this. This vehicle has not yet been repaired. I was not injured. This occurred prior to the current recall.

The cruise control deactivator sensor on the master brake cylinder shorted out due to brake fluid in it. This caused the wires to it to burn off the insulation and a large amount of smoke to enter the vehicle. All replacement parts are oem leading me to believe it is an on going problem.

The contact owns a 1996 Ford Windstar. After picking up his vehicle from the mechanic, the contact noticed smoke rising from under the hood. He pulled over, opened the hood, and noticed flames coming from the cruise control switch that connects to the bottom of the master cylinder. He notified the dealer and the manufacturer and they stated that nothing could be done because there was no recall. They advised him to call NHTSA. The contact extinguished the fire with water, but the vehicle continued to smoke. The vehicle has remained parked at his residence since August 6, 2007. The speed was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 130,000.

My 1996 Ford Windstar has been leaking brake fluid for a few months. It was determined yesterday, by my mechanic, that the speed control deactivation switch was the cause of the leak. He replaced the part and informed me that Ford has a recall for this defective part. I called my Ford dealership and was told that the Windstar does not fall under this recall.

Cruise control switch shorted, caused smoke, caused cruise control to fail, replaced with new switch. Ford would not repair as part of recent pickip truck recall on this switch. Had to pay for repair. I have original failed switch which leaks brake fluid into switch causing short and smoke.

Speedometer not accurate. Speedometer will jump 5-10 miles on the gauge or with cruise control set will bounce back and forth between top and bottom of the gauge.

Vehicle experiencing problem with sudden acceleration whenever cruise control is engaged. Dealer notified and some repairs were made. Seeking help from NHTSA in this matter.

Cruise control would decelerate by itself at 45 mph, and accelerate by itself back to original speed, intermittent occurrence. Dealer contacted and cannot remedy the problem. Problem still exists. Provide further information.

Consumer has exprienced idle control problems with vehicle four-five times. First time July 29-97, then no problem for five days. The problem occurs when driving 35mph, if foot is taken off pedal at 35mph the vehicle idles there. When driving at 55 in over drive the idle gest stuck also. Dealer changed the idle air control the first time part #9f715-9f670. The fourth time dealer added a flight recorder which recorded three failures, but they cannot find a cause. Vehicle is in shop for fifth time. Lake shore Ford- Mercury-Toyota inc. 244 melton rd. Chesterton, in. 46034. 219-787-8600. This has occured over 20 different times within one month.

While driving at 30 mph and using cruise control, the vehicle becomes hard to control, picking up more speed. Ta.