Speed Control Cable problems of the 1997 Lincoln Town Car

Our 1997 Lincoln Town Car that was part of the deactivation switch recall began honking as the alarm triggered on the evening of August 24, 2010 in our garage. After clearing the alarm several times, I investigated the battery voltage and all was well. The alarm triggered again and I cleared it. As I closed the hood smoke began to escape near the rear drivers side corner of the hood. I opened the hood as the smoke slowed down. The connector to the deactivation switch was very warm and the switch had brake fluid on it. The recall installed 20 amp fuse had not opened. Upon investigation I found that the fuse in the recall installed harness was in the circuit between the switch and the cruise control instead of between the battery and the switch. Hence the fuse provided no protection against the potential fire. Thankfully I was standing there when it happened and could disconnect the cable from the switch. Otherwise we were at risk of fire that could have spread to our house.

The contact owns a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the vehicle speed control deactivation switch is attached to the reservoir for the brake fluid. The brake fluid leaks down the cable into the fuse box and causes the overdrive and speed control to fail. The vehicle is currently at the dealer for repair. The current and failure mileages were 138,000.