Ford cruise control recall
The big Ford cruise control recall has been going on for a long time. The reason I decided to write about it today was I saw an article that despite all vehicle owners being notified by now, several million vehicles have not reported in for the free repairs.
As I continued to do a little research on the subject I noticed that an inexpensive repair kit has been made available to the general public so that they can do the repairs themselves. I'll put a link to the product and you can find out more about it and make the decision whether or not to bring it to a dealership or repair it yourself. I think there are a lot of reasons to take a vehicle into the dealership for the Ford cruise recall even if it's inconvenient.
One reason to have it performed at a dealership is the repair will be documented as completed. This can benefit Ford Motor Company as well as the owner of the vehicle. The benefits to Ford would be an accurate estimate of vehicles that require the recall.
From the vehicle owner's point of view if there is cruise control problems or an issue with the master cylinder developing a leak there may be an avenue of recourse if the defects are related to the Ford cruise control recall that was performed. With that said it is better to have the vehicle fixed then not.
If ordering a $13 kit and putting it in yourself is the only logical course of action for you, then this is better than doing nothing. Let’s face it some people work nights or find it impossible to leave the vehicle for service. Having the repairs done while you wait can take hours. The kit on the left is a hot seller on amazon. If it's out of stock it can be found on the Internet. Look for "Motorcraft SW-6350 Speed Sensor Switch Repair Kit".
What is this recall all about?
It all started with a couple of vehicle fires that started when the automobiles where parked in garages. These fires spread to the house and caused massive damage. They where eventually traced back to a leaking pressure switch that was mounted on the brake master cylinder.
This
is a pressure sensitive switch that turns off the cruise control when
the brakes are applied. When the problem was first identified the
dealerships where just disconnecting the switch and tying back the
harness. This would illuminate the possibility of a fire while parts
where being ordered. It would also leave the driver without an option
they paid for.
The recall progressed and parts shortages started to become an issue because of the massive amount of vehicles that were involved. So the recall procedure was enhanced. Vehicles were inspected to see if the pressure switch was leaking.
If the switch was not leaking a fused harness was installed. This would prevent a fire if the switch began to leak at a later date. As the parts started to catch up with the recall, dealerships had the choice of replacing the switch and installing the updated fused harness. Doing both was the best way to take care of it. The updated cruise switch was less likely to leak down the road, making for a more reliable repair than just installing the wire harness.
Is my Ford vehicle recalled?
|
|
I read a bunch of articles on this recall. Several of them stated that this was the largest Ford recall in the history of the company. I don't know if it's true but I do know that millions of autos are affected.
In 2009 another 4.5 million vehicles were added to the recall list. Here is a link to a timeline of events and an updated Ford Cruise Control Recall List of included vehicles. You also might learn a few things by browsing the comments at the bottom of the page.
Also
in my research I found a page on the Ford motor company website that
you can physically type you're vehicle identification number into (how
cool is that?). This will tell you if the automobile is affected. Here
is a link to that page so you can Check for any open Ford recalls. It also works for Lincoln and Mercury vehicle recalls.
Help spread the word about this ongoing Ford cruise control recall. Tell
a friend about this page using the social buttons or add to your
favorites.
Having cruise control problems? Maybe it has nothing to do with the pressure switch mounted in the master cylinder. I have seen the steering wheel mounted switch malfunction and cause the cruise not to set. Here are some additional parts for Ford cars and electrical service.
This article about Ford vehicle recalls is part of my auto repair
news section. You can head back there to see additional articles about
common problems with several different model vehicles from this page
about the
Ford cruise control recall
I also have an article about a common Ford ABS problem.
This is an issue that will turn on the ABS light. The Ford cruise
control recall discussed on this page will not turn on the dash light
for the ABS system.
Looking for repair and diagnostic procedures specifically for Fords. Here is a page I wrote about online ford repair manuals.
The next link will take you back to the homepage where you can find out more about what's included on the you fix cars website.
Ask a real life Ford Technician for his opinion.
