Problems with 1999 Ford Explorer ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The electrical on my vehicle is bad. my radio lights flash, none of my doors open from te inside and only roll down windows from diver switcth; gas gayge only reads empry although i j ust put 30 dollars in the tank.

I was at work on friday afternoon, 5/16 and received a voicemail at 3:50pm from the fire marshall stating my 1999 ford explorer xlt burned in my driveway and was totaled. i had not driven the explorer since approximately 7pm the night before and had taken my other car to work. the explorer was just sitting in the driveway, outside the garage and started burning. a neighbor 2 houses over smelled the smoke and saw the flames and called the fire department. the fire marshall stated he had seen this type of fire before due to the ford cruise control recall problems, based on the burn pattern. i was not the original owner and bought it about 8 years ago and have never received any kind of recall notice. i am extremely upset that this kind of thing could happen and did happen - the more i read about the amount of people it's happened to the more upset i get, i've had nightmares since friday since my house would have burned if i had parked it 1 foot closer to the garage -- which i usually do, i had planned to give it to my stepson on saturday who was coming to visit from ny and it would have been his first car -- my fiance' is stressed out and upset beyond words i can write here. no excuse ford...shame on you!!!!!! *tr

After making right turn, abs light came on. instrument dials started jumping. vehicle shut off and would not start afterwards. *tr

The power locks will not unlock all the doors. the only door that will unlock is the front passenger. if the driver door shuts hard it will not open by the inside and outside handle. have to enter from the passenger side. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. while driving approximately 30 mph the contact attempted to activate the windshield wiper but it would not function. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mechanic stated the generic electronic module needed to be replaced. the independent mechanic advised of a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 00v072000 (electrical system: fuses and circuit breakers). the dealer was notified and stated the vehicle was not included in the recall and could not find any further information about the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 220,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. the contact stated that after placing a new battery in the vehicle, the anti-theft system did not recognize his keys. he was unable to start the vehicle up; the keys would turn but the engine would not start. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the failure and current mileages were approximately 200,000.

I was driving on a city street when i began to smell something electrical was burning. i pulled over into a store parking lot and turned the engine off. i opened the hood and black smoke was pouring out. i also saw a small red flam so i ran into a dentist office that was located in the parking lot to get a fire extinguisher. when i reopened the hood the entire engine was on fire. the fire was under the car and flames were about 2 feet high. i used the fire extinguisher until an officer came and then the fire department arrived. they then ran there hose on the engine a to ensure the fire was out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. while proceeding from a complete stop at 10 mph smoke began emanating from the steering column. a warning indicator illuminated on the instrument control panel for a very brief period of time. he continued vehicle operation. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure mileage was 170,000. the current mileage was 175,000. updated 12/08/09. *lj updated 12/10/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. the contact stated that the gem controlled electronic function failed, which caused the windshield wipers to stop working. the dealer stated that they didn't know anything about in nhtsa campaign id number 00v072000 (electrical system:fuses and circuit breakers), although the failures were identical. the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. as of october 3, 2008, the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 99,589. updated 05/08/09. *lj updated 05/11/09.*jb

I drive in the afternoon to the store. then i park my car in the store parking. 30 minutes before i arrived, heard in the store, that are looking for the owner of a ford explorer. when i came, my car was in fire. the firefighters arrives and finish the fire. the car lost in all the parts. *tr

Tl*- the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. when arriving home from the store the vehicle was parked and minutes later the vehicle went up in flames. the fire came from under the hood of the vehicle. two explosions occurred before the fire department came to put out the fire. the fire marshal advised that an electrical issue was the source of the fire. the failure mileage was 89,999, and the current mileage was 90,000.

Upon starting the car, the left turn signal remained lit solid on instrument cluster and smoke poured from the steering column. smoke continued after key was removed in "off" position. was concerned that fire would start. disconnected battery cable and towed truck to dealership. dealer inspected and replaced multifunction switch and wiring harness. dealer said harness connector was cracked. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. while idling at a traffic light, the left turn signal blinked four times and then became stuck in the on position. the contact noticed fumes coming from the hazard light button. the dealer stated that the multi-function switch failed. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current mileage was 87,475 and failure mileage was 87,455.

On january 31, 2006 after arriving home from work which is approximately 6 blocks from my home i noticed an electrical smell i thought that it was possibly my christmas lights on my home that i had not taken down then i felt the siding and insulation of my home to make sure that an outlet wasn't overloaded or hot i even came in and move my furniture to check the outlet closest to the driveway and didn't find any source of the smell. my boyfriend went out and removed the christmas lights and said he thought the smell was coming from the vehicle, at that time i just assumed that possibly it was a brake pad smell or something of that nature. this vehicle contained no after market stereo equipment it only had a professionally installed alarm system. after that incident the vehicle was driven approximately 35 miles round trip twice to a local town with no vehicle problems or smells. on the morning of january 1, 2007 i got in the vehicle and drove approximately 6 blocks to work i turned off the vehicle, gathered my belongings exited the vehicle, used the door locks to secure the vehicle clocked in at 5:55 a.m. and at approximately 6:15 i was called out of my work by a correctional officer telling me that my vehicle was on fire, it was noticed in a security camera by dispatch, a fellow worker used 3 fire extinguishers on this vehicle before the fire department arrived once they arrived they had to use several burst of water to bring the fire under control, the hood latch failed to work so they had to remove the hood with an axe because the tire well was still glowing from the fire, the fire was put out and it was a total loss. *jb

Started driving down the street and noticed heavy smoke coming from hazord switch, stopped to check once truck was turned off smoke stopped started truck up again and went on my way sevrel miles from home smoke started again, could not lose any more time so i kept on going watching for any fire or sparks. made it to work, at end of day got home with no issues, my wife drove the truck ( explorer ) later that evning and she also notice smoke, with in a few days after this happend i noticed it agian and some of the dash lights started flikering, the issue of smoke has been an on going thing but have not seen any fire so i keep driving it and let my wife drive the new car for her safty, my conserns are, the windshield washer fluid for fron window stopped working from the first smokeing issue and then dash lights started shotly after and now i do not know if the air bag is still working and that seems to be a safty issue to me, i never had any issues with this truck until after the smoke from the steering colum, after that i am have nuthing but elictical issues.

Steering wheel kept locking up. ignition cylinder needed to be replaced. *jb

When i use my turn signal white smoke comes out of the steering column out of the hole for the hazard button. i called my dealer which informed me no recalls on my vehicle for this problem, and agreed most likely it is the multi function switch. i called the ford hotline listed on campaign id 00v07200 and the customer service person also stated this vehicle has no recall. what is ford going to do about this? so if the dealership says it will cost $500 for a defective parts & labor that was recalled from a specific batch but not from my batch and it is the same problem is that fair? what is my recourse? *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the windshield wipers, power windows and ignition warning chime failed due to the gem circuit. there is a nhtsa recall, # 00v072000, regarding the fuses and circuit breakers. the vin was not included in the recall.

Gem module (vehicle gets locked into 4 wheel drive or will not exit 4 wheel drive nhtsa campaign id number: 99v06200. *jb

On starting the engine on my ford explorer, an alarm sounded and stated a light malfunction. i checked all the lights and they were ok. later, i was stopped at an intersection with my left turn signal on and the brakes applied. i then noticed a puff of smoke rise from around the emergency light switch from the steering column. i then noted that the turn signal was not working. the smoke stopped when i turned off the turn signal but when i turned it back on, there was another puff of smoke from the top of the steering columb. *nm

Experiencing windshield wiper problem.....wipers turn on without activating the switch, and sometimes i can't turn them on when its raining......a safety problem. a march 2000 recall #00v072000 did not include my vin # therefore ford will not pay for the repair. new multifunction switch installed by dealer at my expense. recall should be expanded to include more vehicles. *nm

Headlight switch and wiring harness burnt. car was parked, not running or lights on. car filled full of smoke. was lucky it did not set the car on fire.

I have the same switch for cruise control operation on my 1999 ford explorer and am afraid that one day i will have a fire caused by its failure. this failure was reported on cnn on june 16, 2005. will there be a recall?

Dt: the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. he states that while driving he noticed smoke was coming from steering column. this did happened three or four times. took vehicle to the dealer, and they replaced the multi-function switch (turn signals, windshield wiper, and headlight dimmer module). he has found complaints for this problem on the nhtsa website.*ak the multi-function switch burnt and was replaced. *tt *nm

dt: contact states the inside lights, windshield wipers, and the power windows would not work. also, the outside light would not go off when the vehicle was shut off, causing the battery to run down. there was a recall on this vehicle regarding the generic electric module, but this specific vehicle does not fall under this recall campaign.*ak

Consumer noticed white smoke coming from the steering column whenever the left turn signal was used. consumer anticipates a fire if this issue continued. the dealer was not notified at this time. *jb *bf *nm

While driving down rt.10 in whippany,nj my '99 ford explorer caught on fire. elieve it was an electrical fire - fire was behind the dash board. i saw flames coming from the passenger side on the floor and the car quickly filled up with smoke. i pulled off the road - called 911 - police and fire truck assisted me.*ak

My 1999 ford explorer was parked, locked, with no key in the ignition. in my garage on january 30, 2005. when we smelled smoke, looked in the garage, and found extreme smoke coming from under the hood of the car... i phoned 911, and the operator advised us to get out of the house and do not attempt to get the car out of the garage. we went outside and waited for the fire dept. 5 fire trucks came and put out the fire..... but the car was burned completely, and also the garage and all of it's contents are a total loss.... my house is also damaged, due to soot, and smoke.... i am 65 years old, living on social security, i am a 44 year type 1 diabetic... this has caused me immense problems.... i would appreciate any help you may afford me..*jb

The truck was parked inside of the garage and it caught on fire due to cruise control. no injures reported. the fire department was called to extinguish the fire. vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. *ak ....fire did extensiv edamage to garage and house. *ak

Mult-ifunction switch malfunction. when i use the blinker it will pause momentarily and then it will smoke. this is a problem ford knows about and has recalled on 3 manufactured lines of 99 explorers but not mine. so they refused to fix it. *jb

I purchased my 1999 ford explorer in may of 2004 and within a month, i began experiencing problems with my transmission. more specifically, the vehicle would loose power while driving, the transmission could be heard shifting and also shifting movement was felt while driving. i took the vehicle back to rio valley in espanola, new mexico where i paid cash ($8700.00) and was told that i did not purchase the warranty and my vehicle needed a new transmission and it would cost me $3200.00 to have it repaired. i complained and was told that my gasket was sealed with a sealant that went in to my gaskets and damaged my solenoid. i has just taken it for a transmission oil change and thought well that could be, however, after talking to the owner of hindi's oil stop, i felt certain that this was not the cause. rio valley ford did clean out the transmission a couple of times and charged me $340.00 and i was told that this was basically going to have a band-aid effect and i would ultimately need to get my transmission fixed. it was getting me around for awhile but lately the same shifting noises and feelings i had heard and felt are recurring. my overdrive light also goes of and on continuously sometimes while i am driving the vehicle. *jb

While driving in inclement weather windshield wipers failed. this caused poor visibility to the driver. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle ,and drove it to a private mechanic, who determined that a gem module needed to be replaced. *ak the vehicle's power windows, 4 wheel drive and dome light have also stopped working. *nm

When i attempt to use my turn signal, smoke begins to come out of the steering column at the hazard light switch. i then have to blow it out. *jb

1999 ford explorer. turn signal "multi-function switch" shorts out, causing smoke to pour out of steering column. when i contacted ford regarding this $300.00 repair, the service tech said he has seen it before and knew exactly what was wrong.*ak this has happened twice and we are now scheduled to go in for repairs.

My air bag malfunction light came on and upon a ford certified diagnostic i was told there was a short in the system that controls the deployment of the air bags. in this case, the air bags will not deploy in the case of an accident. it was called a defective overlay harness that controls the voltage of the system. *jb

Dt: the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. the vehicle was inside of the contact's mothers garage the night that mother's house caught on fire. the cause of the fire was unknown, but is still under investigation. this occurred on february 14, 2003. the fire department was contacted because the house burned down, and was currently doing an investigation on the house. the house insurance company also did an investigation , but it was left undetermined. the vehicle completely burned. could not even tell what color the vehicle was. there where no indicator lights on prior to this. the cruise control was working before this happened. the vehicle had not been driving unusually. the vehicle had been parked about three to four hours before it caught on fire. there where two deaths in this fire and one person injured. the fire was reported to the police. the fire department stated that the fire was started in the back part of the house. it has been undetermined of what caused the fire. the kitchen appliances were inspected and not found to be the cause of the fire. *ak

The vehicle caught on fire, consumer was informed there was an electrical problem.*jb

Spark plug wires failing. vehicle has only 35000 miles. resulted in severe vehicle bucking, misfiring, stalling, loss of acceleration, and unpredictable engine performance. 3 occurrences to three different plug wires within 300 miles

Spark plug wires failing. vehicle has only 20500 miles. resulted in severe vehicle bucking, misfiring, loss of acceleration, and unpredictable engine performance.two occurrences to tw0 different plug wires within 20 miles. number 3 and 7 aluminum heat shielded wires.

I have had several problems w/ the multi function switch. first, my wipers would randomly turn on. the dealership fixed the problem. next, the wipers would not turn on when it was really cold. the dealership could not replicate or fix the problem. next, the wipers could not reach full speed. at 35,000 miles, we forced the dealership to replace the mfs under warranty. finally, at 59,000 miles, white smoke started spewing from the mfs. after calling the dealership, i had the car towed and the mfs replaced. when i complained, the dealership referred me to the ford complaint line. their response was unacceptable

Dt: noticed problems with vehicle on september 1, 2002. there was an electrical problem because the light for the air bags was always on. the windshield wipers turned on and off by themselves. this happened so often that it could cause an accident. took vehicle to the mechanic for the brakes because they were making noise, and had to pump the brakes in order to get the vehicle to stop. *ak the driver's side power door lock does not lock. the rear passenger side door cannot be opened from the inside. *nm

Wiring harness malfunctioned, causing srs sensor lights to stay on.*ak *ph

Vehicle had 4 electrical system failures. the battery was replaced four times under warranty. also when the vehicle is hot, the transmission does not shift positively from low to intermediate. *jg

Brake lights remain illuminated after vehicle has been shut off, dealer has yet to be contacted, please provide further details.*ak

The steering column started smoking as i used the blinker. the local ford service says that the "clock spring" in the air bag caught fire and damaged the steering column and possibly the air bag. this is not covered under warranty as it is a safty device.

Electrical harness was found to be defective at the pcm connector resulting in sporadic dying and failure to start problems. this problem exists in the vehicle to this day despite several attempts to tighten the individual female pin connectors within the pcm connector. each attempt cures the problem from weeks to months, but in the end it comes back. as a side note, the airbag indicator light illuminated. it is assumed to be also due to this defective wiring harness. this is a dangerous dying condition and has resulted in several near accidents. *jb

The consumer states that there are problems with the left turn signal. the consumer states that the left turn signal was placed on, and stayed on for about 10 seconds and stopped blinking, but the arrow(left) was still illuminated. immediately after smoke began coming from the steering column. the dealer suggested it was a fuse. the consumer feels there should be a recall. *ts *scc *nlm

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Engine heads cracked on both sides. the hood latch assembly rusted and cannot be opened, also the horn filled up with water and would not work as a result.

No throttle response and nearly stalling on occasion, due to a bad ignitions coil pack for the fourth cylinder. the bad coil was caused by anti-freeze leaking from the radiator. this caused cylinder 4 to die.