More Ford Trucks to Be Tested for Defect

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday that it would investigate Ford Motor Co. pickups and sport utility vehicles for a defect in a cruise control switch that led to a January recall.

The agency said it would examine Ford F-150 pickups from the 1995-99 and 2001-02 model years, and Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators from the 1997-99 and 2001-02 model years. More than 3.7 million vehicles are affected.

NHTSA officials said they had received 218 complaints of engine fires from the cruise control switch in those models. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.

The new investigation does not include the 2000 model years of the vehicles, which was covered by the January recall of nearly 800,000 vehicles. Ford said the cruise control switch could short-circuit and cause an engine compartment fire when the vehicle was parked or being driven, even if the cruise control was not being used.

Ford, the nation’s second-biggest automaker, said it was conducting its own internal investigation of the problem.

“We’re working closely with NHTSA on the issue,” Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said. “We’ll continue to cooperate with the agency until the matter is closed.”

NHTSA often conducts investigations after getting complaints from consumers or spotting trends in warranty claims. Investigations can lead to vehicle recalls.

The recall in January affected 792,000 Ford F-150 pickups, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators from the 2000 model year. The 2001 F-Series Supercrew trucks also were affected.

The company began notifying owners of the recall in February, and dealers were instructed to deactivate the cruise control switch for free. Deactivating the switch disables the cruise control in the vehicles.

Kinley said replacement parts for the defect were expected to become available in mid- to late-April.

NHTSA opened an investigation into the defect in November after receiving 36 reports of fires. All of the incidents occurred when the vehicle was parked and the ignition was off. No injuries were reported. The agency has received 193 complaints about the 2000 model year vehicles.

The F-Series pickups have long been one of Ford’s bestselling vehicles. The company announced in late December that it set an industry record for full-size pickup sales in 2004, selling more than 912,000 F-Series pickups. It eclipsed Ford’s own mark of 911,597 pickups sold in 2001.

Ford shares fell 18 cents to $10.99 on the New York Stock Exchange.