FLAMINGFORDS.COM

Ford Igntion Switch Fires
Action Group
'Burned Up by Ford!'

My mother and father lost their home and many of their dreams when their 1990 Crown Victoria caught fire in their garage and destroyed their home.

My dad, Bill, had just finished lunch and had gone back to work.  My mother, Doris, was loading the washing machine in their McGregor, Texas home, when she heard popping sounds coming from the direction of their garage.  She put the clothes down and rushed to the kitchen.  What she saw would change their lives.

Smoke was pouring under the door between the garage and the kitchen and rapidly filling the house.  The fire that started in the garage would eventually destroy their house and many of their dreams.  It was their home for 30 years.  Dad built it.  I grew up there.  We had celebrated many a birthday and holiday there.  Mom and Dad were about to start their retirement years in comfort and security there.  That's all gone now.  In March, Dad and a few friends spent a week or so, cleaning up what was left.

My heart broke each time I saw the look on his face when he returned in the evenings.  There's an empty lot now in the neighborhood where they used to live.  Mom and Dad are living with me until they can get their lives back together.  All of our lives have changed as a result of this.

The insurance company's fire investigator said that the fire started in the 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria that Mom inherited from my grandfather.  It had been in the garage for at least four hours with the engine off.  Can you imagine how angry I was to learn that Mom's car had been recalled and Ford never told her?  My Dad even took it to the Ford Dealer for service and they didn't say anything.  I'll bet you'll be as shocked as I was to learn that almost half of the 7.9 million cars that Ford recalled in 1996 because they catch fire, are still on the road and not fixed!  And Ford and the government aren't doing anything about it.

I've learned through the Internet that thousands of other Ford owners could tell similar stories–some with less tragic endings; some with more tragic endings.  Now I've decided to do something about it!   I want you and other Ford owners whose cars have burned--or who are afraid their cars might burn-–to join Burned Up by Ford (BUF) to put an end to Ford fires.

We Want
 

•	Ford to recall all of its cars with a history of fires and fix them, (If they won't do it voluntarily, the government should force them);
•	Ford to warn owners through letters, the news media and paid advertising that they should get their recalled cars fixed immediately (The government and insurance companies should also warn people about this fire hazard);
•	Ford to warn people that they should not park these cars in or near structures until they're fixed. (The government and insurance companies should also warn people about this fire hazard);
•	The government to work with fire prevention authorities to develop a national data base to get early warning when cars and other products cause fires.

How You Can Help

We need your help.  It won't cost you a penny.  SafetyForum.com, a product safety research firm based in Washington, DC, has agreed to help us:
 

•	To join Burned Up by Ford (BUF), tell your burning Ford story here. If your car has burned, don't do anything but cover it and make sure that NOBODY MOVES IT OR REMOVES ANYTHING until you've consulted with an attorney to learn your rights.
•	If you own a Ford that you're afraid might burn, click here for a list of Fords with a known history of fires.