Started the car to get heater going and warmed up and started buckling my kids up in their car seats. That’s when I started to smell an electrical burning smell coming through the vents. I turned the heater off and the smell got stronger. I turned the heater back on and smelled it even worse. I immediately switched it to AC instead of heat and then I started to notice smoke coming through the air vents. I immediately turned the car off. The smoke continued to bellow out of the air vents. As soon and the interior lights turned off I noticed a glow under the passenger dash down by the corner of the floorboard. When I went around to look to see what was glowing I noticed there was a fire down in that corner and it was already big enough that I couldn’t blow it out no matter how hard I blew. I am thankful that I keep a fire extinguisher in my garage and was able to quickly put it out.
I normally strap my kids in and turn on a movie for them while I go back in the house and spend around 3 to 5 minutes getting the kids waters, making sure the diaper bag is stocked, and basic stuff like that. Had that fire started after I walked back in the house I am sure that I would have lost my kids in a blaze, strapped in to car seats, that day. It was Thanksgiving eve.
I found out that the blower fan for the vents is what sparked up and caught fire. There are no recalls by Ford for this and I have found out that I am not the only one this has happened to. This is an enormous safety hazard and I am shocked that it has gone ignored by Ford. Does an actual death need to take place before they set it right?
The car is a 2016 Ford Expedition. It’s 5 years old but new to me by 3 weeks. I haven’t even had a chance to make my first payment on it.
Because I did just buy it; the dealership replaced the fan. But the floorboard in that corner is all burnt up and am now questioning what more serious damage is in that dash that I can’t see. Like the airbag or other electronic wiring that may now be at risk.
Started the car to get heater going and warmed up and started buckling my kids up in their car seats. That’s when I started to smell an electrical burning smell coming through the vents. I turned the heater off and the smell got stronger. I turned the heater back on and smelled it even worse. I immediately switched it to AC instead of heat and then I started to notice smoke coming through the air vents. I immediately turned the car off. The smoke continued to bellow out of the air vents. As soon and the interior lights turned off I noticed a glow under the passenger dash down by the corner of the floorboard. When I went around to look to see what was glowing I noticed there was a fire down in that corner and it was already big enough that I couldn’t blow it out no matter how hard I blew. I am thankful that I keep a fire extinguisher in my garage and was able to quickly put it out.
I normally strap my kids in and turn on a movie for them while I go back in the house and spend around 3 to 5 minutes getting the kids waters, making sure the diaper bag is stocked, and basic stuff like that. Had that fire started after I walked back in the house I am sure that I would have lost my kids in a blaze, strapped in to car seats, that day. It was Thanksgiving eve.
I found out that the blower fan for the vents is what sparked up and caught fire. There are no recalls by Ford for this and I have found out that I am not the only one this has happened to. This is an enormous safety hazard and I am shocked that it has gone ignored by Ford. Does an actual death need to take place before they set it right?
The car is a 2016 Ford Expedition. It’s 5 years old but new to me by 3 weeks. I haven’t even had a chance to make my first payment on it.
Because I did just buy it; the dealership replaced the fan. But the floorboard in that corner is all burnt up and am now questioning what more serious damage is in that dash that I can’t see. Like the airbag or other electronic wiring that may now be at risk.
- Lucas W., Nampa, ID, US