2000 Ford Ranger - Engine Compartment Fire

# 6 for May 10, 2003

Complaints.com received the following on May 9, 2003:

From: Mitch Brinkman [Email User]

RE: 2000 Ford Ranger - Engine Compartment Fire I have a 2000 Ford Ranger with 39,000 miles on it. (Of course the warranty expired at 36,000.) My wife went on a 1 mile round trip last Sunday 5/4/03. When she returned, there was smoke coming from under the hood. I raised the hood and saw flames around the alternator wiring harness. I quickly put the fire out and disconnected the battery. I had the car towed to Bill Utter Ford in Denton, TX to find out why my truck almost burned up.

The service writer said that some diodes failed allowing the alternator to continuously charge the battery. I guess the electrical system shorted out, igniting a fire in the wiring harness. The battery is toast also from overcharging. The dealer's stance is: no warranty, I pay for repairs of $1008.71 plus $30 towing. My contention is that there is a design flaw in the electrical system that allowed a failed component to put life in danger. Had I not been there, the fire may have destroyed the truck or caused injury to my wife if she was still driving it. There should be some kind of shut down mechanism that stops the electrical system before it causes a fire (a fuse or sensor?). I am willing to replace the faulty alternator out of warranty but I think Ford Motor Company should replace the other components damaged by the alternator failure AND fix the electrical system so that another failure won't cause a fire again. I called Ford's Customer Relations on 5/7/03 at 1 800 392-3673 and explained the problem to them. So far, I have not had a return call. They said allow 2 business days, so I should get it today. I will keep you posted on their response. I would encourage every Ford Ranger owner to discuss this with their Ford mechanic before something serious happens to them. I notified Ford Motor Company of the problem and if any injuries occur in the future, I hope someone sues their pants off. Any help you can provide would be appreciated. Mitch Brinkman Email User