got a 2002 explorer that apparently uses the same switch that causes fires but is not listed in the recall...anyone got theirs replaced yet? Looked at mine no leaks visible, cruise works properly. Found an article that said mid 2002 they changed to the new switch can anyone confirm this? Is the manufacture date on the door or can I tell by looking at the switch? Thanks.
Oh I disconnected it to hopefully make it safe and it turned off the cruise control ok but also turned on the ABS light! So I reconnected it.
Are you sure your switch is conencted to an always live power source? Some Fords use the same sort of switch, but connect it to a circuit that is powered only when the ignition switch is in the run position.
For Expeditions and F150s that are recalled they add a new pigtail that includes a lower amperage fuse.
Personally, if you vehicle is outside the range for the original recall (not the expanded "cover your ass recall"), I would not worry too much. I suggest you register your vehicle at
Before word got out about the bad switches, the bulk of the reported failures had switches from the same "bad" batch. After the problem was identiified, reports started cropping up for all sorts of Fords, even ones that don't have the same sort of switch and circuit.
Still, I wish somebody would explain why Ford connected the cruise control deactivation switch to an always live power source. Ford is not the first company to do something like this (some manufacturers used similar switchs to operate brake lights), but it still seems like a bad idea. It is so obviously bad (and unecessary), I keep thinking there must be a compelling reason for doing so. I particualrly think this since the fix does not move the circuit to a switched power source (which could easily have been done).
Ed
Are you sure you disconnected the cruise switch and not the ABS module? On my 99 I did not have the ABS light come on when I disconnected my switch, but maybe they did something different with the wiring in 2002.
I may have disconnected the wrong switch, I now have a picture of the correct switch and will try again this weekend. Thanks.
I just took a look at the 2002 Explorer wiring diagrams. Although you have the same sort of cruise control deactivation switch as an F150/Expedition, it is not wired the same. It is connected to a circuit that is only hot when the switch is in the hot or run position (the "bad" F150 switch is always powered). During the 2002 model year Ford changed the circuit that feeds the switch For early build 2002 models it was powered by a circuit that powers a number of other componets and was protected by a 15 amp fuse. For late build 2002s the cruise control deactivation switch is fed by a seperate circuit that is protected by a
5 amp fuse.So for any 2002, it is unlikely that you would have a fire begin with the vehicle parked and the key turned off. It is conceivable, but unlikely that for an early 2002 a fire could start while the truck was running. For a late build 2002 there should be no problem since the switch is protected by a 5 amp fuse and is only powered when the key is in start or run.
For a late build 2002, disconnecting the cruise control activation switch will disable the ABS, since the ABS control module receives a voltage feed from the output of the cruise control deactivation switch. This does not appear to be the case for the early build 2002 Explorers. Therefore I think you must have a late build model, and there is no need for you to be concerned at all.
I am not sure of the production dates for early build 2002 Explorers, but I think relatively few were built (early 2001 build dates only).
Ed
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