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Tampa Tribune (FL) (KRT) via NewsEdge Corporation :

Oct. 25–PLANT CITY — Before flames engulfed Michael and Deborah Wolfe’s Walden Lake home Wednesday morning, the couple received a letter from their car manufacturer informing them of a potential safety hazard, fire officials said.

The Wolfes are uncertain when they received the recall letter from Ford Motor Co. about their 2000 Expedition and are trying to find it, Plant City Fire Rescue Capt. Vince Kiffner said.

The red Expedition “caught on fire without anyone around” while it was parked in front of the couple’s home at 2710 Pine Club Drive, said fire rescue Training Chief David Burnett.

Since 1999, Ford has issued six recalls about faulty components in their vehicles that can overheat and burn, even when not running, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Ford issued its most recent recall about the hazards in August, which affected 3.6 million vehicles made as far back as 1992. There have been two other similar recalls since 2001. The make and model year of the Wolfes’ sport utility vehicle was identified in both.

In 2001, 1.1 million Ford vehicles were recalled because of a switch on windshield wiper motors that could malfunction and cause a fire. Models such as the 2000 and 2001 Expedition and F-series pickups were involved.

In 2005, faulty cruise control switches that could cause corrosion and start a fire affected 3.8 million Ford SUVs and pickups, including Expeditions made between 1997 and 2002.

A Ford spokesman did not immediately return a phone call asking for comment.

Kiffner said investigators with the state fire marshal division are determining whether deficient parts triggered the fire that destroyed the SUV and caused about $200,000 in damage to the Wolfes’ home.

Michael Wolfe had recently brought the Expedition to the dealer for routine maintenance, but Kiffner said he was uncertain whether Wolfe had it serviced because of the recall. The couple bought the SUV when it was new, Kiffner said.

The blaze started about 8:50 a.m. Wednesday, Burnett said. Deborah Wolfe was inside her home with her two dogs and had no idea the Expedition was on fire, Kiffner said.

Wolfe escaped with the dogs before the flames quickly spread from the garage to the attic, and a portion of the roof collapsed, Kiffner said. No one was injured, and adjacent homes escaped damage, he said.

Firefighters from Plant City and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue brought the blaze under control in about 45 minutes, Kiffner said.

Researcher Buddy Jaudon contributed to this report. Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at rreyes@tampatrib.com or (813) 865-4433.

<<Tampa Tribune (FL) (KRT) — 10/26/07>>