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Accident Reconstruction News Article

U.S. investigates complaints of Ford Windstar fires

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are investigating complaints about fires in Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F - News) Windstar minivans that may be related to a defective switch that has been recalled in millions of other Ford vehicles, according to safety data made public on Monday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation on May 13 into 130 complaints alleging engine compartment fires in Windstar vehicles.

All of the approximately 1.7 million Windstars, which were made between 1995-2003, are included in the investigation, Ford said.

Thirty six reports were filed with the government within the last year, according to data released by NHTSA. Half the total alleged that a cruise control switch was to blame, but the government has reached no conclusion.

Some of the vehicles were parked while others were moving when the fires broke out.

Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Moore said the company is cooperating with highway safety officials looking into the Windstar fire complaints.

NHTSA preliminary investigations can lead to recalls.

Ford has recalled about 9.6 million cars and trucks with faulty cruise control switches since the early 1990s. Some of the faulty components have been linked to fires.

With repairs made to only half those vehicles by the start of this year, NHTSA issued an unusual public notice to owners of certain Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles urging them to visit dealers to have the switch disconnected.

"Failure to have the switch disconnected could lead to a vehicle fire at any time," NHTSA said in its notice.

Vehicles recalled for faulty switches include F-150 pickups made between 1993-2004.

(Reporting by John Crawley, editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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