Ford SUV recall alert you need to know about

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Ford Motor Co. said it will add 4.5 million older-model vehicles to the list of those recalled because a defective cruise control switch could cause a fire.

Indianapolis mom, Carisha Gilmore, showed 24-Hour News 8 photos posted on her Facebook page of her 1997 Ford Expedition after a fire destroyed the vehicle.

Gilmore said on Monday morning she was sitting on her coach when she heard the horn blowing. When her boyfriend went outside he found the SUV was on fire.

The heat from the flames was so intense it melted the siding on the apartment building next door.

Initially, Gilmore thought someone set her SUV on fire.

"I said something to the fire investigator that maybe it was arson, he said no. He ruled that out quickly. And told me to contact Ford," said Gilmore.

She went on line and started researching the Ford recall. She discovered her SUV was on the recall list.

More research brought her to a YouTube page which shows a Ford truck on fire.

Gilmore couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"My truck burned exactly like that truck. The hood, the hood area, how it started over here on this side."

Bill Amonett of Beck Service Center took 24-Hour News 8 under the hood of an older Ford SUV.

He showed News 8 the switch that can overheat and possibly cause a fire.

The Ford Speed Control Deactivation Switch costs about $21.

The switch is designed to shut off the cruise control when the driver hits the brakes.

Amonett said fixing it takes just minutes.

But ignoring the recall could lead to a disaster.

"You're parking this thing; you're parking it in your garage. This thing catches on fire next thing you know your house is on fire," said Amonett.

Gilmore filed a police report and called the Ford Motor Company to report the problem.

They told her she will receive some information in the mail in the next 15 days.

According to switchfires.com Ford has now recalled more than 14 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over a 10-year period because of the problem.

All vehicles covered by the recall are from the 1992 to 2003 model years.

The new recall includes:

• 'B7 'B71995-2003 model year Ford Windstar
• 'B7 2000-2003 Ford Excursion diesels
• 'B7 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesel
• 'B7 1992-2003 Ford Econoline
• 'B7 1995-2002 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer
• 'B7 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger
• 'B7 1994 Ford F53 Motor home vehicles equipped with the Texas Instruments speed control deactivation.