WAVY.com investigates auto recall

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - A Ford Expedition recently exploded in a ball of fire in a Chesapeake man's driveway.

It turns out the SUV Curtis Marshall bought used was part of the largest safety recall in Ford's history, with 16 million faulty vehicles, each with the potential to spontaneously combust.  The number of recalls across the auto industry is rising and so is the number of people in Hampton Roads buying used vehicles, which means more people these days are learning their car has been recalled.

Curtis Marshall, a 27-year-old bank manager, woke in the middle of the night on August 24, to find his Expedition in flames. He says the vehicle had been sitting in the parking lot of his apartment complex for several hours when the fire started.

"I went to sleep and at 3 a.m. I get this banging on my door, somebody yelling, 'There's a car on fire!'" said Marshall.  "There was fire everywhere and explosions in the car." Not only did Marshall's Expedition explode, the flames also melted the siding on his apartment and severely damaged two of his neighbors' cars.

A firefighter on the scene that night made a surprising suggestion to Marshall.  "And I said, 'Recall? What recall?!'" cried Marshall.  He checked Ford's website and discovered the Expedition he bought in 2007 had a faulty cruise control switch and had been under recall since 2005.

"Every time I called they'd redirect me," complained Marshall, saying Ford has been giving him the round-around since the incident more than two months ago. "It almost feels like I'm fighting this big monster that doesn't want to lose."

Marshall's parents can't stop thinking about how things could have been even worse. "This is a man who could have lost his life," said his mother Venus.  "This is our child who could have been in the vehicle."

WAVY.com called Ford and sent emails.  Ford reps admitted to us that their switches may be faulty, but insist Marshall is at fault as well.  The automaker claims it mailed Marshall three letters about the recall in March, May and December 2008.

Marshall says he never received them. "I just want what's been taken from me. I'm not here to get rich or anything like that. This is something they caused."

However, the Director of the Virginia Independent Automobile Association, David Boling, tells WAVY.com, "There is always some responsibility on the customer."

He advises used car buyers to contact the automaker with the VIN number and find out before you buy whether there is an open recall on that vehicle.  Also, Boling says you should make sure you always keep DMV up-to-date with your current address and if you receive a recall notice, take your car in for repairs as soon as possible.  The automaker will generally pay for it.

As far as Marshall goes, his decision to contact WAVY.com for help has paid off.  Ford is now offering Marshall more than $8,000, Kelley Blue Book value, for his 2001 burned up Expedition.

As part of WAVY.com's investigation, we also discovered 25 automakers have issued recalls for faulty vehicles in just the last six months.

List of 25 automakers with recent recalls:

• BMW
• Buick
• Cadillac
• Chevrolet
• Chrysler
• Dodge
• Ford
• Honda
• Hyundai
• Isuzu
• Jaquar
• Jeep
• Kia
• Land Rover
• Mazda
• Mitsubishi
• Nissan
• Oldsmobile
• Pontiac
• Saturn
• Subaru
• Toyota
• Volkswagen
• Volvo
• Winnebago

Related Links:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Kelly Blue Book