Forget Tesla fires... Ford had *13* of them Escape

[theaveng]

"Ford says the Escape SUV cylinder heads can overheat and crack, causing oil leaks..... it says the oil leaks caused 13 fires but no injuries." LINK: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/26/ford-escape-recall/3749201" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TomT]

The Ford 1.6L Ecoboost engine has turned out to be very problematic as all of the problems in the last two years have been with this engine. The 2.0L version, which is actually a completely different design, has been trouble free to date. (Ford plans to drop the 1.6 and replace it with a new 1.5 in the Escape in the near future...) Do remember, though, that Ford has produced some 300,000 Escapes in this time period...

"Ford says the Escape SUV cylinder heads can overheat and crack, causing oil leaks..... it says the oil leaks caused 13 fires but no injuries." LINK: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/26/ford-escape-recall/3749201" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[theaveng]

I find it funny that Tesla had 3 fires & everyone talked about it (as if the Tesla was on the verge of failure) (causing stockprices to drop), but 13 Ford Escapes go-up in smoke and it's barely covered.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

I love Tesla, but realize that the Ford Escape has sold 260,000 units vs. Tesla's 18,000 or so. That means Tesla's fire rate is much HIGHER than the Ford Escape. To have the same incidence of fires, Tesla would have had less than one, i.e. zero fires. Or to put it another way, if the Ford had Tesla's rate of fires, they would have had 43 fires instead of 13.

 

[GeekEV]

At the same time, the Tesla fires were the result of hitting something while these Ford fires happened just under normal driving conditions. That makes them far worse in my book.

 

[Berlino]

Ford fires happened just under normal driving conditions. That makes them far worse in my book.

Even worse are some fires that can occur when not even driving. Weren't there defects in some BMW electrical systems that could trigger fires in garages and burn your entire house down?

 

[TomT]

Some years ago, yes. It was a defective Siemens fan control module.

Even worse are some fires that can occur when not even driving. Weren't there defects in some BMW electrical systems that could trigger fires in garages and burn your entire house down?

 

[Zythryn]

I love Tesla, but realize that the Ford Escape has sold 260,000 units vs. Tesla's 18,000 or so. That means Tesla's fire rate is much HIGHER than the Ford Escape. To have the same incidence of fires, Tesla would have had less than one, i.e. zero fires. Or to put it another way, if the Ford had Tesla's rate of fires, they would have had 43 fires instead of 13.

I'm guessing that there have been other Ford Escape fires unrelated to this recall.

 

[smkettner]

I love Tesla, but realize that the Ford Escape has sold 260,000 units vs. Tesla's 18,000 or so. That means Tesla's fire rate is much HIGHER than the Ford Escape. To have the same incidence of fires, Tesla would have had less than one, i.e. zero fires. Or to put it another way, if the Ford had Tesla's rate of fires, they would have had 43 fires instead of 13.

ZERO Tesla have self combusted due to built in defects. All fires have been from external damage.
Ford not so much.

 

[kubel]

That means Tesla's fire rate is much HIGHER than the Ford Escape.

The figures for the Escape only covers cases of fires caused by faulty heads. It doesn't include collision fires or fires from other mechanical issues.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

That means Tesla's fire rate is much HIGHER than the Ford Escape.

The figures for the Escape only covers cases of fires caused by faulty heads. It doesn't include collision fires or fires from other mechanical issues.

There have been a total of 7 recalls on the Ford Escape this year alone. There are reported fires from the other recalls as well, but the total related to the recalls is still below the fire rate so far for the Model S. There are likely other fires related to accidents etc. given the number of Escapes on the road.

In general, fires in ICE vehicles resulting from collision are only 4% of the cases, making the odds of having a fire in a Tesla as a result of a collision several times worse than an average (old) ICE. Stats are available, also described in this article from MIT.

True, a fire started in your garage can be worse, but a fire in a collision isn't great either, especially if it renders the driver unconscious, which hasn't happened in a Model S, so far, and likely won't now that Tesla forcibly raised the height of the car.

 

[theaveng]

The flammable liquid inside Lithium batteries is why I won't buy a Prius or Civic/Accord hybrid that uses lithium. I'll stick with the safer NiMH technology.
Even in my cellphone I'm not too happy it uses lithium.
Given a choice, I prefer the rechargeable NiMH cells in my remotes, flashlights, model planes, et cetera. Safer not just for me, but also for the environment (can be tossed into a landfill).

 

[ebill3]

Well, as I see it, comparing Tesla fires to ICE fires, regardless of cause, is apples and oranges. Tesla fires should be compared to other EV fires. Since there have been zero reported LEAF fires, the Tesla record is pretty dim.

I drive my Tesla every chance I get and don't give fires a second thought.

 

[ksnogas2112]

Anyone remember Ford Pinto's?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT0J0rcJTLo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Having said that, a '79 Pinto Pony was my first car and the deep bucket seats were quite comfortable.

 

[TomT]

There was an old joke that the epitome of danger was a Ford Pinto, with Firestone 721 Radial tires, in the belly of a DC-10, flying over Three Mile Island!

 

[Zythryn]

The flammable liquid inside Lithium batteries is why I won't buy a Prius or Civic/Accord hybrid that uses lithium. I'll stick with the safer NiMH technology.
Even in my cellphone I'm not too happy it uses lithium.
Given a choice, I prefer the rechargeable NiMH cells in my remotes, flashlights, model planes, et cetera. Safer not just for me, but also for the environment (can be tossed into a landfill).

Very odd statements.
The electrolyte in the lithium batteries is not as flammable as gasoline. In addition, EVs are designed to protect against battery fires. ICE cars, including NiMH hybrids, purposely ignite gasoline. I'd suggest cars that rely on gasoline are far more dangerous.

As for disposal, most types of lithium batteries are also safe for landfills.

 

[ksnogas2112]

Gasoline burns....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFm6o-qB6T4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just a note about the clip:
1. No one was hurt, in fact no Juan was hurt either
2. Juan did nothing wrong; the car just broke
3. It was fortunate he drove as fast as he did before the wreck so the car bounced off. A slower wreck would have caught the car in the middle of the fire.