Hi Ford people. I'm new to this forum but I recently had a tragic incident you might shed some light on. I just got my 2000 Ranger back from a complete trans rebuild ($4000!). Within 50 miles the truck was completely destroyed by fire. For those 50miles, everything seemed fine until an immediate hot metal smell and I pulled over and turned the ignition off. Looked under the truck and there was already a small grass fire. To put the fire out I had to move it off the site. Jumped back in and the engine started up easily but the trans had apparently seized and would not go forward or back. With a strong wind blowing the small fire was now getting bigger by the minute. All I could do was stand by in shock till the FD showed up and by then it was a complete loss.

Here's the kicker...the shop refuses to admit that it was a transmission problem and claims they're not at fault, that it could have been a fuel line leak, a hot cat con or a leaky oil pan. I say BS, that it's too much of a coincidence and only logical that it was due to the repair. Logic and coincidence don't hold up in court tho, so the burden of proof is on me.

So here's my question....what if anything can be determined from the wreckage? I've talked to a couple transmission specialists and they felt it would be very difficult, maybe impossible, to determine what happened. Insurance investigators will probably come to examine it in the near future and I want to be present for that. I'm not much of a mechanic, but I'm about to launch my own investigation. What should I be looking for? The presence (or lack) of fluid in the sump? Scoring inside the case? Loose drain plug?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I can't afford to take on the entire loss and I just can't let this shop get away with this. Thanks in advance

 

Professional investigators will have to determine the cause.

 

Hello,

Your dilemma has various issues...

1) What exactly caused the fire?
A) Where - exactly - were you driving when this occurred?
B) Were you driving in a field/ off-road?
C) Were you driving on the highway, then pulled off onto some grassy area on the side of the highway?
D) At what speeds were you driving when this all transpired [60mph or 10mph]?


2) What caused the transmission to lock up?
A) Is the transmission an automatic or a manual?
B) How many total miles on your truck?
C) Is [was] it in perfect repair, or was it tired?


3) Can it be proven the transmission failed - as you claim?
A) Cause & Effect... the transmission would be highly suspect in this scenario - if you were just driving down the highway, immediately after retrieving your vehicle from a repair facility and it burns up.
B) Note that a plugged Catalytic Converter can cause a fire...
C) A perfect Catalytic Converter can cause a - HUGE - fire in any given field...
D) Where was the actual fire coming from... on the ground [grass/ weeds/ brush]... if so, exactly under what area of the truck did you see the fire starting at/ from?
E) Or, did you actually see some portion of your truck burning... where were flames/ smoke coming from?


4) Liability
A) If you have full [comprehensive] coverage you might be alright.
B) However, you will have little input as to how your insurance company will decide what avenue they pursue.
C) No matter if an outside party is possibly liable, it is the insurance company's choice as to what they do with such information.
D) Minus your deductible, they will write you a check.
E) It won't make you whole, but it will ease the loss.
F) Trying to collect on any out-of-pocket expenses your insurance does not cover leads to the following;


5) The transmission business can be found to be at fault...
A) Ever try to get blood from a stone?
B) You could prevail... just find someone to declare what caused the transmission failure and the fire.
C) You will pay for such services, right?
D) Take them to court [Small Claims, that is - typically claims for $7500/ less]...
E) Win a judgement...
F) Then, spend a lot of time and effort trying to collect that money.
G) All of the forgoing will be done at your expense and time.
H) This is America... good luck collecting on a bad debt.
I) Absolutely, positively, forget trying to get an attorney to take this one on... that is unless this [transmission shop] is a huge outfit, with deep pockets and national identity. Even then, that attorney is going to demand major dollars upfront, just to sort it out. Likely, 99 out of 100 attorneys will tell you that you have no case [worth their time and effort].


Hopefully you can fill in some of the pieces missing from this puzzle. However, I don't believe most anyone here is going to be able absolutely tell you what did cause the fire. But, help us out... fill in the blanks, and we'll do our best to help a fellow enthusiast.

 

I'll try to answer some of those missing puzzle pieces.

1) This occurred after about an hour of highway driving at 55-65 mph. There were no ominous smells or noises prior to an immediate burning smell and quickly pulling to the side of the highway. I didn't consider it prudent to continue driving till I could find a wide paved shoulder. I smelled burning and pulled over right away. At the site there is an angled, narrow stripe from the highway to the burn site, as if you quickly passed a blowtorch over the grass.

2) it was a 2000 Ranger 4.0 L auto trans 4x4 with 165000 miles. It was not in perfect condition, but was a good solid work truck before this transmission rebuild. I have not kept meticulous records but I've had no prior problems in the 9 years I've owned it. It was not a tired old heap.

3) Can it be proved? The big question. Should I hire an ASE certified tech to open it up for autopsy? Could anything be determined from the wreckage? The techs I've talked to sound doubtful. I pulled the ATF dipstick and it was dry and burnt smelling (of course!). Would the ATF have ran out or boiled off after the soft parts and seals melted away?
I have no idea what condition the cat converter was in. There were no codes showing so I'm assuming I was ok there. I'm pretty sure my rig was on fire when I pulled over. The initial grass fire was too immediate to not have a source of flame when I parked it. And the flame was directly under the tranny.

4) it was a 14 year old work truck so I didn't carry comprehensive insurance on it. I figured I could absorb the loss of the truck if anything ever happened to it. (Kelley Blue Book-value was $4600). But that on top of a $4000 repair is a bit much. That's not even counting the $800 of building materials on board that I had just purchased, or my $600 aluminum truck racks destroyed. So my insurance company cut me loose and now I must negotiate with the repair shops ins co. Their adjuster said they would send an investigator out to examine the wreck. That was4 days ago now, so ill call him back next business day. Is it time to talk settlement amount with him?

5) Yes, I'll pay for a specialists time if he feels he can make a determination. All negotiations are with his ins co, right? Do I have any reason to talk with the shop again? I feel like the adjuster is my best bet at this point to settle the claim. And forget attorneys....big expense and bigger frustrations.

Hope that answers some of the finer points.

 

My guess, and it is just a guess, is that a rubber transmission cooler line burst or was not installed properly and dumped the transmission fluid. The fluid hit the catalyst and started the fire. Please remember I haven't seen this truck so I'm only making up a possible scenario.