Defective Pickup Truck Caused Car and House Fire in Cedar Rapids

On Wednesday night, June 1, 2011, a car fire occurred in Cedar Rapids. Fire fighters were called to a home located at 1730 C Avenue NW, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 11 p.m.

According to Iowa officials, neighbors alerted the Gardner family that their pickup truck had caught fire outside of their home. The fire eventually spread to the garage and home, but the family of five was warned in time so they could get out of the house without suffering any injuries in the blaze.

The fire department arrived on scene as the pickup truck, the garage and side of the house was on fire. They started battling the fire and kept it from spreading into the house any further. The only inside damage to the home was smoke-related. However, the garage and pickup truck were destroyed in the fire.

Fire officials indicated that the fire started in the engine compartment of the 1999 Ford F-150 pickup truck.
After investigation, it was determined that this truck was part of a massive recall that affected certain 1994-2002 Ford vehicles. The recall was to correct a safety issue that could cause the cruise control deactivation switch to overheat and cause a fire under the hood of the car.

Ford announced the recall in 2005, but Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were not the owners of this pickup truck at that time, since they bought the truck used and were not notified of this safety recall.

Thankfully, the family of five is unharmed after this unexpected Iowa car fire.

If you have been a victim of product liability in Iowa, please call the Law Offices of Brady Preston Gronlund today at (319) 866-9277.

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