Blazing Switches Trigger Massive Ford Recall

Ford is recalling 3.6 million vehicles with cruise-control switches that have caused fires even with the engine off, CNN reports. The company recently settled a lawsuit in the death of a woman killed in her home after her husband said their Ford pickup burst into flames in the garage.

Since the cruise-control switch was introduced in 1992, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has documented more than 600 blazes. Ford "could not be confident about the long-term durability of these switches," said a company spokesman in announcing the recall. Ford denies the recalled cars and trucks have "higher than normal" incidents of fire. (More Ford stories.)