Ralph Hoar & Associates: Don't Park in Your Garage, Ford Owners Warned
19 May 1999
Ralph Hoar & Associates: Don't Park in Your Garage, Ford Owners WarnedWASHINGTON, May 18 -- Owners of 1992 and 1993 Lincoln Town Cars, Mercury Marquis and Ford Crown Victorias should not park their cars in their garages or near other structures, warns Ralph Hoar & Associates, an Arlington, Virginia auto safety consulting firm. "Ford and the government know about more than 100 of these cars that have caught fire while they are sitting with the motor off, many of them have been parked in garages with tragic results," Hoar said. Ford Motor Company has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it will recall those cars but has not warned owners to keep their cars out of their garages or away from other structures until the recall work can be accomplished. Some families who have lost their homes are suing Ford. Norman and Michael Jolly, two attorneys in Houston, Texas, represent three families who lost their homes when their Lincoln Town Cars caught fire. The cars were parked in their garages. The homes were severely damaged with substantial loss of personal property and disruption of lives. "These cars are rolling fire bombs," said Norman Jolly. "The problem is that they destroy houses and disrupt lives when they burn. It's only a matter of time before someone gets trapped in a house fire," he said. Photographs of the burned cars and houses can be found on http://www.safetyforum.com