Date:     3/19/00 7:14 AM
Subject:  1997 Ford Escort Wagon
To:       fordsucks@tgrigsby.com

Hi Todd--

While checking the web to find out what on earth caused our 1997 Ford Escort 
wagon to catch fire and burn a little over 24 hours ago, I came across your 
site.

What happened to our car? My husband was driving it home, pulled over for a 
moment, thereby shutting the car off. As he turned the key to restart the 
car, something popped loudly in the engine and it immediately caught fire, 
one in which could not be controlled. By the time the fire department was 
able to find him (say, 5-7 minutes later), the car was completely engulfed in 
flames and is a total loss. The tires blew as did all of the windows. It no 
longer looks like a car, let alone an Escort!

The car had approximately 95,000 miles on it; the oil was changed every 
3,000-4,000 miles; it was maintained to Ford's guidelines in the book it came 
with. We've never had a single problem with this car and haven't received a 
recall notice nor have we heard of one. I did own a 1984 Ford EXP where the 
wiring harness caused a recall (due to engine fires -- which happened to 
mine). But that was a quiet happening, nothing like the sound my husband 
explained in this recent occurrence.

While no one was hurt and no property suffered damage from this particular 
fire, I can't help but to wonder if there's a problem with the engine used in 
this model. Worse yet, what if this were to happen to someone else while they 
were, say, in their garage, one that is attached to their home? After all, 
this vehicle went up in flames quickly, preventing my husband from pulling 
all of his belongings from the vehicle.

Have you heard anything like this before with the 1997 Ford Escort? While 
we're awaiting an opinion as to what happened from our insurance company, I 
did want to let folks know of our experience.

Sincerely,
Debra
Brooklyn, MI