Don't know if this has happened to other ford owners, if the majority of ford owners already know about this potential problem, or if the following information has been previously supplied. If so, please disregard.

This is the first time for me contributing information to this forum, wish it was under better circumstances.

The following incident happened to the current vehicle I'm driving: 1997 EL Falcon GLi 4.0L wagon, dual-fuel, floor shift automatic, original factory-fitted ford cruise control, no ABS, currently on 177k km's, on the 28/07/2022.

Went to start my car, and only got as far as turning on the ignition, before I noticed light blue smoke appearing from under the bonnet on the driver's side, near the windshield. I had a very quick WTF moment and quickly turned the ignition off, thinking 'Mmmmm, I may need to get the car fire extinguisher'.

Got out of my car and carefully opened the bonnet (luckily there were no flames) and noticed a very strange smell, that didn't smell electrical or smell like burnt oil (since the car had been parked for two hours, and I hadn't started the engine, I knew the engine was cold and the smoke could not be oil based).
I then checked all electrical connections near where the smoke appeared: cruise control module, cruise control brake pressure switch, brake fail switch, LPG regulator isolating/lock-off relay, even the power steering switch. Could not find any obvious damage to any connectors or wiring, and the strange smell had now dissipated.

I then started the car again (with fire extinguisher at the ready), waiting for more smoke, there wasn't, so I took the car for a small test drive to make sure it still drove ok, and to test the cruise control. The car drove fine, but the cruise control would not switch on (no 'cruise' indicator on the dashboard display). Parked the car, then checked various Australian ford information & forum sites for information/ideas as to why the cruise control didn't work.

Different bits of information pointed to the following common faults: damaged steering wheel cruise control switches, damaged cruise control motor or cable, shorted cruise control cabling/connector, damaged/burnt cruise control module electronics, blown 15A brake light fuse.

Checked the easiest option first and found the brake lights were not working. Checked the brake light fuse, found it had blown, (this explains why I could still drive the car, without any more smoke).

I then replaced the fuse, but before turning on the ignition, I disconnected the cruise control module connector, suspecting that somehow the module was blowing the fuse.
I got back in the car (had car bonnet still up) turned the ignition to 'on', next thing, I had another WTF moment, as smoke, once again, started to appear from the same location in the engine bay as last time, but this time twice as thick, and white.
Quickly turning off the ignition, I checked for signs as to where the smoke had come from, knowing it could not be from the disconnected cruise control module. But as quickly as the smoke (vapor?) had appeared, it cleared, and I was still unable to find any indication of burnt wiring or connectors (with the benefit of hindsight, I should have checked under the switches/connectors, with a mirror), and all connectors & wiring felt cold, but there was still that strange non-electrical burnt smell, and this time the 15A fuse did not blow (don't know why, I rechecked the fuse, it says 15A, but since the fuse had now been stressed, I replaced it).

Again I did more online searching, but added ford_cruise control_blown fuse_smoke.
When the search results came back, my first thoughts were, 's**t, I'm glad my car didn't go up in flames, or damage the LPG regulator'.
All the search results were from various American Ford-forums/sites, indicating a known fault with the cruise control brake pressure switch (SCDS), which could be as minor as: leaking brake fluid, blowing the brake light fuse, disabling the cruise control, or something far worse...CATCHING FIRE, to the point that Ford America had put out three recalls for this switch (because of court class-actions), starting back in the late 1990's, and still ongoing, due to cars (and depending where the vehicle is parked), some times homes, going up in flames.

Ford America info:
Ford America calls the cruise control brake pressure switch a 'Speed Control Deactivation Switch (SCDS)'.


The following documents/pdf's are from America, with information about the hazard recalls.

1. Official Ford America recall notice documentation regarding faulty/defective cruise control brake pressure switches (SCDS).
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2009/R ... 9-8095.pdf

2. More information regarding Ford America faulty/defective cruise control brake pressure switches (SCDS).
https://www.cozen.com/subrogation/resou ... blications


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Switch Problem Description:
According to information from American Ford-forums/sites, the normally closed switch has small Kapton (plastic type) square sheets located in the switch, placed against a steel convex disc and ceramic pin, that form a diaphragm between the brake fluid & the switch contacts. These Kapton sheets gradually breakdown or perish, allowing the fluid to come into contact with the 12v, shorting to earth via the switch/brake master cylinder body, igniting the plastic switch connector and brake fluid, causing the smoke and strange smell, and possibly a fire.

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After further investigation, I found the affected Ford America pressure switch (SCDS) has almost the same part number as the Ford Australia pressure switch: xxxx-9F924-AA xxxx.

To stop my car from potentially going up in flames, and still be drivable (with working brake lights), I disconnected the cruise control brake pressure switch cable from the faulty switch (car still drivable, but no cruise control, although switch is leaking a small amount of brake fluid).

I then started looking at replacement switches and found, via online American Ford-forum sites, there is a genuine Ford Motorcraft 'Brake Repair Kit SW-6350,1L1Z-9F924-AA' that is a replacement for the faulty pressure switch (this new switch has thin notches/grooves in the middle of the hexagonal corners). There is also another brake repair kit, SW-6351, but the switch part number is different: xxxx-9F924-BA (this switch has wide notches/grooves near the end, on the hexagonal corners).

Also, Ford America indicates the above kits are compatible with certain Ford America models, but does not mention any Ford Australia models.

Unfortunately, I could not find any information from Ford Australia regarding replacement cruise control brake pressure switches, or any information of a recall, apart from the recall Ford Australia did for faulty cruise control brake pressure switches on 2002 Ford Explorer's.


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Side Note:
The other information I found is Ford America cars have a constant live 12v on the pressure switch (SCDS), even with the ignition off, via a 20A fuse. Ford Australia cars also have 12v on the switch, but only when ignition is on, via a 15A fuse (brake lights).

Interestingly, a Ford America quick fix was to place an interconnecting 5A twin-fused cable between the original/old-style switch (if it wasn't leaking) and the original cable (if the switch leaked, a replacement 'Brake Repair Kit SW-xxxx' was used). The interconnecting cable had one 5A fuse on each wire (12v and return), due to Ford not always having the 12v connected to the same pin on every Ford model (on one model, the cabling to the switch connector pins would be 12v and return, on another model, with the same switch connector pins, the cabling was return and 12v).

If your cruise control brake pressure switch is not leaking, and working ok, for peace-of-mind, it may be possible to just connect a (possibly weatherproof) in-line 5A fuse on the 12v, just before the cruise control brake pressure switch connector (if the switch fails, the 5A fuse should blow, saving the 15A fuse and your brake lights).

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Did an online search for any Australian retail/spare parts sites that may have the replacement switch or kit, but only two results came back (didn't try Ford dealerships, very few have online spares outlets, and those that did had nothing about replacement switches or kits. Also, the reason I was only doing online searches, and not driving to the retail sites/Ford dealerships, was the leak from the switch was getting worse).
The first site showed a replacement switch/kit labelled 'EF9F924A', the second site showed a replacement kit labelled 'Motorcraft SW6350 Brake Repair Kit'. The prices for the replacement switch/kit varied between $139 & $152 (all expensive).

So I did an online search on American sites, and came across multiple Ford replacement kits labeled 'Motorcraft SW6350 Brake Repair Kit', with all reviews (American) been positive, stating this kit fixed all known faults: from brake fluid leaks, cruise control not working, ABS not working, intermittent failures, to not having any more smoking switches.

I then decided to purchase one of these kits from an American site, paying $60AUD, which included shipping (the only problem: if the switch did not fit, or if the switch was faulty, a warranty return would not be worth the shipping cost).

The kit arrived on the 22/08/2022.
Production date on the kit was 14APR2022.
Kit consists of a replacement switch, adapter cable, and cable tie.


Fitting New Switch:
When fitting the new switch***, teflon tape was placed around the switch thread, and the pink 'O' ring from the old switch (which was in good condition) was moved to the new switch (new switch did not come with any 'O' ring).
The brakes were then bled (my car's brake fluid was due for a change anyway), switch was tested for leaks, then the adapter cable was installed. I then checked the switch operation with a multimeter while the car was parked (temporarily disconnected cable from new switch) then did a short test drive (6AM Sunday morning, no traffic) to check cruise control operation, which tested ok, without any smoke or blown fuse, (temporarily disconnected brake light switch cable from the brake light switch, to make sure cruise control brake pressure switch worked correctly).

Be aware that the cruise control brake pressure switch does not operate as fast as the brake light switch, needing a bit more effort on the brake pedal than just a gentle push, (it's a strange feeling when you apply the brakes to slow down, as the cruise control starts to accelerate, until the pressure switch kicks in and stops the cruise control. I had my finger hovering over the cruise control 'off' button if it all went pear-shaped).

*** - Ford America installation guide (RCMN-09V399-8095.pdf) says to place a couple of drops of brake fluid into the switch opening before installation.

Switch installed on 30/08/2022.

When the faulty switch was removed, I noticed a burn mark on the underside of the switch (I suspect this could be the original switch when the car was built, as none of the service records, dating back to 1999/2000, mention replacing the switch).

Switch Location Description (for EL's):
The cruise control brake pressure switch is located on the brake master cylinder, towards the end, and is horizontally mounted (same as the brake pipes, and on the same side), with a 2-wire grey connector, and has the part number: 94DA-9F924-AA 7251.

Disclaimer:
The above information, and the actions that I have taken, are only what I have found and done, and should not be taken, or interpreted, as professional advice.


Update:
The new cruise control brake pressure switch is still working ok, as of 19/09/2022.