VehiCle Fire Possibly Related To Ford Recall

At approximately noon today, Hazleton City Fire and HPD responded to the area of Maple Street and Cedar Street for a report of a vehicle fire.

Hazleton City Police arrived on scene to report a working fire under the hood of the vehicle.

whole on the scene, Hazleton News 1 was made aware by a city official that the vehicle has a known recall out since 2012.

The recall applies to Ford Escapes from the 2001 and 2002 model years. Research shows that a faulty brake master cylinder resivior cap can leak brake fluid which can drip down onto the wiring that controls the anti-lock braking system. Overtime, the leak can cause corrosion of the electrical connectors and is known to melt the wires or in some cases cause fires.

The original recall suggests parking vehicles outside until getting the issue fixed due to the potential of fires spreading to garages or other structures.

The potential fires from the leak are known to occur even when the vehicle is not running.

Hazleton City Fire had the fire out in minutes, before it could spread from the engine compartment. No injuries were reported from the scene.