Suits over Bad vehicle switch name TI, Ford.(Texas Instruments cruise control switches)(Brief Article)

Editorial Assistant Cynthia D. Webb contributed research for this story.

Dallas' Texas Instruments pays out $2 million-plus so far

NORTH DALLAS -- Texas Instruments Inc. has lost more than $2 million, because of federal lawsuits over cruise-control deactivation switches it made for Ford Motor Co. that allegedly caused underhood fires, often resulting in damage to vehicles and homes and sometimes injuries, documents and interviews show.

The deactivation switches were installed in 1992 and 1993 . models the Lincoln Town Car, Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis that were equipped with cruise control.

In May of 1999, Ford recalled 262,695 of those vehicles, warning that a "defective" switch could short-circuit, possibly causing smoke or fire, …