Business in brief WASHINGTON: FEDS WILL INVESTIGATE FORD PICKUPS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it would investigate more than 3.7 million Ford Motor Co. pickups and sport utility vehicles for a defect in a cruise control switch that led to a January recall. The agency said it would examine Ford F-150 pickups from the 1995-1999 and 2001-2002 model years, and Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators from the 1997-1999 and 2001-2002 model years. NHTSA officials said they have received 218 complaints of engine fires from the cruise control switch in those models. No injuries or fatalities have been reported. The new investigation does not include the 2000 model years of the vehicles, which was covered by the January recall of nearly 800,000 vehicles. NHTSA often conducts investigations after getting complaints from consumers or spotting trends in warranty claims. Investigations can lead to vehicle recalls. The recall in January affected about 792,000 Ford F-150 pickups, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators from the 2000 model year. The 2001 F-Series Supercrew trucks also were affected. (AP)