Extra wire hanging near interior fuse panel. Any ideas?

Did someone install aftermarket electronics on that car? If so, perhaps that wire was taking 12VDC via the fuse that fell out.

 

I'll second Patrick's guess. That looks a lot like the old really-not-smart way to add a new circuit in a car: just a plain metal tab you would attach a wire to and jam it down alongside one leg of an existing fuse for some other circuit. Depending on which leg you happen to jam it down, you either have your new circuit also drawing from the old fuse (which isn't a problem as long as the total loads don't blow the fuse), or you have the new circuit totally unprotected (which isn't a problem as long as it doesn't burn your car up).

A better way to do it is with what's called an "add a circuit" (Mr. Google knows). You pick an existing fuse to take out of your fuse box, putting the add-a-circuit in its place. The add-a-circuit has two fuse slots, one for the original fuse you took out, which still protects the original circuit, and one for the circuit you're adding, which you crimp to the pigtail wire on the add-a-circuit.

So what I'd recommend is, don't try reattaching that original tap at all. If you don't know or can't find out what that added circuit was for, and you don't miss it, don't reattach it at all ... problem solved. Just put the wiper fuse back so you have wipers.

If you know what was added and it's something you care about, cut off that funky terminal, pick up a real add-a-circuit, and use that to hook it back up more safely. (You might also want to take a close look at the rest of the workmanship in adding that whatever-it-is, considering what this terminal says about whoever did it.)

-Chap

 

Here's a picture of an add a circuit fuse tap:



Trace the wire and see where it goes.