Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The consumer's 2002 ford explorer sport was parked when it suddenly caught on fire. *nm *nm

The consumer came to a stop at a red light. when he pulled off, the accelerator pedal jammed down to the floor. the consumer had to physically pull the gas pedal up with hands. *jb

While driving the vehicle the throttle cable became stuck in the open position causing the vehicle to increase speed to dangerous levels. application of the brakes did little to slow the vehicle down. immediately stopped at service station which identifed the problem as the throttle cable, noting the there was an exisiting service bulletin regarding this problem. new parts were ordered and repair was effected - cost approx $200.00. *ak

While the cruise control was set at 72 mph, the vehicle would not decelerate. the consumer pulled over, restarted the vehicle, but the cruise control was still engaged. the vehicle was towed. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak the vehicle was shut off as the manual suggested in order to reset, but it did not. the consumer said that her husband experienced this problem numerous times. *sc *jb

While driving, the vehicle accelerated suddenly without warning. the consumer applied the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. please fill in additional information. *jb

This has been a wonderful vehicle! it is a 2002 ford explorer equipped with automatic 4-wheel drive as well as full 4-wheel drive with high & low transfer case, 5-speed automatic, 4.6l v8 with double overhead cams, limited slip rear differential, towing package, leather seats, etc. however, this problem has the potential of causing harm or even death to its passengers and/or those in other cars and especially pedestrians. the problem has been extremely intermittent such that the technicians cannot experience it themselves. it usually happens on a cold day. the first time it did it, i was pulling a small trailer and i had driven a couple of miles to a plant nursery and on the way back as i neared my house, i drove down a long grade toward a stop sign. when i began to apply the brakes, the engine accelerated with such force that the transmission downshifted so that i had to stand on the brakes with both feet to keep from running clean across the road into a tree. it happened 2 more times that day. i then had it towed to the dealer and they replaced the idle valve. however, that did not fix the problem. it has happened several times sense. it has happened while traveling up a hill, down a hill, and on level ground. but it always happens when you apply the brakes. the last time it happened, it threw me out into a busy intersection but fortunately i was not hit. the time before that it tried to run over the little car in front of me but i was still able to stop it. i'm thinking about naming this suv christine. my brother has an early 2002 explorer equipped the same as mine and his has done it once. my mother has a 1998 crown victoria with this same engine and it has done it twice. there's no telling how many "christines" out there waiting to kill and there poor owners may not be totally aware of the problem. *jb

At a stop light, in slow moving, stop and go traffic, my 2002 ford explorer accelerated when i applied the brakes (speed at the time i applied brakes was under 5 miles per hour). the throttle was obviously engaged, a loud whining noise came from the engine. i put the car in park and shut off the engine to get it to stop moving. this vehicle virtually accelerated while the brakes were applied to the floor! i hit the car in front of me, who hit the car in front of her. all three cars were damaged and all three drivers have been treated for injuries. the explorer is in the dealership now being repaired. i am concerned that a mechanic may not know enough about this to diagnosis the problem correctly. the vehicle is not safe to drive because of this problem.*ak

Dt: the consumer states that on 2002 ford explorer the throttle stuck. he had a hard time stopping the vehicle in a work zone. consumer applied the brake extremely hard and put the parking brake on and engine continued to roar. dealership stated that he had never heard of this happening. this occurred in september 2, 2004, and has not happened since. he read an article in the july 13, 2005 washington post stating that other consumers were having a similar problem. when he started vehicle again the roar stopped, and he pushed on the throttle, which caused it to operate again. consumer had left foot on the brake and tapped the accelerator.*ak

My abs light came on. when serviced, they said a speed sensor needed to be replaced. of course this occurered one week following the expiration of the warranty. talking with others, this seems to be an often occurance, and seems to be a defect. some poeple have had their's replaced several times within a year.*ak

When the brakes were depressed, the vehiclesurged forward. this also occurs when the acceerator pedal is being depressed. the vehicle was serviced several times but the technician was unable to determine the cause. please provide any additional information. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that when he depressed the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the rpms would rise when the failure occurred. because of the failure, the contact was involved in two accidents. there were no injuries as a result. no police reports were filed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership so the dealer could inspect the brakes but the dealer could find nothing wrong. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was approximately 43,500. the failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Two different times, both stopping at a traffic light, the accelerator kept going. stomped on the brake as hard as possible, finally had to turn off the key. took the 2002 ford explorer to the dealership and they could not find anything wrong.

While driving speedometer would be off by 6 mph. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak the vehicle was not in compliance with federal law 49 cfr chapter iii section 393.82 for the speedometer which states reasonable accuracy is within +/- 5 mph at a speed of 50 mph. the consumer notified ford customer service of the problem and asked them to comply with the above code. the customer was denied this service.

I was getting onto i90, floored the accelerator to catch up to speed. the accelerator got stuck in that position, and i couldn't get it to stop. i had both feet on the brake, and my truck was still doing 80 mph. i couldn't get it to stop. i finally put the vehicle into neutral, pulled over to the side, and finally got my vehicle to stop. while i was in the stopped position, my speedometer still was reading 80. finally it quit on its own. i definitely do not feel safe driving it anymore. *nm

While traveling at about 45 mph, the throttle on my 02 ford explorer suddenly would not return to idle. the cruise control was not on at the time. the cause was a plastic sheathing between the throttle cable and the exterior housing of the cable. i believe this material is used for lubrication? the material appeared to pull out of the housing and bunched up inside the driver footwell. when my foot was removed from the pedal, it would not return fully to idle because this tan material bunched up at the base of the housing where the cable comes through the firewall. by cutting the excess material away, i was able to get the pedal to respond properly. the dealer replaced the throttle cable under warranty.

While driving 50 mph, the throttle pedal became stuck in the open position. the driver slammed on the brakes but the vehicle continued to accelerate up to 65 mph. the driver tapped on the throttle pedal until it released and was able to stop the vehicle without incident. the dealer mechanic could not determine the cause of the problem but will further assess the problem by trying to duplicate the problem. *nm *jb

Sticking throttle cable. caused engine to idle high. *jb

On occasions, the vehicle had been inching forward at stops with the brakes applied. the dealer repaired the accelerator cable. then about a week later, while traveling at about 70 mph, the vehicle would not decelerate. my husband shifted the gear in neutral and stopped the vehicle. the dealer admitted that the accelerator cable housing was defective. i finally traded in the vehicle.

Went to apply brakes and the vehicle started to accelarate. i thought i had hit the gas pedal with the side of my foot, but after getting the vehicle stopped i tried to put my foot on the brake pedal and the gas pedal at the same time since that upset me. i could not do it because they are too far apart for that to happen. this could have been very bad because i could have gone into the store in front of the parking space. *ak

Cruise control, vehicle keeps accelerating after cruise control set button is released also when coast button is pushed vehicle will accelerate. buttons are free and not sticking. this is an intermittent problem. almost rearended cars on two occasions. just bought car and have not had a chance to get to delear.*ak

Dt: the contact stated the accelerator pedal failed to release when completely depressed. the vehicle has been seen by the dealer on one occasion. the vehicle was only test driven. no diagnostic test was performed. the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem therefore, no repairs were made.*ak updated 01/11/06. *jb

While driving, and after setting the cruise control, vehicle would accelerate beyond the set speed. problem occurred five times. manufacturer and the dealer had been informed of the problem.*ak

My husband was driving home and the car started accelerating on its own. the gas pedal was stuck and he tried braking and it would not stop. he even tried the emergency brake and it would not stop. it finally popped up and stopped. he was very frightened by the incident. we have two small children and he refused to let them ride in it again. then next day we traded it in on a new car at a huge loss to us. i now find out that ford has this problem and refuses to do anything about it. the rug did not catch it was nowhere close to it. they won't do anything until many people die and they get sued. please investigate this before others are hurt. *nlm

When driving at any speed and pressing on gas pedal there was a loud thumping sound coming from the engine. when the vehicle heated up there was a strong sulfur odor. dealer and manufacturer have been informed of this problem. *ak

When the consumer attempted to accelerate, the throttle became stuck in the idle position. *jb

The consumer was slowly merging when the gas pedal had gotten stuck and the speed increased. the cruise control was not on. the brakes did not stop the vehicle from driving forward. the consumer shifted to reverse but that didn't stop the vehicle until it hit the vehicle in front. later i lifted the gas pedal up with my foot.

When i am trying to put the explorer into park i have a hard time. it takes me several minutes and much frustration to get it into park. it seems to be getting worse, harder to get into park. this could be a safety issue. *ak

While pulling into parking space (right) in parking garage my explorer experienced a sudden accleration-at full throttle (snapping the steering wheel to the right) (extremely loud revving, whining and another sound like a bad belt screech all at the same time) before the crash. no brakes (pedal went to the floor). crashed into steel i-beam bending it and cracking concrete pillars. no airbag on impact.

The accelerator cable broke when pushed sharply to get around a hazard. car was only nine months old. *nlm

The vehicle experienced sudden acceleration.*jb

On one occasion the vehicle experienced sudden acceleration, and the second occasion, while driving at highway speed the vehicle all of a sudden shut down. *mr *ts *jb

Throttle cable gots stuck causing vehicle to accelerate without warning. dealer was notified. ts

Consumer is having sudden acceleration problems. *dt

Nar 06/19/2003. *mr there is a reccurring problem with the brakes on the consumers 2002 ford explorer. the series of incidents occurred nov 2, 2002, feb, 2003, may 5, 2003, and the last time was may 17, 2003 to date. it is evident to the consumer that there is an consistent problem and needs to be fixed. the dealership can't seem to find the source of the problem. please do further investigations. *cb the consumer stated when he applied the brakes t he vehicle accelerated and continued to move forward *jb

While giving acceleration at any speed and no warning accelerator pedal will get stuck, and it will be hard to stop vehicle. dealer notified. *ak

My family and i were traveling on vacation on july 20,2002. we were driving our new ford explorer xlt. i stopped for fuel and was re-entering the interstate. traffic was heavy so i had to accelerate to about 60mph to enter the traffic. as i made my entrance, i let off the accelerator as i was between two 18 wheelers. i removed my foot from the accelerator and the vehicle continued at full speed almost rear ending the semi. i was applying my brake with all my strength to no avail. the vehicle charged ahead. i steered to the shoulder avoiding the semi and began stomping the accelerator at which time it finally released. my family and i were terrified. i got the vehicle back to my dealer in lexington where it was examined and the position taken that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. "the problem couldn't be verified". i was told to come and get my vehicle that nothing is wrong with it. my wife and daughter are terrified of the vehicle and we can get no relief from ford. i did contact ford in detroit and got the same answer-nothing wrong with the vehicle.*ak

While driving 45 mph consumer applied brake, however vehicle would not slow down, cruise control stayed on. consumer then depressed accelerator pedal, then the brake throttle released.*jb

After removing foot off accelerator pedal, vehicle continues to accelerate, causing extended stopping distance when brakes are applied. dealer and manufacturer were notified. *ak *yd

While pulling into parking space (right) in parking garage my explorer experienced a sudden accleration-at full throttle (snapping the steering wheel to the right) (extremely loud revving, whining and another sound like a bad belt screech all at the same time) before the crash. no brakes (pedal went to the floor). crashed into steel i-beam bending it and cracking concrete pillars. no airbag on impact.

Speed control suddenly accelerated from 65mph (where cruise control was set) to 95 mph. it was full throttle and increasing speed when i hit the brake and it stopped accelerating. dealer says there is nothing wrong and does not know why it did this. i'm still working with them to solve the problem becuase i no longer trust it. i was not touching any controls or pedals when the car began accelerating.*ak

Consumer stated that the vehicle experienced an acceleration problem, consumer started to brake, however the vehicle would not stop, it started to buck and jerk for about 4 car lengths and then went back to normal. *jg

After engine was started and gear shift indicator was in park position vehicle started rolling backwards unexpectedly for a short distance before brake system stopped the movement. dealership has not examined vehicle for this problem. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak

Gas pedal and brake pedal are too close together. when trying to apply brakes consumer stepped on gas pedal and ran into a dumpster. please provide more information.*ak

Brake pedal and gas pedal are too close together and when trying to apply brakes, consumer applied gas pedal and ran into a dumpster. *ak

Vehicle experiences periods of stalling at low speeds. applying brakes there is a loss of brakes and steering. no prior warning before stalling. existing problem 5 times, taken into the delaer. *ak dealer replaced fuel pump, main control valve body, transmission oil pan, idle air control valve and programmed pcm. vibration like anti-lock brake system is kicking in. dealer could not duplicate. overdrive comes in and out at odd speeds. no problem found.