Problems with 2001 Ford Taurus VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. after being parked for approximately ten or fifteen minutes, the contact heard a loud bang. the vehicle caught fire and it was extinguished by the fire department. a report was filed. the vehicle and a grill were destroyed. the contact has pictures. the current and failure mileages were 165,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. the contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle lunged forward and crashed into a coffee shop. a police report was filed. there were no injuries. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer was notified of the failure, but was unable to determine the cause. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 62,476. ..updated 04/16/12 *bf the consumer stated on december 24, 2011, while driving 35-40 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate on its own and the engine began racing. when the consumer arrived to his destination, the engine was still revving loudly. the consumer placed the vehicle in park. however, the engine continued to rev. he pressed hard on the accelerator and the engine stopped revving. updated 05/30/12

This vehicle has a long history of speeding up on its own. i took it to the ford dealership when it began in late 2007, but they could not find the problem. i also have record of its history involving this issue with my personal mechanic. no mechanic has ever found a solution to this problem, and i continue to drive this car. i recorded circumstances surrounding each incident, down to the temperature outside and weather conditions to find a common cause. each case was unique and no cause was found. often, i would recognize the issue when trying to stop for a red light or stop sign and found myself fighting the car to stop. the brakes continued to work during these episodes, however i could not come to a complete stop unless i put the car into neutral. during one instance, the car reached 70 mph before there was a popping noise, and it slowed. most commonly, the car would speed up to about 45 mph before i put it into neutral and turned it off, oftentimes in front of intersections. the cruise control has been disabled, the throttle body cleaned, and electrical system checked. none of these were determined to be the cause. *tr

My parents were getting off of the highway and the vehicle would not stop. my dad was standing on the brake pedal with all of his strength but the car kept moving through a red light and into oncoming traffic where they were hit by several vehicles. my father had multiple serious injuries and died on august 10th of 2007 as a result of those injuries. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated abnormally and without command. the contact attempted to apply the brakes but to no avail. the contact was able to slow the speed of the vehicle and coasted to a stop. the vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis. the dealer stated that the cruise control cable needed replacing. the vehicle was serviced however, the failure continued. the manufacturer was contacted. the failure and current mileage was 92,965.

While depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated with high engine rev. it was necessary to turn off the ignition to eliminate the hazardous condition. ford needs to address this recurring issue as reported by other owners. previously, on 9/10/03, this vehicle was brought to the dealership for the same problem and supposedly repaired. this issue is not the result of depressing the brake and accelerator pedal simultaneously. the vehicle has been the subject of a recall concerning the lateral distance between the brake and accelerator pedals. this latter issue was addressed and resolved by the dealership. the accelerating issue is definitely an equipment failure. nhtsa needs to address this safety hazard now! *nm

On november 6,2005 my 93 year old aunt (theresa fisher) was injured in a car crash involving unintended sudden acceleration. i am filing this complaint on her behalf since i hold durable power of attorney, and she is unable to file this herself. the vehicle was a 2001 ford taurus owned and operated by my 79 year old cousin, rose natale (her first accident in 52 years of driving). she was exiting a parking lot in brick nj at 5 to 10 mph when the taurus "took off like a rocket on its own". she was unable to stop the vehicle - hit a tree head on - airbags deployed - both occupants (wearing seat belts) were injured. police and ambulance arrived on scene - driver and passenger transported to hospital - police report on file in brick, new jersey. vehicle was originally and purchased and routinely serviced by the same ford dealer in nj. vehicle owner - rose natale - has vehicle details and dealer information. rose's address and phone is: 369b portsmouth drive - lakewood, nj 08701 (732) 905-2127. *nm

Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration when driver had foot on brake pedal. took vehicle to dealer twice for check up, but the cause was undetermined.*ak

Dt: the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. she states that when getting ready to put the vehicle into park and to hit the brakes vehicle accelerated. this happened twice, and she was afraid that this was going to cause a crash because the first time vehicle hit some barriers but there was no crash. was reported the insurance company.*ak consumer added that the vehicle s vehicle surged, accelerated, stalled and hesitated. *tt *nm

While driving the vehicle at 65, mph, the consumer was coming to an exit, and began to slow down. then. it accelerated, and the consumer could not stop the vehicle with the brakes. the vehicle is now parked.*ak

While driving and upon using the cruise control consumer had to continuously press the button to shut the cruise control off. however, the button became inoperable, and he had to depress the brakes very hard to stop the vehicle. *ak

When at a stop vehicle hesitated before accelerating. dealership mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Have complained to dealer/ford motor company re: foul odor when heat is running. was told that i probably had a high sensitivity to allergies. complained about having to replace breaks at 15,000 miles. had to replace oil gasket pan twice within the same year. dealership did not find this unusual. car accelerates without warning sometimes. the motor is making a rushing noise. was told that this was the normal sound of the motor although it did not start until six months down the road. had to take car back to replace back/warped windshield after having it one day. dealership will not even allow me to trade vehicle and does not acknowledge fact that too many things have gone wrong in too short a period of time. purchased vehicle in 2002. *la

Consumer states when starting the vehicle, the rpms rise and then fall. also, when putting vehicle in reverse it surges backward. this vehicle is a 2000 version of the ford taurus. then, the dealer put him into a 2001 ford taurus, and that vehicle did the same thing. when he complained, the dealer said that this was a characteristic of this vehicle. consumer states this vehicle is dangerous- because one never know when it is going to surge forward or backward.*ak *ts *jb

When the vehicle was put in drive the vehicle accelerated in reverse which caused minor damage to the vehicle. *nlm

While traveling at 40 mph, consumer states that an animal jump out into the road. consumer loss control and vehicle flipped. consumer feels the brake pedal and gas pedal are too close. please provide any further information. ts 02v-266

Vehicle accelerated when at a full stop at red light. it was necessary to turn off the ignition to disengage. vehicle was immediately brought to and left at ford dealership as unsafe to drive.*ak

While driving and when vehicle accelerates to 25/35mph if foot is removed from gas pedal, vehicle will not decrease in speed until brakes are applied.contacted dealer.*akconsumer took vehicle for inspection to two dealers who both informed consumer that the vehicle was operating fine. they further explained that the speed problem is characteristic fo the 2000 thru 2002 taurus. *jg

When coming to a stop on flat surface and no warning vehicle accelerated, resulting in an accident. dealer notified.

While merging onto highway transmission lurches forward and does not allow gears to shift properly. consumer stated was not able to accelerate, and was almost was hit from the rear.*ak

While applying brakes, consumer's foot hit accelerater pedal and vehicle took off over a curve. consumer feels pedals are too close together.*ak *jg

Ford's problems with sudden unintended acceleration and stuck throttles is well known and documented. ford should recall and fix these vehicles immediately!!!*ak

When trying to apply brakes vehicle started to surge forward because the gas pedal and the accelerater pedal are too close together. contacted dealer. *ak

While pulling into a parking space, consumer states applied the brakes and vehicle took off and hit a couple of cars consumer had to locate brake pedal in order to stop. consumer states there is a recall for the distance between pedals, 02 v 266 000. *ts *jb

Engine races to 3500-4500 rpm with foot off of accelerator and usually while on brake, hot or cold, in or out of gear, while driving, stopped, or parked. has nothing to do with pedal spacing, has occurred often enough to verify that foot was either completely off accelerator or completely on brakes. occurs randomly and without warning, usually around 40 mph in city style driving. has been serviced three (3) times, has not been duplicated by ford service techs, nor has the problem been resolved. happens both with the speed control cable attached or detached from the throttle body. pedal is not jamming on floor mat or any other footwell obstructions. has occurred while stopped at a stoplight, required extreme braking effort to keep vehicle stationary, resolved when accelerator depressed on green light. has also occurred driving into neighborhood, rode brakes until i got to my driveway where heavy braking was applied and car put in park and ignition quickly turned off. during drive thru neighborhood while engine racing was occuring, numerous attempts were made to resolve problem by putting vehicle in nuetral, but had no effect. vehicle was reentered after sitting in driveway for approx 30-60 minutes. brake pedal depressed, ignition turned on, foot remained on brake to put vehicle in reverse, immediatley upon putting vehicle in reverse throttle raced and threw vehicle 1.5-2 car lengths backwards before contorl was resumed by firmly applying brakes. during this incident, foot was never removed from brake pedal. car quickly shut off, and scenario was repeated by father, car brought under control agian, and problem resolved by applying accelarator while in neutral. other incidents have occured while removing foot from accelarator and coasting. obviously it is not always safe to resolve problem by accelerating, and is an incredibly dangerous problem.

While applying the brakes when coming to a stop engine began accelerating without any control or direction from the driver. engine stopped revving when the driver placed the transmission in the park position.*ak

Was put into an emergency stop situation, when i applied brakes my brake pedal bent in half causing my foot to come off and land on the gas pedal. i slamed into the car in front of me because of this defect, had the brakes not failed i could of came to a stop with causing an accident. ford was contacted and refused to acknowledge incident and my insurance company is currently in litagation with ford over the incident.

Vehicle lurches and revs at high speed when brakes are depressed at low speed or when brakes are applied when attempting to shift from drive to reverse or reverse to drive, consumer is able to stop vehicle when shifting to park and turning off the ignition.*ak *tt

When backing up at almost 0 mph, the car accelerated and drove backwards up a hill in a parking lot. down the same way, at a high rate of speed. damage was $1500. dealer found no problem, but i know there was something very wrong. *ak

The vehicle is equipped with adjustable pedals. the pedals are so close together that when the consumer applied the brakes, the engine would surge as if it wanted to continue in drive and not stop. the last incident the vehicle surged to the point consumer could not stop the vehicle. vehicle was stopped by a fence. *jg

Gas and brake pedal sit too close together and close to the same height, when ford was contacted, they didn't want to inspect.*ak

Pe 02 035:brake/accelerator pedal separation: when applying brake, driver's foot mistakenly pressed accelerator pedal, causing vehicle to rearend another vehicle. dealer and manufacturer were notified. *ak consumer feels that the problem is the distance of travel between the brake and accelerator pedals being too close. *slc

Consumer was backing out of a garage using idle speed with foot on brake, when vehicle suddenly accelerated backward, consumer was able to regain control by shifting the vehicle into drive and then into reverse, vehicle struck several items in the garage causing damage to the front and right front door, ford stated the sudden acceleration was caused by a floor mat on the drivers side , however consumer disagrees. *slc

I was driving my 2001 ford taurus and when i accelerated after pulling onto the highway from a parking lot, the car reached a speed somewhere between 50-60 mph and held that speed. the car is equipped with a cruise control, which i rarely use. i was not using it at the time. i applied the brakes, but the car held steady at the same speed. i drove approximately six miles in moderate traffic, damaging the brakes in the process, until i found an area where i could safely drive off the road without risk to myself or others. eventually, the car slowed to the point at which i could angle into a slight embankment and stop. i had the car towed to the ford dealership. they repaired the damage done to the brakes but kept the car for a week and still had some difficulty in identifying what caused the acceleration problem. they finally said that it had to do with the cruise control and disconnected it. the manager of the service department there commented that this was not a problem he'd encountered before. they also found that the car idled at an unacceptably high rate and had some difficulty resolving that problem. i paid for the repairs and have been driving the car for nearly two weeks. there is still a problem with acceleration in that it will hold a speed for nearly a half mile or so, although the brakes will stop it. the fact that the service people at the dealership were so perplexed by the problem and were unable to fully eliminate it leads me to wonder if it might not be the result of some kind of factory defect, although i can't find anything about a recall. the car is seven years old and has nearly 114,000 miles on it. *tr

Due to the brake pedal and gas pedal being so close together, while parking vehicle, consumer hit gas pedal, causing vehicle to accelerate at about 25mph, hitting into a pole and a parked vehicle.*ak dealer notified. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford taurus. the contact stated that while trying to park his vehicle, the vehicle would accelerate independently. the contact had to press the brake pedal hard in order to get the vehicle to stop. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 300. updated 12/21/12*lj the consumer stated the unexpected engine acceleration would occur while parking, standing still, idiling in a parking lot, or first accelerating. updated 1/9/2013 *js

When starting and shifting into gear vehicle would surge forward or backward intermittently. vehicle been into dealer shop on five occasions, and unable to duplicate the problem. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Vehicle will surge forward about 3-4 inches when starting vehicle or shifting vehicle into park. cause is unknown.*ak consumer states that vehicle also surges backwards in park. *slc

On three occasions, although i didn't realize it at the time, while braking to stop, i was also accelerating causing the car to lurch forward. the harder a pressed on the brake the greater the accelleration. as i said, i had no idea my right foot was on both pedals at the same time. i had the car towed back to clarke ford for their inspection. they performed that inspection on 8/21 and reported no apparent problems. i returned to the dealership that evening to pick up the vehicle. the salesman and i took a test drive to see if i could replicate what i had experieced on the 19th. couldn't do it so i drove my other vehicle home and the salesman followed me home in the new vehicle. the salesman drove me back to the dealership and as he proceded into a parking space he braked to stop the car but at the same time the car wanted to accelerate just as had happened to me on three occassions. the startled salesman exclaimed "is that what happened to you" and he looked down at his which was on both the brake and the accelerator. mystery solved. this had never happened with any other vehicle i have owned or leased in 43 years of driving. i inspected the position of the brake and accelerator pedals in my other two cars and a couple of co-workers cars and discovered that the distances, both depth and width, on the new taurus were much closer than the other vehicles. on the new taurus, i can depress the brake with my hand and it will desend to a level lower than the accelerator. i could not do this in the other vehicles, even by using my foot to brake. the brake pedal never got to the level of the accelerator. i believe the ford new design, which is a power adjustable brake and accelerator pedal bar to accomodate short statured people, could be a defect which could cause serious accidents, similar to those that occured in the jeep a number of years ago.

Vehicle accelerated with brakes applied. this occurred three times. previously, vehicle dragged 20-30 seconds approaching a stop due to it not stopping on time.please provide more information.*ak