Problems with 2002 Ford Taurus VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Similar to the recent ford escape recall, the cruise control malfunctioned at highway speeds resulting in the vehicle being stuck in full throttle. the only effective way to safely slow the vehicle was to combine the standard brakes, emergency brake, and switching off the ignition. *tr

Rpm races up and down intermittently at all speeds since 2008. at times, the rpm will race up to 4k (4000 rpm) until the vehicle is shut off. for the most part, rpm's jump from 900 rpm to 1500 rpm whether cold or hot even without applying the gas pedal. *tr

The speed control deactivation switch on the steering wheel will not turn off the cruise control. tapping the brake pedal does turn it off. when leaving the freeway and driving on surface streets, the cruise control reactivates if the resume button is brushed. my local ford agency explained that it's caused by a defective switch on the master cylinder. that's the same problem that lead to earlier recalls by ford. *cn

Dt: the coil spring on passenger's side broke . this happened on august 22, 2005. saw recalls online but it did not include this vehicle due to vin. the recalls were on the coil spring and the acceleration. the vehicle surged forward. if at stop sign with foot on the brake it still tried to surge forward. this happened frequently. *ak

Consumer stated: when he entered the vehicle, and prepared to start the car, the accelerator cable disconnected from the pedal and it went to the floor. *jb

Since purchasing my taurus,v-6, 2002, i have experienced at least 4-5 " sudden, unexpected surges in acceleration; akin to a stuck accelerator pad. the acceleration was stopped only by putting the vehicle in neutral gear. the latest event occured 5-5-2005.

I was slowly pulling into a parking space with my foot off the accelerator and ready to brake, when suddenly the car accelerated. i had to "stand" on the brake to stop the car. had i not done so, the car would have hopped over the parking block, broken through a fence and hit a building.

While driving the vehicle suddenly accelerated. when exiting the freeway the vehicle lurched forward and increased in speed. the owner put both feet on the brakes, yet the vehicle continued to go forward. the owner had to turn the engine off in order to come to a stop. *ak the transmission experienced shifting slippage, a slight leak was found in the bell housing area. the transmission was removed and the converter front hub seal was leaking. the seal was replaced along with the valve body pan. the alarm would sound when no one was near the vehicle and the vehicle could not be started unless the alarm was reset. *sc *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the first incident occurred while traveling at 35 mph and the vehicle accelerated to 65 mph. depressing the brakes would not stop the vehicle. therefore , the vehicle was placed in neutral and it still did not stop. the vehicle was turned off and then placed into the park position which resulted in the vehicle sputtered to a stop. an independent repair shop inspected the vehicle, but could not diagnose a problem. the second incident occurred at a stop light. the vehicle accelerated while the contact's foot lifted off the brake pedal. again, the vehicle was taken to the repair shop, and the iac valve and spark plug wires were replaced. the third incident occurred while driving 55 mph. the vehicle accelerated from 55 mph to 95 mph. it was placed in neutral and moved to the shoulder of the road. while on the shoulder the vehicle was turned off and placed into the park position. after the vehicle sputtered to a stop the insurance agency was contacted. it was towed to the dealership and test driven, however the problem could not be duplicated. the contact stated the cruise control has never been used. *ak

Ford issued a recall on its 2002 ford tauraus vehicles for updating the computer systems. after the computer systems were updated i was told that i need to purchase a new oxygen sensor to keep the light from coming on again. i asked if this was a part of the recall and the dealership stated no that is was something different. well the same exact thing happened on my father-in-laws 2002 ford escape. i took it in and was told the same thing. i asked again if it was part of the recall and they assured me that it wasnt. i think they are wrong. well about a month later the car started accelerating on its on and jumping out of gear. this could have caused and accident but thankfully no one was in front of us at the time. then the battery on it drained down so far that the big jump box at the dealership couldn't even fix it and we had to purchase a new battery. i'm not sure of the exact date of the incidents.

Consumer states that she is having a problem with her throttle sensor. she states that she can be driving down the highway and all of a sudden the vehicle will accelerate . she states that this scares her, because she cannot stop the vehicle until she has pumped the brakes a number of times. *jb

When consumer stopped at light, he often noticed that after a while, the car lunged forward a bit and then settled down. please provide further information. *jb

While attempting to put the vehicle in reverse the gear shifter became stuck in park. the vehicle suddenly accelerated backwards and impacted several trees before coming to final rest. *ak *nm

Car accelerated out of control. after passing a car, my car continued to accelerate. the accelerator did not disengage after taking my foot off of the accelerator. the vehicle accellerated to speeds in excess of 80 mph. when applying the brake pedal, the care slowed from 80 mph to 60 mph. after pressing on the brakes with as much force as possible, the vehicle continued to accelerate. after several minutes and several attempts to slow the vehicle, the vehicle was stopped despite the continued acceleration. as the vehicle was accellerating i checked and found no pedal obstruction and the car was not in cruise contral mode.

While driving vehicle, consumer states' the brake pedal and gas pedal are too close. consumer states in an emergency situation consumer may press gas instead of brakes, and cause an accident. consumer states' foot became stuck under brake pedal and he was not able to stop. this resulted in a collsion. please provide any further information. ts

My daughter was pulling into a parking space, she applied the brakes, the car lunged ahead and hit the building. the passenger air bag deployed and not the drivers air bag. she had her seat belt on and hit the steering wheel. i talked to ford and they siad to go through my insurance company.*ak

Depressing brake pedal after removing foot from accelerator, vehicle continues to accelerate. the lower the brake pedal, the faster the accelleration. twice at stop signals i was able to put the car into park; when moved to drive, all was normal. on sept 7, in marietta ga, i was unable to move transmission into park. as the car was moving very fast. from a distance of 40 to 50 feet, car climbed an earthen embankment, over large shrubs. it stopped when top was reached. i was able get into reverse and back down. a service man at the marietta ford dealer said car was driveable. and that this happens all the time as the brake and accelelrator pedals are close. when the damage repaired in st. louis, it was more extensive than the adjustor had estimated. this same problem occurred as i was driving to my home from the repair shop. scary! mr

Upon starting the vehicle whether it was in neutral or park, the vehicle lunged forward. the vehicle was taken to the dealer with no cause determined. the dealership refused to service the vehicle any longer. *jb

While trying to apply brakes consumer stepped on gas pedal, causing vehicle to accelerate. contacted dealer ,and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

While pulling out of parking lot vehicle started to surge. vehicle ran into a wall before stopping, driver suffered injuries. contacted dealer. *ak. consumer also stated the check engile light would illuminate. *mj

While driving at any speed the vehicle lunged and or accelerated suddenly. *ak there was a burning odor that would be present along with the hesitating and jerking. the consumer was informed that the problem may have been due to a leak on the gasket onto the transmission. *sc

While parking vehicle it lunged forward, jumping a curb, damaging a house. *akconsumer picked car up from dealer, pulled into a parking lot when it suddenly surged forward. *jg

Brake and accelerator pedals are too close together, when applying brake consumer applies accelerator pedal at the same time.*ak *tt