Problems with 2004 Ford Taurus VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal failed and became stuck to the floor board. the contact was able to release the accelerator pedal from the floor board by switching gears to neutral and then tapping the accelerator pedal several times. the failure was experienced numerous times. the contact stated he was a private mechanic where he diagnosed that the cruise control cable needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 76,000.

I'm driving down the freeway at 60 mph and tap on the brakes to slow down and once i let my foot off the brake, with my foot off the gas pedal, the car continues to accelerate. tried just about everything. turning cruise control on and off, putting it in neutral, tapping the brakes, still continued to accelerate and randomly stopped once i applied the brakes for the 5th time. extremely dangerous not having control of your own vehicle. *tr

The plastic bracket that attaches the cruise control cable assembly to the throttle is defective it slips off the throttle and gets caught causing the throttle to stay open.. this has caused my car to continue accelerating with my foot on the gas pedal to speeds in excess of 50 mph... braking is difficult because the car is continuing to accelerate.. this is causing stress on my braking system... i had a brother who was nearly killed in an accident because of a similar issue on a different vehicle .. the ford reps i have talked to are aware of the issue yet ford refuses to issue a safety recall.. are the waiting to be the next "gm" in the news.. waiting until people are killed instead of being proactive... *tr

When driving said vehicle it's speed increases on it's own. when you break the engine's rpms race to a very high level. at this point you need to put the vehicle in neutral and/or park and tap the accelerator a few times to bring the rpms to an idle state. i had this problem "repaired" about a year ago at my local ford dealership but the problem has returned. also, my cruise control stopped working shortly after the "repairs" were made. *tr

As i easy driving home from work, i stop for a traffic light and the engine starts idle up. the next day i take the car in and have it checked out, that's when i found that the throttle sensor was bad replaced it end of problems. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal failed and became stuck to the floor board. the contact was able to release the accelerator from the floor board by tapping the accelerator pedal several times. the failure was experienced numerous times. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be inspected. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 113,000.

While driving and approaching an intersection i began to apply brake for red light, the rpms spiked to 4000. the car continued to accelerate on it's own.tried to tap brake again..no change. put the car in neutral and tapped gas to finally get the rpms to lower to at least 2000 level. this has happened at least 4 other times. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that after shifting into park, the vehicle continued to move forward. the contact had to use the parking brake to stop the vehicle from moving any farther. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs and the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 155,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the accelerator pedal failed and became stuck, causing the vehicle to accelerate without manual force. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic for diagnosis but they were unable to duplicate the problem. the problem persisted and the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle in a residential garage with the brakes depressed, the vehicle suddenly and independently accelerated, crashing into the garage door. the contact sustained injuries to the eye. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure and current mileage was 128,000. updated 8/5/13 *cn

I was going down a back road at 20 mph. my car accelerated up to 35 by itself. i took my foot off of the pedal at the car kept accelerating. i pressed the brake and the car slowed down but i felt a great deal of power, like the car wanted to keep accelerating. as soon as i took my off the break the accelerated. i had to tap the accelerate pedal all the way down very quickly and it stopped. a few days later my husband and i were driving on the highway and i went to use my cruise control and it would not engage. at the present time the cruise control still does not work and the car is still accelerating on it's own. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that the engine rpms increased excessively and the vehicle surged. the contact turned the engine off for a moment and the vehicle returned to normal function. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have diagnostic performed. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 114,812 and the approximate current mileage was 115,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated while driving approximately 15 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed and became stuck with a rapid increase in the rpms. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. the contact stated the fractured support housing caused the throttle cable to become detached. the contact reconnected the cable in order to resume driving; however, the failure recurred. the vehicle failure had not been diagnosed nor was it repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the check engine warning light illuminated after the failure. the contact drove the vehicle with the brake pedal engaged however, the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic or repairs performed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 209,013.

Traveling at 35mph and pressed on the brake and the car did not idle down and usual. tapped the gas and no response. slipped the car into neutral and the rpm's raced to 3 and 4000. tapped the gas harder and the car idled down. slipped the car into drive and continued on. this has happened three times now all at speeds between 35 and 40mph. have contacted ford customer service got a case number and was told to get it fixed at a dealer and keep the receipt in case there is a recall. not happy with that response. how long or what does it take to make this right? this seems to be more serious than how it is being handled. you don't know how serious unless you are on the receiving end of a car that doesn't what to stop. *tr

While traveling on the highway, auto speed increased to 70 miles per hour with foot removed from the gas pedal. application of brakes slowed the auto but the brakes were working against the engine. *tr auto returned to 70 miles per hour without applying gas, when the brakes were release. pulled off the highway. shifted into neutral and engine revved up to 4,000 rpm. applied brakes to a stop. turned off the auto. checked that the floor mat was not restricting the gas pedal. opened the auto hood operated throttle by hand and the throttle seemed to release. continued to destination without problems. checked throttle at destination and noted that the cruise control cable was disconnected.

I was making a pass on the highway one evening on my way home from work and starting out at 45mph i accelerated up to 55mph and completed the pass. the acceleration time as brief but when i took my foot off the pedal the engine kept accelerating and maintained a 2500 - 3500 rpm. cruise control was not on! being that i've had this happen before when i was in a major city i knew i had to pull over and restart the car, hit the gas pedal a few times and usually it goes away. this time i could not because i was doing 65mph now and quickly approaching +70mph. so i calmly put the breaks on ever so slightly to keep my speed in a reasonable range and started to mess with the cruise control, turning it on and off, coast and accelerate and turning it off again. none of this worked. it wouldn't even accelerate from the cruise controls! but finally buy some luck after i hit the off button on the cruise control in panic, the acceleration pedal popped back up onto my foot where i had it resting. disaster averted! come to find others who are driving the same vehicle (year and model) in my company experienced this identical issue. one incident actually left the vehicle totaled but thank god our associate was unharmed. i feel that this being a popular car people should be aware of this issue before lives are lost. *tr

I took the vehicle to southgate ford on march 15, 2013, to have them analyze the check engine light which came on during the week. i drive only a few miles per week but didn't want to take a chance with this warning. southgate ford turned me away on friday afternoon to return on monday, march 18th stating: "they are too busy and the check engine light is of little concern and to return on monday". within 2 miles of leaving the dealership heading north on fort street, i was unable to bring the 2004 ford taurus to a stop at a red light. the taurus engine raced and roared at over 4,000 rpms and reached speeds between 45 and 50 miles per hour. i tried to brake with one foot and then two feet. the brakes could not bring the taurus to a stop and it felt like the brakes were pushing back toward me. i swerved to the left to avoid hitting the car in front of me and crossed over the median to southbound fort street. i attempted to reach a parking lot to avoid oncoming traffic as the engine continued to race and roar. the brakes could not control the car. i missed the entrance of the parking lot by a few feet and hit the curb. the impact of hitting the curb threw my body toward the passenger side of the car. the car continued to lunge forward until it hit the brick building in the lot at approximately 47 miles per hour. the air bags never deployed in this head-on collision with a brick building. i have sustained bruising from my left ear down to my knees and mulitple fractures in my right wrist. please do something to not let this happen to anyone else. how many people have to die to have recall notices issued? *tr

Two different times the throttle has gotten stuck. both times almost causing my daughter to wreck. purchased it used from a certified dealer just about two years ago. *tr

The vehicle accelerated on its own. depressing both the brake and the emergency brake did not stop the vehicle. putting the car in neutral made the car start smoking excessively while still moving. after hitting one vehicle due to being unable to stop at a traffic light, i was only able to stop the car by running it head on into a concrete pylon. one of the most terrifying days of my life. completely unexpected and i was so unprepared to handle these events. thankful to god today there was no loss of life, only property. absolutely terrifying. *tr

Driving my vehicle up an incline near my home and at the top i let off the accelerator. vehicle continued to accelerate. i pressed the off button on cruise control (in case it was on for some reason) and also pressed the brakes. the car slowed but as soon as i let off the break it sped up again. i was not far from home so i stayed on the break until the turn at my neighborhood. after i turned i had to wait for the gates to open so i let off the brakes a bit but the car would jump forward. i turned in as slowly as i could and before turning into my drive where my son and his friends were playing in the yard i stopped as much as i could and while i had my left foot on the break pulled on the accelerator with my right. there was a change in the engine sound and i slowly pulled into the driveway. this has never occurred before. we bought the car in 2008. is there any sort of fix?? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, he attempted to decelerate but the vehicle erroneously accelerated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the speed control cable had detached from the throttle body. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 29,953. updated 06/18/13*lj the consumer stated the problem has since been resolved. updated 06/19/13

Went out one morning, cranked the car and the engine was racing and would not slow down. the engine sounds like it is going to blow up. it is revving up around 3000 rpm and will not slow down. i have to constantly use the brakes to keep the car from going too fast. i tried to tap the gas pedal but it does nothing except rev higher. some kind of cable had fallen off and a friend of mine put it back on, but now i think it is off again. the car has made me feel very unsafe while driving it and i do not have the money to get another car. *tr

While driving at 25 mph i brake forcefully to avoid another car coming out of a strip mall at excessive speed. as i gradually released the brake the car began to accelerate without my having touched the gas pedal. i was able to turn with a great deal of trouble onto a side road where there was little traffic. the car continued to accelerate on its own up to about 40-50 mph. the rpm's were up to 4000. i was pressing on the brake, car was bucking and not stopping. eventually i was able to stop the car. car had to be towed to my mechanic. i will not know until tomorrow what he plans on doing. however after some online research i plan on telling him to replace the cruise control cable and the pin. ford should at least tell people how to fix the problem since it seems they are not taking responsibility and recalling these cars. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle accelerated without manual force. the failure recurred on several occasions. the contact was able to stop and restart the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where but they were unable to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 78,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle accelerated without manual force on several occasions. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was unknown.

Cables for throttle and cruise control are routed in such a way that they are rubbing against other parts and their insulation is wearing out. i spotted this just as the sheath was being bit into and have rerouted. it is likely that both cables would have eventually have been cut through. additionally, contrary to nhtsa findings that there were no crashes due to stuck throttles on 2005-2006 taurus, there is evidence here that there has been: http://www.taurusowners.com/topic/3377-possible-taurus-recall/. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. the contact depressed the brakes but the brakes would not respond as the vehicle speed continued to increase. the contact kicked the accelerator pedal several times and noticed that the speed decreased. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

Random throttle sticking, cruise control stopped working. *tr

I was driving and had turned into a store parking lot. i made a turn down a row to park and as i ran over a grate, going no more than 25 mph, the car began to accelerate. the rpm's went up to about 40 mph. i could feel it. my foot was not on the gas. my daughter and i were horrified. i pulled into a parking spot as far away from the other vehicles as possible. the car was roaring so hard. i called my mechanic because i had just had the vehicle inspected. the mechanic told me to quickly pat down on the gas (then release) while the car was safely in park. i did it and it and it stopped it. i could feel it immediately stop the acceleration. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while traveling 50 mph the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to merge to the side of the road. the engine was restarted and the vehicle resumed normal function. the vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. the failure and current mileage was 122,097.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the contact removed his foot from the accelerator pedal but the speed remained at 40 mph. the contact had to depress the brake pedal several times in order to get the vehicle to stop. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop for inspection where they stated that there was an accelerator clip malfunction. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and stated that there were no recalls for the vehicle. the failure mileage was 195,000. updated 12/5/12 *cn updated 12/11/2012 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact was driving approximately 35 mph when the vehicle abnormally accelerated without warning. the contact was able to stop the vehicle by applying the brakes. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. the technician detected that the end of the cruise control cable was flared and had contributed to the acceleration malfunction. the vehicle had not been repaired. there was currently an open investigation for model years 2005-2006 under nhtsa action number pe12005 (vehicle speed control). the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the accelerator pedal became stuck while being depressed. the vehicle accelerated up to 50 mph. the contact was able to return the accelerator pedal to the upright position, and gain control of vehicle. the failure recurred. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or repair shop for inspection or repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure and current mileage was 104,200.

The car just picked up speed and was difficult to slow down. i was able to maneuver the car off the expressway and turn the car off which allowed the car to slow down and stop. my brakes and tires were smoking (lucky no fire) but brand new brake pads gone. i discovered it was my cruise control cable ford denies any problem with the cable i will be replacing it and brakes this weekend. *tr

While driving the accelerator was racing so high,i turn off the engine then i start the engine it still racing .when i put in reverse then drive it stops racing it really scares me. *tr

The cars accelerating all by itself. started a few days ago then stopped. today it wouldn't stop. even after car was off for 10 mins. when turned on the car was still accelerating. *tr

I have a 2004 ford taurus with almost 70,000 miles on it, and now it has a stuck throttle. on 6/29/2012 i noticed that my cruise control was not working. i began driving the vehicle again on july 18 and starting on july 26 i noticed on the highway that it was accelerating itself without pressing down on the accelerator pedal. upon turning the car on to drive home from work, the problem was instantly apparent again. the engine will rev itself up to 3000+rpm while in park, and i had to completely press down the brakes to get it to slow down at stop lights and then would put it in park (as a safety precaution). when the light would turn green shifting into drive would make the car jump instantly. reading of the investigation of the ford 2005 taurus and the symptoms that other drivers have had, i am 100% convinced that i am experiencing the same issue. i plan on towing the car to a ford dealership soon for repair. *js

Vehicle did not slow down when foot removed from gas pedal. engine ran at high rate of speed even with brake on. when vehicle was shifted to neutral, rpm gauge showed engine running at 3500 to 4000 rpm. mechanic found cruise control cable had disconnected from throttle and prevented throttle from moving properly, causing it to be stuck open. *tr

The car experienced sudden acceleration. driving at ~40 mph, i noticed when i stepped on the brake to turn the car did not slow down that much and the tachometer was over 2000 rpm. when i pulled over and put the car in park the tachometer went to over 4000 rpm. i shutoff the engine tapped the gas pedal and restarted the engine. once again the tachometer was over 4000 rpm. i put the car in drive and the car took off. i rode the brakes the ~1000 ft to my home. i once again shutoff the and then restarted this time it was idling at ~800 rpm (normal). since i rode the brakes to keep the car under some control, all four wheels were very very hot. i went on line and found others have this problem when the cruise control cable becomes detached from the throttle cam. i inspected the cruise control cable and found it was in fact detached. needless to this sudden acceleration could have led to a serious accident. at a minimum it did some wear to the braking system and possibly wheel bearing damage as a result of the excessive heat. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle started to accelerate independently. the contact mentioned that the vehicle would shake violently and in order to maintain control of the vehicle, she had to drive with the brake pedal engaged. the failure recurred intermittently. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was not listed under a recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 163,824.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact removed his foot from the accelerator pedal and noticed that the vehicle erroneously accelerated. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician advised that the cruise control cable would have to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 88,700. updated 8/24/12 *cn updated 09/11/12. *jb

Accelerator on 2004 ford taurus ses sticks when accelerating onto highway or other high-speed roadway. have to throw the transmission into neutral and then press on gas pedal to halt the acceleration. seems to happen when accelerating. it may be connected to the car's cruise control, which recently stopped working. a cable that attached to throttle comes off and won't stay on the nipple where it normally attaches (have a photo of the cable). *tt

Was exiting from an access controlled highway, and after braking to a safe speed on the off ramp, released the brake and the car sped back up. i had the speed control set to 55 mph while on the highway. found the speed control to still be engaged and was able to brake to a safe, off the road stop. disconnected the speed control cable and was able to make it home. for further details, just search google for ford taurus speed control problems and you will find many with the same story. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford torus. the contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph the vehicle accelerated independently as the brake was being applied without warning. the failure occurred five times over a one month period. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who did not diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 87,000. updated 5/27/14*cn updated 8/17/17/*cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact was driving 50 mph when the acceleration pedal was released in an attempt to reduce speed. the vehicle suddenly accelerated abnormally. the brake was applied with extreme force in order to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed, they located the failure at the cruise control cable and the throttle body. the vehicle was repaired on may 11, 2012. the failure and the current mileage was 19,350. updated 07/17/12*lj

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle exhibited an abnormal noise as if the vehicle was attempting to accelerate. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 51,000 and the current mileage was 91,481.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that as the vehicle was started with the accelerator depressed, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer but the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacture was contacted and advised the contact that there were no recalls and that they were unable to assist. the failure and current mileage was 175,000. the vin was not available.

Traveling southbound through a parking lot the vehicle suddenly accelerated with the brake engaged. the vehicle stuck a support pillar in front of a pizza hut restaurant. driver suffered broken ribs, passenger suffered c2 fracture, broken ribs, internal bleeding. vehicle has been declared totaled. i am filing this on behalf of my father. *tr

2004 taurus - approx. 62500 miles - cruise control has not worked for several weeks. light came on but it did not engage. 3/21/12 - tonight on the way home on the highway - the car accelerated to 60 mph w/out foot on the pedal. tapping pedal did not help. had to put car in neutral to break/stop/pull over but the car rpms were reving the whole time. taking it in for service on 3/22/12. reporting this because i see this seems to be a common complaint. *js