Problems with 2004 Ford Taurus VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Vehicle accelerates on its own, causing it to cruise around 50-60mph without any pressure on the throttle. when this happens, dropping the vehicle into neutral causes the engine to rev high. when shut off and started again, problem still persists. has noticeably occurred on three different instances. might be similar to a current nhtsa investigation regarding "sticky accelerators" on tauruses. the cruise control on the vehicle stopped working on the car approximately a year ago, and the problem has occurred since then. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle unintendedly increased acceleration and the rpms increased up to 4,000. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road cautiously. the vehicle was able to slow down to a stop after shifting into the neutral position and engaging the brake pedal. the contact resumed driving. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where the cruise control cable was replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

The car will try to accelerate when coming to a stop as well as when you foot is off the accelerator. in the instances that this has happened my wife or i has shifted the car to neutral at a stop and the engine will rev to 3,000 rpms and stay there. please note when this happens the car will try to move forward and accelerate in drive even when your foot is on the brake. *tr

I was on my way home from the bank when my car suddenly sped up and wouldn't stop accelerating. i reached up to 55 mph without touching the gas petal. thankfully my brakes still worked and i was able to get to my house without causing any damage. however, my gas petal is still stuck, even with the car off, and i checked around the petal to make sure nothing had gotten in the way to make it stick, nothing had. now i can not drive my car without ruining my transmission and possibly the front of my house, as i'd fly right into it. this can be very dangerous, if my breaks would have gone out, i most certainly would have caused an accident and possibly killed someone. this was a very terrifying experience. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. while traveling 60 mph, the contact noticed that the vehicle would gradually accelerate without depressing the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the failure could not be repaired. the current and the failure mileages were 78,000.

While in a residential area, my car began to accelerate on its own and did not give way when i hit the breaks. the car started accelerating on its own at 40mph, and kept going to 50 mph, and then at 60 mph i began to panic. the traffic on the road i was traveling on was busy and cars were going in and out of businesses. when trying to hit the breaks the car slightly jerked and did not slow down the car. i was quickly approaching a line of cars waiting at a red light and there was no break down lane. luckily, i was able to move into a small parking area and nearly hit a storefront by 3 feet. i quickly put the car in park, while it continued to accelerate on its own. thinking i would reset something, i turned off the car and started it again. the car kept accelerating and created a lot of smoke in the back. $500 to fix at a ford dealership later and i am still anxious that the same issue will happen again but i will not be so lucky - what if it happened on the highway? when a pedestrian was crossing the road? what if i hit someone? ford needs to recall this part - and i want my money back! *tr

The throttle is sticking and causing the car to accelerate when trying to slow down. the first incident occurred about three weeks ago. at first we noticed when we would slow down for turns the car would want to accelerate. the second incident occurred when my wife tried to come to a stop in the garage and the car tried to take off. the third incident occurred with me driving the car. i went to stop at a stop light and the car did not want to slow down it wanted to accelerate almost causing me to run into the back of another car in front of me. we have found that if you put the car in park the throttle/acceleration will stop. *js

Tl* the contact owns 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph the vehicle accelerated up to 60 mph on its own. the contact stated that he had to place the vehicle into neutral to stop the failure. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 110,000.

Starting approximately a month ago my throttle started getting stuck on my car. i was driving down the highway and when i took my foot off of the gas peddle, the speed slowed down some, but then it acted as though the cruise control was on and the throttle was stuck. i was pressing the brake but the throttle was still engaged. even when i was at a complete stop, the throttle was still engaged and the engine racing. several times i had to put the car in neutral and/or stomp on the gas pedal several times to get the throttle to release. this doesn't happen all the time but is an intermittent problem. *tr

While leaving a pva, gas pedal went to floor and stuck causing the engine to rev up, had no control over car, crossed road into another pva and hit 3 cars and hit 2 concrete pillars which caused injuries to the driver and caused a death to the passenger. driver indicates he had no steering or brakes. car did not stop until slamming into the concrete pillars....updated 03/28/12 *bf *tr...updated 07-15-13 *bf updated 07/19/2013 *js

While driving vehicle to work, noticed that cruise control would not engage as normal. as i began to decel onto the off-ramp, the engine rpm stay at approx 2800 rpm and would not go any lower. found that black cruise control tab on throttle body had allowed throttle cable to slip out partially, causing the throttle body to stay partially open. had to wire-tye the end of throttle body for cable to remain engaged to operate vehicle. *tr

The throttle sticks when slowing down to a stop, it suddenly revs up. must then stomp on the brakes and try to throw it into neutral. usually can catch it however, 2 days ago ended up rear ending someone. the front end of my car is damaged. ran into a truck which wasn't damaged. *tr

The throttle sticks when slowing down to a stop. it suddenly revs up. must stomp on the brakes and attempt to throw into neutral. had been able to stop but 2 days ago rear ended a truck. damage to my car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while stopped, there was a rapid increase in engine rpms. the contact applied heavy pressure to the brake pedal and shifted into neutral. the failure ceased and the contact continued driving. a few moments later, the failure recurred. the contact safely drove the vehicle home and had her spouse examine the vehicle. the contact's spouse noticed that the cruise control cable was detached and he reattached it. the vehicle was not take to have the failure diagnosed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 108,000. the vin was unavailable.

On four separate occasions, the first being 01/27/12, i have experienced my car accelerating on its own. it felt was as if the car was possessed. it sped from 40mph to 55mph without my foot on the gas. i had to struggle to brake at a red light, fighting the car as it tried to resist stopping. thankfully, i was able to come to a stop, place the car in park and put the parking brake on as i waited at the red light. once the light was green and it was time to drive again, the moment i took my foot off the brake, the car immediately accelerated rapidly, without any assistance from me. this was during heavy traffic, so i was very scared, and broke into tears when i finally parked at work safely. this has happened on three other occasions over the past two months, one where my car went from 30mph to 55mph on its own. when these incidents have occurred, i have put my foot behind the gas pedal and pulled forward, checking to make sure it wasn't stuck, as that has happened once or twice as well. i am on a tight budget and can not presently afford to get my car fixed, so i have no knowledge of if/when this will happen again. it comes and goes without warning. sometimes once the car starts speeding up by itself, it does not stop until i am at my destination. other times, it ceases after a few minutes without notice. please look into this, as i saw a report that other taurus owners are experiencing the same issue, and this is a very dangerous problem. thank you. *tr

While driving down the road upon slowing down before making a turn accelerator would stick as if it was in cruise control mode. upon pumping the gas pedal the pedal would become unstuck. cruise control mode now no longer works in vehicle. the has happened on two different occasions once while making a turn and once while pulling into the parking lot. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. the contact also stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 130,000. updated 04/10/15*lj updated 11/5/2015*js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph the accelerator pedal became stuck, as a result rpms increased. the contact mentioned that he had to engaged the brake with an incredible amount of pressure in order to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included on any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 98,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. while driving approximately 15 mph and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes would not respond. there was an increase in rpms and the vehicle lurched forward while the engine continued to race. the contact continued to apply excessive force to the brake pedal, placed the vehicle in neutral and was able to stop the vehicle. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician was unable to determine the cause of the failure. there was an investigation under nhtsa action number: pe12005 (vehicle speed control:cables) that may be related to the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

I read this story u.s. investigates ford tauruses for stuck throttles by peter valdes-dapena @peterdrives march 12, 2012: 1:19 pm et and when it happened to me did not think much about it but after reading this i am now concerned. i just pulled out from a gas station accelerated to about 30mph when i notice it was still accelerating without my foot on the accelerator pedal. as it was still gaining speed i became nervous and put it into neutral it did rev up to a hi tach speed (5000) or better. i kicked the accelerator pedal quick and hard to see if that would knock it down before i would have turned it off but it did work. i latter stopped opened the hood looked for anything obvious around the area where accelerator & speed control cable come to and found the speed control cable not connected to the ball. reattached it but seemed loose plastic seemed to be worn some. but has fallen off again. checked the speed control cable where it goes into the control box seemed to be loose and no binding. in all the years i have had this car have had this problem one time....oh and by the way just before i kicked the accelerator i did try to turn on/off the speed control thinking that somehow it had engaged but had no effect. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact abnormally accelerated despite that the brakes were being depressed. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed that the throttle needed to be cleaned. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 119,000 and the current mileage was 125,000.

The gas pedal was stuck . i free it by re pressing the gas pedal a number of times. this has happen twice over 5 months. also i checked from news report about the cruise control and found that my control does not function at all. *tr

Just saw this that you were investigating on 2005-06 ford taurus models in local paper for similar complaint. my complaint is for the cruise control or throttle control on my ford taurus 2004. my cruise control stopped working. after that, sometimes my car would just lock on usually at 40 to 60 mph as far as acceleration and eventually disengage after a period of time after pressing gas pedal or i would shut my car off to reset/reboot. it happened many times, but luckily no accidents, just a lot of wear and tear on brakes. i did mention this phenomenon several years ago to local dealer when my cruise went out and they said nothing unusual was reported and no recalls at the time. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that when driving approximately 45 mph and merging onto a highway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to higher speeds. after trying to depress the brakes, the vehicle still would not stop. after merging off the highway, she had to engage the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was then towed to the dealer where they advised that the speed control cable had fractured, which caused the unattended acceleration. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were approximately 114,000.

When i start my car, it revs high, up to about 2000-3000 rpms. while sitting still at a stop sign or red light it will idle around 1200 rpms. while driving it will just accelerate or if i take my foot off the gas it will stay at current speed or increase. i can pump the pedal and it will jump up to 3000 rpms or sometimes it will cause the throttle to kick back and i can feel the pedal bump my foot. no matter the driving conditions or terrain it will do this everytime i drive my car. sometimes it will idle too low but most of the times it idles high or overrevs when im sitting still or pull in and shift into park. this problem has occurred daily since the problem has started, also this whole time my cruise control will not engage. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that he deactivated the cruise control while driving 55 mph, but the vehicle would not decelerate. there was a constant increase in engine rpms until the contact applied heavy pressure to the brake pedal. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the throttle position sensor was replaced. the contact examined the vehicle the following morning and noticed that transmission fluid had leaked onto the ground. the failure persisted. the contact then disconnected the cruise control cable and the failure had not recurred since. the transmission leak continued despite numerous repairs performed by the contact and an authorized dealer. the failure mileage was 86,311. updated 04/13/12 *bf the consumer stated the vehicle would not decelerate normally. there was a higher than normal engine rpm and he had to use heavier than normal braking to both slow and stop the vehicle. just prior to arriving at a safe parking area, the idle returned to normal. after a brief stop, the consumer went back home. initially, the idle was normal, but then the high idle returned. the vehicle wa taken to an independent mechanic, where the throttle position sensor was replaced. the consumer examined the vehicle the next day, where he noticed transmission fluid was leaking. the transmission dipstick shaft and dipstick was extended about 3-4 inches onto the ground. all fluids appeared normal after inspection was performed. the consumer replaced the iac and returned to the mechanic to verify proper installation. the consumer then disconnected the cruise control cable from the throttle body as the high idle persisted. the transmission leak continued despite numerous repairs performed by the consumer and the authorized dealer. updated 04/23/12

Everytime the vehicle is driven the vehicle accelerates on its own even while applying the brake. while moving or stopped, i have to shift into neutral, the rpms rev up and i have to tap the gas pedal for the rpms to drop back down. then, i have to shift back into drive. the only solution i have been given is to replace the idol air control valve (iac) and that didn't make a difference. i don't have a problem shifting into neutral while driving, because i am an experienced driver, but my 17 yr son drives the car as well and i worry about his safety. *tr

When attempting to slow down to stop the car the rpm's revved up to over 3000rpm and it was difficult to stop the car. i had to press on the brake really hard and the car was still revved up over 3000rpm. i could barely get the car off the road and had to throw it into park and turn the car off. when i turned the car back on it still revved up to over 3000rpms. the next day the car started and idled at a normal 1000rpms. the problem repeated itself two other times with very similar scenarios. it is very difficult to get the car stopped as if it wants to run away. the first occurrence was may, 2011, then oct., 2011, and feb. 2012. *tr

My 2004 ford taurus accelerated on it's own on 3 separate occasions. without my foot on any pedal, my car kept going faster & faster. it would not stop by pressing the brakes. car had to be put in neutral & then turned off. it happened when mechanic drove my car, also. no car in front of me, so no accident. i paid twice to have my car fixed, since problem was difficult to diagnose. sounds like same throttle problem that is happening to other tauruses now. i have copies of my car repair receipts. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. the contact placed the gear shifter into neutral and was able to stop the vehicle. the failure occurred three different times. the contact stated that the failure would occur within twenty-four hours of using the cruise control. the cruise control was not activated when the vehicle accelerated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. there was an investigation for the 2005 ford taurus under nhtsa action number pe12005 (vehicle speed control:cables), that may be related to the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

I was going down the interstate at approx. 60 mph. i let my foot off the gas pedal and it felt 'sticky'. i didn't think anything of it until it really got stuck. i was stuck going at 65 mph. i have been able to unstick the pedal by either stopping and cutting the car off and pumping the gas or (if that's not possible) i just floor it. it seems sudden acceleration (initially) would unstick it. now, more than a year later, all i can do is ride it out and hope it unsticks soon. this has become a weekly occurrence, it's not longer scary, but it is unsettling-and i know it can't be good for my car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle abnormally and rapidly accelerated. the brake was applied and the vehicle was placed in neutral but the vehicle continued to accelerate. the contact began tapping the accelerator pedal and eventually regained control of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and the throttle body was serviced. the manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. the failure recurred over 150 times. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 147,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that the driver informed him of the engine rpms increasing when the vehicle stopped. while driving at any speed the vehicle would not slow down when pressure was removed from the accelerator pedal. the contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the cable from the vehicle speed control was not properly attached to the throttle body arm. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have the failure diagnosed and it was not repaired. the failure mileage was 81,000 and the current mileage was 82,918.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the accelerator pedal would get jammed. in order to release the pedal, the contact had to place the vehicle in park. the vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer nor had it been repaired. the manufacturer was notified and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving with the cruise control activated at 50 mph, the cruise control disengaged independently yet the vehicle continued to increase in speed. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 100,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact was at a complete stop when the vehicle abnormally accelerated without warning. the brakes were applied but the vehicle would not stop until the contact shifted into neutral. the dealer was contacted and advised that the vehicle would need to be diagnosed for the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

While driving, if the ac is on, the car will sometimes accelerate on its own. it will rev up to 3000-3500 rpms and maintain for awhile and eventually stop accelerating. possibly related, the cruise control turns on, but a cruising speed cannot be set. this happens multiple times. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle would abnormally accelerate when driving at any speed or when at a complete stop with the brakes depressed. on multiple occasions, the vehicle abnormally accelerated to 50 mph without depressing the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic numerous times for the failure. the mechanic replaced the throttle sensor and the cruise control was disconnected, but the failure persisted and the vehicle continued to abnormally accelerate. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.

Gas pedal sticks and car accelerates. cruise control stopped working. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that when traveling with the cruise control set at various speeds, the vehicle would independently accelerate intermittently. the vehicle was neither diagnosed for the failure nor repaired. the current and failure mileage was 97,000.

Accelerator revved without foot on gas pedal. i was coming to a stop, removed foot from gas, stepped on brake when engine start revving. at first i though brakes were failing because it wasn't slowing down as quickly as usual. had to put car in neutral and turn off. it happened years ago, before the toyota problem. thought it was an isolated incident until it now happened 2 times in 2 weeks. only happens when stopping/parking. no sudden acceleration while in motion. also happened to my wife. floor mat issue or hitting accelerator instead of brake is not the case. *tr

My 2004 taurus was in an accident-while checking the ford website and reading previous recalls on the taurus model 2 or 3 recalls sounded very similar to the problem-brakes failed, there was a fire. ford's web site lists' 2/1/2008 & 6/26/2008 (later date more detailed) as the reseason for the recall being safety "speed control deactivation system...fire" could this be what happenned to my car?

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal would become stuck, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. the contact would pump in order to dislodge the pedal. the dealer diagnosed that the cruise control cable separated, which interfered with the throttle body. the dealer replaced the cruise control cable. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 59,900 and the current mileage was 80,000. updated 04/19/2012*lj

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact was driving 20 mph when the vehicle increased acceleration unexpectedly. the failure stopped after the brakes were depressed. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 109,000 and the current mileage was 126,258.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that the cruise control would become stuck and the vehicle would accelerate and abnormally. when the failure occurred, the contact would have difficulty bringing the vehicle to a stop. the contact stated that the failure could have been caused by the cable tightening, but the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for confirmation of the failure. the failure mileage was 128,000 and the current mileage was 141,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to higher speeds. the vehicle would not stop when the brakes were applied. the vehicle was safely coasted to the shoulder of the road and restarted. the vehicle was then taken to a dealer and they informed the contact that they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Date approximate. ford taurus 2004. vehicle accelerated and rpm increased on a downhill grade after removing all pressure from the accelerator peddle. on subsequent level grades vehicle did not slow down when the accelerator peddle was released. braking was difficult. upon inspection, the cable end had slipped out of its socket and jammed behind the control linkage. the ford garage said that ford had no recalls on the item and i would have to pay to replace the entire throttle body. not having the money and wanting to await news from ford, i carefully drilled a small hole through the knuckle/linkage and then safety wired the knuckle to the linkage. i drive less than 6000 miles a year. it is still working but the weakened conditioned, original defect and subsequent temporary. *tr

On the afternoon of february 14th, 2012 i was driving my vehicle in a residential area of west philadelphia when the car began to lurch forward when i applied the brake. when i took my foot of the brake, the car proceeded to accelerate at a speed of approximately 30 mph without my foot being on the accelerator. i went down one city block with the car still moving without me pushing the accelerator. i then pulled the car over and put the car in park and the engine continued to rev at approx 3000-4000 rpm. i then turned the car completely off and let it sit for about 5 minutes. i then turned it back on and the car continued to rev at 3000-4000 rpm while still in park. i then turned the car off and called for someone to pick me up as i believed the car was unsafe to drive. when my friend arrived, he attempted to start the car, and it started normally. he then drove the car back to my residence without incident. then on the afternoon of march 14th, 2012 i was again driving through a residential area at around 30 mph. i pushed on the brake when approaching a stop light and the car continued to lurch forward. i became very afraid as i was close to the car in front of me and it appeared as though the car would not completely stop. after pressing down hard on the brake, it did come to a complete stop, but was jerky and shaky when idle. when the light turned green, i proceeded down the street as i could not find a safe place to pull over because there were children in the area and i feared the car may keep going if i again attempted to stop. as it did on 2/14, the car coasted down the street at approximately 30-40 mph without me putting my foot on the accelerator. this time, i drove into a street without much traffic and after approximately 700 ft, the car began to drive normally. *tr *js

My 2004 ford taurus engine pedal not work well, no response when i push it till i push it hard enough, it will work. it is like this situation for 1`2 years. it is ok before. *tr

Speed control failed and after failing noticed that accelerator sticks and holds speed rather high. so far the engine returns to normal after tapping the peddle a time or two. upon reading however am sort of worried that sometime it may stick full power in which case would cause an accident. *tr