This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The throttle began to stick around the beginning of February 2012. The speed of the car averages around 50mph when the acceleration occurs. The distance seems to occur after 10 to 15 miles of travel. When this first began to occur in February 2012 there was one occurrence that the car had to be put in neutral for the accelerator to release. All other times (to date) the accelerator will release when the brake is applied.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle continued to gradually accelerate although he had removed his foot from the accelerator pedal. Once the contact realized that the vehicle was still accelerating, he shifted into neutral and there was an increase in the engine rpms. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 150,000. The VIN was not available.
Our company has 2 of the 2005 Ford Taurus. Both bought new from Ford dealer. Within weeks of each other in year 2009 both experienced major problem. The vehicle would accelerate while driving and while at stop. Driver could not brake to deactivate cruise or put car in neutral to slow down. Rpms revved very high. Driver had to keep both feet on brake to keep car from moving when at stop. Both taken to Ford dealership for work. Different things were done to prevent. I have recently read an article on investigation into this same problem. I felt it important to relay this information.
We purchased this used 2005 Ford Taurus vehicle from a neighbor who stated that he has had "a problem with the accelerator occasionally getting stuck, and he frequently keeps it lubricated to help with the problem", upon the test drive prior to our purchase we did not encounter the problem so we purchased it with 87,886 miles on it. We immediately started having problems that week when we started driving it on a daily basis. The problems that we had were sudden acceleration at low driving speeds of 25 miles per hr. That resisted and would not slow down upon braking and only slowed down upon hard braking and by putting the car in neutral, this sudden acceleration also occurred at speeds of 35 miles per hr. And while the car was in park !!! there was no correlation between this sudden acceleration and the gas pedals position. We went online to investigate the problem and found out that numerous car owners have had the same complaints, but nothing has been done about it all these years, one person online recommended disconnecting the cruise control because it worked for him. We immediately disconnected the cruise control and the problem with the sudden acceleration ceased, but every once in a while the car's engine gets a sudden surge like it is being "rev ved up". it would be nice to have a vehicle that performed properly and was not a safety danger on the road. I am alarmed at how many other Ford tauruses are out there in inexperienced driver's hands who are not informed enough to have the cruise control disconnected, or who can not think quick enough to put the car in neutral while braking. I shudder thinking about all the teen and elderly drivers I pass on the road driving these cars. We really miss our cruise control too! please act on this asap!!!
Traveling at 40 mph in cruise control when a sudden acceleration occurred increasing my speed to approximately 60 mph. Turning off the cruise control did nothing to correct this issue neither did hitting the brakes and downshifting to a lower gear. Pushing the accelerator down to the floor while in neutral did bring the RPM's up to 6000 but helped the sudden acceleration. My idle RPM returned to normal. I stopped at a friend's house and we removed the cruise control cable. I have not experienced an issue since, but I miss having cruise control. 2005 Ford Taurus owner.
- Saint Clair Shores, MI, USA
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The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, he released pressure from the accelerator pedal and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact immediately took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the cruise control cable had disconnected from the throttle body. The dealer replaced the cable and the throttle body. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 72,000 and the current mileage was 74,800.
During warmer months vehicle will accelerate on its own. The speed is about 30 mph up pass 60mph. You have to push the gas pedal to floor to stop the acceleration. We have taken to Ford dealership several times. They find nothing. We have almost had several accidents.
When either driving or staying still, my 2005 Ford Taurus would suddenly accelerate to where pressing on the break would not control the car. I would either try to lift the acceleration peddle up with my hand, which broke the pedal in one case, or put the car into neutral, which would rev the RPM's to 4000+. I had two near crashes and when I was driving it to the Ford dealership in July 2011, was stuck on a highway and had to get a tow because the pedal broke while trying to stop the car from accelerating. I called Ford immediately after my incident and was promptly told that the car was fine, that they had no reports of this issue and that driving my car was safe. I didn't even think to contact the NHTSA until I heard the report on cnn. I have also done some research and found hundreds of others who have had the same issue and people that have had loved ones die because of this. I have had to drive another car for fear that if I drive my Ford, I'll die. I cannot sell the car because I don't want someone else to possibly die. Please help.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated without prior warning. The vehicle came to a stop after braking with force and then shifting into neutral. In addition, the cruise control would not function upon activation. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. There was an open investigation associated with NHTSA action number PE12005 (vehicle speed control: Cables). The approximate failure mileage was 36,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 to 40 mph, the accelerator pedal stuck and was difficult to release. The contact had to kick the pedal in order to release it. The vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer nor had it been repaired. The contact routinely sprayed the pedal with a lubricant to prevent it from sticking. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Hello my wife's Taurus has recently started to lurch forward when she starts it. This happens about every third or fourth time the vehicle is started. Another thing we have noticed that may be related is that when the car is running while in park say at a drive through, when putting it into drive, there is a lag time in the transmission engaging into drive then when it does engage it pops into drive as if I were to pop the clutch and it lurches forward.
The accelerator will often get stuck and rev the engine in upwards of 4K RPM, even if stopped. I have had the vehicle nearly run into oncoming traffic while at a stop light. The same time this issue came to light, the cruise control no longer works, and I believe the issues are related.
My car began to accelerate with very little pressure on the gas pedal. I pushed the brakes all the way down but brakes wouldn't stop the car. The engine revved so high I had no choice but to just shut the car off. I then tried to restart the car and it revved really high again. I have had it towed and worked on twice and the throttle keeps getting stuck. Ill be driving and it just get stuck and I have a hard time getting it to stop with my brakes. My cruise control is no longer working as well.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, there was an increase in the engine rpms. The contact stopped the vehicle and shifted into park. While in park, the contact applied the accelerator pedal and the failure ceased. The contact also stated that various warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel during the failure. The failure had since recurred on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the accelerator pedal depressed to the floor board, causing the vehicle to accelerate on its own. The contact applied the brake pedal with both feet, but the engine continued to rev. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle then crashed into the following vehicle. The drivers and passengers of the two other vehicles involved were injured. The failure occurred five different times. The police reported to the scene and a report was filed. The vehicle was also taken to the dealer several times. The technicians were unable to diagnose 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 24,000.
My car accelerated starting at 30 mph and kept climbing. I got it stopped with much effort in the middle of the road. When I restarted it, the engine raced uncontrollably. It was checked by my boyfriend (a auto service manager for 20 years) and found the cruise cable was loose but holding the accelerator. He disconnected the cable to the side and drove it ok. Then the cable slide back into place and it did it again. It you check the chat rooms you will find that many people have had the same problem!!!. the cost of repair has kept me from getting it repaired and the dealers refuse to even goodwill repair it, knowing that it was a common problem. I am afraid to drive the car, but it is the only vehicle I have.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal stuck and the vehicle accelerated at high rates of speed. The accelerator pedal would also not release itself from the stuck position. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified and stated that if a recall was issued he would be notified, but there was no further assistance that could be offered. The contact also filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 86,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle unintendedly increased acceleration. The contact shifted into the park position in order to reduce the speed to a complete stop. The engine was turned off and restarted twice before the vehicle was able to resume normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the throttle body control module; however the failure continued to occur after the repair was performed. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic for a second time and the cruise control cable was disconnected. There was currently an open investigation associated with NHTSA action number PE12005 (vehicle speed control:cables). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.
First incident, 2/6/2012 - my gas pedal seemed to get stuck and the rpms went up to about 3000 when driving. Had to keep the brake pedal mashed to the floor when I was at a stoplight as the car wanted to pull away from me. Second incident 3/10/2012 - at a stoplight in stop-and-go traffic, car wanted to pull away from me and rpms were above 3000. Pulled over to a parking spot and car was hard to get into park. Once in park, the rpms were over 5000 and I had to tap on the gas to get the rpms to decrease down to 1000. I also shut the car off to drop the rpms. Cruise control will now not work. Purchased car new in July 2005, car only has 78K miles.
Initially the cruise control on the car was intermittent on and off for several months. However on the date of the incident while on the exit ramp exiting the interstate the car RPM did not decrease below approximately 2500 RPM after letting off of the accelerator and depressing the brake. To get the car to stop the brake had to be held down as hard as possible. When the brake was released the car took off at a fast rate of speed. It acted as if the cruise control was active, but pressing the cruise off or the brake would not turn it off. When the car was placed into park the RPM went to approximately 3500 RPM. Further examination in the engine compartment was done. After removing the throttle body shield the cruise control cable was detached from the bottom of the throttle body. To fix this the cruise control cable was reattached to the throttle body and secured in place with two tie straps. The runaway car behavior has not happened since.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Romney, WV, USA