Multiple instances of my car accelerating while in a lower RPM such as at a stop light, drive thru window and parking lots. Especially increased instances when the air conditioning is running. This also causes the car to die completely in some cases. I have to try to pull over somewhere in order to put the car in park and restart it. This issue with the acceleration is increasing in frequency lately. I can count on it to happen every single time I have the air conditioner running and sometimes when it is not. Problem has occurred hundreds of times. It is very dangerous! if I were slow to react to the acceleration, the car would definitely run over a pedestrian or hit another vehicle! local Ford dealership vehicle was purchased from said they were not aware of any issue like this occurring in other like models. Please help! last night my husband and I went through a local restaurant drive thru window and while going through the line, the engine surged 5 different times! these are not slight little RPM bumps, these are full fledged "the car thinks I am mashing down on the gas pedal to obtain speeds of like 45 mph" accelerations! today I was driving at around 35 mph with the air conditioner on and turned the cruise control on. The car died when it reached a downhill turn at the point I would have expected the cruise control to hold back the speed. Of course the power steering went out when the engine died, so I had to try and find a place to "float" into in order to turn my car off and restart it. I need this fixed very badly before my family and I are in an accident. I cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars at the dealership hoping they get the correct diagnosis nor can I afford a new car.

- Lewisburg, TN, USA

Traveling at freeway speed, vehicle lights all flickered the lost power..engine continued to run, was able to coast vehicle to shoulder of 35W, apply brakes and stop. Turned off vehicle and restarted within a few minutes. No lights no dash lights..flooring the gas pedal able to get 30 mph uphill approximately. At top of hill power came back on..then killed again. Tow called. Currently at garage where sensors are showing transmission problem.

- Stanchfield, MN, USA

In the fall of 2012, I noticed the engine would 'rev up' when I started the car and put it in gear causing the car to 'lunge' if I didn't have the brake firmly depressed. I took it to my local mechanic who couldn't replicate the issue. It continued to happen so now I hold my foot firmly on the brake for several seconds when I put the car in gear. In December 2012 or January 2013, I received a safety recall letter from Ford for the throttle body. The letter stated exactly what my car was doing. I took my car to the dealer (lb smith) on February 18 to repair the throttle body per the safety recall letter. The 'repair' didn't fix the issue. On Saturday, May 11 while sitting at a red light my car 'lunged' forward about a foot while I had my foot firmly pressed on the brake. We immediately took the car to lb smith and scheduled an appointment for the following Monday. I was informed the safety recall was for a one time cleaning of the throttle body and my throttle body needed replaced at a cost of approximately $750. I called Ford's toll free number to see if some assistance could be provided as it was a safety recall that wasn't fixed. I was informed that no assistance could be given. Since then, my car has 'lunged' when I slow down to pull into gas station pumps and into parking spaces. It has escalated from lunging when I put the car in gear to lunging when I am sitting still and when I slow down.

- Enola, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Mercury Montego. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle lunge forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that the throttle body might be defective. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

- Bowling Green , KY, USA

This vehicle has a problem when shifting from park to drive, park to reverse, drive to reverse, reverse to drive or when simply maneuvering to park. You can hear the engine RPM increase quickly, then decrease just as quickly when this happens. This typically occurs when the vehicle is placed in reverse and the wheel is being turned and the my foot is on the brake pedal. This problem began a month ago and has gotten progressively worse.

- Cd. Obregon, AZ, USA

This vehicle has a serious/scary "surging" problem when shifting from park to drive, park to reverse, drive to reverse, reverse to drive or when simply maneuvering to park. This problem began a couple of weeks ago and has gotten progressively worse. A web search has shown that this problem is pretty common in this auto but I have yet to see the problem pinpointed. This is a real safety issue.

- Norman, OK, USA

Engine speed fluctuates suddenly with no operator input (throttle pedal), especially when shifting (automatic) transmission from park to reverse or drive. Causes vehicle to lunge during parking maneuvers. Also requires abnormal braking input in traffic when normally engine braking would suffice. Has been serviced once by a Ford dealer (computer was reprogrammed); was not successful.

- Buncombe, IL, USA

I have experienced a sudden unexpected lunge when backing out of a parking space after placing the vehicle in reverse on several occasions. You can hear the engine RPM increase quickly, then decrease just as quickly when this happens. This typically occurs when the vehicle is placed in reverse and the wheel is being turned and the my foot is on the brake pedal. It has also occurred again when the vehicle is put into drive after going from reverse and the wheel is turned. Having the brake pedal depressed, is effective in stopping the vehicle, but since the timing and circumstances of the malfunction is unpredictable, it has become a noticeable and constant issue. I thought my vehicle was an isolated issue, but it appears to be more widespread. After seeing this issue on online discussion boards for Ford five hundred/Montego/freestyle vehicles and now the 2005-2007 Ford freestyle investigation, I would strongly urge NHTSA to expand this investigation to include 2005-2007 Ford five hundred/Mercury Montego since these vehicle use similar drivetrain components. The symptoms I have seen are exactly the same as those described in the investigation of the Ford freestyle in investigation PE 11-018 opened on 5/11/2011

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Mercury Montego. The contact stated that the throttle body control failed twice. When the failure occurred the vehicle would accelerate when he removed his foot off of the brake pedal and before he placed his foot back on it. The throttle body was replaced twice in the past 15 months. The failure mileage was 86847. The current mileage was 109847. Updated 01/20/11 updated 04/13/11

- Germantown, TN, USA

Our 18 year old daughter who has a permit was driving our 2007 monetego one evening with me. When she went to park at a drive inn restaurant under my guidance, she was pulling into a parking space and the car unexpectedly lunged forward. As an inexperienced driver she panicked and took her foot off the brake - endangering the lives of at least 10 people that were eating at the picnic tables outside of the restaurant. Thankfully the car was going at a relatively low speed and the curb stopped its forward motion. I had noticed intermittent "lunging" when I applied the brakes just a few times before this and a clunking when shifting and I had already taken it to my local mechanic who checked the transmission and brakes but said they were fine. After the incident with my daughter we took the car to the dealer and they said that the throttle body is bad. I called Ford three times to no avail. I have since done some searching on the internet and have found that this is a real problem for many people which actually confirms what the service manager at the dealership told me. He actually said that the service department there has seen a number of these fixes and he stated that the defect is very dangerous - there needs to be a recall now!!!!!

- Eaton, CO, USA

Since vehicle was purchased, when shifting from park to reverse or drive, the vehicle will lunge back or forward, even with brakes applied. Have had to push brake pedal harder than what is normal to prevent this from happening. Dealer "could not duplicate problem" when car was under warranty. Car is now out of warranty and I was told the throttle body needs replacement.

- Pearland, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Mercury Montego. The contact stated while sitting at a complete stop, the vehicle independently accelerated. The dealer discovered that the throttle body assembly sensor was indicating a lack of fuel and causing the vehicle to accelerate. The dealer advised the throttle body would need to be replaced however the part was on backorder for six months. The contact was concerned with the possibility of a crash occurring before the part became available. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The failure mileage was 76,000 and the current was unknown.

- Ooltewah, TN, USA