Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||||
| 18254 | 10/01/2004 | 10010746 | Speed control inoperative or not holding the set speed. oasis. various models including 2005 explorer, sport trac, mountaineer and aviator. *tt | 12/07/2004 | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | |||||
| 16706 | 03/01/2003 | 10001948 | Squeaking accelerator pedal while driving during cold, hot, dusty, and dry conditions. *tt *jb | 07/28/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 07/14/2012 | 106000 | 1 | |
| Driving on i-26 at 65 mph. took foot off gas, car continued at 65, did not have the cruise control on. i pressed brake, car didn't slow, pressed harder, still didn't slow, moved gearshifter to 1st gear, could hear engine revving, realized gas peddle/accelerator was stuck, tapped foot on gas pedal and car finally slowed. took car to four seasons ford in hendersonville, was told they couldn't recreate the problem but maybe the cruise control cable seemed possibly not quite snapped in place. they snapped it back. have not had another problem but am paranoid about driving the car now. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2011 | 121000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle experienced sudden acceleration without warning. the contact shifted into neutral and depressed the accelerator pedal until the vehicle decelerated. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 121,000. | |||
| 07/14/2012 | 106000 | 1 | |
| Driving on i-26 at 65 mph. took foot off gas, car continued at 65, did not have the cruise control on. i pressed brake, car didn't slow, pressed harder, still didn't slow, moved gearshifter to 1st gear, could hear engine revving, realized gas peddle/accelerator was stuck, tapped foot on gas pedal and car finally slowed. took car to four seasons ford in hendersonville, was told they couldn't recreate the problem but maybe the cruise control cable seemed possibly not quite snapped in place. they snapped it back. have not had another problem but am paranoid about driving the car now. *tr | |||
| 07/14/2012 | 106000 | ||
| Driving on i-26 at 65 mph. took foot off gas, car continued at 65, did not have the cruise control on. i pressed brake, car didn't slow, pressed harder, still didn't slow, moved gearshifter to 1st gear, could hear engine revving, realized gas peddle/accelerator was stuck, tapped foot on gas pedal and car finally slowed. took car to four seasons ford in hendersonville, was told they couldn't recreate the problem but maybe the cruise control cable seemed possibly not quite snapped in place. they snapped it back. have not had another problem but am paranoid about driving the car now. | |||
| 07/25/2011 | 121000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle experienced sudden acceleration without warning. the contact shifted into neutral and depressed the accelerator pedal until the vehicle decelerated. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 121,000. kmj | |||
| 07/25/2011 | 121000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated while driving 30 mph the vehicle had sudden acceleration. the contact put the gear in neutral and depresses the accelerator pedal and the vehicle slowed down. there were no warning lights illuminating. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 121,000. mw | |||
| 09/11/2011 | 35 | ||
| I was driving at 60 mph and approaching a red light 1/4 mile ahead i released pressure on the accelerator but the car maintained 60 mph and would not slow down, i applied the foot brakes but realized this was not the answer, it felt like the cruise control was not releasing however the cruise control not being used, i placed the car in neutral and braked to a stop the engine was racing.i tapped the accelerator with my foot and the accelerator pedal retracted , the engine slowed,i continue my trip and after driving a few miles found that the accelerator was stuck again,i selected neutral and tapped the accelerator,the engine went back to idle.i pulled over and looked at the accelerator cable where it connects to the accelerator to make sure the accelerator was not caught on the carpet, i opened the hood to check the accelerator cable which was hidden under a large plastic shroud (cover), i removed the shroud in and immediately discovered the problem.a small cheep snap and lock fastener in the end of the cruise control cable had broken allowing the stiff cruise control cable connector to slip from its connector and restrict or lock the retarding movement of the accelerator cable, the throttle cable does not retract and the engine is stuck at a high rpm and a novice driver would not know what to do and would probably panic and eventually the brakes would fade and the driver crash.when the remedy is to 1) shift to neutral and 2) tap and release the accelerator quickly which because the cruise cable is not attached or anchored at it;s end quickly frees the accelerator cable in my opinion this cruise control connector and weak metal spring type push in fastener is too weak and suffers from metal fatigue over time. i am just glad my wife was not driving alone when this happened,, | |||
| 03/07/2011 | 138000 | ||
| While accelerating to merge into highway, vehicle experienced sudden unintended acceleration. my son had to manually pull up on the gas pedal on the floor to corret this. we were able to recreate it again by pressing down heavily on the gas pedal - and this time we were ready to manually pull up on the gas pedal. we verified that the floor mats were not obstructing the gas pedal in any way. | |||
| 02/13/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact was traveling 45 mph when the over drive warning light illuminated and the transmission failed. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the torque converter, servo pack and clutch would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 11/12/2010 | 111500 | ||
| Cruise control often times takes off and does not hold the speed as set. i have looked down at the speedometer several times to find myself going well beyond 85mph - after setting the cruise control at 60. i have to disengage the cruise control for my vehicle to stop continuously speeding up. then, there are times where the cruise control does not engage at all. the green light will come on, but the speed will not hold. in these instances, my speed actually decreases. | |||
| 02/13/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact was traveling 45 mph when the over drive warning light illuminated and the transmission failed. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the torque converter, servo pack and clutch would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 11/12/2010 | 111500 | ||
| Cruise control often times takes off and does not hold the speed as set. i have looked down at the speedometer several times to find myself going well beyond 85mph - after setting the cruise control at 60. i have to disengage the cruise control for my vehicle to stop continuously speeding up. then, there are times where the cruise control does not engage at all. the green light will come on, but the speed will not hold. in these instances, my speed actually decreases. | |||
| 02/13/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact was traveling 45 mph when the over drive warning light illuminated and the transmission failed. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the torque converter, servo pack and clutch would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 11/12/2010 | 111500 | ||
| Cruise control often times takes off and does not hold the speed as set. i have looked down at the speedometer several times to find myself going well beyond 85mph - after setting the cruise control at 60. i have to disengage the cruise control for my vehicle to stop continuously speeding up. then, there are times where the cruise control does not engage at all. the green light will come on, but the speed will not hold. in these instances, my speed actually decreases. | |||
| 06/19/2010 | 46100 | ||
| I was approaching a red traffic light at a very low rate of speed . i had my foot on the brake and was preparing to come to a complete stop when the engine suddenly sped up. i increased the pressure on the brake pedal but could not stop the car. i was afraid that i would hit a car in front of me waiting at the traffic light. i then shifted the car into neutral and then was able to stop the car. my tachometer was reading above 5000 rpm. i tapped the accelerator pedal and the rpm returned to normal. this all happened within a few seconds. i was able to drive the car home without further problems. i have an appointment to have the car checked by a ford dealer tomorrow. | |||
| 01/22/2010 | 39000 | 1 | |
| We own a 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer - 4wd at times the cruise control will either work, not work at all, work after being warmed up, work after shutting the motor off and restarting, work with the speed accelerating continuously at dangerous levels, or indicate it is working but is not. after viewing several sites where many other owners are having the same problem, we went to our dealer. our dealer replaced a defective deactivation pressure switch that caused the cruise control to react erratically. they used ids hook up to locate problem at a cost to us of $325.89. after talking to someone at the dealership, it became apparent this is not an uncommon problem, and it is a defective part that is causing a very dangerous situation to occur. the driver that does not detect the increasing speed or panics when it occurs could have a serious or deadly accident. ford should be required to replace these parts at no cost to the owners at no cost, especially since our vehicle has just 39,000 miles on it. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 50000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 ford explorer exhibits most of the symptoms described in consumer advisory dated 13 october 2009. it has an intermittently functioning cruise control, a permanently on abs indicator light, and it occasionally gets stuck in park. i was wondering why 2003 wasn't included in the safety recall. *tr | |||
| 07/11/2009 | 115000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 ford explorer manufactured in 01/03. it is not included in the current 'voluntary' recall of ford vehicles due to a defective speed control deactivation switch. however, the vehicle exhibits the symptoms of the vehicles with a defective speed control switch (see faq below from ford.com): q. are there any early warning signs or symptoms i would notice that would indicate a problem? a. if the system malfunctions, a customer may notice vehicle symptoms such as; the speed control may become inoperable, the vehicle may not shift out of park, the rear brake lamps may not work, brake fluid may leak at the switch, the battery may drain or go dead, the abs warning light may flash or a fuse in the system may open. my vehicle has an inoperable speed control. it started as an intermittent problem, but is now inoperable. the vehicle frequently does not shift out of park, and the abs lamp frequently illuminates. i have contacted ford, and the dealer to request the vehicle be included in the recall and have the problem corrected at no cost. both have refused. *tr | |||
| 02/20/2003 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2003 ford explorer started acceleration from 40 km up to 90 km in just seconds, brakes wouldn't stop or slow it down, used emergency brake, and it eventually stopped. took it to ford, and their reason for the acceleration was floor mat in the way. what a joke, that's was the first thing i checked for and they weren't in the way. thanks for your time. *tr | |||
| 12/13/2008 | 93000 | 2 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. while driving approximately 70 mph with the cruise control activated, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the cruise control failed to deactivate after several attempts. in addition, the cruise control activation mechanism failed to respond and the vehicle would not slow down. immediately, the vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and the ignition key was turned off with the gear shifter placed in the park position. the vehicle completely stopped. the contact was unaware if the warning indicators were illuminated on the instrument panel. the engine revved and the rpm's raced when the ignition was restarted. the contact turned off the ignition and, after several attempts, the engine idled normally. whenever the cruise control system was not in use, the vehicle operated properly. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 93,000. updated 3/12/10 *cn updated 06/01/10.*jb | |||
| 09/04/2008 | 123480 | 1 | |
| On 9/4/08, driving in town, i was at a red light, proceeded to accelerate, then prepared to brake, i noticed that when i took my foot off the accelerator, the vehicle's speed kept accelerating. i had to ride my brakes to keep my car from going any faster. when i let off the brake, the accelerator took off again on its own at a fast rate! i pulled over to turn off my car, waited for at least 30 minutes and proceeded again. after driving 5 miles it started up again, i rode on my brakes the rest of the way home and then had my husband follow me to the dealership to have it looked at, where it is right now. *tr | |||
| 05/14/2008 | 11330 | 1 | 05/30/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. while driving 55 mph with the cruise control activated, the cruise control failed without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and they stated that the cruise control wiring failed. there is a recall for the vehicle speed control, but his vin was not included. the recall number was unknown. the current mileage was 11,550 and failure mileage was 11,330. updated 06/25/08. *lj the consumer stated after the dealer fixed the recalled rear hatch probelm, the cargo hatch flew open while driving down the highway. a | |||
| 04/18/2008 | 60000 | 12 | 07/09/2004 |
| Cruise control failures: fails to engage, un-commanded acceleration, un-commanded deceleration, speed surging, indicates engaged and is not engaged. *tr | |||
| 01/27/2006 | 55000 | 1 | 09/08/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle experienced a problem with hesitation when the speed was kept constant. the dealership replaced the mass air flow sensor. the hesitation problem continued, the vehicle was returned to the dealership which was unable to duplicate the problem. while backing into the driveway the vehicle suddenly accelerated. although the brakes were applied the vehicle did not stop. the vehicle hit the contact's home resulting in a neck sprain injury. the acceleration continued until the shifter was moved into drive. the dealership was unable to determine the cause of the acceleration. also, contact complained that abs light was on and pedal felt stiff. vehicle ran rough. in addition, removed and installed automatic transmission main control valve body. *ak | |||
| 09/29/2005 | 41550 | 6 | 09/16/2003 |
| Engine cut off while running, when i turned on high beams. engine rpms and engine accelerated, when i turned on high beams loss control of acceleration, when fog lights were turned on. message center flashed check transmission, o/d off (overdrive off) flashed, when fog light were turned on. *nm | |||
| 12/06/2004 | 18031 | 100 | 12/06/2003 |
| At times, with the cruise control off, if any button is pressed, the vehicle rapidly accelerates. | |||
| 08/01/2004 | 1 | 10/15/2002 | |
| Consumer lost control of vehicle and an accident occurred. *mr the vehicle began to shake from right to left. the consumer could not control the vehicle. the vehicle was moving on it's own. the air bags did not deploy. the consumer crashed into the border wall, spun around, and stopped on the other side. *sc *jb | |||
| 08/19/2003 | 21000 | 4 | 09/19/2002 |
| The vehicle stalled while driving at 40 mph. the consumer had the vehicle towed. *la the vehicle would not restart. the fuel pump was replaced. the anti theft light had come on along with the rpm's going up. the problem could not be found. the valve boot and the solenoid was replaced. soon after, the vehicle died again twice after two repair attempts. *sc *jb | |||
| 06/11/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving vehicle suddenly accelerated. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. however, mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 05/18/2003 | 609 | 1 | 05/12/2003 |
| Vehicle rolled backward with keys removed and ford said no defect found. *ak | |||
| 11000 | 1 | ||
| When the vehicle was backed out of a parking lot it suddenly accelerated. the vehicle took off backwards and hit a tree. *jb | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | |||
| 02/12/2007 | 15 | 07/15/2005 | |
| Brake & accelerator pedals too close together. many times applying brakes will hit accelerator at the same time and the accelerator wins. primarily going from reverse to drive or drive to reverse, but has also happened in traffic. (v8 2003 ford explorer) . *nm | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 2 | ||
| Consumer has been waiting for recall 04v442000 concerning rear liftgate glass repair'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>glass repair since october. consumer contacted ford several times, and was told the parts have not come in. also, while driving and upon depressing the accelerator pedal and releasing foot off it vehicle surged forward. *ak recall campaign *tc | |||
| 02/19/2003 | 12/21/2002 | ||
| While attempting to park in a parking slot, i slowly eased into the slot and without warning the vehicle sped up and hit a pole damaging it and denting the vehicle license plate and holder. | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL | |||
| 04/19/2008 | 77335 | 3 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. while driving 50 mph and attempting to engage the cruise control, the speed rapidly increased above 55 mph. the cruise control light illuminated, which indicated that the cruise control was engaged. the contact depressed the brake pedal and attempted to disengage the cruise control, but was unsuccessful. the cruise control intermittently failed to operate normally. the vehicle was not equipped with antilock brakes. the fuel system and date of purchase were unavailable. the failure mileage was 77,335 and current mileage was 77,392. | |||
| 07/16/2007 | 1 | 04/14/2003 | |
| Cruise control turns off during vehicle operation. multiple occurrences on multiple dates. 2003 ford explorer xlt 4 door, 4wd 4.0l-6 cylinder. *ak | |||
| 08/12/2006 | 52179 | 1 | 11/10/2005 |
| 4 items 1 - have owned the 2003 ford explorer for 7 months. while test driving, i noticed a hum noise coming from rear tires. was told it was tread noise. we took it for oil change at very well respected national automotive service shop. i was informed i needed to replace the rear hub assembly that is was critically broken. waiting to contact local ford dealer for resolution based on tsb research i have done. 2 - whining noise from air conditioner when accelerating. don't really know what is going on. saw this also on tsb. contacting local ford dealership. 3 - abs light randomly comes on. don't know why and no pattern to when. contacting local ford dealership. 4 - cruise control not working. i was driving down the road this weekend, using cruise control. stopped quickly for a car in front of me. when i started going again, the cruise control wouldn't work and hasn't worked since then. i don't know if it has to do with the brakes. i noticed ford recalled some cruise control mechanisms in other vehicles but not in the 2003 explorer. *jb | |||
| 04/07/2005 | 46231 | 12 | 12/08/2003 |
| The cruise control on my vehicle is defective. i can turn it on by hitting the off button and vise versa. the car will speed up when i touch the coast button and slow down when i hit the set button. i have notified the dealer and they said there is not a recall for this problem on the explorers, but that there is a recall on the ford f150 for a similar problem.*ak | |||
| 09/08/2004 | 25236 | 3 | |
| When braking cruise control would not disengage. dealership repaired the problem, but consumer was still having the same problems. *ak | |||
| 08/21/2004 | 11200 | 4 | 01/02/2003 |
| Cruise control acts erratic. sometimes works fine, sometimes won't work at all, sometimes shuts off by itself and on approximately four occasions has accelerated wildly on its own when engaged. *nm | |||