Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | ||||||
| PE11018 | Ford Motor Company | 05/11/2011 | 02/07/2013 | Idle instability | ||
| On november 29, 2012, ford motor company (ford) initiated customer satisfaction program 12n03 to extend warranty coverage terms for repair of engine idle rpm surge caused by throttle body deposits in all model year (my) 2005 through 2007 ford freestyle, five hundred and mercury montego vehicles.the program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle (all vehicles are eligible for the program through may 31, 2013, regardless of mileage).dealers will repair vehicles exhibiting the condition by removing and cleaning the throttle body and reprogramming the pcm with software containing an updated idle speed control strategy.according to ford, some of the affected vehicles may experience momentary, intermittent engine idle rpm surge (idle flare) when stopped or during low speed driving maneuvers such as in a parking lot or driveway.unstable idle speed control (dips and flares) around the target engine speed (700 rpm) can occur in vehicles with deposit build-up in the throttle body when the system adjusts engine speed in response to changes in engine load, typically from power steering application or air-conditioner compressor cycling.idle speed control logic is only active at vehicle speeds below 3.5 mph and when the accelerator pedal is not applied.ford testing of a vehicle with a worst case throttle body measured a maximum idle flare of 1360 rpm lasting approximately 1 second, which ford indicated was consistent with system design to limit vehicle speed and acceleration in idle control mode.ford indicated that the test vehicle was held in place with normal brake effort and that vehicle speed remained under 4 mph without the brake pedal applied.in addition to throttle body deposit accumulation, symptoms associated with the condition may include check engine lamp illumination and diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0505, p0506 or p061b.ford attributed the surge condition to changes in idle air flow resulting from the progressive buildup of deposits in the throttle body from normal positive crankcase ventilation (pcv) system operation.this condition was not adequately compensated for in the original powertrain control module (pcm) calibration.ford issued a technical service bulletin on august 15, 2011 (tsb 11-8-5), releasing an updated powertrain control calibration for vehicles with cvt transmissions.on october 19, 2011, ford issued a second bulletin (tsb 11-10-21) superseding tsb 11-8-5 and including updated powertrain control calibration for vehicles with 6-speed transmissions.prior to ford issuing the tsb | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 50000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. the contact stated that after shifting into gear, the vehicle lunged forward abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired and the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 86,087. | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 50000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. the contact stated that after shifting into gear, the vehicle lunged forward abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired and the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 86,087. kmj | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 86087 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. the contact stated that after shifting into gear the vehicle lunge forward. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 86,087. pm | |||
| 08/20/2011 | 108000 | ||
| We own a 2005 mercury montego premier. over the past several months have noticed alternate stalling or random accelerating however on saturday, as i was accelerating the vehicle suddenly stalled & refused to go over 1,000 rpms. we took the vehicle to a local repair shop who performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the throttle body. car is currently @ local repair shop, estimate of $850.00 to repair. | |||
| 07/02/2011 | 130500 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. the contact stated while driving the vehicle suddenly accelerated, the message engine failed safe mode illuminated on the instrument panel which caused the vehicle to stall. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the throttle body and the alternator needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred him to nhtsa. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 130,500 and current mileage was 130,520. rvk | |||
| 07/02/2011 | 130500 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle suddenly accelerated, then the message engine failed safe mode came on the instrument panel which caused the vehicle to stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the throttle body and the alternator needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred him to nhtsa. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 130,500 and current mileage was 130,520. pm | |||
| 06/01/2011 | |||
| Engine revs up, and car lurches, typically when: - shifting into drive or reverse and/or moving away from idle; - almost always when the wheels are cranked all the way to the left or right and the car is moving away from idle. the lurching is sudden and violent enough that it can catch a driver unprepared - my wife and i are used to it and able to compensate, but we aren't letting our 17 year-old drive the car for now unless one of us is with her. ongoing problem since car was purchased new. this has been an occasional problem for years - complaint was even made while car was still under its 3 year/36,000 mile warranty (nothing found). problem has been getting more frequent over the past year or so. | |||
| 07/26/2010 | 77000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle starts to jerk and knock and when she tries to accelerate the speed will not increase. she also stated that sometimes when she engages the brake the vehicle does not slow down and at times it will speed up. ford was notified and they stated the throttle body and transmission needed to be replaced at her expense. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 77,000. rd | |||
| 10/20/2009 | 51000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. the contact was driving at speeds of 20 mph. when they attempted to pass another vehicle, she depressed the accelerator and the vehicle was hesitant to increase speed similar to driving while in neutral. in addition, when depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle would jerk abnormally. the dealer reset the vehicle computer system and the vehicle returned to normal operation for a short period; however, the failure recurred. the contact had not taken the vehicle back to the dealer. the failure mileage was 51,000 and the current mileage was 64,000. | |||
| 01/03/2010 | 27000 | 7 | |
| While idling when stopped or when moving slowly, the engine speed suddenly accelerates to above 3500 rpm causing the car to lurch forward unless the brake is firmly applied. the sudden acceleration lasts 3 to 5 seconds. placing the gear into neutral has no effect on the engine speed. this happens sporadically. in the last 3 months it has happened approximately 7 times. dealer says the car's computer system reports nothing unusual. *tr | |||
| 08/09/2009 | 57000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mercury montego. she stated that the throttle body failed which made the vehicle shut off in the middle of the highway. she pulled over and turned the engine off and back on then it shut off on its own. the following day the failure recurred and the check engine light illuminated on the instrumental panel. the dealer stated that they would repair the vehicle at the owners expense when the part were available. they later stated that the part was available and that they have exhausted all options to repair the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired; however, it remained in the dealers possession. the service manager stated that they would not repair the vehicle and the contact should retrieve it. the vehicle identification number was unavailable. the failure and current mileage were 57000. | |||