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 | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Tl* 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. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Tl - 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. pmb | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Tl - 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. pm | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 39145 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 39145 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 08/28/2012 | 82000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 08/28/2012 | 82000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | 155000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 05/17/2011 | 83500 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 09/02/2010 | 48000 | ||
| 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 deparment there has seen a number of these fixes and he stated that the defect is very dangerous - there needs to be a recall now!!!!! | |||
| 06/16/2010 | 76000 | ||
| Tl. contact owns 2007 mercury montego. the contact stated while at a complete stop before applying pressure to the accelerator pedal the vehicle starts to accelerate. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer stated the throttle body assembly computer is telling the vehicle its needs gas and this causes the vehicle to accelerate. the dealer stated the throttle body assembly needs to be replaced but the part is on back order up to six months. the contact stated the vehicle can cause a crash in between the time the part comes into the dealer. the failure mileage was 76,000. jo | |||