Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
97V074000FORD MOTOR COMPANYfrom 02/02/1996 to 02/17/1997V (Vehicle)2300006/02/1997MFRFORD MOTOR COMPANY04/30/199705/01/1997
Defect SummaryVehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles equipped with 5.0l engines originally sold or currently registered in the states of alaska, idaho, iowa, maine, michigan (upper peninsula only), minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. these vehicles, when operated for extended periods of time at highway speeds and temperatures below -20 degrees farenheit, do not return to idle due to ice in the throttle body.
Consequence SummaryAlthough the vehicle can be controlled by either applying the service brakes or shifting the transmission to neutral, increased brake pedal efforts or some increase in stopping distance can result.
Corrective SummaryDealers will install a revised pcv system with water heated vacuum source.
NotesOwner notification:owner notification is expected to begin may 19, 1997.note:owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
09V399000FORD MOTOR COMPANYfrom 08/11/1994 to 08/30/2002V (Vehicle)450000010/27/2009ODIFORD MOTOR COMPANY10/13/200910/13/2009
Defect SummaryFord is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation switch (scds). the scds may leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Consequence SummaryA vehicle fire could occur with or without the engine running.
Corrective SummaryFord will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. on 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the abs control module connector and repair as necessary. repairs will be completed free of charge. the safety recall began on october 27, 2009. owners may contact ford at 1-888-222-2751.
NotesFord's recall campaign number is 09s09.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov .

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
9861003/30/1998601321Some vehicles may experience a stall and/or stumble during a cold engine decel. *yc07/22/1998
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL
0024311/27/2000616531On some vehicles, the accelerator pedal bracket may become loose or separated from the dash panel. this may be caused by repeated excessive force on the accelerator pedal, resulting in cracking of the dash panel sheet metal at the acceler03/02/2001
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL
520312/01/1998615335Some vehicles may exhibit a hard start / long crank, cold start stall, cold rough idle concern. *tt01/13/2001
657407/01/1999610692Some vehicles may exhibit an occasional hoot / moan from the idle air control (iac) valve. *tt05/11/2000
9622310/21/199650942Long crank - sticking idle air control (iac) valve - vehicles built from 11/1/94 through 3/30/96 -stall - after starting when engine allowed to soak from 1-4 hours - sticking idle air control (iac) valve. *tw06/17/1997

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
12/07/2011100000
 Tl - the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact was driving 80 mph when the vehicle exhibited an abnormally loud snapping sound as the accelerator pedal traveled to the floorboard. the contact stated that the assembly fractured from the firewall and caused the vehicle to decelerate. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 100,000. kmj
12/07/2011100000
 Tl - the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 80 mph the vehicle made a loud snapping sound and the accelerator pedal went to the floor. the contact stated that the assembly broke off the firewall and the vehicle decelerated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,000. pm
11/30/2011179321
 Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact stated while driving 40 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated and she tried to engage the brakes but the vehicle failed to stop. the contact mentioned that she was able to stop the vehicle by shifting to neutral and turning the vehicle off. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 179,321.
11/30/2011179321
 Tl - the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact stated while driving 40 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated and she tried to engage the brakes but the vehicle failed to stop. the contact mentioned that she was able to stop the vehicle by shifting to neutral and turning the vehicle off. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 179,321. rvk
11/30/2011179321
 Tl - the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated and she tried to engaged the brakes but it failed to stop the vehicle. the contact mentioned that she was able to stop the vehicle by shifting to neutral and turning the power off. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 179,321. pm
04/07/201012700
 Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact received repairs for recall 09v399000 (vehicle speed control) in april 2010. however, the cruise control buttons had melted. the contact called the dealer who stated that the failure was separate from the recall problem. the contact stated that there was no problem with the cruise control prior to the repair. the failure mileage was approximately 12,700. the current mileage was 127,155.
08/17/2009157000
 Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact stated that dashboard lights were too dim. the gas cap was not secure on the tank and did she was unable to replace the gas cap on tight. the dealer advised her that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced because it added to the pollution. she received recall notice 09v399000,vehicle speed control and the dealer replaced the catalytic converter instead of the speed control deactivation switch. she called the dealer and the manufacturer but received no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 157,000.
05/16/2009155000
 Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the controls for the cruise control became dislodged and he could not put them back. the dealer was notified, but he did not receive any assistance. he received recall notice # 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). a technician stated that they would repair the part described under the recall that would cause the fire but not repair the controls. the controls should also be repaired because without there functioning, the cruise control could not be activated. the current mileage was approximately 157,000. the failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
01/22/2008205/01/2005
 Safety recall 97v-074000. everything my vehicle did is described in this recall. the throttle stuck at 65 mph on two different occasions so far. both times occurred on days with temps at -13 to -15 degrees. the vehicle speeds up to the stuck speed with no gas pedal use, and won't stop without standing on the brake pedal. upon shifting to neutral or park, the rpm revs up to about 5000. i have contacted ford customer service. the agree that is sounds like the problem listed in the recall. however, since i live in colorado, they will not fix it under the recall. i live less than 30 miles from wyoming, which is included, and further north than parts of nebraska - also included. this is a safety problem when i can't stop, yet they are not willing to help. the first occurrence was on january 2, 2008 - same situation. *tr
12/27/20061
 My 1996 ford explorer unexpectedly went up in flames between the hours of 3 am - 4 am on 12/27/2006. i was later informed by my insurance company that a defective cruise control switch might have caused this to occur. *jb
01/15/2006171000501/01/2000
 Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably to 80 mph on the highway without warning while traveling 60 mph. the vehicle was not controllable by the applied brakes. the cruise control was not engaged. the contact put the transmission into neutral and reapplied the brakes, which assisted in stopping the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the speed control could have caused the problem. the same problem occurred on 4 other occasions. the vehicle accelerated while stopped at a stop sign on 07/22/06.
01/19/2006990001
 Dt*: the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. it caught fire while parked, destroying the vehicle, the house, and another vehicle that was parked in the driveway. there is a nhtsa recall, # 05v388000, regarding the vehicle speed control. the vehicle had the same problems as indicated in the recall, however it is not included in the recall due to the vin.
01/21/2006167325110/15/1995
 I was driving my 96 ford explorer sport, traveling 65 mph on a freeway, when the car rpms suddenly went up to 5500 without me doing anything. the cruise control was not on. as the car accelerated i depressed the brakes and was only able to slow down slightly, i then reached down to check if something was contacting the accelerator and i also pulled the floor mat back. the car continued to accelerate past 80 mph. pumping the accelerator did not change anything. i have a manual transmission so i pushed down the clutch and the car slowed, however, the rpm stayed at 5500. i made it to the side of the freeway and turned off the car. i restarted it after the engine stopped and the rpm went back up to 5500. i then stopped the engine again and waited 5 minutes and then restarted and the car was then running normally. i took it to a ford dealer and they could not find a reason for the problem as there were no engine malfunction codes that would cause the incident and the accelerator and cruise control cables were in good condition. they suggested that the floor mat could have been the cause but i'm sure that was not the cause as i pulled the floor mat away and there was no change in the problem. the service tech and the dealership were honest and told me they could not find a cause and nothing was done to fix the problem. *ak
10/01/20041
 Nhtsa campaign 97v074000, 97v137000, 97v070000. ford issued a throttle, liftgate, and door assembly recalls. this vehicle was not included in the recalls, but the consumer was experiencing the same problems as those vehicles that were recalled. the vehicle identification number was outside the remedy scope. *jb
02/18/200497400402/05/2004
 My 1996 explorer is a 5.0 litre awd eddie baur purchsed used. after driving using the cruise control without incident, i pulled into a parking lot. coasting slowly into a parking slot applying the brakes, the engine appeared to increase power making it difficult to stop. the more i pressed the brake pedal the more the engine power increased preventing the vehicle from stopping until colliding with a vehicle in front. with the brake still applied, the engine raced when put in nuetral until switching the ignition off. the brake and accelerator operated normally after restarting. damage resulted to the explorer bumper. i did not observe the gas pedal position during the incident but assumed it could have been driven by the cruise control cable under uncommanded operation and severed the cruise cable before proceding. a similar problem had occured during a prior stop the same trip but abruptly returned to normal operation possibly after having pumped the brakes to check them. the same type problem with engine power surge during braking to a stop occured on prior days when the cruise control had not been used and may have corrected after pumping the brake. reviewing nhsta complaint odi id 736277 and subsequent experiment on my vehicle, it appears the problem could potentially result from inadvertant pressing the gas pedal during braking due to proximity of the pedals but i can't rule out uncommanded cruise control operation activated by a brake signal. please advise if investigation and discovery have resulted in any probable causes and recommendations for corrective maintenance for this safety hazard. does not display symptoms corrected by recalls for throttle body sticking and jammed cruise control cable.*ak
02/19/2004870001
 The vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. *nm
02/19/20029000010
 Recall 97v074000 concerning throttle body failure. during the winter months while revving up the engine it will race very violently. engine would race to the point when it would be necessary to press the brakes real hard to keep the vehicle from moving forward. this happened ten times in 2003 . this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak
07/07/2003106/18/2003
 Truck was in park. put my foot on brake, shifted into drive, truck immediately moved forward with foot still on brake, at approx 2- 5 mph. pushed continually harder on brake with no response. lifted foot completely off brake and pushed again, then truck stopped. went through a garage door in the process, couldn't stop until truck was fully through.*ak
07/11/20021
 Consumer states, while driving and applying the abs brakes system take longer to stop and always remain the light on. also has problem with sudden accelaration. dealer has been notified. nlm
1
 Lawyer patricia kaufmann on behalf of client states, the vehicle in question accelerated unexpectedly and failed to brake while traveling down a steep grade. *jg (attorney on behalf of client)
09/27/20011
 While parking the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated and crashed into a guardrail. upon impact, both air bags did deploy. dealer/manufacturer were not notified at this time. *ak one person was injured in the accident. *slc
09/17/2001809/01/2000
 Throttle increases on its own at any given time. most recently at a stop in traffic. must apply brakes hard to some what control vehicle and shift to neutral or park. then release brake for throttle control to return to idle.*ak
08/25/2001
 While driving under normal operating conditions engine surged and would not decelerate. consumer put vehicle in neutral, and was able to stop vehicle. dealership has examined vehicle, and has informed consumer that this vehicle was not included in recall 97v074000 due to vin. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak
06/12/200102/01/1996
 While driving at ga400, noticed that vehicle can not be slowed down after applying brake pedals several times. notice that the rpm is increasing. fearing that since there is not way to slowing down the car,i shifted to the gear to neutral and exit at holcomb bridge exit. since the speed is still at 70mph, the car hit the enbankment, went down the grassy area and (ffg is what i can remember happened)and hit a water run-off/ditch, did a spin and came up and stop at the grassy area. i was able to turn off of the engine when i came back to senses and ran to the closest gas station (chevron) to call aaa. the tow truck operator noticed that when he restarted the engine, it was roaring at 5000rpm. towed it to ford dealer/service at mansell road, was told 2-days later that they have inspect linkage for binding and trottle body for binding, but did not find any problem, and since they can not reproduce the situation, there is nothing they can do but to bring it back when it happened again??? i feared for the next time that it happened, lifes would be affected.*ak
02/01/200112
 Vehicle was showing same problems as stated in recall 97v074000 concerning throttle body sticking. consumer informed that vehicle was not a part of recall due to vin. *ak
01/03/2001102/01/1996
 The vehicle experienced sudeen acceleration while consumer was braking to stop at a red light, this caused the consumer to rear end another vehicle which was stopped, consumer found recall 97v-074 which speaks of the same failure but the consumer was denied recall due to vin. nlm
12/01/1997509/07/1995
 Fuel pump broke. there was a recall for this problem, but this vehicle was not affected by recall although it has same problem. *ak with cruise control engaged, vehicle won't stop unless consumer stomped on gas pedal several times, consumer states the gas pedal seemed stuck and acceleration wouldn't stop. *slc
12/14/2000308/01/1995
 Acceleration continued after releasing pedal. occurred while in the process of making a left-hand turn, and pressed down on brake fully with no effect. engine still 'revved' at full throttle, with brake at full pressure, causing a squealing turn. only after shifting to neutral did engine stop racing and acceleration stop. this occurred to a lesser degree a week or two earlier, but could not definitively identify if acceleration problem at that time. *ak
06/25/1998311/01/1995
 Uncontrolled rapid acceleration. only stop by set tronsmission in neutral and/or punch down on gas pedal. happened 3 times to date. *ak
01/03/2001102/01/1996
 This vehicle experienced uncontrolled (runaway) acceleration after driving approximately 40 miles at highway speeds in 20 degree f temperature. upon exiting the interstate highway, i proceeded through the first light (green) with out needing to brake or stop. the second (immediate) light was also green and i proceeded through it with slight acceleration (no braking). the next light was red with a line of cars waiting to proceed and i applied the brakes. at that point, the car started to slow and then began to accelerate and was at wide open throttle within a second or so. i braked as hard as i could and moved the shift lever to neutral as fast as possible, but the vehicle had enough momentum to crash into the rear car in line, which, in turn crashed into the vehicle ahead of it. both other drivers were injured and taken to the hospital by ambulance. this accident is covered in the brighton, ny police report #100220. i contacted ford motor co. after exploring the nhtsa database and discovering nhtsa campaign 97v07400. my vehicle, according to ford customer service was not recalled under this campaign, although the criteria described in the nhtsa campaign summary appear to be met by my vehicle. note: i am very sure that i did not mistakenly apply the accelerator pedal rather than the brake pedal. *ak
12/18/20002
 This is the second time subject vehicle has suddenly accelerated to full throttle after an initial start from being stopped, i.e., at a stop light. ford claim floor mat interference. after some investigating i have discovered one common denominator between this incident and the 60+ similar compliants on the nhtsa web site. this is a life threatening situation. *ak
 Consumer was driving at 55 mph on expressway when vehicle started to accelerate on its own , reaching speeds of 90 mph . consumer put both feet on brake pedal, but vehicle did not stop. consumer had to shift into neutral and turn off ignition, and it took about 2 miles before vehicle stopped. *ak
02/01/1998
 My vehicle has been inspected many times, with no success in solving the problem. upon starting the vehicle, the car dies. it acts as though it is not getting enough gas. during the first few occurrences the car would run fine after i revved the engine a few times. however, for the past several months (and presently) the problem does not go away after the engine is revved nor does it make it very easy to drive. once i take my foot off of the pedal and the rpm's decrease, the car dies on me...whether it be in the middle of a intersection or any place. *ak
09/15/2000203/01/1996
 The throttle body failed (reportedly) causing the car to unexpectedly and uncontrollably accelerate - refusing to decelerate. this aggressive failure scared the hell out of me. i had to react and take the care out of gear - since it continued to accelerate at a speed of 47-55 mph as i tried to brake. fortunately i had the presence of mind to react quickly - although i just missed tail-ending cars on two occasions when this occured at a high rate of speed. the cost of repairs was about $480. ford motor claims they have no similar complaints and no recall on failed throttle bodies on explorers. similar claims were made about firestone tires on explorers and 133 people have died before there was a recall. my staff maintains a large municipal fleet and have never encountered such a dangerous/aggressive failure that cause an automobile to fail or perform just the opposite of how its suppose to. this failure, which occured on two occasions within 3 weeks could have resulted in fatalities. i'm not happy - and not even sure that the part replaced is the sole cause of the problem.*ak
07/23/2000207/01/1996
 While positioning my suv with intention to back up, as soon as i shift lever in got the the reverse mode, the suv accellerated wildly, and plunged ahead untrollable until it smashed into a back of the clock store back loading area, and pulled down a wall, and ceiling and smashed its self until it was stopped by the enormous impact.. it destroved much of the building, and antique grandfather clocks, as well as damage to another old pristine lasalle automobile.... seats were flattened in the suv, and glass was broken every where. *ak
07/23/19991
 Prior to recall notification, vehicle experienced the cruise control sticking/throttle body failure, vehicle accident resulting from acceleration, no deployment of the air bags during collision resulting in injury to consumer. *mjs
09/29/1999101/01/1999
 Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while on cruise control setting, unable to find problem with cruise control however consumer had it disconnected. mjs
07/01/199912/01/1998
 When driving at any speed vehicle accelerated on its own. consumer applied the brakes and vehicle would not slow down, and continued to race. consumer put vehicle in neutral, ranched down and pulled pedal with her hands, stopping acceleration , and vehicle came to a stop.
09/30/19990
 While driving at about 65 mph and using cruise control, consumer tried to slow down, but cruise control locked up. when attempting to stop by hitting the brakes nothing happened. so consumer tapped on the gas pedal, and car accelerated all to 90mph. consumer then put car in neutral and shut car off. turned car back on, and rpms went up to 5, and sounded as though car was about to take off at full speed if foot had been taken off the brakes. *ak
05/01/1999107/02/1996
 Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration. mjs
 Consumer was sent a recall 97v074000, concerning throttle linkages and control. contacted dealer in reference to recall.dealer refused to correct recall's application to cold climate areas only. *ak the car may not slow down or stop as promptly as expected, and the throttle plate may stay in the highway cruising position. this could mean a potential accident. 'jn
 Consumer recieved recall letter 97v074000 concerning throttle linkage and control. contacted dealer, and was informed that no parts were available to correct the problem. please give any further details.*ak
08/03/19990
 While driving about 65 mph consumer tried to reduce speed of cruise control by applying brakes pedal, but abs locked up, making the vehicle turn/roll over. upon impact, air bags did no tdeploy, and vehicle was totaled. *ak
1
 Vehicle continued to accelerate after foot released from pedal. mjs
08/19/1999109/01/1996
 While driving my vehicle at approximately 40 mph a loud ping noise was heard. this proved to be the accelarator bracket weld breaking off of the firewall and the accelarator pedal hanging unrestrained. the accelerator pedal landed behind the brake pedal and consequently, i had no braking capability. i had to reach down and move the pedal from behind the brake before i could stop the truck. luckily the traffic was light and i did not hit anything. if this happened on the highway, it could be catastrophic. i filed a complaint with ford (reference #502442309). the dealership did not consider this to be a warranty issue even though a weld like this should not break if done correctly.
 When applying the brakes hard the engine revs up to 4000 to 5000rpm. dealer can't find the cause of problem because they cannot duplicate it. *ak
01/07/19992
 Consumer was driving approximately 55-65 mph on two occasions when the vehicle would not stop. he took vehicle in for recall #97v-074 ford, throttle linkages and control failure. dealership said this was not the problem. also, would not honor the recall. *ak
06/04/1999112/01/1995
 Speed control failed to disengage when braking or using off button, throttle cable hung up shifted to neutral, but transmission shifted between neutral and reverse and destroyed transmission. *ak
04/02/1999101/26/1999
 Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration resulting in collision, injuries. (police report attached). mjs
04/12/1999109/01/1996
 No summary given by consumer. *mjs
 I filed this form months ago, if i was still driving this car, rather than just parking it, i could be dead by now. you have plenty of complaints about this to do something about it. dateline did a whole show on this, whats the hold up. why arent you making sure ford is held accountable. people like me are just out of luck. i cant even sell this car, and the dealer doesnt want it back. this is so dangerous. it cant wait for a whole bunch of beuracracy crap. please help. *ak
06/03/1997505/01/1996
 Vehicle experiences sudden acceleration while trying to brake, several incidents have resulted in two vehicle accidents causing damages and injuries.
02/20/1999205/01/1998
 Because of such a high idle could cause a major wreck
02/05/1999111/01/1995
 My car had a sudden acceleration problem similar to what was recently described on dateline (one week later). luckily, we were able to get the car to stop by putting it in park and turning off the ignition. i won't drive the car anymore. we were almost killed and almost killed some pedestrians. ford is not acknowledgin the problem, but rather denying it. would appreciate some follow up. regardless, i am getting rid of the car before it kills us. this is a serious problem and shouldnt be taken lightly. we hope that you will help us and others. it is not right for ford to ignore the problem because of the expense of a recall. they did it with the pintos and now with the explorers. don't allow this, its not fair to the consumer. i had my three year old boy with me and i could have lost him. *ak
05/31/1998402/01/1996
 On several occasions vehical accelerated to high speeds and was extremely difficult to stop. vehicle was brought into the dealership and they could not find any problem.
09/27/19981
 Turned into driveway brakes failed, vehicle accelerated and crashed into garage.
01/30/1998
 Vehicle was started and the choke was on when driver backed up and the vehicle took off. consumer slammed on brakes, and the car gained speed and tire hit the side of the garage. the dealer could not duplicate the problem. vehicle was under an extended warranty, and the vehicle has been sold. *ak
12/15/1995
 Throttle body air intake and accewlerator cable failed.
02/06/19981
 Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration resulting in an accident.
06/01/1996305/01/1996
 Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while in reverse on three occasions, two occasions resulted in vehicle collisions.
02/08/19981
 While driving 68mph with cruise control on, vehicle suddenly increased in speed. had pumped accelerator pedal. shifted into neutral but rpms were very high. shifted out of neutral & placed feet on brakes to slow down or stop. brakes started smoking. called dealer to relay problem.
806/28/1996
 Throttle/accelerator pedal stuck in the down position.
03/03/199712/01/1995
 Vehicle did not return to idle. consumer has contacted the manufacturer about the incident, and was informed that his vehicle was not included in the recall. *ak
06/01/1996305/01/1996
 Sudden reverse acceleration when in reverse gear on three occasions, accidents occurred on two occasions.
11/29/1997305/01/1996
 When engaging reverse gear the vehicle occasionally will experience sudden acceleration, causing vehicle collisions.
11/09/1997
 Upon making a stop and proceeding to make a left hand turn the vehicle accelerated, causing the consumer to lose control of the vehicle. consumer has not contacted the dealer. please provide further details. *ak
07/11/19971
 The cruise control froze while traveling 70 mph and neither the brake pedal or the off button would deactivate it.
09/07/19971
 While pullng onto highway, engine suddenly accelerated on its own, shifted to neutral seconds later, brakes locked up, causing vehicle to skid/spinout onto shoulder, hit curb/sign/guardrail/tree. towed to dealer, not inspected as of yet. *ak
06/01/1996112/24/1995
 Cruise control failed.
12/01/1996105/01/1996
 Cruise control off button inoperative.
06/27/1997
 While traveling at or about 30mph owner tried to decelerate and the car did not return to idle. a recall was issued on the vehicle. *ak
04/02/1997
 While merging onto the interstate vehicle accelerated once on the interstate when consumer took foot off the gas pedal and the vehicle accelerated. the pedal was stuck and had to tap the brakes which had locked up. also had to put the vehicle in neutral, and the vehicle swerved around into a tractor trailer. the vehcle flipped 3 times before it came to a stop. *ak
08/25/199608/06/1996
 Engine surges when driving in cruise control.
05/26/1997110/01/1996
 Turned overdrive off and vehicle suddenly accelerated.
01/22/19971
 Cruise control engaged, pressed brakes, vehicle slowed down, released brakes, cruise control did not disengage, engine accelerated back to original speed, wet pavement, vehicle spun around, crashed into cement barrier, cruise control sensor defective. *ak
 In cold weather the fuel throttle stuck, almost caused an accident, took to dealer, can't find problem . *ak
08/25/1996108/06/1996
 Vehicle surges when in cruise mode.
10/20/1996
 Was driving and made a turn, the truck accelerated, cruise control wasn't on . please describe . *ak
05/13/1996
 Applied brakes, pedal went to floor and vehicle suddenly serged.*ak
05/01/19961
 Sudden acceleration. *sd
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL
05/14/20071630002
 Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. on may 14, 2007, the vehicle's accelerator pedal detached without warning and the vehicle was towed off the road. the contact was driving 50 mph at the time of failure. she stated that the vehicle hood release also failed and the tow driver could not open the hood. the vin, purchase date, and engine size were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 163,000.
07/04/20051390003
 Driving on the garden state parkway with husband, myself and 21 month baby in car, passing vehicle, when put foot on brake slowed down then when let off brake, car accelerated to a high speed, applied brake 2 more times, both times, slowed down but when took foot off brake the vehicle accelerated to high speeds without ever touching the gas pedal, resulted in a spin-out on the garden state parkway stopping short of crashing into another vehichle. thank god no one was hurt. called ford consumer relations, was told to take to a dealer for diagnostic test. took car the next day to a ford dealer in cape may court house new jersey, said nothing was wrong with car.
05/25/20051
 Dt: when going down the road the accelerator fell off the firewall of the vehicle. when having it repaired by the dealership they had made a comment saying they had seen that before. they drilled bolted the firewall and attached it with bolts instead of spot welding it. *ak
12/29/2004130000111/04/2002
 On wednesday december 29th, 2004, at approximately 3:30pm i was traveling south on rt. 9w in my 1996 ford explorer xlt. the weather was clear, approximately 35-40f, and the roads were clear of snow and ice. i passed a car going 35mph in a 55 mph area, and my explorer stuck going at 3000r pms and accelerating. i tried to brake but my explorer would not decelerate. i put on my hazards, put both of my feet on the brake pedals pushing as hard as i could and still could not control the vehicle. i ended up trying to pull into an empty parking lot, it still would not slow down so i turned the ignition off and ended up going through the parking lot and crashing down a 10 feet. embankment. both air bags deployed, vehicle was totaled. transported to hospital by ambulance for observation and released.*ak
10/19/20041
 Traveling home on highway 509 around 3:00 pm in my 1996 ford explorer, conditions were clear and dry, passed a car going 40 mph in a 55mph zone, upon passing the accelerator went straight to the floor and stuck there. tried to place my foot under the pedal to lift up, could'nt. suv steadilygaining speed,las time i glanced down i was going approx. 95mph, tried to apply brakes to slow down enough so i could get on the shoulder of the road safley,suv went off the road did a flip in mid air rolled hitting on the passenger side and came to rest on drivers side. air bags did not deploy, engine was still running wide open, managed to somehow reach the ignition key to turn engine off, it took fire rescue 35 minuters to cut me out of the suv,i was taken to the hospital with minor injuries,as of 12/10/04 i am still going through therapy with my neck and shoulders, suv was a total loss.had to purchase a new automobile.*ak
09/05/200496544111/28/1999
 The bracket holding the foot accelerator pedal on my 1996 ford explorer broke off while driving the vehile. as a result of this failure i lost complete control of the ability to add fuel to the engine and accelerate or hold speed. the bracket appeared to have been welded to the firewall as part of the manufacturing process. all 3 welds broke. at the time i was not doing anything out of the ordinary and had not put any abnormal strain or pressure on the foot feed pedal or the bracket. there is no appearance of corrosion so i suspect the welds failed farily recently. if this failure had occured as i was pulling into or accross traffic a serious accident could have resulted. *ak
1530001
 While driving vehicle suddenly hesitated to accelerate, transmission had gone bad, per dealership.*ak
04/29/2003
 While driving 55 mph the gas pedal fell off. *nlm
03/05/2003129891107/01/2002
 Upon accelerating past a vehicle to change lanes, accelerator pedal became stuck against floor. brakes were able to slow vehicle down but problem still existed. engine had to be shut off to prevent fatal damage due to engine over revving after being put into neutral. new problem was posed as power brakes were not functional once engine was off. able to finally get vehicle to a safe stop due to light traffic. contacted nearby dealership and they suggested hitting the pedal to break loose. after several tries vehicle returned to normal. drove very cautiously home. *jb
06/16/2002
 While driving throttle pedal will stick and vehicle will accelerate. could have caused an accident. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak
12/02/2001104/01/1996
 While accelerating on interstate 17 to pass a truck, the entire gas pedal assembly separated from the firewall of vehicle, causing a sudden loss of power and a near-collision.*ak
12/01/2001608/01/1996
 Accelerator sticks while driving requires placing vehicle in neutral and pulling accelerator pedal to correct - can be very dangerous in traffic with inexperienced driver.*ak
07/12/20010
 Consumer was traveling 65mph on highway and accelerated into another lane. accelerator pedal was stuck all the way to the bottom of floor. there was a loud streaking noise, and both feet were on the brake. she was able to pull over to the shoulders, and vehicle had to be towed.*ak
07/03/2001
 The accelerator stuck ,causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. *ak
04/04/2001103/01/1996
 Sticking throttle body, causes gas pedal to stick after park. identical to ford recall of sohc engine, however ford recall does not cover this engine (4.0l push rod v6). sticking pedal cured by replacing defective throttle body. ford will not recall throttle body for this engine. sticking pedal caused sudden acceleration from stop, resulting in close call backing into shopping center store front. ford should recall this defective throttle body, all services have been performed since new at ford dealer. throttle body was cleaned by dealer in december 2000.*ak
03/21/20014
 Accelerator pedal got stuck for 4th time. problem stated a year in a half ago. consumer was traveling 60mph and accelerator pedal got stuck. consumer tried brakes, almost standing with both feet on them, and they wouldn't work. consumer pressed down on accelerator pedal to see if she could get it unstuck and accelerator pedal lifted and became normal. consumer is currently insisting that ford take a look at problem. dealer is telling consumer that she needs to buy a new vehicle. office of chairman of board is who the consumer is dealing with it currently. *ak
01/01/1997
 Vehicle will accelerate on its own, accelerator sticks, please add additional information. *ak
11/05/2000201/01/1999
 Accelerator pedal is too close to brake pedal one inch away. the master cylinder developed a leak allowing the brake peddle to travel past the accelerator pedal, because the accelerator pedal is so close the incidence of hitting both pedals becomes greater as it was with my vehicle. we had come to an almost complete stop then the 1996 explorer accelerated into the vehicle in front of us. simple fix bend the accelerator arm away from the brake peddle. on 98 explorer's the accelerator pedal is three inches away indicating ford discovered the problem, fixed in later models, but failed to notify 96 explorer owners or their dealers. *ak
1
 Accelerator pedals sticks on occasion when attempting to pass a car or accelerate to a higher speed, when the occurs the consumer has to kick the pedal, pull it loose with foot or hit the brake to dislodge the pedal. *et
06/21/20001
 Gas pedal pivot frame became detached from floorboard/firewall while driving at 55 mph. pedal was held with 3 flimsy spot welds. repaired by dealer by bolting through bracket and truck body. contacted ford, and they refused to do anything. i noted a couple of instances of same problem in your database. very fortunate that this did not happen on the beltway, where results would have been disastrous, if not deadly.*ak
11/01/199901/01/1997
 Accelerator pedal sticks. *ak
06/04/20000
 While consumer is traveling on the highway, and upon merging into traffic accelerator pedal gets stuck, and goes all the way to the floor.*ak
09/06/199810/19/1998
 Sudden acceleration while pulling at approximately 10 mph. accelerator pedal went down to the floor and would not return, causing vehicle to lose control and run off to the side of the road before stopping. no injuries to report. *ak
09/30/19990
 While driving at about 65 mph and using cruise control, consumer tried to slow down, but cruise control locked up. when attempting to stop by hitting the brakes nothing happened. so consumer tapped on the gas pedal, and car accelerated all to 90mph. consumer then put car in neutral and shut car off. turned car back on, and rpms went up to 5, and sounded as though car was about to take off at full speed if foot had been taken off the brakes. *ak
 The gas pedal is too close to the brake pedal, causing the driver to apply both by mistake. dealer replaced gas pedal assembly, and problem still exists. *ak
11/01/1997
 When driving at any speed in cold weather the throttle pedal sticks. when applying the brake's or shifting the transmission to neutral, will incresaed the brake pedals efforts or some increase in stopping distance can resultin a problem. *ak
07/06/1999
 Was traveling 55mph using a stick shift. accelerator pedal throttle body had stuck. had shifted into neutral & the engine would be revving. took to dealer & had the throttle replaced at twice, so far. *ak
06/30/1999
 Accelerator pedal failed due to a faulty weld. dealer/ manufacturer notified and refused to repair unless cost goes to consumer. can nhtsa provide additional information or help in this matter. *ak
 After taking foot off the accelerator pedal vehicle continues to accelerate. dealer can not identify the problem. please give any further details. *ak
05/31/19991
 Consumer was driving when gas pedal broke off firewall. dealer notified, and informed consumer that repairs would be made at consumer expense. *ak
03/26/1999205/01/1998
 Accelerator pedal stuck after driver removed foot from pedal and ther vehicle continued to accelerate.
09/04/1998304/13/1998
 Accelerator would stick. the brakes fails to work when this happens. can happen at different speeds. have taken to dealer & informed idle air control motor needed replacing. problem since returned. *ak
02/01/1997108/01/1996
 Accelerator pedal broke off.
 Vehicle's accelerator pedal spot welds are defective and the pedal was hanging off one weld. *ak
1
 Gas pedal sticks.
 When taking foot off accelerator, the accelerator pedal sticks, causing consumer to lift pedal with his feet until it comes back up. *ak
07/26/1996111/01/1995
 Gas pedal too close to brake pedal, causing them to be depressed simultaneously/accident.
08/27/19964
 While driving vehicle on the expressway vehicle accelerated to a very high speed, gas pedal went all the went to the floor, vehicle went wide open. this condition continued with foot on brakes, almost caused a serious accident. this happened twice.*ak
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CABLES
10/22/20041
 While driving vehicle suddenly accelerated uncontrollably. the consumer applied the brakes and pedal went to the floor. the vehicle continued to accelerate with speed. the consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, pulled over, and turned the vehicle off. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the speed sensor cable needed to be replaced. *ak the consumer was entering a ramp when the vehicle had taken off very fast. the consumer felt the experience was like the cruise control had taken over. the consumer stated that her foot was all the way down on the brake pedal . the consumer managed to slow the vehicle down, veered off of the highway, shifted the gear to park with the vehicle still moving, then applied the emergency brake with only seconds to spare. *sc
06/04/1999112/01/1995
 Speed control failed to disengage when braking or using off button, throttle cable hung up shifted to neutral, but transmission shifted between neutral and reverse and destroyed transmission. *ak
02/01/1996111/01/1995
 Vacuum port on accelerator failed, causing accelerator to stick.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL
04/28/2008127000
 Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. while placing fuel in the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke underneath the hood. he opened the hood and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. the fire was doused with a fire extinguisher. the contact examined the damage and noticed that the wiring harness for the cruise control had melted, as well as the master cylinder. there were no warning signs prior to the failure. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 127,000.
04/01/2007190000102/17/1996
 Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. he noticed the on/off cruise control switch became tacky and his thumb print was left on the switch. there is a recall for the vehicle speed control (nhtsa campaign #97v074000), however his vin was not included. the failure mileage was 190,000 and the current mileage was 191,000.
08/26/2006889001
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 82 mph with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle began to accelerate continuously without warning. the speed of the vehicle rose past 97 mph. the brakes were applied and the cruise control button was disengaged, which did not change the speed. the vehicle was then shifted into neutral, and the brakes were applied with excessive force which slowed the vehicle down. the vehicle was not taken in for service following the incident.
10/06/20051
 I was driving from louisville to rehoboth beach, de. i left around 4:00 am with no trouble with my car. approximately 9:45 am est my cruise control went out on my car and my car kept accelerating and would not stop. i pushed every button on the steering wheel and kept pushing the brakes and that would only slow down the car. my car was traveling in excess of 80+ mph, i only had the cruise control set on 74. my car was driving out of control on the curvy and mountainous roads of hwy 79 n and this went on for around 5 miles before i came to a straight-away at the bottom of the mountain and was able to put my car in neutral (slamming on the breaks) my car still did not stop, i finally put it in park (i'm in the emergency lane now, ) still did not stop and turned the car off. my breaks were smoking and i was finally able to get the car to stop. this was between mile marker 71 & 72. i immediately called aaa (my cell phone was out of range so i had to put it on roam) and the highway patrol showed up within minutes and waited with me until the tow truck came. he then towed me to gassaway ford where the service manager (john smallwood) checked out my car and told me the cruise control piece was defective. he removed it from my car and checked my breaks and said they were o.k. (i drove the rest of my trip to rehoboth and back to louisville, the breaks appear to be loose now and not as tight as they once were). he gave me the defective piece and they were out of that part so it was not replaced on my car. he advised to file a complaint with ford and with the nhtsa because the piece was defective and i'm lucky i wasn't killed. *jb
09/07/2005104/10/2002
 I own a 96 ford explorer and was told by co-workers that a defective part had been recalled in the 2000 model f-150 that part was the cruise control switch that was located in front of the brake fluid housing, it was a live wire even though the engine was off and the key was not in the ignition, if for any reason there was a spark or short that wire would cause the car to explode. i noticed that i had a leak around a part in my ford explorer that was in front of my brake fluid housing and when i went to the ford dealer to find out what the leak was from the mechanic told me that i had that same part that was being recalled in the f-150. the part only cost 18.00 dollars to replace but the point that i'm making is how would i have explained to my family why my car exploded when i would of had no idea what was wrong. i would like to put a word out to all the explorer owners around the world to have there cruise control switches check or replace so that they don't have a unpleasant visit to the ford repair place to find out that they could of not come back the next morning. *jb
02/03/2005107/31/2001
 Dt: contact stated in 02-05 the car started smoking while driving. the consumer pulled over and there was a fire under the hood. the car was destroyed. the fire department was called. the consumer reported of having no problems with the cruise control prior to this happening. the consumer was unable to determine what may have caused the fire. he was not sure if it was electrical or caused by the vehicle speed control:cruise control. *ak *nm
05/28/200548000102/09/1996
 1996 ford explorer two doors: cruise control buttons on the steering wheel melted. new buttons put by a private technician at my own cost. several ford vehicles are being recalled for this problem but not mine. why not? i am the original owner. *jb
09/01/2004100000112/01/1995
 Dt: the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact states that the cruise control switch o melted because of the hot sun. the cruise control does work, but the consumer no longer uses the cruise control. the vehicle has not been to a service dealer to report this problem. the consumer has not contacted the manufacturer.*ak
09/02/2005101/23/2004
 Dt: contact's son owns a 1996 ford explorer. the contact stated there were no prior problems with the vehicle. her son drove the vehicle for approximately 1-2 hours. after the vehicle was parked for about 20 minutes someone knocked on the door and said the vehicle was on fire. the vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the fire. the consumer has not contacted the manufacturer yet, but was going to do so.*ak
07/07/200038000110/09/1996
 I was driving 75 on i76 in colorado. i had the speed control set to 75 mph. all of a sudden, i couldn't cancel speed control and the speed started increasing. i tried everything to cancel it - no luck. i slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a slower speed moving straight before turning the key and engine off - i knew the steering wheel would lock, that's why i straightened the car out on the shoulder before i turned it off.*ak
1787441
 Consumer complained about a cruise control. problem. after cruise control was activated vehicle kept accelerating, and vehicle would not stop. driver had to put the vehicle in reverse to get the vehicle to stop. consumer had the vehicle towed to an independent repair shop, where the mechanic disengaged the cruise control.*ak
09/04/1998304/13/1998
 Accelerator would stick. the brakes fails to work when this happens. can happen at different speeds. have taken to dealer & informed idle air control motor needed replacing. problem since returned. *ak
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - LINKAGES
 While trying to pass other vehicles consumer's vehicle started accellerating. dealer has been contacted. please provide further inofrmation.*ak
09/01/20001
 Vehicle experiencing problem with sudden acceleration. on two separate occasions vehicle experenced a sudden acceleration while driving at 35 mph. was able to gain control by shifting out of gear. notified dealer and manufacturer, and both replied that vehicle was not covered under a recall. *ak
09/14/20000
 While going up a hill gas pedal dropped to floor, consumer tried to get pedal up, it was like gas pedal was stuck to the floor, the only way consumer could stop was to turn off vehicle. consumer felt as if she was going down a hill there would have been an accident.*ak
10/01/1998207/07/1996
 While in reverse vehicle accelerated suddenly and unexpectedly, resulting in a collision, and minor injuries. vehicle was totalled. *ak prior to this incident, the vehicle had accelerated forward at full throttle after starting dispite frantic breaking by driver. *yh
06/16/20002
 While merging into traffic the accelerator stuck the consumer stepped on the brake but the vehicle continued to accelerate. nlm
 While sitting at a stop sign vehicle unexpectedly accelerated forward without application of gas pedal. vehicle hit another car. dealer has repaired vehicle. *ak
06/30/1999
 While driving, vehicle suddenly accelerated unexpecetedly in which the throttle was stuck, and the braking system did not slow the vehicle down which almost caused a crash. the occupant had to shift the vehicle in neutral and turn off the engine in order to stop vehicle. this occurred twice.. dealer could not duplicate the problem or determine the cause. please provide further information. *ak
01/01/1999
 Ie98-038. linkage between throttle cable and throttle body broken, causing vehicle to suddenly accelerate and lunge forward unexpectedly, which may cause a crash. *ak
04/02/199901/26/1999
 When approaching a stop sign at less than 5mph the vehicle accelerated to a high speed, without application of the gas pedal, and pushed the truck in front of it out into an intersection. dealer has not seen vehicle. *ak
01/01/1999
 Vehicle accelerates on its own. slows down when using brakes, but acceleration will not stop. dealer contacted and cannot remedy the problem. problem still exists. provide further information. *ak
08/08/1998409/08/1995
 Sudden uncontrolled acceleration.
06/22/1996
 While driving with cruise control on or off, the throttle sticks, causing the vehicle to increase its speed without warning. *ak
10/01/1996111/01/1996
 The insulation near the accelerator pedal has a tendancy to catch the toe of the shoe.
05/13/1996
 Applied brakes, pedal went to floor and vehicle suddenly serged.*ak
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - SPRINGS
05/21/2007170617102/12/2007
 Speed control switch, also known as brake pressure switch on the 1996 ford explorer was defective. the thin membrane of the switch was in contact with the brake fluid. as the switch was powered all the time , hot, even when the ignition was off. this was a fire/safety hazard. ford has already recalled millions of vehicles for this problem, but ford customer service stated there was no recall for this particular vehicle, and i must pay to have the retro fitted switch installed. *ak