NHTSA Complaint #10139597 — 1996 FORD EXPLORER

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