NHTSA Complaint #10207851 — 2007 FORD EXPLORER

WE HAD JUST PURCHASED A NEW 2007 FORD EXPLORER, HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVING IT FOR THREE WEEKS, WE'D HADN'T EVEN MADE OUR FIRST PAYMENT YET. WE WERE AT A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC, WHEN THE EXPLORER TOOK OFF BY ITSELF. BY THIS, I MEAN BOTH OF MY HUSBAND'S FEET WERE FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE EXPLORER STARTED SURGING FORWARD BY ITSELF. TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF US, HE TURNED THE VEHICLE TO GO DOWN BETWEEN THE TWO LANES, AND SCRAPED DOWN THE SIDES OF OTHER CARS. THE VEHICLE ONLY FINALLY STOPPED WHEN MY HUSBAND THREW THE VEHICLE IN THE PARK. THERE WAS VEHICLE DAMAGE TO TWO VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY PERFORMED COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSTICS AND TESTING. THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. WE HAD SUPPLIED THEM WITH COPIES OF 30-100 OTHER FORMAL COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS WHO HAD EXPERIENCED SIMILAR SURGING IN THEIR EXPLORERS. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT BE REPAIRING ANYTHING. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT! WE WERE LUCKY NO ONE WAS INJURED AND WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE IT IN CASE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. WITH THE NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS, MANY SERVICE BULLETINS TO FORD, YOU WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE A RECALL OR AT LEAST SOME OTHER RECOURSE BESIDES "SORRY, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, HAVE A NICE DAY." *TR