NHTSA Complaint #10219052 — 1998 FORD EXPLORER

LOSS OF ACCELERATION WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION DUE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BRACKET SPOT WELD FAILURE. MINOR CHILD WAS DRIVING AUTO WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FELL OVER TO ITS SIDE. NO POWER. LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO COAST THROUGH INTERSECTION WITHOUT BEING HIT. MY INSPECTION REVEALED ALL THREE SPOT WELDS HAD FAILED. FURTHER, THE MIDDLE WELD OF THE THREE WAS ONLY ABOUT 1MM IN DIAMETER WITH THE OUTERMOST TWO YIELDING A NUGGET SIZE OF APPROX. 5MM. THE BRACKET SPOT WELDS FAILED DUE TO THE FIREWALL SHEET METAL FATIGUE. THE FIREWALL SHEETMETAL COMPLETELY PULLED LOOSE LEAVING THREE HOLES WHERE THE SPOT WELDS WERE. THIS AREA OF WORKMANSHIP IS OF CONCERN TO ME AS IT ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN DUE TO THE VEHICLE LOOSING POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. THE FAILURE WAS REPORTED TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP WITH FORD BUT THE ONLY RESPONSE I RECEIVED WAS THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY REPAIRS SINCE THE AUTO WAS OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD. COST WAS NOT MY CONCERN, GIVING NOTICE OF WHAT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY MATTER WAS MY CONCERN. I WAS INFORMED THAT NO CURRENT BULLETINS OR RECALLS EXISTED FOR THE DESCRIBED PROBLEM. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE. THESE WELDS SHOULD NEVER FAIL. MY BACKGROUND? I AM A WELDING SPECIALIST FOR A MAJOR AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURER IN THE U.S. I DO HAVE SUPPORTING PHOTOS OF THE FAILED SPOT WELDS. *TR