NHTSA Complaint #10329225 — 2008 LINCOLN TOWN CAR

WE HAD A SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OF OUR CAR. WE WERE TRAVELING WEST ON THE NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-90) TOWARDS NIAGARA FALLS. AS WE EXITED INTO A REST AREA, SUDDENLY THE ENGINE RACED AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WERE FLOORED. THE DRIVER PRESSED ON THE BRAKE VERY VERY HARD, AND THE CAR ALMOST STOPPED, MOVING FORWARD SLOWLY. THE DRIVER THEN SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, AND THE ENGINE SLOWEDAND WE STOPPED--ABOUT 50 FEET BEYOND WHERE THE SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION STARTED. WE TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, AND EXAMINED THE FLOORMAT--IT WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL. WE CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD, AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING THAT SEEMED RELATED TO CAUSING THE SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. WE LATER CHECKED IF THE DRIVER COULD PRESS THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS AT THE SAME TIME, BUT ON OUR CAR THEY ARE SO FAR APART THAT THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE. WE THINK IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS OCCURRENCE WAS DUE TO INADEQUATE SHIELDING, AND INADEQUATE PROGRAMMING, OF THE GAS PEDAL COMPUTER WHICH SENDS SIGNALS TO THE ACCELERATION SYSTEM. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, WE HAD A GPS, CELL PHONES, AND GAME MACHINES IN OPERATION, AND THE REST AREA WE WERE PULLING INTO HAD WIFI. THUS, THE ACCELERATION SYSTEM COMPUTER WAS RECEIVING MANY SIGNALS FROM "NOISE." IF THEY CAME IN A CERTAIN SEQUENCE, IT WOULD CAUSE AN SUA, UNLESS THE CAR HAD ADEQUATE CODING TO PREVENT THAT OCCURRENCE. THE FIX FOR THIS WOULD BE TO EITHER HARD WIRE THE GAS PEDAL, OR TO PUT ADEQUATE PROGRAMMING TO PREVENT STRAY SIGNALS FROM BEING ACCEPTED. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE ONE OF THESE FIXES IMPLEMENTED. *TR