NHTSA Complaint #10352586 — 2008 FORD F-250 SD

ON 8/10/2010, AFTER DRIVING MY 2008 F-250 ON INTERSTATE 5 FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS CONTINUOUSLY AT APPROX. 70MPH IN CRUISE CONTROL MODE, I OVERRODE CRUISE CONTROL TO ACCELERATE AND PASS A VEHICLE. AS I RETURNED TO THE RIGHT SIDE DRIVING LANE, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO REDUCE SPEED AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE IN AN UNCONTROLLED FASHION. WITH HEAVY BRAKING I WAS ABLE CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND BRING IT TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER WHERE I SHIFTED IT INTO NEUTRAL AND CUT THE IGNITION OFF. A RESTART OF THE VEHICLE RESULTED IN AN IMMEDIATE RUN-UP IN RPM WHICH COULD ONLY BE CONTROLLED BY SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE. NO ENGINE OR OTHER WARNING LIGHTS WERE DISPLAYED. BY OPENING THE HOOD AND MANUALLY RESETTING THE AIR FILTER CONTAMINATION SENSOR ON THE AIR INTAKE DUCT, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND HAVE IT OPERATE NORMALLY. I DID NOT AGAIN USE CRUISE CONTROL. THIS IS A REPEAT OF THE CONDITION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED IN ID# 10279704. THE COMMON ELEMENTS OF ALL THREE INSTANCES OF OCCURRENCE ARE THAT THE ENGINE HAS BEEN OPERATED AT 65-70 MPH FOR APPROX. SIX HOURS, CRUISE CONTROL IS ENGAGED, AND THE ENGINE IS EITHER IN OR HAS JUST COMPLETED AN EXHAUST REGEN CYCLE . FORD APPEARS TO BE UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO IDENTIFY OR ADDRESS THIS SITUATION, BUT IT CONTINUES TO BE A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD. *TR