NHTSA Complaint #10447948 — 2011 FORD F-150

MY COMPLAINT IS THAT FORD HAS A GOVERNOR ON THE ENGINE THAT ONLY ALLOWS THE VEHICLE TO REACH APPROXIMATELY 89 MPH. YET THE SPEEDOMETER INDICATES 120 MPH AND NO INDICATIONS IN THE OWNERS MANUAL THAT THE ENGINE HAS A GOVERNOR AND TOP SPEED IS 89 MPH. I BELIEVE FORD IS MAKING A MISREPRESENTATION AND FALSE ADVERTISING TO THE PUBLIC. FORD HAS STATED TO ME THE REASON FOR THIS IS TO NOT EXCEED TIRE RATING SPEED. HOWEVER MY TRUCK CAME WITH 113 MPH SPEED RATED TIRES. FORD ALSO ADMITS THAT THERE IS NO INDICATION OR MENTION OF THE GOVERNED SPEED. I DON'T HAVE A NEED TO GO BEYOND THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OR WANT TO GO 120MPH. THAT BEING SAID , I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 81 POSTED SPEED 70 I WAS DOING ABOUT 73-75 MPH IN THE RIGHT LANE, ALONG SIDE OF ME IN THE LEFT LANE WAS A DODGE TRUCK WITH A TRAILER DOING APPROXIMATELY 75-80 MPH AND A TRACTOR TRAILER BEHIND HIM ON HIS BUMPER. THE TRACTOR TRAILER ABRUPTLY PULLED BEHIND ME AND SLIGHTLY AHEAD ANOTHER TRACTOR TRAILER STARTED TO PULL FROM THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD ONTO THE HIGHWAY. MY CHOICES - SLAM ON THE BRAKES AND HOPE A LOADED TRACTOR TRAILER 4' OFF MY BUMPER CAN ALSO STOP, ACCELERATE AND PULL IN FRONT OF THE DODGE TRUCK. I CHOSE THE LATTER AND JUST IMAGINE MY SURPRISE JUST AS I CLEARED THE DODGE AND STARTED TO PULL INTO THE LANE IN FRONT OF THE DODGE MY TRUCK ENGINE STALLED AT 89 MPH. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE I COULD HAVE DONE IN THIS SITUATION, BUT NOT KNOWING THAT FORD HAD THE ENGINE GOVERNED ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. PROBABILITY OF THIS SAME THING HAPPENING AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW. BUT THE POINT OF THIS IS THAT FORD SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO RECALL ALL THESE VEHICLES AND REMOVE THE GOVERNOR OR CHANGE THE SPEEDOMETER TO REFLECT THE TOP SPEED AS 89MPH. NOT LET THE CONSUMER BELIEVE THEY ARE BUYING A VEHICLE THAT WILL DO 120MPH BUT CONCEAL THE FACT THAT IT WILL DO ONLY 89MPH. AFTER ALL IT'S NOT FORD'S PLACE TO ENFORCE SPEED LIMITS. *TR