NHTSA Complaint #10451348 — 2007 FORD FREESTYLE

MY FORD 2007 FREESTYLE WAS POSITIVELY, CERTAINLY ACCELERATING ON IT'S OWN. IT WAS AT TIMES TERRIFYING. IT KEPT GETTING WORSE. IT HAPPENED IN DIFFERENT DEGREES OF SEVERITY AND LENGTH OF TIME. IT ALSO HAPPENED IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS. THE FIRST WAY WAS WHEN I WAS EITHER SIMPLY DRIVING BUT PREDOMINANTLY WHEN I BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT OR TO PARK. AT THAT VERY SECOND, THE CAR WOULD LITERALLY JUMP AHEAD IN A SUDDEN, MORTIFYING TREMENDOUS ACCELERATION. I WOULD TRY TO RESTRAIN IT BY STEPPING ON THE BREAKS AS HARD AS I COULD. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE BREAKS, THE THRUST WAS AS STRONG OR AT TIMES, STRONGER. MOST TIMES IT KEPT GOING FOR A BIT, BUT WITH MY HEART POUNDING IN FEAR THAT I WOULD HIT ANOTHER CAR OR A PEDESTRIAN, I WOULD FIND MYSELF TRULY OFF MY SEAT, SOLELY ON THE BREAK WITH ALL MY POSSIBLE STRENGTH; AND THE CAR WOULD DIE. WHEN I WAS AT A LIGHT AND THE GREEN CAME ON, I WAS HAVING TO RESTART THE CAR QUICKLY TO KEEP WITH TRAFFIC FLOW.MANY TIMES, AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR AND DRIVING SLOWLY AND TRYING TO STAY AWAY FROM OTHER CARS, THE CAR WOULD GO ON, BUT WITH A HICCUP ON AND OFF.THEN THINGS WOULD SEEM NORMAL, BUT I NEVER KNEW FOR HOW LONG. THE SECOND WAY IN WHICH THE CAR SELF ACCELERATED, WAS WHEN I TURNED IT ON TO START DRIVING.AGAIN THE ACCELERATION WOULD BE SO SUDDEN AND I NEVER KNEW HOW STRONGLY. SOME TIMES I WAS VERY CLOSE TO HITTING THE CAR BEHIND ME IN A PARKING LOT, OR ANYWHERE I WAS PARKED. I HAD TO TAKE EXTRA, PRECAUTIONS TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE, MORE THAN USUAL, THAN NO PERSONS WOULD BE EVEN REMOTELY IN RANGE OF MY CAR WHEN I TURNED IT ON, BECAUSE I NEVER KNEW, DEPENDING ON THE ACCELERATION FORCE, HOW FAR THE "JUMP" WOULD BE. THIS PROBLEM KEPT ME IN ANXIETY AND UNCERTAINTY. I TOOK MY CAR TWICE TO MY REGULAR CAR SHOP, HAD TO TAKE IT TO FORD DEALER, ONLY PLACE TO FIND THE EQUIPMENT NEEDED. PERSON THERE KNEW ABOUT SAME PROBLEM IN OTHER FORDS. *TR