NHTSA Complaint #10455139 — 2006 FORD TAURUS

AFTER TAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE VEHICLE BEGAN ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. I HAD TO FULLY APPLY THE BRAKE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. IT WAS TERRIFYING. MY WHOLE BODY SHOOK. I THOUGHT I WOULD HIT SOMETHING BECAUSE I DID NOT THINK THAT I COULD STOP THE CAR. EVEN WHILE PUSHING THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY DOWN AND SHIFTING INTO D I COULD NOT KEEP THE CAR UNDER 40 MPH. THE ENGINE KEPT REVVING AND THE CAR KEPT GAINING SPEED. LUCKILY, THE ONLY LIGHT I HAD WAS GREEN. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND SLOWED THE VEHICLE DOWN TO A STOP BY APPLYING ALL MY FORCE TO THE BRAKE. I SHIFTED INTO PARK HOPING THAT WOULD KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING. IT CAUSED A LOUD SOUND THAT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION AND STARTLED EVERYONE IN THE PARKING LOT. STILL NOT SURE WHAT TO DO, I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF. A PARKING SPOT OPENED UP SO I TURNED ON THE IGNITION, THAT CAUSED AN EVEN LOUDER EXPLOSIVE SOUND. I WAS STILL TERRIFIED BUT I HAD TO ACT - SO I FORCED THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN AS HARD AS I COULD AND SHIFTED TO D AND WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE INTO THE PARKING SPOT. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AGAIN AND AGAIN IT CAUSED A LOUD EXPLOSIVE SOUND. BY NOW I WAS A SPECTACLE IN THE PARKING LOT BUT I WAS JUST THANKFUL THAT I WAS ALIVE AND THAT NO ONE WAS HURT. I LOOKED DOWN AT THE GAS PEDAL AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS FULLY DEPRESSED AND LOOSE. I PULLED THE PEDAL UP BUT THERE WAS NO TENSION TO HOLD IT UP AND IT DROPPED BACK ALL THE WAY DOWN. I DROVE THE VEHICLE BACK HOME, IN MUCH THE SAME WAY - TRANSMISSION IN D, APPLYING A LOT OF FORCE TO THE BRAKE AND HOPING THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO STOP SUDDENLY OR GET PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING SINCE I COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE SLOWER THAN 40 MPH EVEN WHILE PUSHING ON THE BRAKE AS HARD AS I COULD THE WHOLE TRIP. AND WHEN I PARKED THE CAR AT HOME, IT MADE THE SAME LOUD SOUND AND I ALSO HEARD TICKING NOISES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I AM STILL SHAKEN UP BY THE INCIDENT.