NHTSA Complaint #10460322 — 2001 FORD TAURUS

I HAD JUST PUNCHED THE GAS PEDAL AND THEN WENT TO HIT THE BRAKES A FEW SECONDS LATER, BUT THE CAR WASN'T REALLY SLOWING. LOOKED DOWN AND NOTICED THE RPMS WERE AT 4000 SO I MOVED THE TRANSMISSION TO NEUTRAL AND THE CAR STARTED SLOWING MORE. THE CAR KEPT REVVING AT 4K RPMS THOUGH SO I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I HADN'T COME TO A COMPLETE STOP YET SO THE LAST FEW FEET WERE HARDER TO STOP, BUT LUCKILY THERE WASN'T ANY TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME AND I WASN'T IN ANY DANGER OF HITTING ANYONE/ANYTHING. I TRIED STARTING THE CAR UP AGAIN AND IT WENT RIGHT UP TO 4000K RPMS, I SHUT IT OFF AND THEN TRIED TO HIT THE GAS PEDAL THINKING THAT MAYBE IT WAS STUCK OR THERE WAS SOMETHING UNDER IT OR SOMETHING, BUT THAT WASN'T IT SO I SHUT THE CAR OFF AGAIN. THEN I POPPED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE CABLES THAT WENT TO THE THROTTLE HAD SLID OUT OF A GREY BOOT AND WAS JAMMED AGAINST THE SIDE OF THAT BOOT HOLDING THE THROTTLE OPEN. I MOVED IT BACK SO THAT IT POPPED INTO THE CENTER. STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND IT WAS FINE. CLOSER EXAMINATION LATER SHOWED THAT THE GREY CONNECTOR THAT HOLDS THE CABLE IN THE CENTER HAD LITTLE BITS BROKEN OFF. IF THOSE BITS THERE , IT WOULD PREVENT THE CABLE FROM SLIDING OUT. AS THIS WAS ON A WEEKEND, AS A TEMPORARY FIX, I USED A ZIP TIE AND SOME DUCT TAPE TO HOLD IT IN BEFORE I GOT A NEW CRUISE CONTROL CABLE. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAD HAPPENED TO ME. *TR