NHTSA Complaint #10470589 — 2006 FORD TAURUS

ON MAY 6, 2012, WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I COULD FEEL MY 2006 FORD TAURUS SE ACCELERATING DESPITE MY FOOT NOT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, NOR THE CRUISE CONTROL BEING ENGAGED. AS I PRESSED THE BRAKES, THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, WITH RPM REACHING 3000 TO 4000. AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY AND PLACING THE VEHICLE IN PARK, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. IN ORDER TO STOP THIS RAPID ACCELERATION IN RPM, I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. UPON RESTARTING, THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY REVVED TO OVER 3000 RPM. IF I SHIFTED THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL, THE ENGINE WOULD REV TO 4000 RPM THEN DROP DOWN TO 1000 RPM. THIS SUDDEN, RAPID, ACCELERATION CONTINUED TO RANDOMLY OCCUR AS I DROVE TO MY DESTINATION. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALER FOR REPAIRS, AS I WAS NOT NEAR MY PLACE OF RESIDENCE. THEY REPLACED THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE. HOWEVER, AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON AUGUST 12,2012, AT A SPEED BETWEEN 35-40 MPH, MY TAURUS BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AGAIN ON ITS OWN. I IMMEDIATELY SHIFTED THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND THE RPM WENT TO 4000 AND DROPPED DOWN TO 1000. I THEN SHIFTED THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DRIVE POSITION, AND THE ENGINE IDLED FINE THE REST OF MY TRIP HOME. THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE THE RAPID ACCELERATION IS SIMILAR TO WHEN USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. IF THE CRUISE CONTROL IS TURNED ON AND YOU DECIDE TO "COAST", THE ENGINE SLOWS DOWN. BUT WHEN YOU PRESS THE "RESUME" BUTTON ON THE CRUISE CONTROL, YOU CAN FEEL THE ENGINE PULL AND THE CAR BEGIN ACCELERATING. THIS IS WHAT IT FELT LIKE WHILE DRIVING. HOWEVER, I HAD NOT BEEN USING THE CRUISE CONTROL IN EITHER OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SITUATIONS. MY MOTHER, MY NEWBORN DAUGHTER, MYSELF OR OTHER MOTORISTS COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED DURING THIS UNCONTROLLED INCREASED ACCELERATION. *TR