NHTSA Complaint #10509384 — 2006 FORD TAURUS

PURCHASED THE CAR IN LATE AUGUST 2012. SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE CAR WOULD REV HIGH ON COLD STARTS, WHEN PLACED INTO GEAR CAR SOMETIMES WOULD DIE. THIS WAS NOT A CONSISTENT PROBLEM AND DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE AND IDENTIFY THE ISSUE. BY THE END OF DECEMBER 2012 THE PROBLEM BECAME CONSISTENT ON EACH COLD START. TOOK CAR INTO FIRESTONE. FIRESTONE REPLACED IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE AND CLEANED FUEL SYSTEM. FIRST ATTEMPT TO REPLACE AIR CONTROL VALVE FAILED WHEN THEY BELIEVED THE NEW PART WAS DEFECTIVE. REPLACED NEW ONE WITH ANOTHER NEW ONE AND THE CAR STARTED FINE FOR ABOUT A MONTH AND WENT BACK TO INCONSISTENT START UPS. TOOK CAR BACK TO FIRESTONE. THEY AGAIN REPLACED AIR CONTROL VALVE AND THE PROBLEM STILL WAS PRESENT AND I WAS TOLD TO TAKE TO THE DEALERSHIP. TOOK TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP, THEY STATED THE MOST RECENT AIR CONTROL VALVE PLACED BY FIRESTONE WAS DEFECTIVE AND THEY REPLACED AIR CONTROL VALVE WITH FORD EXCLUSIVE PART. PICKED CAR UP AND UPON LEAVING THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. I TURNED THE CAR AROUND AND HAD THEM LOOK AT IT AGAIN. THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM OR DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. TWO WEEKS LATER THE PROBLEM APPEARED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I WOULD LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE TO 60MPH BEFORE I APPLIED THE BRAKE TO SLOW IT DOWN. TO KEEP A CONSISTENT SPEED I WOULD HAVE TO "RIDE THE BRAKE". I INTERNET SEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE DESCRIBING THE EXACT PROBLEM I WAS HAVING AND THAT IT WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR 2005-06 FORD TAURUS FOR SUDDEN ACCELERATION MOST LIKELY DUE TO CRUISE CONTROL CABLE CATCHING ON THE THROTTLE. TOLD FORD DEALERSHIP WHAT I DISCOVERED, TOOK THE CAR IN AND THEY IDENTIFIED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE WAS IN FACT CATCHING ON THE THROTTLE. *TR