NHTSA Complaint #10515229 — 2009 FORD F-150

AFTER THE ONBOARD COMPUTER SYSTEM DETECTED A FAULT FROM THE ABS SENSORS (REAR WHEELS WERE 17" AND FRONTS WERE 18" SO REARS TURNED FASTER THAN FRONTS), THE DRIVE-BY-WIRE (ACCELERATION) SOFTWARE SUDDENLY LIMITED ME TO THE SPEED AT WHICH I WAS TRAVELING AT THE TIME: 50MPH. EVEN THOUGH I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR, I GOT NO FURTHER ACCELERATION. LIGHTS AND WARNINGS ON THE DASH INDICATED AN ABS AND BRAKE PROBLEM; THERE WERE NO SUCH PROBLEMS. AT THE TIME OF THE "OVERRIDE", I WAS ABOUT TO MERGE INTO FREEWAY TRAFFIC TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20MPH FASTER THAN I WAS MOVING THUS LEADING TO THE PROBABILITY OF A REAR END COLLISION. I MOVED CLOSER TO THE SHOULDER AND (WILD GUESS) PUSHED THE BUTTON FOR SKID CONTROL (?)--TWO SQUIGGLY LINES ON THE BUTTON. HAD THE OVERRIDE OCCURRED 4-5 SECONDS LATER, I WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN INJURED. I HAD INSTALLED 18" WHEELS ON THE FRONT WITH THE INTENT OF INSTALLING 18" WHEELS ON THE BACK THE NEXT DAY. THE VEHICLE CAME WITH 17" WHEELS. I HAD DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES WITH THAT 18-17 CONFIGURATION BEFORE I EXPERIENCED THE WARNINGS AND CORRESPONDING SPEED LIMITATION. DRIVE-BY-WIRE MEANS DRIVE-BY-SOFTWARE. SOMEONE MADE MY DRIVING DECISIONS FOR ME AND THOSE COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MY INJURY OR DEATH. VEHICLE TESTING CAN NO LONGER CENTER ON PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS ONLY. TRUE SAFETY TESTING MUST INCLUDE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE "SAFETY" SOFTWARE WHERE DRIVE-BY-WIRE SYSTEMS ARE USED. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 2/25/2013 FROM CARMAX; 43,124 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH NO PRIOR HISTORY OF ACCIDENT OR MAJOR REPAIR. *TR