NHTSA Complaint #10573872 — 2010 MERCURY MILAN

DRIVING THRU TOWN AT APPROX 30 MPH THE VEHICLES WARNING LIGHTS FLASHED FOR CHECK ENGINE AND THE THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING (WRENCH) ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO ANY ACTIVATION OF THE GAS PEDDLE AND DRIFTED TO IDLE POWER. NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT WENT WRONG, I SHUT THE CAR DOWN AND RESTARTED IT TO CLEAR THE FAULTS. I RE-ENTERED TRAFFIC AND PROCEEDED ABOUT 50 FT BEFORE IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I PROCEEDED TO FOLLOW THE SAME RESET PROCESS AND WAS ABLE TO LIMP THE CAR HOME. THE CAR WAS TOWED AWAY AND REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT SINCE 2004 FORD HAS KNOWN THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS AND THAT THE ENGINE DESIGN DEFAULT IS TO BRING THE CAR DOWN TO IDLE POWER. INTERNET CHAT BOARDS HAVE STORIES OF THIS HAPPENING ON HIGHWAYS AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED. FORD CLAIMS THERE IS NO RECALL BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT (YOU GUYS) HAVE NOT REQUIRED THEM TO DO SO DESPITE THE FAILURE MODE, AND PUBLIC SAFETY IMPLICATIONS, BEING EXACTLY THE SAME AS NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE13031. FORD FIXED THE PROBLEM RECENTLY BUT DID NOT SCRAP OLD DEFECTIVE INVENTORY AND REFUSES TO FIX THOSE SUSPECT PARTS ON OUR ROADS. THEY HAVE CALCULATED THE COSTS AND CHOOSE TO RISK PUBLIC SAFETY INSTEAD OF A RECALL. *TR