NHTSA Complaint #10598091 — 2014 FORD E-150

ON JUNE 10, 2014 I LEFT MY OFFICE AND TRAVELED ACROSS THE PARKING DRIVEWAY AT ABOUT 7 MPH, A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 150 FEET WHERE I ATTEMPTED TO STOP(USING MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE) BEFORE MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN ONTO A BUSY FAST MOVING STREET. AT THIS POINT MY FOOT HIT THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR AT THE SAME TIME (THEY ARE EXTREMELY CLOSE) CAUSING ME TO SUDDENLY LURCH FORWARD TOWARD THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC COMING FROM MY LEFT. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY USE MY LEFT FOOT TO POWER BRAKE AND SAFELY STOP MY VEHICLE. THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME IN 250 MILES OF CITY DRIVING MY NEW VEHICLE THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED, BUT THE FIRST TIME I RECORDED THE TIME AND DATE OF THE INCIDENT, REALIZING THERE WAS A DESIGN ISSUE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM, I CAN SEE MANY REAR END ACCIDENTS BEING CAUSED BY THIS DESIGN. SINCE I STILL OWN A 2004 FORD E150 VAN, SIDE BY SIDE MEASUREMENT COMPARISONS WERE EASILY MADE AND I THINK I CAN SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAS BEEN RAISED ABOUT AN INCH AND A QUARTER HIGHER THAN MY 2004 VAN AND IS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER INCH CLOSER TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. IN ADDITION BECAUSE OF THE LARGE ENGINE COWLING, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS LOCATED MOSTLY TO THE LEFT OF CENTER OF THE CENTER LINE OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH FORCES THE DRIVER TO EFFECTIVELY CROSS OVER AWKWARDLY TO HIT THE CENTER OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS IS A VERY UNNATURAL MOTION NOT REQUIRED ON ANY VEHICLES THAT I LOOKED AT BEFORE CONTACTING YOU. IF THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PUSHED DOWN EVEN SLIGHTLY FROM THE RIGHT HAND SIDE/EDGE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL (NORMAL HABIT BY MOST DRIVERS REVIEWING WEAR PATTERNS ON BRAKE PEDALS OF MANY VEHICLES AT MY OFFICE COMPLEX) THE BOTTOM OF A MAN'S RIGHT SHOE WILL ALMOST ALWAYS BE SOMEWHAT OVER THE ACCELERATOR, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR DUAL/SIMULTANEOUS BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PUSHING IS CREATED. *JS