NHTSA Complaint #10611144 — 2005 FORD TAURUS

ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2014, I WAS DRIVING ON US HWY 206 IN FLANDERS, NJ, WHEN MY CAR STOPPED RESPONDING TO THE ACCELERATOR. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING, BUT PRESSING DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL DID NOTHING. I QUICKLY MANEUVERED THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE IN ANY GEAR, EVEN REVERSE, HOWEVER, NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE AS IT WAS STILL RUNNING. I WAS TOWED HOME AND RESEARCH THE PROBLEM. APPARENTLY, THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER FORD TAURUS OWNERS WHEN THE SPLINES ON THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAIL, RENDERING THE TRANSMISSION INOPERABLE AND THE CAR SUDDENLY UNRESPONSIVE WHEN PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR. I'M LUCKY I WASN'T HIT FROM BEHIND ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM AND REPLACE THE FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER. ON JULY 8, 2014, FORD ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE FORD TAURUS, AND OTHER MODELS, FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT MY YEAR WASN'T PART OF THE RECALL. WHY? IN JANUARY 2012, FORD ISSUED A RECALL FOR FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTERS FOR 450K SUVS AND VANS. BUT THE TAURUS WASN'T, AGAIN, WHY? ARE THE LIVES OF TAURUS OWNERS WORTH ANY LESS THAN SUV/MINIVAN OWNERS? *TR