NHTSA Complaint #10892947 — 2006 FORD TAURUS

ON THE AFTERNOON OF SUNDAY, JULY 24TH, 2016, OUR 2006 FORD TAURUS BEGAN ACCELERATING OUT OF CONTROL ON ITS OWN ACCORD WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS. WE TRIED TO BRAKE THE CAR, BUT WERE NOT ABLE TO COMPETE AGAINST THE RAPID ACCELERATION. WE ENDED UP PUTTING IT IN NEUTRAL, AND THEN IN PARK, AND BRING IT TO A STOP (ALBEIT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET) WHERE IT WAS STILL REACHING UPWARDS OF 4,500 RPMS. VERY DISCONCERTING. AS WE COULD NOT DRIVE ANY FURTHER LIKE THIS, WE SHUT IT OFF, GOT OUT, AND CALLED AAA FOR A TOW, WHICH ARRIVED ALMOST TWO HOURS LATER AFTER WE SAT IN THE HOT AFTERNOON SUN AND WERE DIVERTING TRAFFIC AROUND OUR DISABLED VEHICLE. BEING THAT WE WERE TRAVELING WITH TWO OTHER GUESTS AND THE TOW TRUCK COULD ONLY ACCOMMODATE 2 PEOPLE MAX FOR THE TRIP BACK TO RHODE ISLAND (OVER 40 MILES AWAY), THE DRIVER TRIED TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX THE PROBLEM ON THE SPOT. HE LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND SHOWED US THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE HAD BECOME UNCLIPPED AND FALLEN OFF. HE THEN LUBED IT UP, REATTACHED IT, AND HAD US DO A COUPLE OF TESTS TO SEE IF IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY. THANKFULLY IT WAS, AND WE SLOWLY AND CAUTIOUSLY WERE ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, WE BECAME AWARE THAT THIS WAS AND IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH OUR YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL OF CAR, AND THAT AN INVESTIGATION HAD BEEN OPENED INTO IT. WE ARE ALSO AWARE THAT, AT THAT TIME, FORD HAD LAUNCHED A "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN" TO FIX OR REPLACE DEFECTIVE CRUISE CONTROL CABLES. WHILE WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME THAT DAY, WE ARE NOT THRILLED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS ISSUE HAPPENING AGAIN AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS ISSUE FIXED BY FORD. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THREE SEPARATE PEOPLE AT FORD AT THIS POINT, AND ALL HAVE REFUSED TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM TAKEN CARE OF BY FORD FOR US.