NHTSA Complaint #703273 — 1994 MERCURY SABLE

THIS SUDDEN AND WITHOUT WARNING FAILURE CAUSED UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION. AFTER STOPPING AT AN INTERSECTION MY WIFE PULLED INTO THE ROADWAY AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. SHORTLY SHE BEGAN TO SAY THAT THE CAR WAS GOING FASTER AND FASTER AND SHE COULDN'T STOP THE CAR FROM SPEEDING UP. I REACHED OVER TO HIT THE OFF SWITCH ON THE CRUISE CONTROL AND MY WIFE CONTINUED TO PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CAR CONTINUED TO STRAIN AHEAD AND I COULD HEAR THE ENGINE NOISE OF HIGH RPMS. I TRIED THE COAST SWITCH, NOTHING. WE WERE HEADING TO ANOTHER INTERSECTION AND THE LIGHT WAS RED SO I PULLED THE DRIVE LEVER TO NEUTRAL WHILE MY WIFE CONTINUED TO BRAKE. THE CAR SLOWED THEN STOPPED BUT THE ENGINE WAS FULLY THROTTLED AND RUNNING AT HIGH SPEED. I HIT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL A COUPLE OF TIMES AND THE ENGINE WENT TO IDLE. NO MY WIFE DID NOT PANIC AND HOLD THE ACCELERATOR DOWN SINCE SHE WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE ENTIRE TIME. I WAS THE ONE WHO HIT THE THROTTLE PEDAL TO RESET TEH CABLE OR BREAK IT LOOSE FROM WHATEVER THE LINKAGE WAS CAUGHT ON. AFTER STOPPING AND LETTING THE ENGINE IDLE MY WIFE PUT IT BACK IN GEAR AND THERE WAS NO FURTHER INCIDENTS THAT TRIP. WE SPOKE TO A RELATIVE THIS EVENING AND THEY RELATED THE DATELINE STORY. I LOOKED UP THE WEB SITE, READ TEH STORY AND IT WAS EXACTLY AS THE OTHER HAD STATED. THE CAR TOOK OFF LIKE IT WAS POSSESSED AND BRAKING WOULD NOT STOP IT. WE WERE ON OPEN ROAD WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC AND HAD TWO EXPERIENCED PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH THE INCIDENT. WITHOUT THE OPEN ROAD, LIGHT TRAFFIC, DRY PAVEMENT AND CALM HANDLING, WE WOULD HAVE HARMED OURSELVES OR OTHERS WITHOUT A DOUBT. I CONCUR WITH THE ENGINEER IN THE DATELINE STORY ABOUT FAULTY ENGINEERING AND SLOPPY ENGINEERING INVESTIGATION. THE AVIATION WORLD (FAA) WOULD INVESTIGATE THE INCIDENT AND THE OEM WOULD BE HEADING UP AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE FAULT AND PROPOSE A REDESIGN. THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT AND POWER AVAILABLE TO THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM WITHOUT OPERATOR ENGAGENMENT.