NHTSA Complaint #734629 — 2000 FORD WINDSTAR

ON 5/1/00 I WAS ATTEMPTING TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT AND MY CAR SLOWED DOWN BUT CONTINUED TO ROLL AND WOULD NOT STOP. I HAD TO STAND UP IN MY SEAT AND PUCH THE BRAKE TO THE FLOOR TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. WHILE ATTEMPTING THIS, THE CAR MADE A HORRIBLE GRINDING NOISE AND SHOOK VIOLENTLY. IT WAS A BRAND NEW CAR AND IT WAS RAINING SO I THOUGHT MAYBE I JUST NEEDED TO GET USED TO IT. ON 5/7/00, SUNDAY, I WAS OUT AND AT EVERY STOP SIGN OR LIGHT THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP AGAIN. I CALLED THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY, ADVISED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. I HAD THE CAR TOWED IN AS I WAS PETRIFIED TO DRIVE IT. THEY LOOKED AT IT AND TOLD ME THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT TAKING THE CAR HOME UNTIL THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM AND FIXED IT. AT 7PM ON THE 9TH THEY CALLED AND SAID A TECH HAD TAKEN THE CAR HOME OVERNIGHT AND IT HAPPENED TO HIM AND HE ALMOST KILLED SOMEONE SO THEY NOW BELIEVED ME. THEY SAID IT WAS A SWITCH THAT TOLD THE COMPUTER WHETHER I WAS ACCELERATING OR BRAKING. I PICKED THE CAR UP AT 8PM THAT DAY. AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THE NEXT MORNING AND WENT TO STOP AT A LIGHT, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I GOT TO WORK CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND THE DEALER AND TOLD THE DEALER DO NOT RETURN IT UNTIL IT WAS FIXED. THAT WAS ON 5/10. THE EVENING OF 5/11 I WAS CALLED ONCE AGAIN AND WAS TOLD IT WAS FIXED. THEY NOW BELIEVED IT WAS THE SPEED SENSOR AND HAD REPLACED IT. ALL WAS WELL, FOR A WHILE. YESTERDAY, 10/17 I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND THIS SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME AND I AM SCARED TO GET BACK IN THAT CAR. I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND AM AFRAID FOR THEIR SAFETY.