NHTSA Complaint #764492 — 2002 LINCOLN TOWN CAR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A MOUNTAIN, THE ENGINE WENT INTO AN UNCONTROLED SPEED. IT WAS IF SOMEONE FLOORED THE GAS AND THE ENGINE SCREAMED. THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK, NOR DID THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE ONLY WAS TO SLOW IT DOWN SOME WAS TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. WHEN PUT INTO DRIVE AGAIN, WE FISHTAILED THE CAR. FINALLY, MY HUSBAND, TURNED THE CAR OFF. EACH TIME WE WENT UP A HILL WE SLOWED DOWN BUT NOT ENOUGH TO STOP, THEN WOULD PICK UP SPEED WHEN WE HIT ANOTHER HILL. AFTER SEVERAL MILES MY HUSBAND, WHEN THERE WASN'T A GULLY, DROVE ON THE SIDE IN DIRT AND HIGH GRASS TO SLOW US DOWN. FINALLY, JUST BEFORE WE CRESTED ANOTHER HILL, HE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER MORE AND STOP. THIS DOESN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HOW HORRIBLE IT WAS. WE DIDN'T THINK WE WERE GOING TO DIE, WE KNEW WE WERE, BUT WEREN'T SURE IF WE'D GO OVER A CLIFF OR INTO TREES. WE STILL DON'T KNOW HOW WE PULLED IT OFF. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M ANGRY THAT WE HAD BROUGHT THE CAR IN 5 WEEKS BEFORE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT ON FLAT ROAD, AND THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE NEMITH MOTORS FOUND OUT BY CALLING THE MANUFACURER, THAT THIS HAD BEEN A PROBLEM. HAD THEY KNOWN 5 WEEKS BEFORE THIS, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE GIVEN BACK OUR CAR TO US. I WOULD LIKE ANY REPORT THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS, AND HOPE THEIR EXPERIENCE TURNED OUT AS WELL AS OURS.*AK