Sudden acceleration

Furby · October 16, 2004, 07:06:39 PM

Anyone know anything about it or ever worked on a car that did it?

I did a google search, and all the results talk about it happening when put into gear and cruise control to blame.
My truck just started accelerating when ever I press the brake pedal. I have a witness to back up the fact that I wasn't touching the gas pedal. I can put it in park and press the brake to rev the engine. It does make stopping hard to do! :

Was told to contact a Dealer and see if they want to look at it, but that won't be until Monday and I need the truck.

Tom · October 16, 2004, 07:12:56 PM

Yep, My Mother in Law had a Lincoln continental run away on a trip and it was over 100 mph before she realized that she could turn the key off. It was blamed on the cruise control.

bighoss550 · October 16, 2004, 07:16:43 PM

year?
make?
model?
tranny?
engine?
adj. pedals?
when did it start doin this?

and u neede to contact the manufacturer so they know of it.

Furby · October 16, 2004, 07:44:26 PM

94 Ford Explorer, V6 have to double check the engine and tranny.
Started on the way home today. May have happened on the way to the piggy roast for a second, and one other time.
Now it is all the time and may be getting worse.

My Uncle used to work in the claims dept. at Ford, and said they had a lot of suits a while back, they might want to see it.
He gave me a couple of things to check and neither helped.
All the stuff I came up with on th net says they have no proof of anything. Trying to decide if I have proof of "something", and wether it should go to a dealer or what.
Really need this thing NOW, as I don't have a way home. :-/
Family has had a total of 5 cars go bad in the last two weeks. Guess I have a new day job. :-/

Tom · October 16, 2004, 07:49:59 PM

You better get to them before it fixes itself. Nothing like the "Sword of Damocles" hanging over your head.

Furby · October 16, 2004, 08:16:13 PM

Tom, you mean "them" as in Ford or lawyers???
If it's the same as all the other cars I read about, I would hate for the "proof" to go "poof". Did find one lawyer online that was dealing with these cases AND had his # listed. :

bighoss550 · October 16, 2004, 08:18:00 PM

do u know what the cruise control unit looks like? its the big diaphram black box on the drivers side(i think) inner fenderwell. find the vacuum line that comes into it, and pull it and plug it well with a bolt or something with a head jammed into the end(make sure it seals) then find the cable going from it to the throttle cable plate on the intake, and disconnect it from the throttle lever, and pull it away from the engine and tape it to the fender or somethin.

one of these two will fix ur problem if its the cruise.

if its not the cruise, look up under the drivers side dash for the throttle cable coming from the gas peddle. its probably come loose and its being pushed by the top or back of the brake peddle arm.

it has to be 1 of those things. a 94 is EEC4 and there is no other gadgets in that there system. no FRED's to mess up, or anything else to go bad. it has to be a mechanical failure of some sort.

Furby · October 16, 2004, 08:24:24 PM

Did plug them vac hoses, still did it.
Will pull the throttle cable off the cruise unit.

Was under the dash and didn't see any trouble with the gas cable, but will look again.

Just talked to my Uncle again and he said it sounds like its electrical. Do have a plug or something with wires on the brake mount.

Furby · October 16, 2004, 08:43:33 PM

Just went out to take a look.
Yep Tom, "proof" went "poof"! :-/
Looked under the dash and the gas cable was fine, nothing even close.
Thought I'd make sure it was still doing it before I removed the cable from the cruise unit. Now it won't do it. :-/
That's good and bad. Now I can get home, but I don't know what did it or when it'll happen again. :-/

bighoss550 · October 16, 2004, 08:54:03 PM

good luck....and i wish i could help more, but thats about all im good for unless i can see it.

my cousin has a 94 exploder and ill look at his if i get the chance.

Furby · October 16, 2004, 08:58:02 PM

Thanks for the help. ;)
If it starts doing it again I'm going to start with that cruise cable.
Will probly call the dealer on Monday, just to see what they say.

Quartlow · October 17, 2004, 06:51:07 AM

My F250 did this But the only time it did it was when the cruise was set, You would step on the brake and and it would try to power through the braking. Turnes out the brake light switch was bad :D The cruise didn't know it I was trying to stop it thought we where going uphil.

beetle · October 17, 2004, 07:03:44 AM

Check to see if the cruise has its own fuse, if so, pull it.

CHARLIE · October 17, 2004, 06:00:31 PM

I've heard of vehicles getting away from people by accelerating and the car manufacturers claim the driver must have been pushing on the accelerator instead of the brake by mistake. Several years ago, an elderly lady put her SUV in reverse at the Rochester Walmart parking lot. The vehicle accelerated suddenly across the lot and killed a teenage girl when it pinned her against a pop machine. That was pretty sad. The elderly lady swore she did not touch the accelerator and the dealer checked the vehicle over and could not find anything that would cause it to accelerate. I think the elderly lady got the blame. I suspected it was something electronic that did it....but that was just my suspicions. So Furby, that vehicle of yours could be really dangerous. Call the dealer anyway. Maybe they know something and can correct it just by hearing about the symptoms.

ScottAR · October 17, 2004, 09:59:42 PM

Quartlow, our Taurus did the same thing... Made the shifter lock in park as well. I fixed it by selling the car. ;D :D

Furby · October 18, 2004, 08:08:39 PM

Well I got home fine, but yesterday it did it again for a couple of pumps of the brake, then back to normal.
I'm thinking it is something electrical. The "check oil" light came on and stayed on until I shut the car off an hour or two before it started the acceleration thing. The oil level was fine.
Now I'm back where I was with the overdrive. I don't have any. It comes and goes, it's been fine all summer but was doing it last spring.
Wish I could just sell the thing, been thinking loooooooooooong and hard about it for a while. Just no way to get a loan for a different one.
Other things on my mind right now, so I forgot to call the dealer.

Scott, did the Taurus have one of them um.........hidden buttons to release the shifter? A friend of mine had the same trouble, read the manual and found the switch.

ScottAR · October 18, 2004, 11:52:56 PM

Sorta kinda. I Read the manual. One turns the key one click past off. Move the shifter to neutral, and then start the car. Only mildly annoying unless ya forget and put it in park. :D Then ya have to turn it off and start over.

So's no one gets the wrong Idea, I told the lady that bought it all about it's problems and she checked out the cost with a mechanic friend of hers. It was a simple fix, but I didn't wanna mess with it and between me and my parents, we've got 5 vehicles in the drive and yard so the taurus went by-by.

slowzuki · October 19, 2004, 05:55:35 AM

An old school problem of the engine accelerating when idling and pressing on the brakes is a leaky brake booster. The extra air drawn in is compensated by the computer and it revs up.

This wouldn't be noticable on the highway or whatnot.