Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH the vehicle suddenly accelerated and she tried to engage the brakes but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact mentioned that she was able to stop the vehicle by shifting to neutral and turning the vehicle off. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 179,321.
1996 Ford Explorer: sudden unintended acceleration
24 of the 1,448 complaints about the 1996 Ford Explorer describe sudden unintended acceleration.
- owner complaints
- 24
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 5 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Sudden unintended acceleration by model year
What owners say
While driving vehicle suddenly accelerated uncontrollably. The consumer applied the brakes and pedal went to the floor. The vehicle continued to accelerate with speed. The consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, pulled over, and turned the vehicle off. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the speed sensor cable needed to be replaced. *ak the consumer was entering a ramp when the vehicle had taken off very fast. The consumer felt the experience was like the cruise control had taken over. The consumer stated that her foot was all the way down on the brake pedal . The consumer managed to slow the vehicle down, veered off of the highway, shifted the gear to park with the vehicle still moving, then applied the emergency brake with only seconds to spare.
The vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning.
While driving at 35 MPH the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a speed of 70 MPH. The consumer applied brakes but they didn't hold. Consumer had to put vehicle in park gear to stop vehcile, while vehicle was coasting. Ts
While parking the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated and crashed into a guardrail. Upon impact, both air bags did deploy. Dealer/manufacturer were not notified at this time. *ak one person was injured in the accident.
Sticking throttle body, causes gas pedal to stick after park. Identical to ford recall of sohc engine, however ford recall does not cover this engine (4.0l push rod v6). Sticking pedal cured by replacing defective throttle body. Ford will not recall throttle body for this engine. Sticking pedal caused "sudden acceleration" from stop, resulting in close call backing into shopping center store front. Ford should recall this defective throttle body, all services have been performed since new at ford dealer. Throttle body was cleaned by dealer in december 2000.
This is the second time subject vehicle has suddenly accelerated to full throttle after an initial start from being stopped, I.e., at a stop light. Ford claim floor mat interference. After some investigating I have discovered one common denominator between this incident and the 60+ similar compliants on the federal safety agency web site. This is a life threatening situation.
Vehicle experiencing problem with sudden acceleration. On two separate occasions vehicle experenced a sudden acceleration while driving at 35 MPH. Was able to gain control by shifting out of gear. Notified dealer and manufacturer, and both replied that vehicle was not covered under a recall.
Sudden acceleration while pulling at approximately 10 MPH. Accelerator pedal went down to the floor and would not return, causing vehicle to lose control and run off to the side of the road before stopping. No injuries to report.
Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while on cruise control setting, unable to find problem with cruise control however consumer had it disconnected. Mjs
While driving, vehicle suddenly accelerated unexpecetedly in which the throttle was stuck, and the braking system did not slow the vehicle down which almost caused a crash. The occupant had to shift the vehicle in neutral and turn off the engine in order to stop vehicle. This occurred twice.. Dealer could not duplicate the problem or determine the cause. Please provide further information.
When driving at any speed vehicle accelerated on its own. Consumer applied the brakes and vehicle would not slow down, and continued to race. Consumer put vehicle in neutral, ranched down and pulled pedal with her hands, stopping acceleration , and vehicle came to a stop.
Service bulletins that may apply
- On some vehicles, the accelerator pedal bracket may become loose or separated from the dash panel
- Some vehicles may exhibit an occasional hoot / moan from the idle air control (IAC) valve
- Some vehicles may exhibit a hard start / long crank, cold start stall, cold rough idle concern
- Some vehicles may experience a stall and/or stumble during a cold engine decel
- Long crank - sticking idle air control (IAC) valve - vehicles built from 11/1/94 through 3/30/96 -stall -...
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation switch (scds). The scds may leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- Risk
- A vehicle fire could occur with or without the engine running.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair as necessary. Repairs will be completed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 27, 2009. Owners may contact ford at 1‑888‑222‑2751.
Recall number 09V399000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles equipped with 5.0l engines originally sold or currently registered in the states of alaska, idaho, iowa, maine, michigan (upper peninsula only), minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. These vehicles, when operated for extended periods of time at highway speeds and temperatures below -20 degrees farenheit, do not return to idle due to ice in the throttle body.
- Risk
- Although the vehicle can be controlled by either applying the service brakes or shifting the transmission to neutral, increased brake pedal efforts or some increase in stopping distance can result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a revised pcv system with water heated vacuum source.
Recall number 97V074000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1996 Ford Explorer sudden acceleration
Is sudden unintended acceleration a common problem on the 1996 Ford Explorer?
24 of 1,448 owner complaints about the 1996 Ford Explorer (2%) mention sudden unintended acceleration. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Ford Explorer?
There are 2 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Ford Explorer
Tire blowout 259Seat belt 46ABS 38Door locks 35Adaptive cruise 33Brake failure 25No deployment 23Fire or smoke 21Stalling 16Transmission failure 15Grinding brakes 14Check engine light 14Pulling 13Engine failure 9Loss of power 9Slipping 9Headlights 8Ball joint 7Jerking 7Steering noise 7Wipers 7Won't start 7Won't shift 6Hesitation 5
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