Accelerator pedal came off while driving on highway I-95, had the car towed back to the house, inspected the pedal area and noticed there are 3 missing screws and one of the three openings is no longer usable. I've seen a lot of complaints on the internet about the accelerator pedal coming off on fords. Contacted sawgrass ford in fort lauderdale, fl. A local dealer and they said it would be $180.00 to take a look at the car plus the cost of the part. Ford should be looking at this as a safety measure, someone could really be injured and killed due to this issue. Hopefully they wont wait till a life is lost for them to look into this and possibly have a recall.
1997 Ford Explorer acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 8: complaints 11 to 40 of 202, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. While driving on october 3, 2008 without warning the front end of the vehicle caught fire. The driver and passenger were able to exit the vehicle. The passenger sustained injuries to the arm and shoulder. The manufacturers recall letter 00v422000, vehicle speed control was received in november 2009. Report 378123209 was filed with the manufacturer; however, the failure could not be investigated, because the vehicle was destroyed. The sumner county sheriff report number was 9386782. The failure and the current mileages were 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle independently decelerated. The contact moved the vehicle of the roadway and found that the accelerator pedal was hanging from the assembly by three tiny spot welds. The weld had also fractured and the entire accelerator pedal assembly had detached from the vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to his residence where he made unknown repairs to the vehicle. Neither the dealer or the manufacturer were contacted. The failure and current mileages were 103,000.
Engine revvs and vehicle is thrusted forward at top speed from dead start or when slowing down. This is the second on this problem. Both times lead to property damage, and accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. While driving 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal assembly fractured from the firewall and caused the vehicle to become stuck in the open throttle position and accelerate. The assembly fell behind the brake pedal and the contact was unable to stop the vehicle when the brakes were depressed. The contact was able to gain control of the vehicle and drive home without incident. The dealer and manufacturer were contacted; however, neither were willing to provide any assistance. The failure and current mileage was 154,000.
Tl * the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. While driving at speeds of 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact coasted into a nearby parking lot and suddenly, noticed a fire had erupted near the drivers side window. The contact did not report any injuries. The fire department was called to the scene but a fire report was not taken. The vehicle was towed to her place of residence and has not yet been repaired. The failure mileage and current mileages were 100,000.
Stuck accelerator on 1997 ford explorer with 58,000 miles. While driving on interstate 287/78 in nj I tried to turn off the cruise control but instead the car accelerated uncontrollably to over 85 MPH. I gained control by turning the engine on and off until reaching a safe place to stop. An njdot truck helped me and later that day I emailed what happened to ford's customer assistance. I wanted them to have a dealer examine my explorer to see if this was caused by a material defect of normal wear and tear, in which case I would repair it. They refused to help so I wrote a letter to dearborn and received a response saying the matter was closed (case # 1510510480). My wife said (and I believe her) that if she were driving it would have resulted in a crash. I noted that there was a recall on the 2002 escape that sounds like the same problem. I just want to prevent potential loss of life due to this, in my opinion, faulty design or manufacturer glitch. Njdot documented the case since I sent them a "thank you" and they responded. The vehicle put me and others on the highway in a life-threatening situation (viz a viz toyota) but ford is unwilling to consider the case. They want to treat this as an "out of warranty" condition but I believe it is potentially a product liability that if not corrected will cost lives and damage.
A 1997 ford explorer cruise control deactivation switch caused a fire resulting in the death of the driver.
Operator was exiting parking lot onto main road when vehicle picked up speed, operator tried to stop vehicle, by breaking, but vehicle accelerated faster, causing operator to lose control of vehicle , vehicle still accelerating turned back towards other end of parking lot crashing into large metal sign post. Operator had to be taken to nearby hospital, and them evacuated to mass general hospital, for emergency head operation as a result of injury to head. (subdural hemotoma).
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. The contact stated that there was a small motor bike lodged under the vehicle, which somehow caused it to catch fire. The entire front end of the vehicle and the front cabin seats were destroyed. There are three vehicle speed control recalls on this year, make, and model vehicle, but it has not been determined if the VIN was included. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The recall numbers and VIN were unknown. The failure mileage was 159,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. While driving 35 MPH, he noticed smoke coming from the under the hood. In addition, flames erupted from the engine compartment after he opened the hood. The dealer stated that the vehicle speed control switch caused the fire. There is a recall for the vehicle speed control (the federal safety agency campaign id 07v336000) however the dealer stated that his VIN was not included. As of january 30, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 160,000. Updated 02-19-08 *bf updated 02/19/08
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while being serviced for the radio. The dealer stated that the cruise control caused the fire. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). The dealer disconnected the vehicle speed control. As of november 1, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The failure mileage was 70,000 and current mileage was 106,000.
Owner of 1997 ford explorer that had a recall issued in 2001 for throttle body problem. The federal safety agency #00v-42200. My explorer was not one of the recalled vehicles (not built in st. Louis or louisville) and I never knew anything about this problem. About 8 months ago I began experiencing a problem with a sticking accelerator. Result of a web search about a month ago to see if a problem exists for this condition because I feel I'm going to crash into something going forward or reverse, I found out about this recall. By calling ford motor company customer service. Line today I was told that a ford dealer will fix the problem but I have to pay for it. I had the cust. Serv. Rep. Make an "on the record" of my call and my question is this: if this was a safety issue in 2001 for certain factory built explorers, why couldn't it become a future safety issue (in 2007) if the vehicle (mine) was built in another factory? Couldn't this problem arise at another time, as it has with me? The problem I am experiencing is identical to every word stated in the recall. The original throttle body is installed on my explorer.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. While driving 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal became stuck when it was depressed. The contact had to depress the brake pedal first and then the accelerator pedal for the vehicle to operate normally. She believes the vehicle is a part of recall # 00v422000 (vehicle speed control). The dealer stated that the vehicle has no recalls. The weather was sunny and approximately 70 degrees at the time of failure. The current and failure mileages were 94,000.
The 1997 ford explorer caught on fire at the cruise switch located on the master cylinder.
Tl*- the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. The mechanic informed the contact that there was a recall for the cruise control deactivation switch. The dealer informed the contact that this vehicle was not part of the recall. Therewas recall 06v286000 for 1998 ford explorer. The contact felt that this vehicle should be included as part of this recall. The vehicle has currently 170000 miles.
While driving my 1997 ford explorer on I-64 e at approximately 60 MPH, smoke started to pour into the car from under the dashboard. I pulled over as fast as possible and was met by a virginia dot truck who noticed me suddenly cross two lanes to get to the breakdown lane. He grabbed his fire extinguisher and put the fire out within seconds of my stopping. The fire department was not called because it was put out so quickly. After having it towed to a shop, I was informed that it appears to have started in the cruise control switch and burned through the master cylinder. The fire was extinguished within 15-30 seconds from the time I stopped but the mechanic said that the car does not have any brakes as a result of the fire. I consider myself lucky to have been able to stop at all. My car was not and still has not been recalled. After contacting ford they have declined to help us with any repairs. Had I known about the switchfire problems earlier, I would have called the fire department to do a formal investigation of the cause. The car has not been fixed as of yet.
Tl* - the contact was driving at 5 MPH under dry conditions when the accelerator pedal became detached. The contact saw that three links failed. The contact found that there was service bulletin 616531 for this failure. *ak updated 1/29/2007 -
Tl* - the contact stated that while driving with cruise control on at a speed of 65 MPH the cruise control did not disengage. The weather was clear and about 30 degrees fahrenheit, and the odometer reading was 121000 miles. The failure did not allow the throttle to return to idle. He was able to stop the vehicle by shifting gears and putting it into park on the side of the highway. The vehicle was at the dealership, and he was concerned because vehicle should be covered under the federal safety agency campaign recall 99v062001. Presently, the dealer was asking the contact to pay for the repair. *ak updated 1/22/2007 - the dealer indicated that the cruise control off button had shorted out. As a result the cruise control could not be turned off once turned on.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds with the cruise control activated a burning smell came from the steering wheel. Also, while driving 55 MPH the vehicle jerked to the left. Furthermore, the vehicle surged forward without warning. The vehicle was driven to an independent repair shop to diagnosed the problems. There were no repairs made except on the throttle body. There were recalls on all three components. There was a the federal safety agency recall, #99v062000 regarding the vehicle speed control. A the federal safety agency recall, #00v402000 concerning the suspension. Also, a the federal safety agency recall #00v422000 concerning the vehicle speed control. The VIN was not included in any of the recalls.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lurched forward out of control and was difficult to stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The second incident happened when the vehicle was started from the parked position. The brake pedal was depressed and the gear was shifted from park to drive when it accelerated out of control. The vehicle was taken to two independent service dealers and one service dealer, but the problem could not be recreated. The third occurrence resulted in a collision with another vehicle parked in the driveway when acceleration reached 50 MPH. No injuries were reported, although a police report and photos were taken. The manufacturer was contacted. The contact's phone number was the son of the vehicle's owner. Updated 11/30/2006 - the driver of the vehicle reported some neck pain later that night which was not apparent at the time of the accident.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds the cruise control was inoperative when engaged. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined the cruise control switch needed to be replaced. After the cruise control switch replacement, the problem persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who determined the electrical wiring had melted in the interior dash panel area. No fire was seen. After new wiring was installed, the problem was corrected. There was a the federal safety agency recall, # 05v388000, regarding the vehicle speed control. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 9/22/2006 -
Dt*: the contact stated the cruise control was set at 55 MPH while driving on the highway when the vehicle accelerated on its own. The cruise control would not disengage. The vehicle revved to 85 MPH before the contact turned the key to the off position and pulled off of the road. Each time the vehicle was restarted the vehicle continued to accelerate on its own. Finally the contact disengaged the cruise control under the engine and drove the vehicle one mile to a dealership where it was determined the cruise control switch was faulty. Updated 09/11/06.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle had a brake fluid leak that was leaking onto the vehicle speed control switch. There was a recall #97v074000 pertaining to the vehicle speed control. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The vehicle has not been to a dealer.
Dt: the contact stated when attempting to stop at a stop sign the vehicle suddenly accelerated and it went through the stop sign and then came to a stop when placed into neutral. The vehicle accelerated suddenly two more times before the contact was able to take vehicle to the dealership. It occurred while at a complete stop. Again the brakes would not hold and the vehicle was placed into neutral to get it to stop. The vehicle is currently at the dealer for diagnostic testing, which has not been completed at this time. *ak updated 12/27/2005 - when the vehicle was started cold it would not stay on and idled erratically. The dealer informed the consumer that the acceleration problem and idle problem were due to a faulty throttle sensor. The dealer replaced the throttle valve assembly but that did not correct the problem.
Cruise control under the hood caused power outage to overhead temperature/direction display. When taken to dealership for repair the tech along with the service manager,indicated that sparks and smoke was coming from the cruise control located under the hood when power was applied. This is the same cruise control that has caused accidents and death. This cruise control is the same one that has sparked a large recall from ford but the ford motor company elected not to include the explorer.
I have a 1997 ford explorer that caught fire. The fire originated around the wiring harness in and around the master cylinder. When my vehicle caught fire I lost my brakes instantly.
The cruise control on our 1997 ford explorer stopped working. I called and check to see if there were any recalls on this problem because we know of the expedition having problems where this was causing fires to start with the vehicle. We were told this did not involve the explorer. I was concerned because I feel that there could be a connection. We had the repairs done but I felt that this needed to be reported. I also feel that ford should be required to report to the federal safety agency each time the ford explorer has to repair cruise control failures to help determine if there is a problem that is widespread.
Dt: the cruise control switch stopped working, the consumer lifted up the hood and noticed that fluid was leaking around the master brake unit. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and they confirmed that it was a problem and they replaced the cruise control switch about a week ago.
Replacement of engine due to defective parts; throttle body plate and cam chain guide on motors. *bf the engine throttle plate stuck while the consumer was warming the vehicle on a cold day. Recall #00v422000. The consumer requested reimbursement for the defective engine. The starter did not kick in per invoice.
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