2002 Ford Taurus: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Sep 13, 2016 · Acceleration · 88,100 miles · CA

While accelerating onto an interstate(210frwy in la), the vehicle began accelerating on it's own up to 4000 RPM's. The car reached up to 80 MPH without touching the pedal. I had to use the neutral setting on transmission to slow down and eventually exit the busy highway. After checking under the hood I noticed the cruise control cable out of it's plastic retainer and stuck along the broken plastic clip that holds it. This car belongs to my 78 yr old father inlaw and I am glad this happened to me and not him or the outcome could have been fatal. Ford should have a recall on this design flaw in my opinion. At the very least they should have a simple fix like a metal cable retainer.

Filed Sep 16, 2014 · Acceleration · 111,000 miles · KY

Was stopped at a stop light and went to accelerate and the car started to accelerate by itself up to 4000 RPM's and I was unable to get it to stop. Had to keep two feet on the brakes until I could get it to a stopping place. When I had to stop I would have to put the car in neutral an the engine was still revving up and the brakes started to smoke. Had the car towed to a mechanic and he said it was the cruise control cable that had came loose. It was a very scary situation and thankfully no one was hurt and I managed to get the car to a place where I could stop and turn it off. The brakes were smoking and the rear brakes are totally burnt up. I am just glad that my wife or daughter were not driving when this occurred because I don't think they would have know what to do in that type of situation and there could have been a much worse outcome. We have been the sole owners of this vehicle.

Filed Jul 1, 2014 · Acceleration, Body · 141,768 miles · RI · crash

My son was driving my 2002 ford taurus on 4-15-2014 at approximately 12:00 a.m. He had the cruise control set to 35 MPH. While driving, the cruise control began to accelerate. He tried to disengage the cruise control by hitting the brake. The cruise control would not disengage and the car kept accelerating reaching the speed of about 70mph. As a turn approached he could no longer control the vehicle. He hit a curb and a stop sign before the car came to a stop on the roadway. This was not the first instance with that vehicle and cruise control malfunctions, though this was the only time that the cruise control caused an accident. The vehicle had to be towed from the scene. The vehicle sustained $6005.00 of damage and is a total loss. Which does not include the cost of fixing the cruise control and acceleration issues.

Filed Apr 10, 2014 · Acceleration · 169,000 miles · MO

Coming up to a yield on red right turn only lane at a stop light with a car in front of me, the car suddenly started to accelerate. I narrowly avoided hitting the car in front of me by slamming on my brake. The car was still traveling at about 5-10mph with the pedal brake fully engaged. I navigated to a safe location, put the car in neutral, and turned the ignition off, then put the car in park. I popped the engine hood and saw that the gray clip, holding in cruise control cable assembly, broke at a thin point in the plastic. This allowed the cable assembly to fall out and pull the throttle. I seated it back into the broken clip with electrical tape to get it to a place I could work on it. I plan on replacing the clip or the entire assembly; whatever is easier.

Filed Jan 4, 2014 · Acceleration · 145,000 miles · OH

The cruise control cable broke at the throttle body bracket causing the engine to rev up to and stay at 4000 RPM. I had to put the car in neutral and shut it off.

Filed Aug 14, 2013 · Acceleration · 118,250 miles · GA

Many 2002-2006 taurus vehicles are having this problem. Broken plastic housing for cruise control cable where it joins throttle body. Cruise control cable hangs up in crack of broken housing. Vehicle accelerates with foot off accelerator to 60 MPH or more. Excessive braking to prevent running over something. Brakes fade and braking becomes more difficult. My wife avoided a wreck but she was extremely lucky. Even at this age of the car, there needs to be a warning sent out to all owners or better yet, a recall if the vehicle still qualifies for one. My repair wasn't extremely expensive - only about $80. But the danger is the concern. My wife is a lucky lady.

Filed Jun 10, 2013 · Acceleration, Brakes · 109,930 miles · SC · 1 injury

Was coming off us 501 in conway sc and heard a load pop sound put brakes on and car keep on going it would not stop the brakes would not stop the car it keep racing up. Had no were to go but the back end of a gmc truck. Car was towed to conway ford. On 6/10/2013 talk to service and they said they tried to drive the car on the lot and it did it to them.. The diag. Was cruise control broke plus the actuator asy. On this year cruise control cable and accelerator cable are connected to throttle body on the same linkage. When cruise cable broke it caused the throttle body linkage to not return to idle position. Cruise control was not on when this happened.

Filed Jun 8, 2013 · Acceleration · 119,750 miles · NC

When attempting to slow and exit I-77n in charlotte, nc last sunday, the throttle remained open. I pulled off to the side of the road and shut the car off in gear. After calling for assistance, I noticed that the collar for the speed control was fractured and the cable was getting stuck on the broken collar. Obviously this was causing the accelerator to remain open. We brought the car to the local ford dealer who replaced the cruise control cable. Scary experience for sure. In summary, the repair price was $235 (not including recovery from the highway).

Filed Jan 4, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 144,240 miles · IL

While driving with the cruise control off. Normal acceleration up to highway speeds, upon releasing the gas pedal the throttle stuck open and the car would not decelerate without heavy braking. Pulled off the road and shut off engine. Discovered that the cruise control cable had pushed itself back out of a locking ferrule that is supposed to hold it in place with plastic tabs, and lodged sideways so the throttle was being held open. Put the cable back in place and it appeared to be properly seated but the same thing happened twice more before I could get the vehicle home. The plastic tabs have become brittle and broken and no longer properly hold the cruise control cable ferrule tightly in its socket. I see now from internet research that I could have completely disconnected the cable to completely alleviate the problem. But in the dark & cold and being unfamiliar with the mechanics of this particular vehicle I didn't have that knowledge at the time. Upon a bit of internet research I see this is a fairly common failure mode for this particular part on 2001-2006 ford taurus' and other fords that use a similar mechanical cruise control method. I can't believe that there has not been a recall on this issue... This is a major safety issue and could easily cause a crash and fatalities. It was a pretty unnerving experience and I'm familiar with cars and have been driving over 35 years... I'd hate to have this happen to an inexperienced driver.

Filed Nov 2, 2012 · Acceleration · 199,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact merged to the shoulder and attempted to restart the vehicle but to no avail. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic advised that the throttle and cruise control cables needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 199,000 and the current mileage was 202,000.

Filed Aug 6, 2012 · Acceleration, Engine · 175,660 miles · NC

I pushed the accelerator into passing gear to go around a vehicle in the passing zone on a hill. When I released the accelerator the car continued to accelerate and on topping the hill we were traveling over 70 MPH. I tapped the accelerator but acceleration continued. Coming down the hill I shifted into neutral and the engine accelerated to over 6000 RPM. I stopped on level ground and shut the engine off. On restart, the engine immediately revved to over 6000 RPM and a transaxle warning icon appeared. By alternately shifting in and out of gear I jerked to an auto body shop. The mechanics knew the problem immediately; broken plastic tabs had allowed the cruise control cable sheath to slip out of the throttle connector. The cable sheath was jammed against the edge of the connector, holding the throttle open. When the sheath was reinserted into the connector, RPM returned to normal. The mechanics wired the cable to the connector so we could continue our trip. Function is normal 3k miles later. The dealer indicated no recalls or tsb's related to the problem and wants $34. For a new cable.

Filed Jul 27, 2012 · Acceleration · 45,000 miles · TX

Similar to the recent ford escape recall, the cruise control malfunctioned at highway speeds resulting in the vehicle being stuck in full throttle. The only effective way to safely slow the vehicle was to combine the standard brakes, emergency brake, and switching off the ignition.