The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds and attempting a left turn, the vehicle surged forward without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 104,757.

- Englewood, CO, USA

With a hard press on the gas pedal at 55mph..the gas pedal stuck in the fully pressed position after lifting my foot off the gas pedal...I then put the transmission in neutral and stomp the gas pedal a few times and then the gas pedal released from the fully pressed position.

- Bedford, VA, USA

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 Ford 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.

- Joliet, IL, USA

First incident of throttle cable becoming stuck and causing acceleration took place while merging onto I-25 from university blvd in denver, co. Accelerated to highway speed (60 mph), however, once the accelerator pedal was no longer depressed, the vehicle continued to accelerate up to approximately 70 mph. Exited interstate at Colorado blvd and had to apply heavy pressure to brake pedal as the vehicle continued to try to accelerate. RPM's were about 5,000 while stopped, and once brake pedal was released the vehicle once again accelerated without he accelerator being depressed. RPM's once again climbed when vehicle was put in park. Upon turning the vehicle off and inspecting the engine, it was discovered the throttle cable housing was broken and the throttle cable had come loose. Temporary repairs were made using a hose clamp, however, the acceleration has occurred numerous times (at least once every few months) since the first incident. The cable housing has degraded further, prompting fixes to be made to the throttle cable whenever an incident occurs.

- Loveland, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 2 mph and pulling into a parking spot the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into the concrete parking chock. The vehicle continued rolling and crash into another parked vehicle. The failure recurred a second time while driving 10 mph up a steep incline. The contact shifted into the neutral position and merged to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The speed control cables were adjusted for a quick but not permanent fix. The dealer was notified but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 77,000 and the current mileage was 78,000.

- Belle Vernon, PA, USA

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.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle suddendly accelerated up to 50 mph. The vehicle then crashed into a tree. The driver sustained two broken legs, twelve cracked ribs and the left shoulder was shattered. A police report was filed. The vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to a savage facility. The manufacturer was not notified of the unintended acceleration malfunction. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Albany, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while traveling 35 mph, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. The brakes were depressed but the vehicle failed to stop and crashed into a concrete parking marker. There were no injuries and the police were not contacted. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 98,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

- Merritt Island, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate independently. The contact attempted applied extreme pressure to the brakes but the vehicle did not stop until crashing into a concrete parking bar. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where the brake pads were replaced and the rotors were resurfaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileages were 101,000.....updated 10/11/12 updated 10/17/2012

- Merritt Island , FL, USA

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.

- Greenville, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. The accelerator pedal also depressed to the floorboard. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle would not stop. The vehicle crashed into a communication box, went air bourne, and came to a stop after landing. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 02V266000 (service brakes, hydraulic:pedals and linkages) that may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000. Updated 9/10/12

- Port Deposit, MD, USA

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.

- Houston, TX, USA

While driving the throttle stuck in place and would not decelerate. Upon investigation the clip that holds the cruise control cable was broken, allowing the cable to slip out of place and jam the throttle cable in an accelerated position.

- Houston, TX, USA

Coming off an on ramp onto the interstate, the car continued to accelerate and the brake would not disengage the cruise control. It reached 85 mph before I shifted into neutral, coasted to the shoulder, and shut off the ignition. I started the car and the engine revved up again, so I shut it off and called for assistance.

- Bells, TN, USA

Started the engine this morning and the engine raced to over 4000 RPM, having never touched the accelerator pedal today. Shut it down and started it again - same thing. Never seen anything like this before on this car. I looked under the hood and a beige colored plastic guide for the cruise control cable had a chip out of the side of the guide entry point such that the cruise control cable and sheath were caught out of alignment in the slot of the chip in the guide. I pulled out, straightened and reset the cable, sheath and guide and, again started the engine. Perfect idle. This is very dangerous if it were to happen while driving! I won't drive this car until I know it's resolved. Do you need pictures? I don't see any recall for this here...

- Poway, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving 25 mph when the vehicle accelerated to 35 mph without the contact depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact had to shift into neutral in order to stop the vehicle. The failure caused the contact to rive through a red light. In addition, there was an excessive increase in engine rpms when the failure occurred. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileages were 158,000.

- Lino Lakes, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle accelerated abnormally. The accelerator pedal had become stuck to the floorboard and the contact had to repeatedly pump the accelerator pedal. The vehicle accelerated to 90 mph as the contact continued to abruptly apply the brakes. The vehicle was then shifted into neutral to disengage the vehicle speed control. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the vehicle speed control actuator cable was fractured. He then taped the cables together and was able to drive to the dealer where he purchased a new cable and installed it himself. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a claim was filed. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 180,000 and the current mileage was 207,625.

- Wixon, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while braking from 2 mph, the vehicle accelerated abnormally. The failure stopped within a few minutes after the contact applied the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 13,000 and the current mileage was 14,178. Updated 06/06/12 the consumer stated the brakes had no failure. Updated 06/07/12

- Albuquerque , NM, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 65 mph, the speed increased abnormally as the vehicle accelerated. The contact engaged the brake pedal repeatedly yet, the vehicle continued to accelerate. The speed rate eventually reduced which allowed the vehicle to be maneuvered to the side of the road. The gear was then shifted into neutral and the engine began to roar loudly with a drastic increase in engine rpms. The contact was able to come to a complete stop and then inspected the engine area where he detected that the cruise control cable was partially frayed and stuck to the accelerator linkage. The contact disconnected the cruise control to prevent the acceleration failure from recurring. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Littleton, CO, USA

I have a 2002 Ford Taurus sedan, and while driving about a month ago I pushed gas pedal to accelerate, the throttles became stuck causing the cars engine to speed up to 80 mph in a 30 mph speed zone. I had to apply as much pressure to the breaks as I could to control the car, and finally I was able to pull into a gas station, with the engine still racing, put the car into park and turn off the car. I was so afraid I just set in the car for about 10 minutes to collect my thoughts. I open the hood to see if anything had broken or came apart but could not find any unusual. I turn the car back on, the engine was still racing, I looked for the accelerator cable and found it. However, I notice that the small plastic O-ring on the cable used as a stop was caught on the corner of the air intake housing. I pulled back on the cable releasing it. When I let go of the cable it went back to its normal position, the engine stopped racing and slowed to a normal idle. I crept back home were the car set for two weeks before I had the nerves to drive it again. It happen again on 3/14/12 when I pushed the accelerator pedal to pass a truck on I-70W in columbus, oh.

- Galloway, OH, USA