My gf has a 2005 Ford Taurus with 68000 miles. Lately it has suddenly accelerates for no reason , and does this randomly. We took it to bell tire because they were open when we could get there. There was an engine light on, that has been on for sometime. I believe they said this was a fuel module sensor, and that was a near 500 dollar fix, but would not be the problem causing the sudden acceleration issue. They replaced the idle control module ( I believe), and said this was their best educated geuss to the problem. Well the car is still doing the sudden accelertion thing randomly, not real often, but enough to be dangerous. They also told us the cruise control was unhooked. That was wierd, because she said she used it on the highway that day. They said it was possible it could become unhooked by itself. Well the cruise is still unhooked, the acceleration problem is still there. Could this cruise being unhooked be the problem ? Or something else be the problem. I did have the battery unhooked for a short time earlier in the day. But i believe that she had already been having the problem. Or could disconnecting the battery cause this issue?
Please give more detail about the sudden acceleration. What, exactly, happens when the car accelerates, and what does your GF do about it? Have you been in the car, and experienced this in person?
The fact that the “engine light” has been on for some time indicates the your GF is ignoring the maintenance needs of her car. She needs to rethink her approach to automotive maintenance.
Good luck with that.
There has recently been a massive recall of Ford vehicles for a cruise control problem. I don’t know if your GF’s car is covered under this recall, but you, or she, might want to check it out.
I think you should take the car to someone other than Bell Tire for a second opinion. No offense to Bell Tire, but they’re in the tire business, not the automotive electronic control business.
A mechanic needs to scan the computer, determine which diagnostic codes have caused the “engine light” to be on, and then figure out how to fix whatever is causing the problem.
I second everything that mcparadise mentioned in his post.
Tell your girlfriend that her hands-off approach to car maintenance is likely to be the source of at least some of these problems.
And, please take the car to a real mechanic.
Go back to the tire store when she needs tires, but don’t expect the tire store to be able to solve the possible multiple problems with her poorly-maintained car.
I have not been in the car when this has happened. I have tried to get her to take the car in for the light , but she is busy and hasnt had the time. Thats why she came here on a saturday and I took her to bell tire. They are not my first choice , but she is from out of town and they were the only ones available at that time. She said when the car suddenly accelerates, she hits the brakes hard and puts her foot under the gas pedal to pull it up. I am trying to get her to take it to the dealership, but she is afraid of the cost, and money is an issue also at this time. I will try to find out if there is any recalls on her taurus. I just find it funny that it came unhooked by itself. That I am thinking is reason for a recall… Thank you for your reply…
quickest things to check:
floor mat’s position on the driver’s side. Toyota issued a recall IIRC that involved their floor mats getting stuck on top of the gas pedal, causing acceleration problems.
Size and position of the gas pedal relative to brake pedal. Some cars have tiny gas pedals fairly close to the much larger brake pedal, and one misplaced foot can cause the car to go.
"That I am thinking is reason for a recall…"
No, it’s not. The reason for the recall is a fire issue with some of the cruise control safety switches.
In regards to TSB’s (Technical Service Bulletins)your car should be inspected for proper cruise under 06-8-5. I do note you say “Cruise unhooked” Cruise unhooked is certainly better than hooked in this circumstance.
Only other TSB is 05-11-13 which is a driveability TSB that has a “load surge” component.
I can come up with a idea that you let a shop mechanic use the car as his daily driver so he can duplicate. Nothing better than having this happen to you personaly to motivate. I have seen the “leave the car for the mechanic to drive daily” produce results.
I note very few TSB’s for you car (3.0 gas 2V I conclude)
That was the first thing that came to my mind reading the title, I was going to say Ford in an effort to look like Toyota has copied their floor mat design.
If she won’t take the car in for service, all you can do is tell her to shift into neutral if the throttle sticks open.
It’s not smart to try to fight a stuck throttle with the brakes. Shifting to neutral will allow her to maintain brake and steering control. She can do this simply by pushing the shift lever to the neutral position.
I have aftermarket mats in my Civic and the one on my driver’s side is moving around quite a bit. However, since the pedals are a decent height off the floor, it hasn’t gotten on top of the gas pedal. under it, yes, but not on top of it.
Brake booster vacuum leak is a possibility.
I have the same problem with my 2005 Ford Taurus, unexpected acceleration. I have taken it to several garages including the Ford dealership. I have 144K miles on it but it has been happening for years now. When it happens the only thing that will stop it is putting the car in neutral and stomping on the gas petal till it disengages. It happens randomly but seems to happen most often the I am accellerating to merge into faster moving traffic. I have owned the car since new and have been meticulous about keeping up with all maintenance . Any help would be appreciated as this is scary when it happens. Thank you. I even removed the floor mat and it still happens. The dealership did a system check for $130.00 and couldn’t find any problems.
This site seems to indicate trouble with throttle body cable entanglement.
Barkydog included the article I was going to refer to, but here’s a link to a YouTube video that shows to how to actually fix it.