NHTSA complaint: 2002 FORD ESCAPE — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
7/5/2005. I WAS IN BALTIMORE, MD IN MY 2002 FORD ESCAPE. TRAFIC WAS MODERATELY HEAVY. I STARTED TO CHANGE LANES AND NOTICED A CAR IN THE LANE SO I PULLED BACK INTO MY LANE AT WHICH POINT, THE THROTTLE ON MY VEHICLE STUCK OPEN. THE ENGINE WAS RACING AND ATTEMPTS TO BRAKE WERE USELESS. I THREW THE MOVING VEHICLE INTO PARK WHERE IT CONTINUED TO MOVE. I THEN TRIED TO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL IN HOIPES OF REGAINING BRAKING, BUT I HIT REVERSE FIRST, AT WHICH POINT MY CAR RAPIDLY REVERSED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLES WAS LIMITED AS I HIT A 3500 CHEVY SILVERADO TRUCK, HOWEVER, IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST UNNERVING EXPERIENCES I HAVE EVER HAD. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AS THE OTHER VEHICLE BELONGS TO THE CITY OF BALTIMORE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. NO TRAFFIC REPORT WAS WRITTEN BY THE POLICE OFFICER, HOWEVER, THE BALTIMORE CITY EMPLOYEE (DARELL POWERS) DID FILL OUT AN ACCIDENT REPORT FOR THE CITY. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CARMAX IN WHITE MARSH MD, WHERE THEY TOLD ME THE CAUSE WAS THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE HAD FRAYED, CAUSING IT TO BUTTERFLY AND HOLD OPEN THE THROTTLE. THE ESCAPE HAS 53,002 MILES ON IT, AND CRUISE CONTROL IS RARELY USED. I DO HAVE THE REPLACED PART AND THE BILL I PAID FOR $291. ONE OTHER NOTE, IHAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED ON THIS SAME CAR 45 DAYS AFTER I PURCHASED IT LAST JULY. CARMAX PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT COST, CLOSE TO $4,000 AND THE MECHANIC WHO SERVICED IT THIS TIME INSISTS THIS IS NOT RELATED.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation