NHTSA complaint: 2007 FORD MUSTANG — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I PURCHASED A 2007 FORD GT V-8 AUTOMATIC MUSTANG ON 10/10/06. ONE WEEK AFTER THE PURCHASE, I WAS DRIVING, AND MY THROTTLE GOT STUCK. I PULLED THE E BRAKE AND THREW THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL. AFTER STOPPED THE CAR EVENTUALLY TURNED, I BELIEVE BECAUSE THE RPM'S WERE SO HIGH. ELEVEN DAYS LATER ON 10/29/06 I TOOK OFF AND THE GAS PEDAL STARTED TO TAKE CONTROL AGAIN, YET FAILED TO GO TO THE EXTREME AS THE FIRST TIME. ON 11/07/06 APPROX 6:45 PM, I WAS DRIVING, GOING ABOUT 55 MPH. IT WAS ALREADY DARK OUTSIDE & ROADS WET. AFTER BEING SET ON A SPEED OF 50-55 MPH, I HIT THE GAS PEDAL TO GET UP TO AROUND 60 MPH. ONCE I DID, I COULD FEEL THE GAS PEDAL GO DOWN ON IT'S OWN. INSTINCT REACTION WAS TO HIT THE BRAKES, BUT WHEN I DID THE CAR STARTED SLIDING DUE TO THE WET ROAD. WHILE THE RPM'S WERE GOING UP, I THREW THE SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND PULLED THE E BRAKE. ONCE I FINALLY STOPPED, THE RPM'S WERE STILL EXTREME, AND THEN THE CAR FINALLY CUT OFF ON IT'S OWN. I LEFT THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT EVENING. THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON ON 11/08/06, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CAR WAS READY, SO I ASKED WHAT THEY HAD DETERMINED. HE STATED THAT THE FLOOR MAT WAS THE ISSUE. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED TO ME, I DID NOT HAVE THE WEATHER MAT WHICH IS 5 CM THICK. IN ADDITION, HOW CAN A FLOOR MAT, MAKE A PEDAL ACCELERATE ON IT'S OWN? I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE GAS PEDAL GOING DOWN AS IF CRUISE CONTROL WAS JUST TURNED ON. THE DEALERSHIP ASKED IF HE COULD DRIVE MY CAR HOME TO HIS HOUSE TO DETERMINE THE ISSUE. H
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation