1996 Ford Explorer

I WAS DRIVING MY 96 FORD EXPLORER SPORT, TRAVELING 65 MPH ON A FREEWAY, WHEN THE CAR RPMS SUDDENLY WENT UP TO 5500 WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ON. AS THE CAR ACCELERATED I DEPRESSED THE BRAKES AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO SLOW DOWN SLIGHTLY, I THEN REACHED DOWN TO CHECK IF SOMETHING WAS CONTACTING THE ACCELERATOR AND I ALSO PULLED THE FLOOR MAT BACK. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE PAST 80 MPH. PUMPING THE ACCELERATOR DID NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. I HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION SO I PUSHED DOWN THE CLUTCH AND THE CAR SLOWED, HOWEVER, THE RPM STAYED AT 5500. I MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. I RESTARTED IT AFTER THE ENGINE STOPPED AND THE RPM WENT BACK UP TO 5500. I THEN STOPPED THE ENGINE AGAIN AND WAITED 5 MINUTES AND THEN RESTARTED AND THE CAR WAS THEN RUNNING NORMALLY. I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND A REASON FOR THE PROBLEM AS THERE WERE NO ENGINE MALFUNCTION CODES THAT WOULD CAUSE THE INCIDENT AND THE ACCELERATOR AND CRUISE CONTROL CABLES WERE IN GOOD CONDITION. THEY SUGGESTED THAT THE FLOOR MAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE BUT I'M SURE THAT WAS NOT THE CAUSE AS I PULLED THE FLOOR MAT AWAY AND THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE TECH AND THE DEALERSHIP WERE HONEST AND TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE AND NOTHING WAS DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK

DT: CONTACT STATED IN 02-05 THE CAR STARTED SMOKING WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND THERE WAS A FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THE CAR WAS DESTROYED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED. THE CONSUMER REPORTED OF HAVING NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FIRE. HE WAS NOT SURE IF IT WAS ELECTRICAL OR CAUSED BY THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL. *AK *NM

I WAS DRIVING FROM LOUISVILLE TO REHOBOTH BEACH, DE. I LEFT AROUND 4:00 AM WITH NO TROUBLE WITH MY CAR. APPROXIMATELY 9:45 AM EST MY CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT ON MY CAR AND MY CAR KEPT ACCELERATING AND WOULD NOT STOP. I PUSHED EVERY BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND KEPT PUSHING THE BRAKES AND THAT WOULD ONLY SLOW DOWN THE CAR. MY CAR WAS TRAVELING IN EXCESS OF 80+ MPH, I ONLY HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET ON 74. MY CAR WAS DRIVING OUT OF CONTROL ON THE CURVY AND MOUNTAINOUS ROADS OF HWY 79 N AND THIS WENT ON FOR AROUND 5 MILES BEFORE I CAME TO A STRAIGHT-AWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN AND WAS ABLE TO PUT MY CAR IN NEUTRAL (SLAMMING ON THE BREAKS) MY CAR STILL DID NOT STOP, I FINALLY PUT IT IN PARK (I'M IN THE EMERGENCY LANE NOW, ) STILL DID NOT STOP AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. MY BREAKS WERE SMOKING AND I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. THIS WAS BETWEEN MILE MARKER 71 & 72. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED AAA (MY CELL PHONE WAS OUT OF RANGE SO I HAD TO PUT IT ON ROAM) AND THE HIGHWAY PATROL SHOWED UP WITHIN MINUTES AND WAITED WITH ME UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK CAME. HE THEN TOWED ME TO GASSAWAY FORD WHERE THE SERVICE MANAGER (JOHN SMALLWOOD) CHECKED OUT MY CAR AND TOLD ME THE CRUISE CONTROL PIECE WAS DEFECTIVE. HE REMOVED IT FROM MY CAR AND CHECKED MY BREAKS AND SAID THEY WERE O.K. (I DROVE THE REST OF MY TRIP TO REHOBOTH AND BACK TO LOUISVILLE, THE BREAKS APPEAR TO BE LOOSE NOW AND NOT AS TIGHT AS THEY ONCE WERE). HE GAVE ME THE DEFECTIVE PIECE AND THEY WERE OUT OF THAT PART SO IT WAS NOT REPLACED ON MY CAR. HE ADVISED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH FORD AND WITH THE NHTSA BECAUSE THE PIECE WAS DEFECTIVE AND I'M LUCKY I WASN'T KILLED. *JB

I OWN A 96 FORD EXPLORER AND WAS TOLD BY CO-WORKERS THAT A DEFECTIVE PART HAD BEEN RECALLED IN THE 2000 MODEL F-150 THAT PART WAS THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH THAT WAS LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE BRAKE FLUID HOUSING, IT WAS A LIVE WIRE EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS OFF AND THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE IGNITION, IF FOR ANY REASON THERE WAS A SPARK OR SHORT THAT WIRE WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO EXPLODE. I NOTICED THAT I HAD A LEAK AROUND A PART IN MY FORD EXPLORER THAT WAS IN FRONT OF MY BRAKE FLUID HOUSING AND WHEN I WENT TO THE FORD DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT THE LEAK WAS FROM THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I HAD THAT SAME PART THAT WAS BEING RECALLED IN THE F-150. THE PART ONLY COST 18.00 DOLLARS TO REPLACE BUT THE POINT THAT I'M MAKING IS HOW WOULD I HAVE EXPLAINED TO MY FAMILY WHY MY CAR EXPLODED WHEN I WOULD OF HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS WRONG. I WOULD LIKE TO PUT A WORD OUT TO ALL THE EXPLORER OWNERS AROUND THE WORLD TO HAVE THERE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCHES CHECK OR REPLACE SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A UNPLEASANT VISIT TO THE FORD REPAIR PLACE TO FIND OUT THAT THEY COULD OF NOT COME BACK THE NEXT MORNING. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATES THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH O MELTED BECAUSE OF THE HOT SUN. THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES WORK, BUT THE CONSUMER NO LONGER USES THE CRUISE CONTROL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO A SERVICE DEALER TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER.*AK

DT: CONTACT'S SON OWNS A 1996 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WERE NO PRIOR PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. HER SON DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 1-2 HOURS. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES SOMEONE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND SAID THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER YET, BUT WAS GOING TO DO SO.*AK

DRIVING ON THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY WITH HUSBAND, MYSELF AND 21 MONTH BABY IN CAR, PASSING VEHICLE, WHEN PUT FOOT ON BRAKE SLOWED DOWN THEN WHEN LET OFF BRAKE, CAR ACCELERATED TO A HIGH SPEED, APPLIED BRAKE 2 MORE TIMES, BOTH TIMES, SLOWED DOWN BUT WHEN TOOK FOOT OFF BRAKE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO HIGH SPEEDS WITHOUT EVER TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL, RESULTED IN A SPIN-OUT ON THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY STOPPING SHORT OF CRASHING INTO ANOTHER VEHICHLE. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT. CALLED FORD CONSUMER RELATIONS, WAS TOLD TO TAKE TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST. TOOK CAR THE NEXT DAY TO A FORD DEALER IN CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE NEW JERSEY, SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH CAR.

ON WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 29TH, 2004, AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30PM I WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON RT. 9W IN MY 1996 FORD EXPLORER XLT. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR, APPROXIMATELY 35-40F, AND THE ROADS WERE CLEAR OF SNOW AND ICE. I PASSED A CAR GOING 35MPH IN A 55 MPH AREA, AND MY EXPLORER STUCK GOING AT 3000R PMS AND ACCELERATING. I TRIED TO BRAKE BUT MY EXPLORER WOULD NOT DECELERATE. I PUT ON MY HAZARDS, PUT BOTH OF MY FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDALS PUSHING AS HARD AS I COULD AND STILL COULD NOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE. I ENDED UP TRYING TO PULL INTO AN EMPTY PARKING LOT, IT STILL WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN SO I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND ENDED UP GOING THROUGH THE PARKING LOT AND CRASHING DOWN A 10 FEET. EMBANKMENT. BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE FOR OBSERVATION AND RELEASED.*AK