2001 Ford Explorer vehicle speed control problems

“TAKATA RECALL, THE INSIDE LIGHTSOR DOME LIGHTS, THEY SHORTED OUT ONE TO ANOTHER IN THE DOUBLE OVER HEAD LIGHTS AND GROUNDED OUT THE BATTERY COULD CAUSE SEVERAL PROBLEMS ONE IT KILLED THE BATTERY AND I FOUND OUT WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE ONE OF THE LIGHTS AND TO STOP I TOOK BOTH LIGHTS OUT AND SEPERATED THE COPPER THAT CONECTS WITH SWITCH”

“EVER SINCE I GOT THE TRUCK ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE REAR BRAKES LOCKING UP. IT HAPPENS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING UP FOR A FEW HOURS AND IT'S RAINING OR THERE'S A GOOD BUT OF MOISTURE IN THE AIR. WHEN YOU FIRST GET IN THE TRUCK THE REAR BRAKES WILL LOCK UP ON YOU ONLY GOING FORWARD FOR SOME REASON. IF YOU APPLY VERY LITTLE PRESSURE IT DOES IT. AFTER ABOUT 10 TIMES LOCKING IT UP IT DRIVES FINE AS LONG AS ITS NOT PARKED FOR A WHILE. ON A GOOD HOT SUMMER DAY WITH NO MOISTURE OR RAIN IT DOES DO IT AT ALL. A FEW WEEKS AGO I BACKED OUT MY DRIVE WAY IT WAS RAINING AND IT DID IT. SO I DECIDED TO PULL BACK INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND TAKE MY FIANCE'S CAR TO TOWN. WHEN I WAS PULLING UP IT LOCKED UP WHEN I TRYING TO STOP AND SLID INTO THE CORNER OF MY HOME. NO MAJOR DAMAGE WAS DONE JUST CRACKED THE FRONT BUMPER. I HAVE TAKING IT TO 3 LOCAL MECHANICS. NONE KNOW HOW TO FIX. THEY LOOKED AT THE BREAKS, ROTORS AND HUBS. ALL WAS FINE. ONE MECHANIC TOLD ME THIS WAS THE 3 TIME HE HAS SEEN THIS ON THE SAME EXACT KIND OF TRUCK. I DO LIKE THE TRUCK. BUT I'M TERRIFIED TO DRIVE IT. I THOUGHT ABOUT SELLING IT, BUT NOW I'M IN A SITUATION WHERE IF SOMEONE…”

“MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A RESIDENTIAL ROAD AROUND 30 MPH WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE. SHE WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY BRAKING. SHE SAID THE TRUCK WAS BUCKING WILDLY AS THOUGH IT WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN IT'S 30 MPH SPEED. SHE PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND PULLED OVER YET THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO IDLE AS THOUGH IT WERE DRIVING 30 MILES PER HOUR. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. I ARRIVED 15 MINUTES LATER AND WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL TURNED THE VEHICLE ON AND IT IMMEDIATELY REV'D AS SHE DESCRIBED SO I SHUT IT OFF. I THEN PUMPED THE GAS PEDAL (WITH THE TRUCK IN THE OFF POSITION) ASSUMING IT MAY BE STUCK THEN RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. IT STARTED AND SUBSEQUENTLY DROVE NORMALLY. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE DISCOVERED NOTHING. NOTHING IN THE COMPUTER HISTORY AND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SPEED SYSTEM (PEDAL, CABLE, THROTTLE, THROTTLE BODY...) I DID SOME RESEARCH ON-LINE AND DISCOVERED AN NHTSA REPORT (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE05037) OF A POSSIBLE BAD SPEED CONTROL CABLE FOR THIS VEHICLE WHERE THE TEFLON COVER COULD COMES OFF AND BIND AT THE GAS PEDAL HOLDING THE PEDAL OPEN AND UNABLE TO RETRACT. WE ATTEMPTED TO LOCATE THE REPLACEMENT CABLE ONLY TO FIND THAT FORD NO LONGER…”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD UPON ENGAGEMENT AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. IN ADDITION, SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE AIR VENTS AND FROM UNDER HOOD. THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY JUMPED FROM THE VEHICLE ONCE HE NOTICED FLAMES EXTENDING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE UNOCCUPIED VEHICLE THEN CRASHED INTO A WOODED AREA. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED ROAD RASH AND INJURIES TO THE LEFT WRIST AND HAND. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A SALVAGE FACILITY. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V336000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) HOWEVER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED BEFORE THE RECALL REMEDY COULD BE PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 156,800.”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULD BECOME STUCK WHEN ACCELERATING UPHILL. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP AND THE RMPS WOULD INCREASE TO 3,500. THE CONTACT PLACED THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL BUT THE RPMS WOULD CONTINUOUSLY INCREASE. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THE RPMS WOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE AT 3500. THE VEHICLE WAS ALLOWED TO RUN IDLE FOR THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE RESUMING NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 41,000. UPDATED 04/11/12*LJ THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY FOUND ACORN NUTS NEAR THE THROTTLE BODY, WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 04/23/12”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SUDDENLY BURST INTO FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AND DETERMINED THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED FROM UNDER THE HOOD. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT INQUIRED ABOUT NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V336000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE RECALL STATED THAT A FIRE COULD POTENTIALLY START FROM UNDER THE HOOD. LATER, THE CONTACT'S VIN WAS ADDED TO THE RECALL AND HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE LETTER PERTAINED TO A DIFFERENT VEHICLE HE OWNED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 114,350.”