The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a Preliminary Evaluation on Ford Taurus models because of sticking throttles or run away engine speeds. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) in a filing today said it has received 14 complaints from owners of model year 2005 and 2006 Ford Taurus vehicles alleging incidents of a stuck throttle resulting from cruise control cable detachment.
Complaints allege engine speeds as high as 4,000 RPM after shifting into Park or Neutral. Some complaints report that it was difficult to slow the vehicle with the brakes during the incident and one report indicated that when the car was finally stopped, it was partially in an intersection after going through a red light.
In some of the incidents, the drivers alleged having to shut-off the engine and/or shift into neutral in order to stop the vehicle. The so-called Preliminary Evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and safety-related consequences of the alleged defect.
There are three steps in the NHTSA recall process. P.E., E.A. – Engineering Analysis – and then a ‘voluntary’ recall. Usually, but not always, the automaker will recall – if it hasn’t already – when NHTSA upgrades the P.E. to an E.A. based on warranty data the auto maker is required to submit when the P.E. is opened.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
