Shocking over-revving - sudden & unstoppable!

[Taxman]

This afternoon I was stationary behind a Mazda Tribute at a roundabout, foot on the brake - without any warning the engine roared to maximum and charged forward. Both feet planted on the brake almost pushing the pedal through the floor - it kept going, hit the car in front and continued pushing it through the intersection with the engine screaming. Tried several times to switch it off - no good. On about the 4th attempt it finally stopped.

Scared the #### out of me. I have never had this happen before. Checked everything I could in the engine bay and couldn't find a reason for this to happen. Last week took it for a recall on the cruise control wiring - could this have been the cause?

I am a bit concerned about driving it in case this happens again.

Any constructive suggestions as to the cause would be greatly appreciated as the next time I might not be so lucky to escape with only damage to vehicles, I was just gratefull that noone was injured.

[Auspathy]

Is that the same thing that happened to the bloke in an exploder last year. Up here in Queensland I think. Screaming along the highway because he couldn't get it to stop. ???

[Auspathy]

Man survives cruise control jam on Eastern Freeway

• Cruise control sticks on freeway at 100km/h
• Car crosses over road into oncoming traffic
• Breaking news: What's happening now

THE driver of a runaway car stuck on cruise control hurtling along Melbourne's Eastern Freeway at 100km/h said last night he was convinced he was going to die.

The Herald Sun.and talkback radio has been inundated with comments from people questioning why Ford Explorer driver Chase Weir didn't turn off the engine or put his car into neutral when he realised the vehicle was out of control.
Mr Weir has one message for the knockers: "You weren't in the car.''
Listen to his 000 call
Travelling on the wrong side of the road and hysterical, Mr Weir, 22, found himself racing toward a wall of cars when a frantic police radio operator ordered him to slam on the brakes.
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Related Coverage

• Audio: Listen to 000 call

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"She told me to jump on the brake and pull the handbrake at the same time, which I did,'' a still shaken Mr Weir said.
"I just shut my eyes. I could hear the tyres skidding on the road for what seemed like forever. I thought I was dead.
"When I opened my eyes, I was bonnet to bonnet with the car in front of me."
Mr Weir's 30-minute ordeal began about 12.40pm while travelling in the outbound lane of the Eastern Freeway on his way to Greensborough. After moving to take the Burke Rd exit, he realised the cruise control in his 2002 Explorer was stuck and his car was unable to slow down.
He was told there were police cars in front of him and more were arriving to help stop his car. Other police cars provided an escort and assisted in clearing the way along Eastlink, as 000 operators contacted Ford to try to find a solution.
The car was moved over to left lanes as police lights and sirens cleared a path.
Mr Weir told police he tried to brake, knock the car out of gear and remove the keys, all to no avail.
The car finally came off the freeway at Frankston and continued through the Cranbourne Rd intersection on to the Moorooduc Highway.
But the terrifying scenario got worse, as Mr Weir encountered banked-up traffic near the Monash University Peninsula Campus and was forced to cross over the road into oncoming traffic.
In a frantic attempt to avoid a collision he jumped up and down on the brakes and pulled on the handbrake.
The car finally stopped on the wrong side of the road, just over the railway line about 1.10pm.
An ambulance took Mr Weir to hospital suffering from shock.
Ford said it was unaware of issues with the Explorer's cruise control. A Ford spokeswoman said the company had been informed of the incident but had never heard of a similar one before.
A switch allowing drivers to disengage the cruise control by tapping on the brakes could start a fire with or without the engine running, according to recall details released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States.
Ford called back 4.5 million Explorers for the faulty switch in October, part of the company's largest recall that includes more than 14 million vehicles due to multiple cruise control issues in the past decade.
But Ford Australia said there was no link between the mass cruise control recalls and Mr Weir's incident.
"The two are not aligned at all. They are very different,'' Ford Australia spokeswoman Sinead McAlary said.
"From what we know of what happened yesterday it seems it's completely separate.''
She said Mr Weir's vehicle could have already had the cruise control fixed in his vehicle because of the recall.
"But even if it hasn't, it's completely irrelevant,'' she said.
Victoria Police is treating the incident as a motor vehicle accident, a police spokeswoman said.
Traffic analysts will complete an accident report to determine what caused the incident, she said.
Ford is hoping to see the vehicle once the police have completed their investigation.
- with staff writers

Maybe not...

[muzza01]

That is unreal. Surely ford have to act now.

[gesdc]

If it happens again mate throw it in neutral get out and let it blow cause next time it could drive ya into oncoming traffic

[Peter Aawen]

Taxman, I changed the title a little, Shock really doesn't convey much or help with Searching. Edit if you like, but remember that one word titles are rarely acceptable!

Orright, maybe not too helpful with your immediate issue, but way back when I'd only been driving Farm Vehicles out in the country, my very first trip legally driving into the city, I picked up family & a new very expensive trumpet thingy fm the airport. Driving back thru the city stopped 2nd in line at a set of traffic lights on a slight uphill incline. Being a conscientious young fella, stopped where I could still see over the bonnet where the rear tyres of the car in front hit the ground, put the car in neutral, handbrake on, foot on brake. Bunch of cars stopped behind in the queue & we all heard the squeal of tortured brakes then the concertina Thuds & crashes. 7 cars back some wally drove his brand new Holden (less than 20 k's on the odo) at some speed into the back of the stopped line of traffic. I was the first car in the conga line, didn't hit the fella in front simply cos car was in neutral, foot was still on the brake, and the handbrake was on, but still moved the car forward a metre or so, leaving 4 solid skid marks on the road. Our vehicle was converted into a snatch back, boot stuffed right up into the rear windscreen, expensive trumpet thingy converted to expensive polished scrap, but luckily injuries were minor!! Not so minor further back!

Lesson learnt tho, & ever since, regardless of how big or small the vehicle is (& I've done my share of driving the really big ones!) when I stop at traffic lights, the gearbox goes into neutral (manual or auto), handbrake on, foot on brake. And over the years I've had cause to thank that practice more than once; a few incidents similar to the cause of yours Taxman (luckily no contact with car in front tho) others where I've again been the front vehicle in a daisy chain collision.

So I guess I'd just strongly recommend that whenever you stop anywhere, leave enough space in front of you so that you can see where the rear wheels of the car in front hit the ground, put the gearbox in neutral, handbrake on, and keep your foot firmly on the brake. Taxman's particular incident might not have had any different outcome, but generally those practices give you just a little more time to do things before you (or someone) becomes another statistic!

As to some where to take your problem Taxman, if you've already talked to Ford to no avail, maybe you should be talking with those scions of reputable television reporting; you know, 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Today Tonight. They are all about honestly reporting things that concern us, aren't they?? Regardless, you might get a good hearing from them, if not from Ford or even Consumer Affairs, etc.

Good Luck with the insurance claim too. You might get a sympathetic hearing, and the ins company might even put some pressure on Ford too!

[rimshot]

Hi there, The bad news is it NOT just the Explorer. The same thing has happend to Ford AU to BA also. If you go to the ford forem and ask them there also. From what i have red it the o2 sensor or throttle position sensor . The GOOD news the parts are easy and cheep to put in. the o2 is around $45 & the TPS is around $95 . DO NOT BUY FROM FORD . Cars R us on ebay .com.au I buy all my parts from there and nothing is to hard for them to help ..... Good luck

[VooDoo]

BTW, Engineers found nothing wrong with that guys car.