2004 Ford F-350 Speed Control & Cruise Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD F-350. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. ALSO, WHILE IDLING, THE ENGINE RPMS REMAINED VERY HIGH AND THE VEHICLE WOULD ATTEMPT TO SURGE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE ICP SENSOR AND INJECTOR CONTROL SENSOR, BUT THE FAILURES CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

WE HAVE HAD FOUR SEPARATE INCIDENTS INVOLVING UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WITH OUR 2004 FORD F350. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATES. IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE GOING DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY, ONCE WHEN DRIVING IN CITY TRAFFIC, AND ONCE WHEN WE WERE PARKING AT A REST STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS IN ALL OF THESE INSTANCES. IN THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED, JUMPED THE CURB AND STRUCK A TRASH CAN AT A REST STOP. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS IN FRONT OF OUR VEHICLE AS THEY COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE VEHICLE ALSO REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE IN ANOTHER INCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND ONCE WHEN I WAS DRIVING. AFTER THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT WE GOOGLED THIS AND FOUND THERE ARE NUMEROUS CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST FORD FOR THIS ISSUE, AND THAT OUR YEAR VEHICLE (2004) HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST INCIDENT RATES.

SPEED CONTROL DOES NOT DISENGAGE WHEN HITTING THE BRAKES. YOU MUST SLOW THE TRUCK DOWN BY SEVERAL MILES PER HOUR BEFORE THE SYSTEM WILL DISENGAGE. (PUSH HARD AND LONG). THE PROBLEM WILL GO AWAY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME IF YOU PREFORM AN EMERGENCY STOP THAT CAUSES THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM TO ACTIVATE. THIS WILL CURE THE ISSUE FOR AWHILE. BUT WITH NORMAL BRAKING THE PROBLEM WILL RETURN WITH IN SEVERAL DAYS.

TOYOTA VEHICLES ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHICH EXHIBIT UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I OWN A 2004 FORD F-350 HEAVY DUTY TRUCK WHICH HAS PERIODICALLY SURGED 500-1000 RPM SINCE ABOUT 5K ODOMETER MILES. THIS NOW OCCURS ABOUT ONE OUT OF TWO TIMES I DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR AN HOUR OR SO. I HAVE HAD IT INTO THREE DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, NUMEROUS TIMES, AND THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY 'CAN'T JUST THROW PARTS AT IT' IN ORDER TO FIX IT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE TIME (5 YEARS) PORTION OF THE WARRANTY HAS LAPSED, THOUGH THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 48K MILES, WITH WARRANTY BEING 100K MILES OR 5 YEARS. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE ENGINE DIED AFTER SURGING WHILE NAVIGATING THROUGH A TURN, CAUSING POWER STEERING FAILURE AND NEARLY RESULTED IN MY HITTING A TELEPHONE POLE. THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT DESCRIBES ONLY ONE INCIDENT OF MANY I'VE EXPERIENCED IN THIS VEHICLE'I'D BE GLAD TO DETAIL OTHERS. ONE MONTH AGO, THE TRUCK SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD WHILE I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT, AND I WAS UNABLE TO HALT IT UNTIL I HAD REACHED THE OTHER SIDE OF THE INTERSECTION. THERE WAS A PEDESTRIAN WHO HAD ALREADY CROSSED IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK, WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED HAD THE TIMING BEEN DIFFERENT. HAD THERE BEEN A VEHICLE STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME, OR CROSS-TRAFFIC VEHICLES, THERE WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN A COLLISION. THIS INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ONE-HALF BLOCK FROM A SCHOOL ZONE FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AS A RETIRED EDUCATOR AND FORMER MARINE, I CONSIDER MYSELF ABLE TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY IN PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS. YET I DRIVE THIS VEHICLE ONLY WHEN I MUST, AND NEVER WHEN WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE AT ALL QUESTIONABLE, EVEN THOUGH IT'S MY 4 X 4 FOR WINTER WEATHER'MY WIFE AND SON NO LONGER DRIVE IT, EVER. I WOULD LIKE YOUR HELP IN CONVINCING FORD THAT THIS ISSUE IS ONE OF SAFETY, AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY UNTIL IT IS RESOLVED. I UNDOUBTEDLY WAS NOT 'FORCEFUL AND DEMANDING' ENOUGH IN MY NUMEROUS PREVIOUS TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIPS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD F350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED, LUNGED FORWARD AND THE RPM'S INCREASED. WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND HE HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE STEERING FUNCTION. FORD WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT THE DEALER NEAREST TO HIM AND DISCUSS IT WITH THEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE STARTED ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO AND HAD BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 83,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT AN IDLE OR AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, ACCELERATION OCCURRED ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE BUT WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM WHICH PERSISTED.

CRUISE CONTROL CABLES JAMMING THROTTLES OPEN ON FLEET OF 2001-2004 FORD F350 UTILITY BODY TRUCKS WITH 6.8L V10 ENGINES. OCCURRING ABOUT JANUARY 25 2006. ANOTHER UNIT HAD THE ACCELERATOR JAM WIDE OPEN. UNIT BURNED UP THE BRAKING COMPONENTS FROM DRIVING TO OUR REPAIR SHOP. DISCOVERED THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE END GUIDING TUBE WOULD FOLD DOWN ONTO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND JAM THE THROTTLE WIDE OPEN. 2001 THROUGH 2003 UNITS AFFECTED CURRENTLY HAD THESE CABLES DISCONNECTED AND HAD NO FURTHER RECURRENCES. OCCURRING JANUARY 22, 2007, ALSO HAD THE ACCELERATOR JAM WIDE OPEN. A NEWER 2004 UNIT, THIS ONE HAD AN ACCIDENT RUNNING INTO A WALL. AGAIN, DISCOVERED THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE END GUIDING TUBE WOULD FOLD DOWN ONTO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND JAM THE THROTTLE WIDE OPEN. WE WILL BE LOOKING FOR UNITS AFFECTED AND WILL DISCONNECTED THEIR CABLES UNTIL A REMEDY IS AVAILABLE. WE SPECULATE THIS CAN BE CAUSED BY THESE COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS: 1) INFLUENCED BY DRIVING CONDITIONS THAT PROMOTE RAPID CYCLING FROM WIDER THROTTLE OPENINGS FOLLOWED BY THE IMMEDIATE CLOSURE OF THE THROTTLE; AS WITH STOP AND GO DRIVING DEMANDS. 2) CRUISE CONTROL CABLE END GUIDE COMPONENT "DROOPING" WITH HIGHER UNDER HOOD ENGINE TEMPERATURES. THIS ALLOWS THE CABLE GUIDING SLEEVES TO NOT CORRECTLY OVERLAP AND PREVENT IT FROM FREELY SLIDING THROUGH. THIS FORCES THE CABLE GUIDE SLEEVE DOWN TO JAM ONTO THE MANIFOLD. 3) HARMONIC FREQUENCY AMPLIFICATION OF COMBINED VIBRATIONS. VIBRATIONS GENERATED FROM THE VEHICLE PITCHING FROM THE ROAD AND ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION MOTIONS. THE KINETIC ENERGY OF THE MOVING CRUISE CONTROL CABLE COMPONENTS TRIES TO CONTINUE IT'S FORWARD OPENING MOTION WHEN IT IS SUDDENLY REVERSED WITH THE THROTTLE CLOSURE. ANY EXCESS CABLE WITHIN THE GUIDING SLEEVE MAY STILL BE MOVING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION UPON THROTTLE CLOSURE; POSSIBLY JAMMING INSIDE THE SLEEVE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JUMPS FROM 600RPM TO 1000RPM AT A COMPLETE STOP WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR. THE SERVICE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT SUDDEN ACCELERATION. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD WITH AN INCREASE IN SPEED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALERS ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES AND LUNGES FORWARD SEVERAL TIMES THEN DIES. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS SET, THE SAME THING OCCURS BUT ONLY BACKWARDS WHEN IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES AND RETURNED TO THE CONSUMER UN-FIXED EACH TIME. *SC *JB

THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. *JB *TC

WHEN ENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL VEHICLE STARTS TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. *AK

TWO INCIDENTS HAPPENED THE SAME DAY WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, VEHICLE STALLED. THIS CAUSED LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKES. WHILE WAITING FOR STOP LIGHT. VEHICLE LUNGED OR ACCELERATED UP TO 3000 RPMS. *AK

INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH WITH SPEED CONTROL SET AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE ENGINE STALLED. DEALERSHIP SERVICED VEHICLE, AND TECHNICIAN COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES FROM ANY SPEED VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. WHEN CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO STOP VEHICLE COASTED INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. NO IMPACT REPORTED. *AK