1988 MERCURY COUGAR Vehicle Speed Control Problems

ON FEB 12, 1994 MY WIFE AND HER FRIEND TOOK MY RED 1988 MERCURY COUGAR LS TO CHURCH AT 6:30 PM. IT WAS AN EXTREMELY FOGGY EVENING. I RECEIVED A CALL AT THE HOUSE AT 6:50 PM THAT MY WIFE HAD BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND THAT I NEEDED TO COME TO THE SITE. MY CAR WAS IN MINT CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. WHEN I SAW THE CAR, IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!! MY WIFE, WITNESSES, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOODYEAR TIRE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS THE MERCURY COUGAR?S COMPUTER THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO GO FULL-THROTTLE. DIANE, MY WIFE AND PASSENGER TESTIFIED THAT WHEN THE ENGINE SURGED, SHE PUT BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE CAR. AFTER NO AVAIL, SHE APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SPIN INTO A HEAVILY TRAVELED INTERSECTION. AS THE VEHICLE SPUN, MY WIFE TRIED TO PUT THE VEHICLE INTO ?PARK?. UNFORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE CHANGED INTO ?REVERSE?, SENDING THEM THROUGH A GAS STATION, AT FULL-THROTTLE, BACKWARDS. AT THIS TIME, THE PASSENGER PANICKED. SHE UNBUCKLED HER SEATBELT AND OPENED THE DOOR WHILE TRAVELING IN REVERSE. THE DOOR MOMENTARILY PINED HER TO THE GROUND, RESULTING IN MAJOR FRACTURES OF THE HIP AND OTHER MINOR INJURIES. THE CAR FINALLY CAME TO REST IN THE WOODS ADJACENT TO THE GAS STATION WITH MAJOR FRAME DAMAGE, A SEVERED FUEL LINE AND ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE DESTROYED. MY WIFE WAS SHAKEN, BUT NO INJURIES. WITNESSES STATED THEY CAME WITHIN INCHES OF HITTING THE GAS PUMPS. AT THE TIME, MY FATHER-IN-LAW, A RETIRED GM MECHANIC BLAMED THE EVENT ON MY WIFE. UNTIL I BECAME COMPUTER SMART AND HAVE READ SO MANY ARTICLES THIS WEEK ON FORD VEHICLES SURGING, I THOUGHT I HAD BETTER REPORT THIS INCIDENT TO HELP OTHERS WHO APPARENTLY HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE SAME EXPERIENCE. *JB

Mileage: 60,000

WHILE DEPRESSING GAS PEDAL VEHICLE WENT INTO A FULL UNWANTED ACCELERATION. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER, CRUISE CONTROL DISCONNECTED. POSSIBLY FAULTY WIRING IN CRUISE CONTROL. *AK *ML

WHEN STOPPING OR SHIFTING INTO PARK VEHICLE SUDDENLY RACES/ACCELERATES. *AK

WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNCONTROLLABLY ACCELERATED INTO A BRICK WALL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOTALLED. *AK CONSUMER WAS INJURED IN ACCIDENT. TP SENSOR REPLACED DUE TO STALLING. *SLC

SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING ACCIDENT/FATALITY.

SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSING VEHICLE ACCIDENT RESULTING IN DEATH.

VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED.

VEHICLE SURGED WHEN KEY PUT INTO CAR, CAUSING ACCIDENT/INJURY. *DH

THROTTLE LINKAGE DEFECTIVE.(1ST VEHICLE ON 601564) *SD

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNEXPECTED AND UNINTENDED ACCELERATION FROM APARK POSITION. INDEPENDENT ENGINEER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A CRUISE CONTROL CABLE HOLDING THE THROTTLE OPENED, EA90-009. *AJ