SCARRY SHITE

[Elmo]

That's some crazy stuff.  Glad you're okay.  I'm curious as to what was the eventual cause of the brakes going haywire.

[wildcat junkie]

Oh.......that Grand Marquis flat out HAULS ASS.

Like this?

[growalot]

Dang ! That's about what my engine sounded like when I was braking to try and slow it down! Shes parked for now until Mr B can get it to the shop...

Some of you guys Know the area...I take Loon lake route because I'm afraid of the Stony Brook hill...imagine if I'd been coming down that when it happened...I may have crazy things happen, but I'm one lucky camper some times...

[growalot]

I did not think I needed to say this, but perhaps I should...

 

 When I tell of such happenings. I do so with the thought someone might learn something.. That something that didn't occur to them may...

 In this case it's a viewing by mostly Men. Men with wives,girl friends or daughters. Now I'm pretty sure,may be wrong, that such an incident doesn't just pop up for conversation often.

This post of my reactions prompted some very important points that perhaps most woman do not know or would not consider unless they have had it placed in the back of their minds,just in case. Just in case manages to arrive when we least expect it...So not turning off the engine loosing the power steering was a great point....Everyone needs to evaluate actions based on conditions and traffic at the time and I hope this account has made some of you think about what your loved ones, do or don't, know about how to react in such an instance. Perhaps it has brought up other things you may want to go over with them as well..at the very least it's now in the back of your minds....

[Mr VJP]

So not turning off the engine loosing the power steering was a great point....

 

 

FYI, when you are moving at highway speed or more, turning off the motor may disable the power steering, but the steering still functions adequately and is not hard to use.  Because the car is moving it still works easy enough that even a petite girl could steer the car.  It's only when the car is not moving the steering is very hard to use when the engine is off.

 

If you put the car in neutral when the motor is stuck at full throttle, the engine will rev up to the point you may blow the motor.

 

In the emergency case you are describing, turn the key one click to shut off the motor.  This will not lock the steering wheel, but will shut off the motor.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Mr VJP

[growalot]

OK So this is what I found out...buying used cars....one needs to keep up on the news.....

 

http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/3810-ford-unintended-acceleration-class-action-lawsuit/

[ncountry]

Glad you are ok, grow.

I had something similar , but partially self inflicted happen years ago... I was in the middle of a 68 cougar restore.. being a typical 20 something guy I had to take it for a little spin down the road... So I throw a crate on the floor , voila a seat in the stripped out interior.. I hit the end of the driveway and punched it... A perfect storm follows.Lol.. throttle sticks wide open, I fall back off my basket. Dragging myself back upright with the steering wheel. I try to reach the keys to turn it off and that's when I reached a fast enough speed that the unlatched hood blows up into the windshield.. Luckily I reach the keys, shove my head out the window and get her pulled over before crashing....pretty funny now but down right scary at the time...

[growalot]

LOL...... man I remember some "youthful" actions like that...thinking back I am sure there are a whole lot of ppl saying as I,How did I ever live to be this age?..

 

I read through some of the claims in that law suit...I got off lucky...but now I have to figure out if I can get ford to fix it...or how to pay for a fix and get in on the suit to recover costs...PITA...Mr B just tried to get me to buy FIL F150...nooooo that's in there as well....

Edited May 19, 2015 by growalot

[NFA-ADK]

I had that happen to a car when I was young.  The throttle linkage on the carburetor got stuck wide open.  Just be very careful with the ignition switch and do not turn the steering wheel while you turn it off because if it locks on you sometimes it is hard to get it unlocked! 

 

If that happened to me I would have tried stomping the gas pedal then the brake alternatively, then if that failed ignition.  Wow Grow!  Glad you are ok!!!

[Doc]

Anybody ever wonder if maybe we are asking our cars to do just a little too much for us these days? Yeah, I realize how great it is to have the wonderful long life, high mileage and super conveniences on the modern cars. I do remember when getting a car to go 100,000 miles was almost unheard of. But really, some of these things that go wrong these days are absolutely aimed at killing the driver and occupants. No prior warnings, the car just decides on its own that it is going to take off at top speed? Damn! what if there had been a line of cars in front of her? What if she was just coming into a hairpin curve? What if their was a busy intersection coming up that had a stop light or a stop sign? The ugly scenarios go on and on. It seems that maybe some of the design standards need a bit of tightening. I know that I don't ever want to encounter something like that. I might not be quite as lucky.

[greensider]

i was in a subaru with an 80 year old farmer i was helping his car did the same thing he just looked at me and said it will stop and laughed i was not laughing we were doing 90

[growalot]

You'll love this...Wish me luck...I'm calling Ford dealership today to scope things out...and I found out that the Steering gear box is on a recall! Well isn't THAT NICE!.... So I have the one recall and this acceleration thing that's under a law suit. I am hoping that there is a "silent" recall on the issue and they do a safety retrofit....Since the sensors didn't go off the computers do not pick it up...thus the suit and Ford fighting it...HHmmmm didn't I see something around here about how well industries self regulate ....Any whooo what I do not want is some service guy saying Ha! here's a fish and start replacing parts but not fixing the problem.

 

In quotes because I put it on the wrong post first...

[growalot]

So...called a few dealers...won't be going near Avon any time soon...but SimmsRockwell were very good and got me in touch with Ford themselves...who got me in touch with regional service...Ford will tow the car to the dealer, but diagnostics and repairs our cost. Regional acknowledged that finding cause would be problematic due to no indicator lights...all persons,denied knowledge of a law suit for said problem. So depending on the cause and parts, I may have to delve into the law suit to recoup costs. Well at least  do not have to drive it to shop...but I'm car grounded for 2 weeks.

[Doc]

Now it looks like there will be a massive recall on airbags. Why? because on deployment they explode showering the passenger compartments with shards of metal. Imagine that. If the crash doesn't kill you your airbag will ..... lol. Used to be that cars would nickel and dime you to death with piddly little problems. Now they just design them so they kill you outright.

[DirtTime]

Glad you are OK grow, and that no one else was hurt either.

[Fantail]

Reminds me of the time i put some av gas in my '73 mustang. Of course that was back in '84.

[growalot]

Well we found a dealer we want other than the 2 I mentioned...he actually looked up the issue and got a handle on what to look for then called me bright and early this morning....called Ford to have them flat bed, not tow the car to the dealer next Tuesday. So lets hope this is an easy fix...though I wish Ford would have agreed to a safety retro fit to the breaking system. This is something they started installing AFTER the rash of complaints over this issue flowed in. They'll have the car in for the steering recall anyways ...geez just do it ...but alas I suppose pending law suit keeps any actions that may be deemed, admitting fault are squashed. Which is why I am fully surprised at the quick offer to tow the car to any deal we chose. So we'll see what the bill looks like...hhmmm

[growalot]

Dealer couldn't find anything, but declared it wasn't driver error...there was a slight bit of dirt on accelerator "valve"? May have that wrong...any whoo not enough to cause what happened.

They researched it and found this has happened a few times where driver error wasn't at fault but nothing could be found. We have some decisions to make...I have thought on this..it happened after I spent time driving back and forth to Big Flats then to the airport...long trips lots of lane changes and higher speeds than I normally do...I think that is what triggered it after 2 years of owning it...last owner was elderly and lived in Florida...probably drove the way I do...or it happened to the and they dumped it????

[Doc]

I'll be honest.....if that happened to me, I probably would never feel comfortable in that car again. It would have to go. Especially when they couldn't locate the cause. It's not nice to have your friendly family car trying to kill you.

 

That's like the airbags that blow up and kill the occupant when they deploy, throwing shards of metal into their body. Getting a little weird in the auto industry these days when the life-saving devices kill you.....lol.

[Lawdwaz]

Agree with doc, I'd trip that car so fast it'd make your head spin but then of course is the moral dilemma...........would you/could you trade that with a clear conscience??

Knowing there is a problem with possible dire consequences to not only the future owner but other people on the road??????

[Doc]

Agree with doc, I'd trip that car so fast it'd make your head spin but then of course is the moral dilemma...........would you/could you trade that with a clear conscience??

Knowing there is a problem with possible dire consequences to not only the future owner but other people on the road??????

I would tell the dealer that I traded it to what happened. That puts the moral dilemma on him.

[growalot]

That is the problem right there....we just won't do that...

[Lawdwaz]

That is the problem right there....we just won't do that...

You're a good egg growie, I had no doubt you'd do the right thing.

Cars suck.

[ny hunter]

I would try another dealer,if they also find nothing wrong I would trade it in and just tell the dealer what happened.It might never happen again but you are just not comfortable driving the car..

[Doc]

Just curious ....... If you never do get any resolution on what the cause of that incident was, what exactly do you intend to do? Keep on driving it with  your fingers crossed?... Park in the bushes somewhere or turn it into a planter? .... sell it for parts?

 

I suspect going to dealers, and writing letters and making phone calls to the manufacturer will all be met with denials and thinly veiled notions that somehow you are wrong.

 

So, I am curious as to what the proper disposition of such a problem car might be.