Speed Control Cable problems of the 2006 Ford Taurus

The throttle sticks open and the engine revs high making it hard to slow down and stop. The cruise control cable is holding the throttle open because of a faulty attachment to the throttle control. This is a known and wide problem. People are bandaging the problem with back yard fixes that can cause accidents. Not first time.

I was driving on a 2-lane highway with a relatively steep downhill grade. I noticed that the car was accelerating even though I was not pressing the accelerator. I thought at first that it was just acceleration due to gravity, but I quickly realized that the throttle must be open since I was quickly accelerating to speeds above 65mph, and the brakes were not as effective as they would have been if the acceleration were due only to the hill. I saw a place up ahead to pull over, but I had to press the brake pedal very hard in order to slow down and stop. I put the car in park very quickly and turned it off since the engine was racing. There was a great deal of smoke coming from my front brakes, which was very disconcerting. I looked under the hood and found that the cruise control cable had come unfastened and had caused the throttle to stick open. This seems very dangerous and I feel fortunate that this did not cause an accident.

2/15/17- while coasting up-hill with foot not on the gas, car accelerated to over 4,000 rpm all by itself, braking was extremely difficult. I parked, turned car off, turned it back on and even while parked it revved back up to over 4,000 rpm. Took it to firestone on 2/16/17- they replaced the iac (idle air control) valve. 3/3/17- while idling at red light with foot not on the gas, car accelerated/ revved up to over 4,000 rpm all by itself. Had to press on brake very hard and turn car off. Turned it back on and it was no longer accelerating. 3/4/14 took it to a different firestone. They adjusted cruise control cable. 9/3/17- while idling on a bridge with foot not on the gas, car accelerated/ revved up to over 3,000 rpm all by itself. Braking was extremely difficult and had to turn car off in the middle of traffic. Turned it back on and it was no longer accelerating by itself. 9/4/17 took it to firestone. They ordered a new iac valve and replaced it on 9/7/17. 10/14/17- while idling in traffic with foot very light on brake, car accelerated/ revved up to over 4,000 rpm all by itself. Had to quickly turn car off in the middle of traffic to stop it. Turned car back on and it was no longer accelerating on its own.

Accelerator sticks. Car failed to DE-accelerate several times. Once, coming to stop sign and engine kept racing. Occasionally going down highway and wanted to slow down, but accelerator was stuck. Can barely stop the car with brakes. Reason: the reason is well documented. The cruise control cable becomes disconnected and traps the accelerator cable (throttle) so it can't move. Nhtsa has investigated this and negligently failed the public. There is a very good youtube. Com video showing the problem exactly! my car is the exact problem, and all anyone has to do is google "2006 Ford Taurus accelerator sticks� to see how frequently it happens. I have wired the cables together myself, but this is not a permanent solution. It does show that Ford could easily resolve this. And, yes, in a USA today article from 2013 I see there have been injuries, and maybe deaths from this. Note: mine is not related to any electronic throttle, or electrical issue. It is purely mechanical - part defect. I can send pictures of cables, but you can just watch this youtube video: https://www. Youtube. Com/watch?v=z1u1fgabdw4 I will be making a congressional inquiry, complete with extensive documented references to this problem. I believe it is gross negligence that the NHTSA has known about this and done nothing. Ford has known, and issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) recommending throttle body replacement - at customer expense. Obviously you are both waiting for enough deaths or older cars going out of service before doing anything. I guess I need to get 60 minutes and USA today to look into this, again. . Read more...

On the afternoon of Sunday, July 24th, 2016, our 2006 Ford Taurus began accelerating out of control on its own accord while driving down the street in worcester, massachusetts. We tried to brake the car, but were not able to compete against the rapid acceleration. We ended up putting it in neutral, and then in park, and bring it to a stop (albeit in the middle of a busy street) where it was still reaching upwards of 4,500 rpms. Very disconcerting. As we could not drive any further like this, we shut it off, got out, and called aaa for a tow, which arrived almost two hours later after we sat in the hot afternoon sun and were diverting traffic around our disabled vehicle. Being that we were traveling with two other guests and the tow truck could only accommodate 2 people max for the trip back to rhode island (over 40 miles away), the driver tried to diagnose and fix the problem on the spot. He looked under the hood and showed us that the cruise control cable had become unclipped and fallen off. He then lubed it up, reattached it, and had us do a couple of tests to see if it was working properly. Thankfully it was, and we slowly and cautiously were able to drive home. After doing some research, we became aware that this was and is a known issue with our year, make, and model of car, and that an investigation had been opened into it. We are also aware that, at that time, Ford had launched a "customer satisfaction campaign" to fix or replace defective cruise control cables. While we were able to drive the car home that day, we are not thrilled about the possibility of this issue happening again and would like to have this issue fixed by Ford. I have spoken to three separate people at Ford at this point, and all have refused to have this problem taken care of by Ford for us.

Car was accelerating spontaneously, appears that the accelerator was sticking at the throttle body due to defective cruise control cable that dislodged and got stuck into accelerator mechanism. Car was accelerating on freeway at 70 mph and climbing, pulling on gas pedal with foot of no benefit. Ultimately had to turn off keys after heading to off ramp. Nicknamed car "christine" after this frightening incident. Noticed multiple reports of same problem on web with brief search. Called Ford customer service and spoke with three representatives. Wondering if there is a recall. They were clear to indicate " not our problem" as car is "out of warranty".

I was driving on the highway when the engine started to race, and I had to drive twenty miles to the mechanic's garage, barely being able to stop the car and nearly missing being in 3 accidents. Had to drive with my foot on the brake and had to use emergency brake to stop it at the end. When I put it in park, it sounded like the engine would explode, it was racing so fast. Mechanic saw a cruise control cable detached, and reconnected it, and "played" with the throttle and was finally able to bring it down to normal level. I checked at this site to see if there was a recall, but did not see one, but many complaints of this problem.

I was driving through downtown when I noticed increases acceleration and trouble with stopping. When I put my car in park, it would rev up to 2500 pm. I would stomp on accelerator and it brought it down to normal below 1000 rpm in park. Thankfully I avoided having 3 accidents. I was about to call for a truck truck but did not. I managed to drive my car back to work. My CO-worker looked at it and saw the throttle was sticking and cruise control cable came off. He was able to reattach it and fix the throttle. A week after he fixed it I started to have some acceleration issues but minor and today it finally got worse. I looked on here to see if other people having the same issue and yes I did find a lot of people with same issues. I do agree with a lot of those people that this should be a recall. I can't afford to get it fixed by a professional or a new car.

2006 Ford Taurus. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle acceleration issues. The consumer stated he experienced three terrifying incidents, in which the vehicle suddenly accelerated. He came very close to running over pedestrians, each time the vehicle accelerated. After, paying hundreds of dollars, to replace the air control valve, which wasn't the problem, it was finally determined the cruise control cable was causing the vehicle to suddenly accelerate.

I was driving approx 45 mph and went to decelerate. I noticed the car not slowing down and the tac was at 1800 rpm. I hit the brakes harder and was ready to put the car in neutral but did not. I could hear the brakes working harder. The rpms still at 1800 as I turned into work. I heard a pop and the motor rpms dropped to just under 1000 rpms. On my way back home the cruise control seemed to work properly with the exception of no acceleration or holding speed. The cruise control would not engage. On 12/16/13, I looked at the throttle assy and noticed a cable had come unclipped. I reattached the cable and I tried the cruise control, it engaged. Anyone not familiar with an automobile would have had an accident with injury or worse. Please investigate this issue. Thank you.

I was driving to work and the vehicle accelerated out of control. I tried stopping the car, I put it into park, and even while in park it was still revving up to 4 or 5 thousand rpms. I re-started the car hoping this would "re-set" the vehicle. No such luck. As for now, the vehicle's gas pedal is eiether stuck, or something is wrong with the cruise control cable. Either way, the situation, in my opinion, is extremely dangerous. My brakes began to smoke before I could get the vehicle home and wait for my husband to help me figure out what to do next.

After exiting the freeway and attempting to slow down, the car became difficult to control and hitting the brakes slowed it down but was not stopping. With a red light ahead I put the car in neutral, to slow dow but the engine begin to rev, I was able to pull into a parking lot where I put the car in park. Once the car was put in park, the trottle kept going and the rpm accelerated to just under 4000. I shut the car off and called my husband, when he arrived he took a look under the hood and said the cruise control cable had come undone and was caught up on the throttle. I had my two girls with me at the time, 4&2. After doing some research I discovered this is a problem with this car. I can't believe this is not a recall, I guess because there hasn't been any fatalities its not a big deal. This is a major issue that needs attention fast, I hope im wrong but I think its only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

I was driving on the interstate with the cruise control on (at 72 mph). When I exited the interstate at the exit ramp, the car had difficulty stopping. I had to press the brakes really hard to get the vehicle to stop and at first thought it was a braking issue. I had to drive through 3 traffic lights to get to the closest parking lot to stop and each time I had a very difficult time getting the car to stop and it would "jack rabbit" start and I didn't have to hit the accelerator between lights (car would go 35 mph or so). I pulled into the parking lot and put the car in park, when I did, the engine revved open and went up the 3500-4000 rpm before I could shut it off. I waited for my brother to come check the car. He hooked up the car to a computer to check for any issues and there weren't any that came up on the computer. He had me start the car and it was running in the normal rpm range. I haven't had any issues since and haven't had the car checked out since it was behaving normally. I read about the investigation on the vehicle from 2012 and noticed that the reports I read were very similar to what happened to me. I hadn't tried to use cruise control again until today and discovered that my cruise control isn't working. The "cruise" light comes on, but when I try to set the cruise control, it won't set at all. I tried turning it off and on 3 times to get it to set and it didn't work. I am planning on inspecting the cruise control cable in the near future to prevent further issues, but I wanted the NHTSA to be aware of the issue.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle continued to accelerate. After placing the gear in neutral, the rpm reading increased. The contact shutdown then restarted the vehicle and was able to drive without failure. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the throttle cable seized causing the acceleration. The failure occurred three different times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated that the throttle body would have to be cleaned. After the repair the failure recurred. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal which stopped the sudden acceleration. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,100.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that his son was traveling approximately 20-30 mph when the accelerator pedal became stuck in open throttle. The driver was able to stop the vehicle by depressing on the brakes extremely hard. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The failure and current mileages were approximately 65,000. Updated 11/29/12 the consumer stated the cable became detached from the accelerator. Updated 11/29/12.

Purchased the car in late August 2012. Shortly after purchase car would rev high on cold starts, when placed into gear car sometimes would die. This was not a consistent problem and difficult to describe and identify the issue. By the end of December 2012 the problem became consistent on each cold start. Took car into firestone. Firestone replaced idle air control valve and cleaned fuel system. First attempt to replace air control valve failed when they believed the new part was defective. Replaced new one with another new one and the car started fine for about a month and went back to inconsistent start ups. Took car back to firestone. They again replaced air control valve and the problem still was present and I was told to take to the dealership. Took to the Ford dealership, they stated the most recent air control valve placed by firestone was defective and they replaced air control valve with Ford exclusive part. Picked car up and upon leaving the car suddenly accelerated on its own. I turned the car around and had them look at it again. They could not duplicate the problem or determine what caused the sudden acceleration. Two weeks later the problem appeared again while driving on the highway. I would lift my foot off the gas and the car would accelerate to 60mph before I applied the brake to slow it down. To keep a consistent speed I would have to "ride the brake". I internet searched the problem and came across an article describing the exact problem I was having and that it was under investigation for 2005-06 Ford Taurus for sudden acceleration most likely due to cruise control cable catching on the throttle. Told Ford dealership what I discovered, took the car in and they identified that the cruise control cable was in fact catching on the throttle.

While driving, the accelerator became stuck which almost caused an accident. It has occurred numerous times since the first date plus it has occurred at different speeds. I have been able to deal with it, by placing the auto in neutral and hitting the gas pedal a few times which causes the rpm's to decrease to normal. I don't know which auto component is causing this problem, but I recently read in the paper that it might be a faulty cruise control cable.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 60 mph the driver of the vehicle attempted to activate the cruise control but the vehicle would not respond. The cruise control failed intermittently and would inadvertently activate independently. The contact stated that the throttle would become stuck and the rpms increased to 6,000. The driver depressed the brake pedal but the brakes were hesitant to respond. The driver placed the gear shifter in neutral in order to slow the vehicle down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic. The technician stated the cruise control cable would have to be replaced and the throttle body would have to be cleaned. There was an investigation under NHTSA action number: pe12005 (vehicle speed control:cables) that may be related to the failure . The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. Updated 04/25/12 the consumer stated the rpm's went between 5,000 and 6,000 most of the time. The problem would happen on an intermittent basis. Updated 04/30/12.

Cruise control cable may became detached and held the throttle open.

The contact owned a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the brake pedal was engaged without any response. The vehicle unexpectedly increased acceleration up to 40 mph. The vehicle then crashed into a cement wall. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained two broken legs, thirteen broken ribs and also suffered from other internal injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a storage facility. There was currently an open investigation associated with NHTSA action number pe12005 (vehicle speed control: cables). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000. Updated 07/05/lj updated 07/10/12.

Last summer, my car started to accelerate at stop signs/lights. I would be braking at a light and the engine would suddenly start surging and I would have to heavily hold my brakes to keep from accelerating into the car ahead of me or people walking across the street. When I was driving, my speed would sometimes accelerate and I would not be pressing on the gas pedal. These problems would only happen every once and awhile so I did not take my car in for two months. I also noticed that my cruise control would not work. The light would come on when I turned it on, but my car would not stay at the speed I selected. It would just decelerate in cruise control. When I took my car in to have it looked at, they informed me that I had a faulty cruise control cable that was not fitting properly on my car. It would catch on the throttle lever causing my car to surge. I had to pay $293. . Read more...

While traveling on the interstate, the vehicle began to accelerate even while the brake was applied. We were traveling about 80mph while the brake was being applied. At the next exit, I pulled off to the side of the road but it was extremely difficult to get my car to stop as the rpm were increasing as the vehicle was still attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was put in park and the ignition was shut off. After about 5 min, the vehicle was restarted and seemed to be fine. As soon as the accelerated was pressed again however, the same thing happened again. It was then towed to a Ford dealer where the accelerator cable was replaced.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the vehicle continued to accelerate, although the accelerator pedal was not depressed. The contact stated that he was able to maintain control of the vehicle by shifting to neutral and engaging the brakes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the throttle cable was fractured and the throttle body and cable assembly needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 126,981 and the current mileage was 150,000. . . Updated 04/16/12 according to the repair invoice, the cable was broken. The dealer replaced the cable and throttle body. Updated 05/17/12.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that as the vehicle was started and the brake was applied, the vehicle surged forward independently. The vehicle continued to accelerate and the vehicle would come to a stop after firmly applying the brakes. The unexpected failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis and they informed the contact that the failure was related to the throttle body and speed control cables. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle increased acceleration and proceeded through an intersection haphazardly. The vehicle eventually reduced speed after applying the brake pedal forcefully numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the problem. The failure occurred several times. Also, on a separate occasion when driving with the cruise control activated, the cruise control suddenly became inoperative. After the cruise control malfunction the unintended acceleration no longer persisted. There was currently an open investigation associated with NHTSA action number pe12005 (vehicle speed control:cables). The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 04/26/lj updated 04/30/12.

I own a 2006 Ford Taurus. The vehicle accelerates to dangerous speeds without my hitting the gas and when the brakes are applied the rpm shows it has risen very high and it is very difficult to get the vehicle to come to a complete stop. It appears there is something wrong with the cruise control cable as it was twisted and as soon as it is untwisted the cruise control begins to work correctly and the vehicle stops accelerating on its own. However, it does it again within a few days. This has happened three times in two weeks. It is very dangerous and could easily get someone injured or worse. I see on several websites that I am not the only one with this model who is having this issue. This is an issue with the design or installation, not anything that we have done to the vehicle as no aftermarket adjustments or changes have occurred only routine maintenance.

I bought a 2006 Ford Taurus in December 2009. After having the vehicle for a few months, the gas pedal began to stick. A few times going around 35-40mph,the pedal would stick keeping the car accelerating. Thinking it was just my imagination, didn't think too much about it. Then, while accelerating, the pedal stuck and continued to accelerate. I applied the brakes to the top of the hill I was on, and put the car in park and turned the car off. After starting the car again, the rpms were still racing and pedal was still stuck. Had to have the car towed back to the dealer for repair. Dealer replaced some kind of coil and cable to the cruise control.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the accelerator pedal became jammed and caused the vehicle to abnormally accelerate. The contact attempted to decelerate but the vehicle would not stop. The contact had to shift into neutral and restart the vehicle. Once started, the engine would race and the rpm's would increase excessively. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised the contact that the cruise control cable needed to be disconnected. The vehicle was disconnected repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

I was driving home on the highway when my accelerator became stuck halfway down. It would not stick if I tapped it, but re-stick again. I took it to the dealer they said that the cruise control cable had become bound around the accelerator causing it to stick. First incident was October 2007, now in December 2009 again. I was charged roughly 100 to detach the cruise control cabling. Ford agreed (reluctantly) to repair the cable so my cruise would work. Roughly 50,000 miles later my accelerator became stuck again. This time it would not unstick - tapping the pedal only made acceleration stronger. Brakes barely worked stomped to the floor. Repeated accelerator pedal sticking in open position is extremely dangerous and unacceptable. Car is out of warranty and I am again stuck with the bill - lucky I did not crash. Could have been much worse if it began to stick while accelerating hard. Just all of a sudden this happened - both times. One second the gas pedal works fine, then bam, its stuck. Once stopped I placed the car into park and it revved up to 4000 rpm. Would not re-start with accelerator down. Had to tow to unhelpful and unconcerned dealer - will never own a Ford again. I will tell everyone I know about this horrible defect. Not once, but twice!.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph and attempting to utilize the cruise control but the feature would not activate. The vehicle then abnormally accelerated as the engine rpms rapidly increased. The contact had to use extreme force on the brakes in order for the vehicle to stop. After parking the vehicle, the engine continued to race. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic where disconnected the cruise control cable. The failure recurred one week later. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic who then repaired the vehicle by replacing the cruise control cable. The failure mileage was approximately 72,740. Updated 5/21/12.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph and approaching an off ramp, the vehicle could not be stopped. After depressing the brakes to no avail, the contact turned the ignition off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they advised her that the cruise control cable could have been the cause of the failure. The cruise control cable was disconnected. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Updated 6/4/12.

I was driving on the freeway at full speed. I was not using my cruise control. My gas pedal was stuck accelerating on me. It would unstick and come hit me in the foot, only to stick back again while I was accelerating. The vehicle was accelerating without my assistance up large hills, and I was required to brake almost constantly on flat areas. When I was at a stop light I placed the car in neutral to alleviate fears that I would shoot out into the intersection, and the car immediately raced to over 4000 rpms! I had to lightly tap on the pedal repeatedly until it finally unstuck and came back to hit me in the foot. Yikes. I am thankful that the accelerator was stuck at a lower rpm and not all the way down. I could have been involved in a horrible traffic accident. The next day the dealer determined that my cruise control cable had broken and bound around the throttle body (the thing that drives the accelerator) causing the accelerator pedal to stick. This could have been much worse!.