More Throttle Trouble

Ford and Mazda have announced recalls for thousands of their vehicles involving a sticking throttle.  In both of these vehicles, the throttle has a tendency to stick in the wide open position because of a clearance problem between the  engine cover and a cable connector.  As a result, when the driver tries to slow down  by releasing pressure on the accelerator pedal, the vehicular speed will not decrease.  Furthermore,  it may be difficult to stop the vehicle and could result in a crash.  The vehicles that are involved in this recall are 2001-2004 Ford Escape and 2001-2006 Mazda Tribute.  It seems odd that Ford and Mazda should have the same recall but, Ford apparently contributed to the manufacture of the Tribute.  It should be noted that Ford issued a recall for the same problem a few years ago.  Their solution was to replace the cable.  However, it appears that their solution was inadequate.  Now, the problem is still in existence and over 600,000 vehicles have to be repaired.  In the meantime, drivers and their passengers are at risk for serious injury if they lose control because of this defect.

Sudden Acceleration

Recently, we were retained to investigate sudden acceleration in a 2006 Kia Sportage.  While conducting routine research, no recalls or complaints were discovered.  This case brought to mind that earlier this year, a lot of attention was given to the sudden acceleration complaints inherent in some Toyota vehicles.  This brought back memories of sudden acceleration complaints in Jeep vehicles back in the late 90s.  In fact, ABC used to air a program called Prime Time Live. During one show, they investigated sudden acceleration and determined that the brake pedal had been moved to a position which was no longer in line with the steering column and thought to cause drivers to confuse the brake pedal with the accelerator pedal.  Although, it does not appear that physical location of  the pedals is a problem, it seems that no one really knows what is causing sudden acceleration.