No one has forgotten the sudden acceleration claims that plagued Toyota. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking at a similar problem with the Taurus and Sable. The NHTSA has issued an investigation into 2005 and 2006 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans for a potential sudden acceleration problem after receiving at least thirty complaints from drivers who said they could not control the speed while driving. Drivers reported that it was hard to stop the car with brakes; several said they had to shut off the engine or shift into neutral to stop. The problem may be due to a loose cruised control cable that becomes tangled with the gas pedal cables, forcing the accelerator to stay engaged. No recall has been announced at this time. Although the complaints all affected the Ford Taurus, the NHTSA expanded its probe to the Sable since it a similar vehicle with similar or the same parts.
Although there have been no fatalities one driver said, “I went through a red light, around two cars, as my speed reached about 70 mph. I had both feet on the brakes and could smell them burning. If there was heavy traffic, someone would have been killed. No doubt in my mind."
It is not clear if Ford knew about the sudden acceleration issues prior to this investigation. Given the fact that Ford has experienced problems with sudden acceleration related to cruise control design flaws in the past, it does raise the issue whether Ford was trying to avoid dipping into their deep pockets in hopes that no problems would surface. A decision from the NHTSA could take as long as three to six months; there is not decision as of yet on a recall. Let’s hope that Ford will not lie and cover up the problem for profit; let’s hope they put safety first.
Mark Bello has thirty-five years experience as a trial lawyer and thirteen years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide legal finance cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life litigation funding is needed by a plaintiff involved in pending, personal injury, litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Business Associate of the Florida, Mississippi, Connecticut, Texas, and Tennessee Associations for Justice, and Consumers Attorneys of California, member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.
