An investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about a sticky gas pedal in the 2001-2004MY Ford Escape V6 SUVs has led the Blue Oval to issue a recall for 484,600 models of which 421,000 were sold in the U.S.
The NHTSA began looking into the matter after receiving 99 complaints from owners of both the 2001-2004MY Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVs with V6 engines, including reports of 13 crashes, 9 injuries and one fatality, a 17-year old girl who died in January this year in Arizona.
According to a report from ABCNews, Saige Bloom’s 2002 Ford Escape accelerated out of control and clipped a sedan which caused her vehicle to flip over three times throwing her out of the car.
Ford spokesperson Marcey Zwiebel described the sticky gas pedal problem to Carscoop thusly:
“This issue is due to inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable, which could allow the throttle to stick when the accelerator pedal is fully or almost fully depressed.”
“It’s important to note that the condition does not cause the engine to accelerate or go into a wide open state on its own. The condition only has the potential to occur after the driver has pressed the pedal all the way or almost all the way to the floor,” Zwiebel added.
Under the recall action, “Ford dealers will replace an engine cover fastener to raise it, providing additional clearance to the speed control cable under all conditions,” explained Zwiebel.
The NHTSA has not yet announced the Ford recall, while we’re still waiting to hear what will happen with the 2001-2004 Mazda Tribute V6 models that are also under investigation for the same issue.
Kudos to Andrew F. for the tip!
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