Need help getting answers! Possible Unintentional Acceleration issue.

[Mastiffsrule]

Glad she’s ok. Insurance generally will not pursue data unless there was a high exposure like a fatality involved. Even then the detailed data such as braking and throttle percentages are usually only able to be pulled by OEM. A scan tool may be able to get some basic fault codes and other data to see if anything was going on.

As an adjuster for 25 years I cannot even guess the number of times people have tried to say brakes failed or gas pedal stuck. Maybe 5% is true and usually only just after having a service done like brakes and the system was not bled type scenario. Other than that adjusters blow it off as user error.

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[voxel]

There was an unintended acceleration recall for 21 that was due to mismatch firmware

https://cdn.motor1.com/pdf-files/rclrpt-22v333-1798.PDF
https://insideevs.com/news/587132/ford-mustang-mache-recall-unintended-acceleration/

There was one person who experienced this at a stop light and rammed the vehicle in front (which was a large car transporter I think).

 

[OON7]

I would also just say was there anything on the floor at all the possibly could have shifted and hit or blocked either of the pedals? Floor mats are the obvious target, but really anything if it is the right size and goes to the right spot could cause an issue. Purse, shoes, umbrella, package, etc.

I once set a wet small collapsible umbrella on my driver's side floor mat and forgot about it when I went for my next drive and it rolled up on me and scared me quite a bit as I had unexpected resistance when hitting the brakes. Learned to never ever do that again.

 

[MellowJohnny]

People do weird things in panic situations - without the data it's all conjecture, but I'd wager she hit the gas by mistake. I saw an older woman in a parking lot once accelerate forward into the brick wall in front of her at a mall, reverse, and do it again at speed. It's not unheard of to mistake the pedals, especially since you can't see what you are doing.

This is a good read, if you are old enough to remember the Audi 5000:

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/history/the-audi-500-unintended-acceleration-debacle/

Glad she's ok!

 

[Maquis]

Since you are in Canada, I'm not sure filing with NHTSA would apply.

Oops! I didn’t look at his location when I suggested that.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Oops! I didn’t look at his location when I suggested that.

The equivalent would be Transport Canada - maybe still worthwhile.

https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transp...-canada-can-investigate-your-safety-concerns#

 

[jkovacs]

Glad she’s ok. Insurance generally will not pursue data unless there was a high exposure like a fatality involved. Even then the detailed data such as braking and throttle percentages are usually only able to be pulled by OEM. A scan tool may be able to get some basic fault codes and other data to see if anything was going on.

As an adjuster for 25 years I cannot even guess the number of times people have tried to say brakes failed or gas pedal stuck. Maybe 5% is true and usually only just after having a service done like brakes and the system was not bled type scenario. Other than that adjusters blow it off as user error.

Thanks for your reply. That is very insightful. It makes sense. Ironically that’s why we want this data. I would be relieved to find out that it was driver error and not something with the car.

Also, as a software developer for 25 years it concerns me that this kind of data isn’t more available. As our cars become more and more software driven, it becomes ever more important to validate that they are behaving as expected. While we didn’t have our brakes serviced recently, we did receive a slew of OTA updates. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that they could have caused an issue.

 

[jkovacs]

People do weird things in panic situations - without the data it's all conjecture, but I'd wager she hit the gas by mistake.

I agree. It’s eminently possible that was the case. I wasn’t in the car at the time but my wife swears up and down she was hitting the brake. If only there was a system in the car that could provide the data required to resolve the question of what actually happened…

 

[Just Lurking]

I agree. It’s eminently possible that was the case. I wasn’t in the car at the time but my wife swears up and down she was hitting the brake. If only there was a system in the car that could provide the data required to resolve the question of what actually happened…

Have you contacted your dealer? (Or multiple dealers?) I would have thought you could pay your dealer to read the data for you.

Ford apparently uses Bosch Crash Data Recorders. If you're determined to do this yourself, the hardware and software to read your own EDR is available for sale (it'll be at least $2-$3k), and there are classes on how to access and interpret the data.

Or, hire a company like the below one located in Calgary (opposite side of the country for you but you could search for a more local company or ask them for a referral):

https://abforensics.com/bosch-cdr-crash-data-retrieval/

Good luck; I'd love to see the details of the EDR report if you ever get it and of course assuming you're comfortable sharing it!

 

[tbrumleve]

Open a case with Ford and NHTSA - if it was unexpected, it needs to be investigated. Glad everyone is okay!

 

[Charliepop]

my vehicle has accelerated unintentionally while in cruise control. It has happened several times and also while using blue Cruise. I have an appointment to find the cause and get it fixed. Out of nowhere, the vehicle would accelerate rapidly, pretty weird and kind of dangerous

 

[Ford Motor Company]

my vehicle has accelerated unintentionally while in cruise control. It has happened several times and also while using blue Cruise. I have an appointment to find the cause and get it fixed. Out of nowhere, the vehicle would accelerate rapidly, pretty weird and kind of dangerous

Hey, Keith! I can take a closer look into your unintended acceleration concerns if you are still in need of assistance. Can you send us a PM with your VIN and the dealership name/location? To send a private message, just click on our username and select "Start Conversation".

 

[emichnov]

my vehicle has accelerated unintentionally while in cruise control. It has happened several times and also while using blue Cruise. I have an appointment to find the cause and get it fixed. Out of nowhere, the vehicle would accelerate rapidly, pretty weird and kind of dangerous

This sounds like the "Speed Sign Recognition" issue (https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...in-the-middle-of-the-freeway-every-day.27961/). The system will occasionally read a speed sign incorrectly and there is very poor ramp up or ramp down warning and implementation - the car either takes off, or decelerates hard. To see if this is the issue, simply do this:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Choose Driver Assistance.
3. Turn Speed Limit Assist off.

I turned that off after the first time I used BlueCruise as I saw how poorly it was implemented. There should be a warning when the speed changes more than +/-5 mph and a gradual ramp up/down.

 

[Monty]

Several years ago Malcolm Gladwell did a podcast in his series "Revisionist History" about the Toyota uncontrolled acceleration problem. You should check it out. The main conclusion was that driver error is probably the cause. If you do an internet search on the topic of Toyota uncontrolled acceleration a number of articles will pop up.

 

[Mach1E]

This sounds like the "Speed Sign Recognition" issue (https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...in-the-middle-of-the-freeway-every-day.27961/). The system will occasionally read a speed sign incorrectly and there is very poor ramp up or ramp down warning and implementation - the car either takes off, or decelerates hard. To see if this is the issue, simply do this:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Choose Driver Assistance.
3. Turn Speed Limit Assist off.

I turned that off after the first time I used BlueCruise as I saw how poorly it was implemented. There should be a warning when the speed changes more than +/-5 mph and a gradual ramp up/down.

I think Ford got the message.

It doesn’t look like this is a feature any more for 2023.5 cars. Got a GTPE loaner today while my 2021 is in for the recall. This is what the driver assist menu looks like-

Predictive speed assist is something totally different now too-

Not sure if the “changes in speed limits” will make people go faster again though. But the curves and turns seems new.

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