UNINTENDED ACCELERATION?

[BIG ROCCO]

The wife jumped a curb while parking and drove the C-Max into a concrete wall/building this AM.  $6,000+ in damage to the car...yeah, pretty bad...but at least no one was hurt (right?).  Airbags did not deploy.  It seemed like she must have been stepping on the accelerator - the was dirt and gravel kicked out of the planting bed she drove into.

 

She doesn't know what happened.  I assume her foot slid off the brake and onto the accelerator, but there haven't been any reports of the car malfuntioning (a la Toyota), right?  

[plus 3 golfer]

Sorry to hear your misfortune.  Check NHTSA website http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Owners/ and search complaints by C-Max owners.  There is one complaint about 5 separate occurrences about acceleration without stepping on the accelerator.  You might want to report it to NHTSA.

 

"CPM TAKES OVER VEHICLE OPERATION AND ELIMINATES USE OF ACCELERATOR. VEHICLE SELF ACCELERATES TO MAXIMUM OF 35 MPH."

Edited August 6, 2013 by Plus 3 Golfer

[slampro]

Oh my goodnees. I am so sorry to hear about your wifes' accident. Glad to hear she is not hurt. Probably scared the holy :censored:  out of her. Scary stuff!!

 

This is the first I have heard of this happening. I read through the complaints at the site listed above by Plus 3. There is one other mention of this there.

 

The other things that are there are problems others have had, and I am pretty sure they are all fixable. This concerns me though. I have only seen these two incidents, but the Toyota thing, at one time(before we knew about it), started with only two incidents.

[BIG ROCCO]

Thanks folks - NHTSA site was a good idea.  I went and looked - I think it was all the wifey's fault.  Insurance adjuster coming to look at it tomorrow.  What a bummer!

[LW48033]

On January 7, 2014, my 2013 C-Max Energi self-accelerated.  I was stopped in the left-turn lane, then gently pressed the accelerator (as I had hundreds of times over the 13K miles I've driven the vehicle.)  It took off with substantially greater acceleration than I intended.  I took my foot off the accelerator, but the C-Max kept accelerating.  I applied the brakes - car still kept accelerating.  I put the transmission into neutral and brought the car to a stop.  Upon returning to drive, the car again accelerated: this time, I never put my foot on the accelerator.  Stunned, I watched it accelerate to 30 MPH before again returning to neutral.  I put the car in neutral and coasted into a safe parking lot, then turned the car off.  When I re-started it 2 minutes later, the self-acceleration problem disappeared.

 

I found one similar report on the internet, but I have not found a TSB from Ford acknowleding this problem.

[plus 3 golfer]

LW48033, you need to make Ford aware of this (probably need to let dealer look at car) along with filing a report with the NHTSA.

[fbov]

+1

 

No car should be able to move, much less accelerate, if the brakes are applied. That you could not apply brakes is just as serious as the unintended acceleration.

 

Have fun,

Frank

[PJFW8]

Other than a Toyota's experience with slipping car mats and stacked winter mats, there are no documented cases of "unintended acceleration".  It is always later proven to be driver error.  Audi was nearly ruined by false reports by CBS which for which Audi was completely exonerated. Prius reports were shown to be false after investigation. People hit the wrong pedal and panic! People truly believe the car was at fault even in the face of conclusive evidence to the contrary.  If you want to kill the resale value of your Cmax, keep this thread going!

[ScubaDadMiami]

There could always be a "first," and this may be it.  I've not had this problem, but I don't discount any good faith claims that anyone may assert.  Let's at least give a chance to investigate to see if this is a problem or not.

[ptjones]

Sorry to hear about your wife's accident, sounds like you have about the same amount damage as my car. I hope you can get it fixed faster and they do a good job being a new car. I checked in on the body shop to find out they missed some parts. Good Luck :)

 

Paul

[fbov]

Other than a Toyota's experience with slipping car mats and stacked winter mats, there are no documented cases of "unintended acceleration".  It is always later proven to be driver error.  Audi was nearly ruined by false reports by CBS which for which Audi was completely exonerated. Prius reports were shown to be false after investigation. People hit the wrong pedal and panic! People truly believe the car was at fault even in the face of conclusive evidence to the contrary.  If you want to kill the resale value of your Cmax, keep this thread going!

 

Perhaps you can appreicate that there is a huge difference between hitting the wrong pedal, and hitting no pedal. 

"...I took my foot off the accelerator (emphasis added), but the C-Max kept accelerating. I applied the brakes - car still kept accelerating."

 

Audi's problem was a pedal arrangement that differed from other luxury cars of the day. People really were pressing the wrong pedal by mistake, because it was in about the same place as the brake pedal in their old caddy or town car. FWD was new at the time, and required different pedal and firewall layout for packaging reasons. But who in their right mind is going to tell a grieving mother that she just killed her child!

 

Here, LW was not making any input, and then applies the brakes which fail. Are you saying LW is mistaken in recalling that he lifted his foot, and was really flooring it the whole time? I've had the car apply the brakes when my feet were not touching the pedals, and I am absolutely certain of that fact, because I was moving my foot from the brakes to the gas, and the brakes were applied when I was mid-transfer.

 

This car is very sophisticated, very complex, and with a large number of new and (for the great unwashed public) untested safety features that may or may not reduce driver risk. Everything described here is plausible, while in the Audi, it was physically impossible without pedal error. Granted, it's possible to accelerate without using pedals (cruise) but that would be malfunctioning if it didn't drop out when you hit the brakes.

 

And remember, brakes always win. Self-acceleration accompanied by brake failure is a potent problem. I say investigate and fix, rather than hide the danger so your car's worth more.

 

Have fun,

Frank

[PJFW8]

Frank, your point is certainly valid. My comment may be overly broad. Thanks for your moderate and helpful tone! My experience leaves me "biased" to an extent. It is well known that the poorest reporter is the "eye witness". This is especially true when they may be the cause of the accident or were they are the victim. Folks swear the light was green when the video clearly shows it was red and even when their recollection defies the law of gravity! They are not lying, just confused by the shock of the accident or crime,  I was a trial lawyer and retired as a circuit court judge. In 37 years in the courtroom this was not rare but typical! Recall the run away Prius in California that Toyota engineers demonstrated was impossible. Defective equipment is always claimed and seldom proved. Never saw a valid case in my practice including a nice elderly lady who drove her Cadillac into the motor vehicle office!

[mtb9153]

The wife jumped a curb while parking and drove the C-Max into a concrete wall/building this AM.  $6,000+ in damage to the car...yeah, pretty bad...but at least no one was hurt (right?).  Airbags did not deploy.  It seemed like she must have been stepping on the accelerator - the was dirt and gravel kicked out of the planting bed she drove into.

 

She doesn't know what happened.  I assume her foot slid off the brake and onto the accelerator, but there haven't been any reports of the car malfuntioning (a la Toyota), right?  

I have to say there has been many times that my foot caught the edge of the brake pedal as I was applying pressure to the gas pedal.  I feel the pedal's are too close together.  I also tend to slip off the brake pedal allot since I seem to place my right foot on the left side of the pedal allot.  My foot slips off and the car moves forward slightly until I get my foot back on the pedal.

[mtb9153]

On January 7, 2014, my 2013 C-Max Energi self-accelerated.  I was stopped in the left-turn lane, then gently pressed the accelerator (as I had hundreds of times over the 13K miles I've driven the vehicle.)  It took off with substantially greater acceleration than I intended.  I took my foot off the accelerator, but the C-Max kept accelerating.  I applied the brakes - car still kept accelerating.  I put the transmission into neutral and brought the car to a stop.  Upon returning to drive, the car again accelerated: this time, I never put my foot on the accelerator.  Stunned, I watched it accelerate to 30 MPH before again returning to neutral.  I put the car in neutral and coasted into a safe parking lot, then turned the car off.  When I re-started it 2 minutes later, the self-acceleration problem disappeared.

 

I found one similar report on the internet, but I have not found a TSB from Ford acknowleding this problem.

Wow that is scary, hope I never experience this?  I did have a few occasions in my 1992 GMC Typhoon where I was stopped at a traffic light with my foot on the brake (thank God) because suddenly the RPM's started to accelerate and the truck wanted to move forward.  These computer control systems which control just about everything under the hood especially the throttle, aren't fool proof in my opinion.

[Laurel]

I have to say there has been many times that my foot caught the edge of the brake pedal as I was applying pressure to the gas pedal.  I feel the pedal's are too close together.  I also tend to slip off the brake pedal allot since I seem to place my right foot on the left side of the pedal allot.  My foot slips off and the car moves forward slightly until I get my foot back on the pedal.

We have experienced the same many times as well.

[fbov]

... I was a trial lawyer and retired as a circuit court judge. In 37 years in the courtroom ...

I can't imaginge what you must have seen!!! Glad to have your experience on the forum.

 

As to fat feet, I once bent the brake pedal arm on an old Volvo when it caught on the sole of my boot. Bent it up, as I was getting out of the car... not your normal foot-hooked-on-pedal, I admit!

 

Frank

[mtb9153]

We have experienced the same many times as well.

I bet you have Laurel and in your Canadian icy winter drives this could be bad.  Drive safely.

[Laurel]

I bet you have Laurel and in your Canadian icy winter drives this could be bad.  Drive safely.

I find that if I drive the car regularly I accommodate the pedals being too close and have few slips, but hubby who drives the C-Max less gets irritated with the pedals and I think because his feet are bigger than mine it is more of an issue.  Our winter has been oh so mild that it is scary i.e. climate change.

 

When we test drove the Fusion Hybrid back before buying the C-Max (Fall of 2012), my husband eliminated the Fusion Hybrid due to the pedals being too close together.  I think when a person is older with slower reflexes the pedal issue is much more noticeable --that's what we find anyway.  We are not ancient --mid 60's--but we sure notice the impact of age on things like reflexes when braking and accelerating.  The young sprogs probably don't even notice it.

 

mtb you be careful too.  California drivers are pretty peppy and zippy from our experiences on holidays.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Laurel

[realtorwin]

I have a new 2015 CMax Energi with less than 200 miles. I backed out of my garage, put it drive and when I took my foot off the brake the car accelerated as though I had floored it. I hit the brakes and it stopped, but as soon as I lifted my foot off the brake it did it again. After a third time, I pulled off the road,I put it in park and turned it off. I swear the thing was possessed. When I got up enough courage to get in again, I started it up and it ran perfectly, no issue. Am I the only one? How can this happen? I have lost all confidence in this thing.

[plus 3 golfer]

I have a new 2015 CMax Energi with less than 200 miles. I backed out of my garage, put it drive and when I took my foot off the brake the car accelerated as though I had floored it. I hit the brakes and it stopped, but as soon as I lifted my foot off the brake it did it again. After a third time, I pulled off the road,I put it in park and turned it off. I swear the thing was possessed. When I got up enough courage to get in again, I started it up and it ran perfectly, no issue. Am I the only one? How can this happen? I have lost all confidence in this thing.

 

Welcome.  

 

Report your complaint here (as indicated in my post 2).  You can check the complaints to see if others filed a complaint similar to yours.

 

Also, take the car to the dealer so the dealer can scan for diagnostic trouble codes.  Please post what the dealer found out especially any trouble codes on the service order.

[TrishC]

My wrench light turned on and now I have unintended acceleration. When in drive the car accelerates with my foot OFF the accelerator. Going to take it to dealer but this is a legitimate problem. The car is 2013 CMax. 

[Dquack]

My wife’s 2013 C-Max accelerated on its own yesterday while she was driving to work. She had to constantly apply brake pedal to get the car to slow down and stop. Our neighborhood speed limit is 20 and she said her car took off like a missile when she put it in drive. She said the car got up to over 35 mph during the ordeal and it felt like it could go faster. She even made sure her shoe wasn’t accidentally pushing on the gas pedal when she was braking. Filed a report with the NHTSA and will make an appointment with Ford about the issue. 

[Karl Hart]

Yesterday my 2013 C-Max would not start. I jumped it and attributed it to lift gate not closed all the way. As I attempted to drive the vehicle, it would not respond to depressing the accelerator but would self accelerate to 35mph. When I applied the brakes it would respond. I drove it 43 miles that way with a lot of stop and go traffic to home to troubleshoot. Found my primary battery at 8.4 VDC. Put my portable jumper across my primary battery and was able to drive normally to purchase a new battery. Noticed old battery manufacturing date was 1/15. Yes, 9.5 years old. A new record for me.