2008 Ford Explorer Cruise Control Problems

Your car's wiring harness that connects to the throttle position sensor has a sharp 180-degree bend placed very close to hot cooling system hoses, causing the wires to crack from heat damage. This cracking created electrical shorts that made your car's idle surge and caused the vehicle to accelerate on its own to 20-25 mph without pressing the gas pedal, resulting in a crash. The fix will involve inspecting and replacing the damaged wiring harness and repositioning it away from heat sources.

While driving 60 mph in heavy traffic, your engine light, traction control light, and wrench light all came on simultaneously, and your engine dropped to idle speed and wouldn't accelerate—leaving you vulnerable to being rear-ended. This is a serious drivability issue that occurred while driving, suggesting a potential engine control or sensor malfunction. The fix will likely involve diagnostic scanning to identify which sensor or engine control component triggered the warning lights and caused the loss of power.

Your Explorer has suddenly accelerated on its own while you were stopped, even with your foot firmly on the brake. This happened at least twice in May 2019. You took it to a Ford dealership, but they couldn't reproduce the problem to diagnose it, leaving the issue unresolved. The fix will likely require the dealership to either identify a fault in the throttle control system, brake system sensors, or engine control computer when the problem can be reproduced.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.