Sticking gas pedal

Joe in NY

New member
2005 Town Car with 58k miles. Absolutely love the car. Just enjoyed a 2k mile trip and my back would have been crippled before the Lincoln. However, I've got an issue that scares me. Twice in the last couple of months the gas pedal has stuck and it has stuck both times when accelerating heavily. The other day it was my wife so now it's a monster problem. My first thought was the floor mat but that's not the case. The spring on the pedal is much stronger than what's required to overcome the weight of the mat. Looks to me like it's a "drive by wire" accelerator so that rules out anything under the hood binding up. Does anyone know if there's a history of problems with the accelerator on this car? Right now I'm thinking, to be safe, I need to just replace the pedal assembly with the electrics - if in fact it's a "drive by wire" set up. Any thoughts?
 

driller

El Presidente
Not sure what year it started, but it should be 'drive by wire'.

Can't say I've ever had any similar issues and I haven't heard a lot of such problems, though I'm sure given the sheer number of Town Cars, you're not the first.

I suppose the first thing to do would be to scan for any diagnostic trouble codes. Beyond that it's simply a guess what parts to replace. Generally, I start with the simplest and least costly in such cases.

Good luck with the fix and please report back with your findings.
 

Joe in NY

New member
I thought about this some more and my assumption that the problem must be restricted to the pedal is incorrect. The problem could be a sticky throttle body also. I just googled this problem and it appears to be an issue with F-150's with the 4.6 engine. They appear to all be "fly by wire" throttle controls.

I'm going to investigate the throttle body. I bought this car from the estate of an old woman who never likely "floored" it. Both times it has happened the car was being accelerated hard. I'm wondering if the throttle plate is getting into a position in the throttle body where it's rarely been and there's a carbon build up or something interfering with it's return.
 

driller

El Presidente
Quite possible.

Most throttle bodies have a non-stick coating from the manufacturer. Cleaning is generally not recommended.
 

Joe in NY

New member
I just took the throttle body apart and everything in there is as free as could be with no signs of rubbing or sticking. I re-visited the floor mat and can't see any way possible that that could have held the pedal down. This may be a software glitch between the throttle body and the pedal.
 

Joe in NY

New member
I just discovered that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Ford for sudden acceleration in older Ford vehicles and the 2005/2006 model year, which I have, is the most troublesome by far. Here's a quote from NHTSA

"FORD ACCELERATION COMPLAINTS
Complaints about sudden acceleration in Ford models spiked for model years 2005 and 2006. Complaints have dropped off significantly for newer models, which a class-action lawsuit says is because brake override systems were installed, but some of that may also be because they haven't been on the road as long."
 

steve

With "LOD" Since 1997
Is the pedal psychically sticking down or does the car just keep accelerating when the pedal returns after letting your foot off?
 

Joe in NY

New member
It happened twice - once to me and once to my wife. In the panic of the moment I was standing on the brake and jabbing the gas pedal. The acceleration stopped after a few seconds and everything returned to normal. I didn't have time to note if the pedal was stuck in the down position. I cannot replicate the situation no matter what I do with the floor mat. I really don't think that was it. And, the pedal itself shows no indication of binding up no matter how I push on it. I'm pretty sure it isn't a mechanical problem.
 
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