Just had an uncommanded acceleration '11 Ecoboost

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Originally Posted By: ARB1977
My ex boss drives with both feet. Lefty brake and right gas. Kinda strange but he's done it since he learned to drive.



Must be old forklift operator`s or something.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Wow, that was interesting. I drive a 2011 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L twin turbo, crew cab. It has 27,000 miles on it. It has experienced the dreaded intercooler condensation misfire in the distant past.

Anyway, I was stopped, waiting in line at Starbucks. My left foot on the brake, right foot tucked under by the seat base. The engine revved up to 2500 RPM and I instinctively stepped harder on the brake, as the truck started to move. I could hear the brakes groaning as it was fighting the engine. This lasted about 4 seconds and stopped. As it was happening, I looked at the accelerator and my foot was NOT NEAR the accelerator. It took very serious brake pedal pressure to stop the movement.

I love technology, am no luddite (I manage a flying network, a Gulfstream G550) and I trust electronics. But I also understand glitches can, and do, happen.

I'll be reporting this to Ford, to the NHTSA and online to F150 based forums. As I nearly hit the car in front of me.



Did your a/c come on at the time causing the idle to increase?
 
I can always tell the left foot brake people on the road; their brake lights are on
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VERY dangerous for other drivers, your brakes might not be on, but your foot is resting on the pedal enough that the lights come on.
 
Same thing happened to me in a Tacoma.

I had to stand on the brake pretty hard. (with my right foot. I can brake with my left. I had an English motorcycle before so I have the muscle control to do it. I just don't drive cars like that)

It only lurched forward a couple of feet before I stopped it but if I had been in a drive-thru
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You're not alone CuJet, according to ARFC(Auto Recall For Customers) there are more issues with power loss and a couple with unintended acceleration.

Auto Recall For Customers

And since you aren't a pro cyclist I trust your word and your left foot.
 
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: ARB1977
My ex boss drives with both feet. Lefty brake and right gas. Kinda strange but he's done it since he learned to drive.



Must be old forklift operator`s or something.


Or learned how to drive on a go-kart. I usually only left foot brake when I am doing banzai blasts through the twisties.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet

I'll be reporting this to Ford, to the NHTSA and online to F150 based forums. As I nearly hit the car in front of me.
Wow, NHTSA, really? How about your chief pilot and your ALPA rep too? Let's also get the FAA keyed in on this. You had your left foot on the brake, Ghost Rider.
 
I have left foot braked every car I ever owned that had an automatic transmission. Seems like a simple arrangement to me: two pedals, two feet. The only time I have my foot poised over the brake pedal is driving in tight traffic.

My sons all right foot brake, like most of you seem to do. It irritates me when I'm riding with one of them, they are stopped at a light and there is that momentary hesitation when they take their foot off the brake and find the accelerator.

When I am at a traffic light on a multi lane street, I can tell that a lot of people are sitting there right foot braking as I am usually half way thru the intersection before they begin to move. By the way, I am 76 years old. My three sons are all in their forties.
 
Hmmm...I'm very interested in any updates.

To the OP-
I would urge you to ignore the armchair quarterbacks in the thread and keep posting updates, if there are any.


Side note- My dad used to drive with two feet. It was very jerky and annoying to ride with him. I don't think he drives that way anymore.
 
OP stated he visually verified the position of his right foot during the event.

I've always left foot braked automatic cars and was taught that by my late father - a pilot.
 
Trail braking is a standard thing at the track, many times executed with the left foot. Not really a normal street technique but definitely not automatically bad or anything.

I have great respect for almost every pilot I ever met, as they endure a ton of training aimed specifically at emergency behaviors. Thus they tend to be better when things go wrong.
 
This is getting interesting. This is a company truck. My boss had a similar incident, with this truck, where the truck entered his garage and ran over his tool box and pushed the tool box into and through the wall. He thought he was at fault and told me so. But, maybe not... And after discussing it with him, it's become clear that he probably experienced the same thing.

1) I left foot brake while racing. It's an effective tool and results in faster lap times.

2) I used my (very capable) left foot because I was in line for quite some time, so it was a "share the load" situation.

3) Additional brake pressure "solved" the problem, but the engine was straining mightily against the brakes, and in fact, did very slightly spin (lets call it rotate, as it was not a burnout) the right rear tire. I could clearly hear the brakes groaning at first.

4) The floor mat is not an issue in any way. It's anchored down and is only on the flat floor. Not near the accelerator.

5) I mentioned that I looked at the pedal when this was happening. NOTHING WAS ON THE PEDAL, and it was not depressed or stuck in any way.

6) Apparently, this is not the first time this has happened to this truck.

7) There have been other reports of similar behavior from this model truck. One where the truck accelerated beyond the speed limit, 3 times, by itself, on a rural road.

8) Shutting the truck off and re-starting solved the problem for him, and for me.
 
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As for "safety" software, It apparently works, as this entire event was short and it solved itself. However, I did shut down and restart after this.

I will try to see if my el-cheapo code reader finds anything.

It's going to the dealership first thing next week.
 
Yes, the 2011 F150 Ecoboost IS throttle by wire.

I've been driving it all over the place today, as I had a few cargo runs to do.

It did it again today, just after I came to a stop. Engine revved up a bit and slowed. But not as much this time.
 
DBW has been great on my TDi, no issues. Different beast though. I suspect DBW is largely used for emissions: by controlling the rate of change of throttle they can cut down on "burps" where the ECU can't keep up fast enough (fuel, timing, whatever). Also, for traction control and cutting torque during transmission shifting.

I tried using my left foot on the brake--just once. I was in an automatic, but drove a stick regularly. I came up to a stop sign, slammed on the brake with my left foot (with the kind of force needed for a clutch) and attempted to drop the column shift into first! I decided it wasn't a skill I needed to learn.

I have used left foot on throttle though. On a long trip driving a Budget truck (I think I did around 14 hours over two days), and the truck was very slow going up hills. On the long ones I'd switch feet, as all I needed was full throttle. Since it didn't have cruise control my right foot needed that break!
 
No codes at all.

A while back I had the classic massive misfire, shaking, check engine light and loss of power due to intercooler condensation. Surely, that would have generated a code?

This truck is weird.
 
I remember when a throttle cable broke on my H2... Couldn't go fast and had to buy another one. Same thing with the clutch cable on the wife's )IVI( RT 4WD Wagon, except she couldn't go at all!

Uncommanded must be NEWSPEAK for Unintended?

Cheers!

p.s. Look out you Audi & Toyota owners: they want to climb into your boats!
 
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