Following the death of an Arizona teenager, 99 consumer complaints, and 13 crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating approximately 730,000 2002-2004 Ford Escape and platform-mate Mazda Tribute models for unintended acceleration, according to a report from Bloomberg. A faulty cruise control cable is being cited as the possible cause.
The 2002 Escape has been the subject of eight other NHTSA investigations, including engine stalling, electrical issues with the antilock braking system, and brake fluid leaks, among others.
Ironically, some of the complaints received about the unintended acceleration allege that it could have been caused by a prior fix for another problem in 2004, in which the Escape was recalled for a throttle cable assembly defect preventing the throttle from returning to idle when released.
One of the reasons this is receiving so much attention is Toyota's massive recall of more than 10 million vehicles worldwide for unintended acceleration.