While driving on a busy interstate highway recentally and pulling a car trailer, I was returning home from a vacation when the throttle position sensor (tps) failed. This results in a "dead pedal" situation, where the engine falls to idle, and there is no 'drive' to the wheels. This situation is very serious as sometimes there is no where to pull off the interstate, due to traffic lane narrowing. My personal situation was that I was able to coast to the side of the road. To re-set the tps, you must stop, put in park, turn the ignition off, wait approx. 10-15 seconds, and then re-start. It should re-set and you can drive away, although a 'check engine' light appears. In my case, the tps failed a second time, a short distance away, and I had to repeat the steps. The second time it "worked" and I was able to drive home. This failure of the tps had a profound effect on me personally. There is no warning that this is about to happen. When it does happen, you have no throttle input and you must get off the road. All I could think about during those moments of panic, was being smashed into from the rear! I am aware this is an issue with my type of vehicle as I have done some follow up research on the internet following my incident. I want to inform you, that I purchased the vehicle new in 2004. This vehicle is immaculate, and all maintenance is performed at the local dealer. In car guys terms, this vehicle would be considered a "garage queen" and there would be no contributing factors such as lack of maintaince, dirt, road grime, or abuse. I am convinced this situation will lead to a serious accident, if not to me, then to someone else, and I want to inform you of this potential serious issue. I have spoken to the dealer/mechanic and the solution is a tps replacement, but in my opinion, this should never happen in the first place.

- Okeechobee, FL, USA

Engine revving to 3000 RPM and not idle down. Had to ride brakes put trans in neutral or park to stop. Breaks would not stop truck only slow it. Shop found cod P0606 ECM/PCM communication failure. Why did this not put the truck in limp mode or prevent it from starting. Replaced ECM/PCM control module truck runs fine. Very expensive 3400 dollars.

- Claskaine, OR, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph the electronic throttle control went into limp mode and the warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was stopped and shut off. Upon restart, the vehicle operated as normal. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on several occasions where it was repaired. The failure continued. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,857 and the current mileage was 105,909.

- Adairsville, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram. The contact stated that while driving 20 miles per hour, the vehicle accelerated. The failure previously occurred during rainy weather conditions. The accelerator pedal was not the cause of failure since no pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal. The police were contacted due to the property damage and a report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in an crash in 2005 when the brakes did not engage. The contact had not spoken with the manufacturer. The vehicle was under investigation with the insurance company. The vehicle will be towed to the dealer for assessment. The current and failure mileages were not available.

- Port Saint Joe, FL, USA

The driver owns a 2004 Dodge Ram. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle began accelerating and slowed down on its own without the brake pedal being depressed. The vehicle was driven to the dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the accelerator pedal position sensor was defective. The vehicle has not been repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The current mileage was 75,705 and the failure mileage was unavailable.

- Mauldin, NC, USA

2004 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup cummins 5.9 liter diesel engine. 1/17/2009 under/over acceleration. Vehicle is a "drive by wire" design. Problem happened very sporadically. Would only happen when vehicle and outside air temp was 20 degrees F or lower. Problem happened about 4 times during the winter of 2007-2008. Problem at that time was only under acceleration. I would be driving down the highway at between 55 and 70 mph. The tuck would suddenly not maintain speed and would not accelerate. Pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor would produce no response from the engine. Check engine light comes on. After a few seconds truck drives normally again. This scenario has happened 8 to 10 times. Over acceleration. This happened twice on 1/13/09. Again truck had been sitting outside all day. Started truck and all was normal for the first 5 or 10 minutes of driving. I was driving down the highway at a steady speed of 60 mph. With no input from me suddenly the truck accelerated very rapidly. The transmission down shifted and the engine RPM jumped up considerably. In my panic I stabbed the brake pedal and was able to slow the truck somewhat. After accelerating wildly for about 1 to 2 seconds the truck then went into the under acceleration mode. Now pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor would get zero response from the engine. This sudden over acceleration happened again about ten miles further down the road. Luckily the roads were dry and there were no vehicles close enough to me to cause any crash. I replaced the accelerator pedal position sensor and so far the problem has not returned. This is a great concern because of what might have happened during the over acceleration. If the road was snow covered or icy the outcome could have been very serious or even deadly.

- Oak Grove, MN, USA

: the contact stated while the brake pedal was applied, the brakes pulsate. The dealership turned the rotors when this occurred. The rotors must be turned every 6,000-10,000 miles. Also, after starting the vehicle and putting it into gear, the vehicle surged forward. The brake pedal was applied and the vehicle was put into neutral, but the engine continued to rev. The vehicle was put into park and turned off, upon turning the vehicle on; a lightning bolt was on the dashboard. The engine continued to rev and the vehicle was turned off. When the vehicle was restarted it operated properly. The dealership was unable to determine any codes on the computer, but determined the warning light meant something triggered the throttle. The vehicle surged a second time.

- Greenfield, IN, USA