2001 DODGE NEON User Comment / Complaint

Uncontrolled acceleration due to uncommanded full throttle. // while driving at 55mph the car began to accelerate rapidly despite removing all pressure from the gas pedal. with heavy braking car was stopped. after stopping vehicle, i put transmission in neutral and the engine accelerated to 5000 rpm before being turned off with the key. further investigation revealed that the throttle linkage had disconnected from gas pedal control cable. throttle then moved to & become jammed at high power by nearby transmission linkage (which commanded downshift as throttle demand increased). discrepancy originated with failure of plastic throttle linkage bushing which connects the end of throttle cable to engine throttle body. digital photos available upon request. i promptly reported incident to service dealer verbally & via letter with photos - no followup response received. purchased original replacement bushing (part# e1fz*7f330 ins-trans thro $2.12) which has subsequently been redesigned and made from metal (part# f3sz*7h303 kit trans thro $1.20). dealer advised that original bushing was not a recall item. dealer's mechanic was familiar with failure/replacement of subject plastic bushing. i suspect this failure will become more common as the original plastic bushings reach similar age.  view