Explorer cruise control jams open in Victoria

[Whitey Ford]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/dri...-1225810668864

A MAN frantically jumped up and down on his brakes after being forced into oncoming freeway traffic today after his cruise control jammed.

The 22-year-old Melbourne man was travelling along the outbound lanes of the Eastern Freeway in his Ford Explorer about 12.40pm when he went to take the Burke Rd exit and was unable to get his car out of cruise control.

The man, who has not been identified, called 000 and a police van caught up with the car, travelling at 80km/h, at Springvale Rd.

Were you in the area? Did you see any of the drama?
Tell us below or contact our news desk on 03 9292 1226
Send video or pictures: MMS to 0404 333 444 or email online@heraldsun.com.au

Other police cars provided an escort and assisted in clearing the way along Eastlink, as 000 operators contacted Ford to try to find a solution.

The car was moved over to left lanes as police lights and sirens cleared a path.

The driver told police he tried to brake, knock the car out of gear and remove the keys, all to no avail.

The car finally came off the freeway at Frankston and continued through the Cranbourne Rd intersection on to the Moorooduc Highway.

But the terrifying scenario got worse, as the driver encountered banked-up traffic near the Monash University Peninsula Campus and was forced to cross over the road into oncoming traffic.

In a frantic attempt to avoid a collision he jumped up and down on the brakes and pulled on the handbrake.

The car finally stopped on the wrong side of the road, just over the railway line about 1.10pm.

An ambulance took the driver to hospital suffering from shock.

Comment is being sought from Ford.

Sure sounds like user error.

I believe that cruise control automatically disengages if the speed drops 20km/h below the set speed, so it sounds like at the end when he managed to engage the handbrake, the speed dropped enough for the system to turn off.

Sounds like his brake switch broke which is why he couldn't disengage the cruise control by pressing the brakes.

Why couldn't he engage neutral though?