I have a 2005 4 cyl, FWD. If I had the second op to buy another Tribute, I would probably not. Yes, I do notice that the pedal can be hard to push down. Have you had any other brand car that did this? My husband has had a Honda civic, drove his Dad's 280Z around, several Mitzu Eclipses..and none had this problem. Since this is essentially a Ford Escape, I wonder if it has similar accelerator issues.