NHTSA Complaint #10018552 — 1998 MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS

APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES AFTER FIRST STARTING THE CAR FOR THE DAY AND DRIVING 5 OR 6 MILES ON RURAL ROADS, I STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT FOR 20 OR 30 SECONDS AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO PULL OUT ON TO THE MAIN HIGHWAY. AT FIRST THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE UNTIL I HAD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HALF WAY TO THE FLOOR, AND THEN IT SLOWLY RESPONDED WITH A VERY LOW LEVEL OF POWER. ONCE OUT ON THE HIGHWAY, I HAD TO HOLD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN 50 MILES PER HOUR. SINCE THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FINE OTHERWISE I ASSUMED THAT THERE MUST BE SOME KIND OF COMPUTER PROBLEM INTERRUPTING THE ELECTRICAL SIGNAL FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SO I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED THE IGNITION OFF FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND RESTARTED THE CAR. AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY AND THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE. OBVIOUSLY I WAS LUCKY THAT MY INTERSECTION INCIDENT DID NOT PLACE ME IN THE PATH OF ANY FAST MOVING VEHICLES OR ELSE THE OUTCOME MAY HAVE BEEN QUITE DIFFERENT. *NLM