NHTSA Complaint #10079164 — 2000 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

(1) WHILE TRAVELING 70 MPH WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULD NOT DISENGAGE WHEN I A)TAPPED THE BRAKE, B)MANUALLY TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL, AND C)WHEN I PHYSICALLY ATTEMPTED TO PULL UP ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE SPEED OF THE CAR INCREASED STEADILY, NEARING 90 MPH, BEFORE I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, PRESSING BOTH FEET (FULL BODY WEIGHT) ON THE BRAKES AND HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF MANY STEEP HILLS, WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR TO 25 MPH, ALLOWING ME TO MOVE TO AN OFF RAMP AND TURNING OFF THE ENGINE. THE CAR WAS TOWED APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES TO THE JEEP DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT ALL THAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR WAS THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF CARBON BUILD-UP AROUND THE ACCELERATOR CABLE, AND THAT IS WHY IT STUCK. THEY SAID THAT "WE SEE THIS ALOT IN JEEPS THAT ARE DRIVEN ALOT IN THE CITY". UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS NOT THE CASE WITH MY JEEP, WHICH WAS REGULARLY DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY (~100 MILES EACH WEEKEND), AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT I HAD JUST DRIVEN FROM PITTSBURGH TO INDIANAPOLIS AND WAS RETURNING HOME WHEN THIS OCCURRED. ANY CARBON IN MY ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REMOVED THROUGH THIS MUCH DRIVING.*AK