NHTSA Complaint #10108218 — 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

OUR 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 5.7L LIMITED HAS NOW ON TWO OCCASIONS WHEN STOPPED AND IN GEAR WITH BRAKE ON , RAPIDLY ACCELERATED. ONCE IN REVERSE, AND ONCE IN FORWARD. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON JAN 14TH WHEN I WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL WAITING FOR MY WIFE TO GET IN AFTER JUST BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE AND RESTING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. FORTUNATELY, JUST BEFORE SHE STEPPED INTO THE OPEN DOOR THE CAR ACCELERATED RAPIDLY BACKWARD AT FULL THROTTLE UNTIL I COULD HIT THE BREAKS HARD. THE CAR WENT APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET. AGAIN YESTERDAY AS MY WIFE STOPPED AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO GET OUR MAIL, SHE REALIZED SHE NEEDED TO BACKUP AND GET CLOSER TO THE MAIL BOX. AS SHE PULLED FORWARD-A DISTANCE OF 10 FEED, SHE CAME TO A GRADUAL STOP JUST BEFORE THE MAIL BOX. THE CAR THEN LEAPED FORWARD AT HIGH ACCELERATION SMASHING OFF TWO MAILBOXES MOUNDED ON A 4*4 POST SPLITTING IT IN HALF, THEN WENT APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET BEFORE CRASHING THROUGH A SNOW BANK AND HITTING A LARGE WOODED HEDGE. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO LARGE SCRATCH IN THE HOOD, SMALL DENTS ABOVE HEAD LIGHT, DENT ON FRONT QUARTER PANEL , AND SMALL DENT ON RIGHT DOOR. WE HAVE FILED A POLICE REPORT, CONTACTED OUR INSURANCE AGENT, AND CONTACTED CHRYSLER WHO PROMISED TO DO AN INVESTIGATION NEXT WEEK. MY ASSESSMENT IS THE BREAK PEDAL, AND THE GAS PEDAL IS 2.5 INCHES APART, AND WHEN YOU SLOWLY APPLY THE BREAK IT WILL SQUASH TO THE POINT THAT IT IS AT OR BELOW THE GAS PEDAL LEVEL. IF WEARING HEAVY SHOES OR BOOTS THIS CAUSES THE SIDE OF THE SHOE TO HIT THE GAS PEDAL THEREFORE THE RAPID ACCELERATION OF THE VERY RESPONSIVE 5.7 HEMI ENGINE. WE WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO NOTIFY ALL WHO ARE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE TO BE VERY CAREFUL...AS THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IN BOTH SITUATIONS.*AK