NHTSA Complaint #10120137 — 2004 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG

I WAS TURNING LEFT AT A FAIRLY BUSY INTERSECTION & HAD WAITED FOR 2 CARS TO GO THAT WERE IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN MY TURN CAME & A GAP APPEARED IN INCOMING TRAFFIC, I REMOVED MY LEFT FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR WITH MY RIGHT FOOT & TURNED. HOWEVER, THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE. IT MOVED INTO THE LANE OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC, BUT JUST IDLED & I COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO MOVE FOR 2 - 3 SECONDS. I PUSHED THE THROTTLE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO EFFECT. A SERIOUS ACCIDENT DID NOT OCCUR ONLY BECAUSE THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES IN TIME. AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER, THE CAR BEGAN TO MOVE & I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED 19 TIMES SINCE & THE CAR HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALER 4 TIMES TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. EACH TIME THEY 'COULD NOT DUPLICATE' THE PROBLEM. NIETHER COULD I UNTIL 3 DAYS AGO WHEN I WAS TOLD BY A VW REP THAT THIS BEHAVIOR IS DESIGNED IN AS A 'SAFETY FEATURE'. HE SAID IT OCCURS WHEN A DRIVER DEPRESSES THE THROTTLE SLIGHTLY, THEN (USING LEFT FOOT) THE BRAKE SLIGHTLY, THEN THE THROTTLE SOME MORE, THEN THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE FOR 2-3 SECONDS. WHAT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO SAFETY IS BEYOND ME. IT'S A SERIOUS DEFECT THAT WILL COST SOMEONE THEIR LIFE & MUST BE CHANGED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.