NHTSA Complaint #10128662 — 2003 AUDI A4

ON JULY 2, 2005, AT APPROXIMATELY 11:00 A.M., I WAS DRIVING WITH MY TWO CHILDREN (AGES 7 AND 9) NORTH ON INTERSTATE 5 NEAR LAJOLLA, CA. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 70-75 MILES PER HOUR. SUDDENLY, MY CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. THINKING THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL HAD ENGAGED, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TO DISENGAGE IT. ALTHOUGH MY CAR SLOWED A SMALL AMOUNT, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV HIGHER. I THEN TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE (FEARING THAT MY BRAKES WOULD WEAR OUT AND WERE NOT VERY EFFECTIVE IN ANY EVENT), AND THE CAR ACCLERATED AGAIN. I SUCCEEDED IN MOVING TOWARD THE SHOULDER, PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, AND APPLIED THE BRAKE. WHILE THIS SUCCEEDED IN STOPPING THE CAR, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV UP AS I WAS STOPPED IN THE EMERGENCY LANE. WITH MY LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE, I USED MY RIGHT FOOT TO STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR IN AN EFFORT TO DISENGAGE IT. AFTER APPROXIMATELY A MINUTE, THE ACCELERATOR DISENGAGED, AND THE ENGINE REV'D DOWN. AFTER THE INCIDENT, I DROVE THE CAR HOME AT A SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER SPEED, AND THE PROBLEM DID NOT RECUR. ON TUESDAY, JULY 5, I CALLED MIRAMAR AUDI AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO BEN BOSWELL. HE ASKED ME WHEN AND WHERE THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE, AND WHETHER THERE WAS ANY CONSTRUCTION IN THE AREA. HE EXPLAINED THAT AUDI NORTH AMERICA HAD INSTRUCTED HIM TO ASK THIS QUESTION, BECAUSE THEY HAD RECEIVED OTHER COMPLAINTS OF AUDI A4S WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. (THERE WAS NO CONSTRUCTION). HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE HAD 4 OR 5 A4S IN THE SHOP WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. MY CAR WAS AT MIRAMAR AUDI FROM JULY 5 UNTIL JULY 13. ON MONDAY, JULY 11, MR. BOSWELL TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD RUN A COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC ON MY CAR, AND COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE HAD HAD EXTENSIVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH AUDI NORTH AMERICA, AND THAT HE HAD BEEN TOLD TO RELEASE THE CAR TO ME. AFTER SEVERAL CONTACTS WITH AUDI NORTH AMERICA (WHICH I CAN PROVIDE IN DETAIL), I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY MY FLOORMAT BEING OUT OF POSITION.