NHTSA Complaint #10292018 — 2004 HONDA CIVIC

I DRIVE A 2004 MANUAL HONDA CIVIC. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET AT ABOUT 70 MPH. SUDDENLY, I FELT MY CAR SPEED UP SUBSTANTIALLY AND WHEN I LOOK AT THE SPEEDOMETER I WAS TRAVELING OVER 85 MPH. I IMMEDIATELY CANCELED CRUISE CONTROL BUT MY CAR CONTINUED TO GAIN SPEED. I HIT MY BRAKES WHICH CAUSED MY CAR TO SHUDDER VIOLENTLY. WHEN MY FOOT WASN'T ON THE BRAKES, MY CAR CONTINUED TO QUICKLY GAIN SPEED. I ATTEMPTED TO MOVE THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND COAST TO A STOP, BUT WHEN I PUT THE CLUTCH IN MY RPM'S ROSE TO ABOUT 8,000 AND DIDN'T GO DOWN EVEN WHEN THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR ALSO CONTINUED TO INCREASE IN SPEED EVEN WHEN IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. I MOVED BACK INTO 5TH GEAR AND CONTINUED DOWN THE HIGHWAY GOING BETWEEN 85-95 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT SPEED ONLY WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES. I PLACED A CALL TO 911 AND INFORMED THEM THAT I COULDN'T STOP MY CAR. THE 911 DISPATCHER CONTACTED HIGHWAY PATROL WHO SET OUT TO CATCH ME. ONCE A HIGHWAY PATROLMAN WAS BEHIND ME, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, EVEN THOUGH THE RPM'S WOULD SHOOT UP, AND COAST TO A STOP. THE CAR SHOOK ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLY WHILE I WAS SLOWING DOWN AND EVEN AT A COMPLETE STOP IN NEUTRAL ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE RPM'S WERE AT ABOUT 8,000. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY TURNED THE CAR ON AND WITNESSED THE RPM'S IMMEDIATELY SHOOT UP TO 8,000 AGAIN. AFTER LOOKING UNDER THE HOOD THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE A CAUSE FOR THE INCIDENT. WHEN THEY TURNED THE CAR ON AGAIN IT STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY. NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE CAR WAS DONE, AND LUCKILY THE FREEWAY WAS UNCROWDED SO AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. *TR