NHTSA Complaint #10322683 — 2006 HONDA PILOT

MY HUSBAND HAD 3 EPISODES OF SURGING WHILE EXITING HIGHWAYS OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO IN MY 2006 HONDA PILOT. EACH TIME HE HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL TO STOP IT. AFTER DRIVING AT SUSTAINED SPEED ON A HIGHWAY, I SLOWED TO PULL OFF AT THE EXIT RAMP, WHICH WAS AN INCLINE, AND THE CAR SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD, THE ENGINE MADE A SOUND AS IF IT WERE RACING AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP EVEN WITH PUTTING MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE PEDAL AND APPLYING ALL THE STRENGTH OF BOTH FEET. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND IT DID STOP, BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ROAR. THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT IMPEDING THE ACCELERATOR AND THE ACCELERATOR WAS NOT PUSHED DOWN, IT WAS IN THE PROPER POSITION. THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER EXAMINED THE CAR AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG - NO CODES HAD BEEN TRIGGERED. WE HAD YET ANOTHER EVENT WITH MY HUSBAND DRIVING THIS TIME ABOUT A MONTH LATER, AND MYSELF AND TWO OTHER WITNESSES IN THE CAR. HONDA HAD A REGIONAL PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER EXAMINE THE CAR AFTER THE SECOND EVENT AND HE FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS FRIGHTENED AND VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THEY WERE NOT DOING SOMETHING MORE TO FIND AND REMEDY THE PROBLEM. A HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPERVISOR THEN CONTACTED ME TO REVIEW THE EVENTS AND TOLD ME HE WOULD TAKE THE ISSUE "TO THE ENGINEERS" BECAUSE IT WAS VERY UNUSUAL THAT 2 DRIVERS WOULD EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM IF IT WAS DRIVER ERROR. HE CALLED BACK AND TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINEERS (WHO DID NOT LOOK AT THE CAR) SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM CALLED BRIDGING, WHERE YOU ACCIDENTLY PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL WHILE BRAKING. HE DID NOT ADDRESS WHY NEITHER ONE OF US HAD EVER EXPERIENCE "BRIDGING" THE FIRST FEW YEARS THAT WE OWNED THE CAR, WHEN WE BOTH HAD DRIVEN IT EXTENSIVELY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR HAS 52K MILES ON IT CURRENTLY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND SOMEONE NEEDS TO DEAL WITH IT BEFORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED. I KNOW THAT I DID NOT HAVE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE GAS PEDAL AT THE SAME TIME AND NEITHER DID MY HUSBAND.