NHTSA Complaint #10346243 — 2004 CHRYSLER PACIFICA

AFTER TURNING RIGHT AT STOP LIGHT AND PROCEEDING SLOWLY WITH ACCELERATION, A LOUD/SHAKING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM 2004 CHRYSLER PACIFICA (SIMILAR TO A CELL PHONE PLACED ON VIBRATE INSTEAD OF RINGING WHEN A CALL IS RECEIVED). WITHIN SECONDS, VEHICLE UNINTENTIONALLY ACCELERATED AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP IT, EVEN AFTER PRESSING ON BRAKES. I WAS A BLOCK AWAY FROM WHERE I HAD TO TURN TO ENTER OUR SUBDIVISION, TRAVELING DOWN A TWO-LANE ROAD. THANKFULLY, NO CARS WERE TRAVELING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, OR COMING OUT OF OUR SUBDIVISION, SO I WAS ABLE TO TURN LEFT TO ENTER OUR SUBDIVISION. TO TRY TO SLOW CAR DOWN, I HAD TO PRESS DOWN ON BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD WHILE TURNING THE WHEEL, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE, ALMOST HITTING A LIGHT POLE. AFTER TURNING AND STOPPING THE SWERVE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED EVEN FURTHER, REACHING THE '4' ON THE TACHOMETER (BEFORE THE TURN, IT HAD BEEN AT A '3'). AS I APPROACHED THE FOUR-WAY STOP IN OUR SUBDIVISION, I AGAIN STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD, BUT IT HAD NO EFFECT. THE TACHOMETER READ '4', BUT THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWED 30 MPH, REGARDLESS OF HOW HARD I PRESSED ON BRAKES. I COULD NOT BRAKE AT ALL, AND WAS LOSING THE ABILITY TO STEER AS I APPROACHED THE SIGN. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE VEHICLE WAS TO PLACE IT IN 'PARK'(WHICH MADE THE TACHOMETER GO EVEN HIGHER) AND REMOVE THE KEYS TO TURN OFF THE CAR AS QUICKLY AS I COULD. THIS STOPPED THE CAR RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE STOP SIGN. I WAITED ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART CAR, BUT AFTER IGNITION KEY WAS TURNED, TACHOMETER REVVED UP AGAIN TO '4', THOUGH SPEEDOMETER READ '0'. HUSBAND MANEUVERED CAR THE ONE BLOCK HOME BY PLACING IT IN 'NEUTRAL'. THIS IS THE FIRST INCIDENT OF THIS NATURE. CHRYSLER TO BE NOTIFIED IN MORNING, AS I CALLED AFTER BUSINESS HOURS (7:41 PM CST). MYSELF, TWO KIDS, AND TWO DOGS WERE IN THE CAR DRIVING DOWN WHAT IS NORMALLY A BUSY TWO-LANE ROAD AND INTO SUBDIVISION FULL OF PLAYING CHILDREN, TRULY A MIRACLE NO ONE WAS INJURED. *TR