NHTSA Complaint #10468517 — 2011 JEEP PATRIOT

I WAS DRIVING ON NB I-5 IN A 2005 SUBARU. THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WAS THIS 2011 JEEP PATRIOT THAT I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT. WE WERE DRIVING APPROX. 65MPH. I WAS NOT TAILGATTING! THE JEEP PATRIOT'S POWER DIED. THE DRIVER THOUGHT SHE WAS NOT GETTING GAS AND KEPT HITTING THE GAS PEDAL. SHE NEVER HIT THE BRAKE. I DID NOT SEE A BRAKE LIGHT AND IT TOOK ME A COUPLE SECONDS TO REALIZE SHE HAD SLOWED, THEN STOPPED (THAT IS WHY I PUT SHE WAS GOING APPROX. 30MPH). RESEARCH SHOWS IT TAKES 2-1/2 TIME LONGER TO BRAKE IF YOU DO NOT SEE BRAKE LIGHTS. SHE DID NOT PULL OVER TO THE MEDIAN. NEEDLESS TO SAY, BY THE TIME I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES, I HIT HER. I WAS STILL GOING ABOUT 55MPH. MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. MY 85 YEAR OLD MOTHER WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME AND WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. I WAS ALSO INJURED BUT WAS ABLE TO RECOVER IN A MATTER OF 6-8 WEEKS. AS I RESEARCH THIS VEHICLE, I FIND THAT NOT ONLY THE 2011 PATRIOT HAS THIS PROBLEM, BUT SO DOES THE 2012 PATRIOT. WHEN IS JEEP GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. APPARENTLY JEEP MECHANICS KNOW THIS PROBLEM OCCURS BUT DO NOT KNOW WHY. BTW, THIS WAS A RENTAL VEHICLE FOR THE DRIVER OF THE PATRIOT. *TR