NHTSA Complaint #10471780 — 2006 ACURA RL

DRIVING DOWN STEEP "S" TURN IN MOUNTAINS WHEN BATTERY CABLE DISCONNECTED AND ALL OF CAR'S SYSTEMS SHUT DOWN. NO BRAKES, NO STEERING, NO POWER. WORST PART WAS THAT DOORS LOCKED AND WE COULD NOT UNLOCK THEM NOR THE WINDOWS. EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING. THERE WAS NO CELL PHONE SERVICE WHERE WE WERE. IF NOT FOR FOREST RANGER WHO CAME ALONG, BECAUSE OF CAR BEING PARTLY INTO ONE OF THE LANES OF THIS TWO-LANE ROAD, WE WOULD HAVE ROASTED TO DEATH. NOBODY ELSE STOPPED IN SPITE OF "HELP" SIGNS. THERE WAS NO INSIDE MANUAL EXIT FROM CAR. RANGER HAD TO JIGGLE AND HOLD BATTERY CONNECTION UNTIL WE COULD UNLOCK CAR. WE WERE JUST LUCKY WE WEREN'T EITHER GOING FASTER OR IN AREA WITH NO MOUNTAIN TO THE SIDE OF US WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE GONE OFF CLIFF. WE WERE ON A DANGEROUS CURVE AND WERE SCARED TO DEATH SOMEONE WOULD HIT US FROM BEHIND. RANGERS AND ONE OF US DIRECTED TRAFFIC UNTIL TOW TRUCK ARRIVED 1-1/2 HRS LATER. THE BATTERY WAS ONLY A COUPLE MONTHS OLD. TOW TRUCK SAID WRONG BATTERY HAD BEEN INSTALLED AT TIME OF CHANGE AND THAT IT "POPPED" THE CLAMPS THAT ENSURE CONNECTION AND A CHARGE ON THE BATTERY. BUT LOSING A BATTERY CONNECTION SHOULDN'T MEAN SOMEONE IS GOING TO LOSE THEIR LIFE! WE HAD FOUR PEOPLE IN THE CAR, AND WE ALL FEEL WE BARELY ESCAPED. *TR