NHTSA Complaint #10481209 — 2007 CHEVROLET IMPALA

EXITING THE DARTMOUTH STREET PARKING GARAGE (UNDERGROUND) ON DARTMOUTH ST. BOSTON, MA. EXIT RAMP IS A MODERATE INCLINE. AS I APPROACHED THE GARAGE ATTENDANT BOOTH TO PAY PARKING FEE, I LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR LETTING THE CAR COAST TO A STOP WHILE I RETRIEVED THE PARKING TIME/DATE RECEIPT. WHEN I LOCATED THE RECEIPT (ABOUT 5 SECONDS) FROM THE CENTER CONSOLE I LOOKED UP TO FIND THE CAR WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN THE RAMP TOWARD A CONCRETE WALL (BY THIS TIME) APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH. NOTE: I AM A 50 YEAR OLD, (MALE) RETIRED POLICE OFFICE AND WAS TRAINED IN RADAR SPEED ENFORCEMENT INCLUDING CERTIFIED IN SPEED ESTIMATION AND I AM ALSO "EVOC" (EMERGENCY VEHICLE OPERATOR COURSE) TRAINED. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BEFORE HITTING THE WALL, ANOTHER VEHICLE, OR ANY PEDESTRIANS. I FEEL A TRAGEDY COULD HAVE OCCURRED HAD SOMEONE BEEN WALKING IN THE GARAGE. THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE NO ABILITY TO "HILL HOLD" WHEN IN "DRIVE" AT IDLE. I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW FAST THE AUTO ACCELERATED BACKWARD. I HAVE PERSONALLY DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 750,000+ MILES WITHOUT AN AT FAULT COLLISION. THE CAR SEEMS TO DO THIS WHENEVER ON AN INCLINE AND ON A FEW OTHER OCCASIONS HAD OCCURRED IN PARKING LOTS ROLLING (FORWARD AS WELL AS BACKWARD) AS SOON AS SHIFTED OUT OF "PARK" IN THE FRACTION OF A SECOND TIME THAT IT TAKES TO MOVE MY DRIVING FOOT (RIGHT) FROM BRAKE (DUE TO PARK INTERLOCK) TO ACCELERATOR. NOTE: THIS AUTO IS A 2007 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS WITH 5.3L V8 ENGINE AND FOUR SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. MY PRIMARY CONCERN IS THAT IMPALAS ARE GENERALLY DRIVEN BY ELDERLY DRIVERS WITH SLOWER REFLEXES THAN MYSELF. I HAVE FURTHER FOUND NUMEROUS ONLINE FORUM DISCUSSIONS OF THIS ISSUE BY OWNERS OF ALL ENGINE EQUIPPED CHEVROLET IMPALAS. *TR