NHTSA Complaint #10487412 — 2008 VOLVO S60

ON THE ABOVE DATE I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO PULL OUT OF PARKING SPACE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER RELEASING MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE AND BEFORE TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR ACCELERATED IN REVERSE SO FAST THAT I BOUNCED OFF A CEMENT POLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT. THE FORCE WAS SO GREAT THAT THE VEHICLE BOUNCED THREE TIMES BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP IT WHICH I DID BY APPLYING THE BRAKE AND BEING BLOCKED BY THE POLE. AFTER I CAME TO A STOP I REALIZED THAT IT WAS IN FACT THE POLE THAT HAD STOPPED MY CAR. I WAS ALSO BLOCKING THE PARKING LOT SO I PUT MY FOOT BACK ON BRAKE AND PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE TO GET OUT OF WAY OF OTHER MOTORISTS AND TO ASSESS DAMAGE TO THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE. AT THIS POINT, TO MY SURPRISE, AS I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND BEFORE I COULD TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR, THE VEHICLE DID THE SAME THING IN DRIVE AS IT HAD DONE IN REVERSE AND I WENT HURLING TOWARD A VERY BUSY FOUR LANE STREET. I APPLIED FOOT BRAKE AND PULLED EMERGENCY BRAKE AND WAS STILL NOT ABLE TO STOP DUE TO THE FORCE OF ACCELERATION. THANKFULLY I HIT THE CEMENT PARKING MARKER AND A DIVIDER WHICH RAISED MY CAR OFF GROUND SO THAT THE FRONT WHEELS WE IN THE AIR. NEVER ONCE DID MY FOOT TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR OF THE VEHICLE NOR WAS THEIR ANYTHING ELSE TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR. *TR