NHTSA Complaint #10508602 — 2012 NISSAN LEAF

DRIVER AND DRIVER'S YOUNG CHILD WERE IN VEHICLE. THE DRIVER WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION AND SLIGHTLY INCREASED SPEED TO CROSS INTERSECTION. ACCELERATOR PEDAL DROPPED TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN SHARP ACCELERATION AT FULL POWER TOWARDS THE NEXT INTERSECTION. THE NEXT INTERSECTION CONTAINED OTHER VEHICLES AND A RAILROAD CROSSING, AND DISPLAYED A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT SIGNAL AGAINST THE VEHICLE'S DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. THE DRIVER PRESSED BRAKES AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE, BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED SHARPLY AGAIN WHEN THE BRAKES WERE RELEASED. THE DRIVER PRESSED BRAKES AGAIN AND PULLED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SWITCH TO SLOW THE VEHICLE AGAIN. THE DRIVER THEN PUSHED THE PARK BUTTON LOCATED ON THE SHIFTER AND THE VEHICLE JERKED TO A STOP. THE DRIVER THEN LOOKED AT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND SAW THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS NOT PHYSICALLY STUCK. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO FORCE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO POP BACK UP TO ITS NORMAL POSITION BY USING DRIVER'S HAND. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE INCIDENT, STATED THAT "NO CODES WERE STORED, NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL, VEHICLE INSPECTED BY NISSAN DTS...AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE AT THIS TIME." NISSAN STATES THAT NO REPAIR WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE NISSAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AFTER 11 MILES OF TESTING. NISSAN HAS REFUSED TO ACCEPT RETURN OF THE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. *TR