NHTSA Complaint #10621636 — 2009 CHRYSLER ASPEN

DESCRIPTION TO BE SENT BY EMAIL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS TRANSMISSION. DESCRIPTION EMAIL WILL BEAR THIS TEMPORARY FILE NUMBER. ON A WEEKDAY SOMETIME IN MAY 2014, I STOPPER AT A STOP SIGN, WITHOUT HE ENGINE FULLY HEATED UP, TURNED THE WHEEL OVER TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAD DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, APPROXIMATELY 5% OF TRAVEL, THE ENGINE REMAINED AT THE STANDARD 650 RPM CURB IDLE SPEED. HOLDING MY FOOT AT THAT POSITION, THE ENGINE REMAINED AT CURB IDLE FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE SECONDS. THE RED THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHTENING BOLT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. ENGINE OPERATION WAS OTHERWISE NORMAL. AFTER ABOUT THREE SECONDS, THE ENGINE INCREASED SPEED NORMALLY, THE RED LIGHT WENT OFF AND I DROVE OFF WITHOUT FURTHER MALFUNCTION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE AT ANY TIME. AT SOME POINT, IN JUNE 2014. THE SAME MALFUNCTION OCCURRED AGAIN. WHEN OPENING THE THROTTLE FROM A STANDING START, THE ENGINE REFUSED TO RESPOND TO THE THROTTLE AND REMAINED AT CURB IDLE FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE SECONDS. THE RED THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT REMAINED ON FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE SECONDS, AND THE ENGINE THEN RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. AGAIN, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. FOR MONTHS, THERE WAS A VERY MILD LOW RPM FLAT-SPOTTING SYMPTOM. SPECIFICALLY, ONCE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, SMALL OPENINGS OF THE THROTTLE PRODUCED ONLY VERY MILD ACCELERATION, WITHOUT HESITATION. PUSHING THE THROTTLE DOWN A LITTLE FURTHER PRODUCED NORMAL ACCELERATION WITHOUT A DOWNSHIFT. ON JULY 19, 2014, I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP AND PULLED OUT ONTO A FEEDER ROAD. I NOTICED THE FLAT-SPOTTING AGAIN ON THE THROTTLE OPENING AT LOW RPM. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I TURNED THE KEY TO ON AND ONCE AGAIN FOLLOWED THE SLOWLY DEPRESS FULLY CALIBRATION PROCEDURE. THIS PROCEDURE INVOLVED FULLY REMOVING MY FOOT FROM THE PEDAL, AT THE END OF THE PROCEDURE. I TURNED THE KEY OFF AND THEN RE-STARTED THE CAR. INSTANTLY UPON FIRING, THE ENGINE WENT TO A 4000 RP