NHTSA Complaint #10631418 — 2010 DODGE AVENGER

THE CAR WOULD SPUTTER LIKE IT WAS HAVING A HARD TIME ACCELERATING THEN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS ON MY WAY TO A DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. I WAS MERGING ONTO A BUSY INTERSTATE WHEN MY CAR WENT FROM 60-65 MPH DOWN TO 30-35 MPH WHILE I WAS STILL TRYING TO SPEED UP TO MERGE ONTO THE INTERSTATE. THIS INCIDENT CAME VERY CLOSE TO RESULTING IN ME GETTING REAR ENDED. THE NEXT DAY I WENT AND HAD THE WHOLE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED (JANUARY 2013). IN OCTOBER 2013 I STARTED TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS, THE THROTTLE BODY LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND THE CAR WOULD SPUTTER LIKE IT COULDN'T PICK UP SPEED OR IT WOULD REV UP WHILE I WAS SLOWING DOWN. I HAD THE THROTTLE BODY CLEANED AND IT RAN OKAY FOR A WEEK OR TWO. THEN SEPTEMBER 2013 I TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP YET AGAIN, THEY SAID IT WAS OLD CODES CAUSING THE PROBLEM. THEY CLEARED THE CODES AND IT WAS FINE FOR A LITTLE BIT. THEN AROUND APRIL 2014 IT WOULD START UP AGAIN. IT WOULD RUN FINE AND ON OCCASION THE THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT WOULD COME ON. BUT IN AUGUST 2014 IT STARTED ACTING UP AGAIN. THE RPMS WOULD REV UP FROM 1 TO 3 WHILE IN PARK. I WOULD BE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE CAR WOULD REV UP FOR NO REASON. IT HAS COMPLETELY STALLED OUT ON ME TWO DAYS IN A ROW. LUCKILY IT WAS WHEN I WAS IN PARKING LOTS. THIS IS A NEWER CAR AND THERE IS NO LOGICAL REASON TO HAVE THIS MUCH ONGOING TROUBLE WITH THE THROTTLE BODY EXCEPT SOME KIND OF DEFECT. IT IS ALSO VERY DANGEROUS. BECAUSE IT WILL ACT UP A DAY OR TWO THEN BE FINE FOR A FEW DAYS MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR A SHOP TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT THE CAR IS DOING. THE LIGHT COMES ON AND IT ACTS UP AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON IT'LL BE FINE. BUT THE FACT THAT IT WILL STALL OUT OR DECELERATE WITH NO NOTICE IS VERY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY SINCE I DRIVE ON A BUSY INTERSTATE AT LEAST TWICE A DAY. *TR