NHTSA Complaint #10660463 — 2011 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

I HAD AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION OCCUR ON NOVEMBER 15, 2014 WITH OUR 2011 GRAND CHEROKEE. AROUND 7 P.M., I WAS MERGING ONTO INTERSTATE 95 SOUTH FROM 332, THE NEWTOWN, PA EXIT. I DID A HARD ACCELERATION TO AVOID TRAFFIC BRINGING UP THE REAR. THE ENGINE THEN ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY ... SO FAST THAT THE TACHOMETER WAS PINNED TO THE RIGHT SIDE ... INTO THE RED ZONE NEAR 7K. A LATER CHECK OF THE VEHICLE MAXIMUM SPEED ON THE GARMIN GPS REVEALED IT PEAKED AT 97 M.P.H. WITH MY FOOT COMPLETELY OFF THE GAS PEDAL, THE ENGINE WAS PINNED TO MAXIMUM REVS. I HONESTLY THOUGHT IT WOULD DISINTEGRATE. IN THE SPAN OF A FEW SECONDS, I KNEW NOT TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, AS I WOULD HAVE LOST STEERING. I HAD THE PRESENCE OF MIND TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL, TO AT LEAST STOP THE SPEEDING. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV OUT OF CONTROL. I BELIEVE I WAS KICKING THE GAS PEDAL, AND THE ENGINE EVENTUALLY RELEASED ITS GRIP ON SPEED AND RETURNED TO NEAR-IDLE, UPON WHICH I RE-ENGAGED TO DRIVE. IF A CAR WERE ANYWHERE AHEAD OR NEAR ME, A DEVASTATING WRECK WOULD HAVE BEEN THE RESULT. I TOOK THE JEEP TO THE REEDMAN-TOLL SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN LANGHORNE, PA. THEY COULD FIND NOTHING THAT WOULD CONFIRM THE INCIDENT. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE. AN AGENT NAMED [XXX] TOOK MY REPORT AND SAID HE HAD NO SIMILAR REPORTS. I FIND IT DISTRESSING THAT NOTHING IN THE JEEP 'BLACK BOX' RECORDING SYSTEM WOULD HAVE A RECORD OF THIS POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT. THE REEDMAN SERVICE ADVISOR SPECULATED THAT I MAY HAVE 'RESET' THE SOFTWARE IF AND WHEN I WAS KICKING THE ACCELERATOR WHILE THE EVENT WAS UNDER WAY. 'INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR