NHTSA Complaint #10660906 — 2004 ACURA TL

I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 45-50 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES SUDDENLY CAME ON VERY HARD WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE BRAKE PEDDLE AND THE CAR SLOWED VERY RAPIDLY (IN A STRAIGHT LINE) ALMOST TO A STOP. THE BRAKES WERE THEN RELEASED AS SUDDENLY AS THEY HAD BEEN APPLIED BEFORE THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE PULSES FROM THE ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) DURING THE BRAKING PERIOD INDICATED THE BRAKES WERE BEING APPLIED RATHER THAN A PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD TO CHECK THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS STILL FUNCTIONAL AND THAT NO UNUSUAL FAULT LIGHTS WERE BEING DISPLAYED ON THE DASH. SINCE EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL I RESUMED MY JOURNEY ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME SPONTANEOUS BRAKING PHENOMENON OCCUR FIVE OR SIX TIMES OVER THE NEXT 2-3 MILES. FORTUNATELY I WAS CLOSE TO AN ACURA DEALER SO I DROVE THE CAR AT 40 MPH WITH EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON TO THE ACURA DEALER (ABOUT 3 MILES AWAY). DRIVING THE CAR AT 40 MPH DID NOT PROMPT A RECURRENCE OF THESE SPONTANEOUS BRAKING EPISODES OVER THIS DISTANCE. THE ACURA DEALER DIAGNOSED A FAULTY ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR AND REPLACED THE SENSOR ASSEMBLY. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECURRENCE OF THESE SPONTANEOUS BRAKING EPISODES OVER THE 39 MILES I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE THE ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR WAS REPLACED. I CONSIDER THIS SPONTANEOUS BRAKING PROBLEM WITH MY 2004 ACURA TL AS EXTREMELY SERIOUS. HAD A BUS, TRUCK, LARGE SUV OR PICK UP TRUCK BEEN FOLLOWING CLOSELY BEHIND ME WHEN THESE BRAKING EPISODES OCCURRED I THINK IT QUITE LIKELY A SERIOUS AND FATAL ACCIDENT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. *TR