NHTSA Complaint #10692288 — 1997 HONDA CIVIC

DATE AND MILEAGE ARE APPROXIMATE. THIS WAS MY WIFE'S CAR WHICH I VERY SELDOM DROVE. NOT LONG AFTER THE CAR WAS NEW, I DROVE IT AND THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED (THE DATE I'VE LISTED IS ONLY APPROXIMATE): I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 20MPH AND HAD TO STOP FOR A RED LIGHT. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINE RPM DID NOT SLOW DOWN TO IDLE, AND TRIED TO KEEP MOVING THE CAR FORWARD. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION TO KEEP FROM HAVING A CRASH. THIS IS NOT AN ACCELERATOR PEDAL PROBLEM AS I SHALL EXPLAIN LATER. I CALLED THE HONDA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN TO BRING THE CAR IN. I TOLD MY WIFE WHAT TO DO IF IT HAPPENED TO HER. EITHER IT NEVER HAPPENED TO HER OR IT DID AND SHE NEVER TOLD ME. MY WIFE DIED AT THE END OF JANUARY 2015. SINCE THEN, I HAVE SOMETIMES DRIVEN HER CIVIC. ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS AGO THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED: I HAD DRIVEN SEVERAL MILES AND HAD TO STOP. THE ENGINE RPM DID NOT SLOW! I IMMEDIATELY PUT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE RPM IMMEDIATELY SLOWED TO IDLE. THIS IS NOT A STUCK ACCELERATOR PROBLEM BECAUSE, IF IT WERE, THE ENGINE RPM WOULD HAVE INCREASED WHEN I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. IT IS NOT A BRAKE PROBLEM UNLESS THE BRAKES ARE SOMEHOW PHYSICALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY CONNECTED TO THE ENGINE RPM. YESTERDAY, MARCH 4, 2015, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED TWICE AGAIN AFTER I HAD DRIVEN ONLY ABOUT 3 BLOCKS. IN BOTH CASES I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I HAVE CONTACTED HONDA USA ABOUT THIS SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. NOTE: I HAVE SPENT ALMOST ALL OF MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE IN THE AREA OF SAFETY ANALYSIS. *TR