NHTSA Complaint #10715849 — 2013 CHRYSLER 300

WITH MY CHILD IN THE CAR, ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE, I ACCELERATED TO AVOID A SUDDENLY SWERVING 18-WHEELER. MY CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATION AFTER I RELEASED THE PEDAL. I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT COULDN'T GET IT TO STOP. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (AND AVAILABLE, GIVEN ROAD WORK AND FAST, HEAVY TRAFFIC), I PULLED OVER TO THE INSIDE SHOULDER AND GAINED CONTROL BY USING FULL PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE AS WELL AS ENGAGING THE PARKING BRAKE. THE CAR CONTINUED REVVING HIGH. CALLED CONROE DEMONTROND FOR HELP, AS THAT IS WHERE I BOUGHT THIS CAR, AND THEY CONNECTED ME TO A TOWING COMPANY, WHICH WAS USELESS AS CAR COULDN'T BE SWITCHED OFF -- I HAD MANAGED TO PUT CAR INTO NEUTRAL, BUT ENGINE WOULDN'T STOP REVVING, AND I WASN'T ABLE TO PUT IT INTO PARK OR TO STOP THE CAR. I HAD TO MAKE A DECISION BETWEEN TWO DANGEROUS SITUATIONS: SEND MY CHILD ONTO THE PACKED HIGHWAY, OR HAVE HER REMAIN IN THE CAR WITH ME, WHICH I WAS GROWING ALARMED MIGHT EXPLODE GIVEN THE HIGH REVOLUTION AND ACCOMPANYING NOISE. I SENT HER OUT WITH THE CAR FOB. AFTER WHAT SEEMED FOREVER, THE CAR SHUT DOWN, AS THE FOB WAS GONE FOR LONG ENOUGH. IT HAPPENED A SECOND TIME, AS I WAS RETURNING FROM THE TRIP I HAD TO TAKE DURING THE FIRST PROBLEM, BUT THE CAR "SNAPPED OUT OF IT" MORE EASILY. DEALERSHIP GAVE ME A VERY HARD TIME ABOUT THIS, AND IN THE END SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THEY RE-SET THE COMPUTER, AND FOR A BIT OVER A MONTH, IT SEEMED OKAY WITH A FEW HICCUPS, BUT EVENTUALLY, THE CAR HAS BEGUN TO "STICK" ON ACCELERATION AGAIN, AND OCCASIONALLY NOW LAGS, OR MISSES, BEFORE ACCELERATION. I RECEIVED NOTE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR FROM THE MANUFACTURER MONTHS AGO. THIS MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR THE CAR'S PROBLEM, BUT IT IS DOUBTFUL AS FAR AS THE STICKING GOES, SINCE THE PROBLEM LISTED BY THE NOTICE IS STALLING. I DO WONDER IF IT MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR THE NEWER PROBLEM, THOUGH. YESTERDAY, THE SUNROOF EXPLODED