NHTSA Complaint #10861608 — 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

ON MARCH 8, 2016, WHILE DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE 49 IN HARRISONVILLE, MO, THE ENGINE SPEED RACED WHEN TAKEN OFF CRUISE CONTROL. THE JEEP STAYED AT HIGHWAY SPEED -- ABOVE 60MPH -- AND EVEN PRESSING THE BRAKES DID NOT SLOW DOWN THE JEEP. THE ONLY WAY I WAS ABLE TO GET THE JEEP UNDER CONTROL WAS TO TURN OFF THE ENTIRE ENGINE IGNITION. ONLY BY EXERTING EFFORT TO OVERCOME AND COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WAS I ABLE TO COAST TO A SAFE STOP OFF THE HIGHWAY. THE TOW OPERATOR WHO RESPONDED ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENGINE BUT FOUND THE SAME RESULT ' RUNAWAY ENGINE REVS. THE JEEP WAS TOWED TO DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT EVENING. THE NEXT MORNING, SERVICE ADVISOR INVESTIGATED AND DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE PEDAL WAS STUCK DOWN TO THE FLOOR. HE LOOSENED IT BY MANIPULATION. THE THROTTLE BUTTERFLY VALVE WAS FOUND TO BE STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION BY A SHREDDED PIECE OF RUBBER THAT FLAKED OFF THE RESONATOR BODY INTAKE CONNECTOR. SERVICE DEPARTMENT PERFORMED: 'RUBBER FROM INTAKE SEAL STUCK THROTTLE BODY. REMOVED DEBRIS'. THE TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME THE PIECE OF SHREDDED RUBBER AND GAVE IT TO ME. I KEPT IT, AND THE ENTIRE DEFECTIVE RESONATOR BODY, IN MY POSSESSION. THERE MAY BE OTHER REPORTS OF RUNAWAY ENGINE REVS BUT THIS INSTANCE SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO THE DESIGN OF THE RESONATOR INTAKE PATHWAY. ALTHOUGH MY JEEP HAS 246,289 MILES ON IT, THE DEFECT WAS NOT A RESULT OF WEAR BUT SEEMS TO BE RESULT OF DEFECTIVE DESIGN. THE INTAKE AIR PATHWAY IS SUBJECT TO SHREDDING RUBBER PARTS WHICH CAN COME LOOSE, ENTER THE INTAKE AIR PATHWAY AND BLOCK THE THROTTLE BUTTERFLY. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN UNNECESSARILY HAZARDOUS DESIGN.