NHTSA Complaint #11020054 — 2016 JEEP RENEGADE

WHILE DRIVING MY 2016 JEEP RENEGADE TRAILHAWK ON A CITY STREET IT BEGAN ACCELERATING RAPIDLY ON ITS OWN. I BEGAN ENGAGING THE BRAKES TO TRY TO SLOW THE VEHICLE INITIALLY AND THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO THE POINT OF REDLINE. I ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL BUT THE COMMAND CENTER KEPT OVERRIDING MY INPUT; I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO JAM THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL BY SLAMMING THE PALM OF MY HAND INTO THE SHIFTER DRIVING FORCING THE NEUTRAL SHIFT. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SHOULD OF THE ROAD WHERE THE CAR CONTINUED RUNNING AT REDLINE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES WHILE I ATTEMPTED TO STOMP ON THE ACCELERATOR HOPING TO GET THE VEHICLE TO DISENGAGE. DUE TO THE ELECTRONIC CONTROLS YOU CANNOT TURN THE CAR OFF WHILE IN NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE RUNNING AT SUCH HIGH RPMS. AFTER ROUGHLY 10 ATTEMPTS AT STOMPING ON THE ACCELERATOR HOPING TO GET THE VEHICLE TO RESPOND IT DROPPED TO A STANDARD IDLE. ONLY BEING A SHORT DISTANCE FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT I LIMPED THE CAR BACK HOME. DURING THAT TIME THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING, THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, THE TEMP SENSOR SPIKED TO MAX TEMP, THE OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE A/C BEGAN TO BLOW HOT AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. UPON SAFELY PULLING IN MY DRIVEWAY IT SMELLED OF A HOT BURNING RUBBER/OIL SMELL AND THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF FLUID LEAKING FROM THE CAR THAT APPEARED TO BE THE SYNTHETIC OIL.