NHTSA Complaint #11099358 — 2016 JEEP PATRIOT

WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY (~10 MPH) SB I PREPARED TO MAKE A RIGHT-TURN (WB), IN THE ONLY LANE THAT TURNS RIGHT. AS I NEARED THE INTERSECTION THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, ENABLING ME AND THE (1) LANE ON MY LEFT TO GO (IT GOES SB). NO CAR WAS AHEAD OF ME (TO TURN). THE STREET I WAS TURNING ONTO HAD ONE (WB) LANE, AND TWO LANES (STOPPED), THAT GO EB. NOTE: (MAY BE RELEVANT), I FREQUENTLY DOWN-SHIFT (AUTOMATIC) TRANSMISSIONS (USING THE "PADDLES" OR "BUTTONS", WHATEVER'S ON THE SHIFT COLUMN), ON ALL AUTOMATIC TRANS. CARS I DRIVE, WHEN I SLOW DOWN. I DO THIS TO SAVE WEAR & TEAR ON MY BRAKES, WHEN APPROACHING STOP-SIGNS OR RED-LIGHTS. I DOWN SHIFT GRADUALLY, JUST LIKE ON A MANUAL TRANS. WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO, I HOLD THE PADDLE IN THE "UP-SHIFT" MODE, UNTIL I SEE "DRIVE" ON THE TRANS. INDICATOR. IN THIS ACCIDENT, AS THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN (THE TRANS. WAS IN A LOW GEAR), I HELD THE PADDLE IN "UP-SHIFT" MODE (NOTE: I MAY HAVE CLICKED THE PADDLE 1 GEAR UP BEFORE IT WENT TO "DRIVE", I DON'T REMEMBER), AND STARTED THE TURN, BARELY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. WHEN I WAS APPR. HALFWAY (45 DEGREES) INTO THE TURN (POINTED SWB AT THE OPPOSITE TWO LANES), I FELT THE ENGINE "STAGGER" (LIKE IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY SHIFT A MANUAL TRANS. INTO A HIGH GEAR BUT YOU MEANT A LOW GEAR), AND IN A FRACTION OF A SECOND-THE CAR ROCKETED AHEAD (I HEARD RPMS) SLAMMING ME INTO THE WB CAR(S) SO FAST, I DIDN'T EVEN MAKE 90 DEGREES, NOR COULD I BRAKE (I TRIED). THE 1ST CAR IMPACTED WENT BACKWARD (AND TO THE RIGHT) HITTING THE CAR BEHIND, AND HIT THE CAR IN THE RIGHT LANE. NOTE: 1. JEEP WAS TOTALED. 2. THIS ACCIDENT WAS IN DRY WEATHER, MID-MORNING @ INTERSECTION I DRIVE NEARLY EVERY DAY. 3.THE AIRBAG FAILED & I WAS BRIEFLY KNOCKED-OUT W/SOME INJURIES. 4. THIS IS NOT: " I HIT THE GAS BUT MEANT THE BRAKE" CASE, I WENT FROM SLOW TO ROCKET-SHIP. 5. I'VE BEEN DRIVING > 40 YEARS W/O ACCIDENT. 5. I'M A PILOT W/GOOD REFLEXES. *TT *TR