NHTSA Complaint #11183812 — 2015 MASERATI GHIBLI

WHILE DRIVING AT SAFE SPEED IN SNOW AND SLUSH, STABILITY WAS LOST. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE PASSING A TRUCK, BETWEEN THE CENTER DIVIDER AND THE TRUCK, WHILE IN A MILD RIGHT TURN UPHILL. THE LEFT TIRES CAUGHT SOME SLUSH, AND I CORRECTED TRYING TO REMAIN IN THE LANE AND AVOIDING THE DIVIDER AND THE TRUCK BY STEERING RIGHT, THEN COUNTERSTEERING LEFT, THEN RIGHT AGAIN.. TWO CORRECTIONS TO THE RIGHT WITH THE TAIL MOVING LEFT ACTIVATED THE ESC. AS MY HD VIDEO SHOWS, THE CORRECTIVE ACTION ACTIVATED THE ESC AND TOOK CONTROL FROM ME AND VIOLENTLY DROVE ME INTO THE DIVIDER BY ACTIVATING THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE. I BOUNCED OFF THE DIVIDER INTO THE TRUCK'S TRACTOR REAR TIRES, SPUN, AND THEN BACK INTO THE WALL. I HAD CONTROL, EVEN WITH THE UNSTABLE CONDITION, UP UNTIL THE ESC ACTIVATED. AS A PROFESSIONAL PILOT AND A DRIVER WHO'S BEEN DRIVING ON SNOW AND ICE SINCE AGE 15, I UNDERSTAND CONTROL, LOSS OF CONTROL, AND HOW TO REGAIN IT. I HAD CONTROL UNTIL THE SAFETY SYSTEM TOOK IT FROM ME. I HAVE HAD 747S MOVING SIDEWAYS DOWN THE RUNWAY AND HAVE ALWAYS REGAINED CONTROL. NEVER IN MY PRIVATE OR PROFESSIONAL LIFE HAVE I HAD A COMPUTERIZED SAFETY SYSTEM ENDANGER MY LIFE. BUT IN THIS INSTANCE IT MOST DEFINITELY DID. HAD I NOT HIT THE TRUCK'S TIRES I MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE GONE UNDER THE TRAILER AND BEEN DECAPITATED OR OTHERWISE INJURED OR KILLED. THE HISTORY OF ESC SHOWS IT HAS A SUCCESSFUL RECORD. HOWEVER, IN THIS INSTANCE IT IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCIDENT. I HAD ESC ACTIVATE ONCE BEFORE IN THE SAME VEHICLE ON DRY PAVEMENT, AND IT DID REMARKABLY WELL. BUT IT THIS INCIDENT WHICH DESTROYED MY PRIZED MASERATI, IT EITHER ACTIVATED WITH TOO MUCH FORCE OR ACTIVATED ALONG WITH MY COUNTERSTEERING. NEVERTHELESS, WITHOUT A EDR DOWNLOAD, THE DATA CANNOT BE ANALYZED. ONLY MY RECOLLECTION AND MY VIDEO CAN BE SEEN.