NHTSA Complaint #11426656 — 2005 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY

The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the parking brake warning light had illuminated the instrument panel. After she checked her parking brake and saw that it was not engaged, she continued to drive and noticed an abnormal rubber odor coming from the vehicle. She continued driving and then noticed white smoke coming from the dashboard. The contact panicked and attempted to stop the vehicle however, the vehicle continued to accelerate independently. The contact was able to drive the vehicle into a parking lot and placed the vehicle in park. The smoke then progressed from white to black as she tried to exit the vehicle however, she was unable to exit the vehicle since all the electrical features were inoperable. The contact then heard her doors unlock after multiple attempts to open them and immediately ran out of the vehicle. The contact called her husband who was a mechanic and he was able to drive the vehicle to their home. The authorities were not called to the scene and no injuries were reported. The contact's husband was able to assess the vehicle damage and discovered an active fire inside the dashboard module which he was able to extinguish. Her husband was able to determine that internal wiring within the module had caused the fire. Several electrical failures, as well as severe internal damage, rendered the vehicle undrivable. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.