NHTSA Complaint #11557253 — 2012 SUBARU FORESTER

My 2012 Subaru Forester suddenly accelerated as I was making a right hand turn from a parking lot onto a major street. My brakes failed and I could only steer at high speed off the street, over a curb on to a parking strip between trees, and through a motel parking lot. The car finally came to a stop as I had blown the front right tire going over the curb. The car has been towed to my auto repair shop where the cause(s) of the mechanical failure(s) as well as any possible associated damage(s) are still unknown. It is available for inspection upon request at this point in time. Although no injuries, fatalities, or property damage resulted from this incident, the sudden acceleration and brake failure of the car could have resulted in major injuries or fatalities if pedestrians had been on the sidewalk or in the motel parking lot. I could have also hit staff and/or guests in the motel office if I had not been able to steer away in time. I, as the driver, and my dog, as my sole passenger, could also have been seriously injured or killed if my car had hit the motel office or if my car had collided with any cars in motel lot. At this point in time, the cause of my car’s mechanical failure(s) remains unknown so the problem has not been assessed or confirmed by my independent auto repair service shop. The car has not been been inspected by any representative of the manufacturer (Subaru). Because no other vehicle was damaged nor person injured (miraculously) , I did not initiate a police report. Because the accident co-incidentally occurred next door to my insurance agent, where I had just been, the agent's assistant visually inspected my car immediately following the accident. I did not see any control panel signs or other signs prior to nor during the failure (although during the failure I was so focused on where the car was headed that I was unable to look at the control panel at the same time). There were no signs of the failure when I came to a stop.