NHTSA Complaint #11623454 — 2023 INFINITI Q50

Vehicle was parked in my driveway with the engine running for about 5-10 minutes while I was going into the house to turn off my alarm, then return to take out 2 of my elderly dogs; & finally to take out my other dogs. I then returned to the car, opened the driver's side front door & reached in to push the "stop" button on the dash. As soon as I did, the vehicle immediately went into reverse & pulled me down the driveway by the open door. The vehicle continued down the driveway & crossed the street, hitting a fire hydrant in my neighbor's yard across the street. I never physically got into the vehicle to do the steps required to put the vehicle into reverse, i.e. putting my foot on the brake & depressing the transmission shift button. I contacted the dealership where I purchased the vehicle after the incident & explained what had happened. I spoke to Francisco, but he said there was nothing he could do unless I wanted to pay for diagnostics on the vehicle. I explained that the vehicle had clearly malfunctioned since I was not physically inside of the vehicle to put it into reverse. I asked him to document the incident, but he said he was unable to & suggested I contact Infiniti Consumer Affairs. I did that immediately after speaking with Francisco, & gave a detailed description of the incident. I was given a Case Number at that time. I called another Infiniti dealership to explain the situation to ask about diagnostics, & was informed that the car's computer would not give an error code for the car going into reverse. I called to speak to my dealership service advisor & was able to schedule a diagnostics appointment at no charge. I did an internet search & discovered it could be a linkage issue, which is a safety issue & the recommendation was for the vehicle to NOT be driven. I have since scheduled an inspection with Nissan Corp. but the rep was not receptive to my request for repairs. I supplied a video to the dealership, but Nissan said they did not have it.