NHTSA Complaint #720992 — 1997 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

THE ACCELERATOR STICKS WHEN DRIVING. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ON A DOWNHILL GRADE IN A LOWER GEAR WHILE USING THE LOWER GEAR TO LIMIT DOWNHILL SPEED. WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL THE THROTTLE STICKS WHEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF POWER IS ADDED TO MAINTAIN A GIVEN SPEED. WHILE DRIVING UNDER THESE CONDITIONS I CAN ADD BRAKES AND THE THROTTLE (RPM) CONTINUES TO STAY AT APPROXIMENTLY 3000 RPM. AT THIS POINT IF I PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL BUT THROTTLE STAYS AT HIGH RPM AS I CONTINUE TO COAST DOWNHILL AND DOESN'T REDUCE RPM UNTIL THE CAR HAS SLOWED TO A STOP. IT'S INTERESTING, HOW WHEN IN NEUTRAL THAT THE VEHICLE RECOGNIZES THE SPEED, THEN REDUCES THE RPM TO IDLE SPEED ONCE IT HAS SLOWED TO A STOP. IF I KEEP THE CAR IN GEAR WHILE BREAKING TO A STOP, IT ALSO EVENTUALLY DROPS RPM TO IDLE SPEED. I DEMONSTRATED THIS EXACT PROBLEM TO A CHRYSLER REP. (BOB HARDY). LATER I FOUND OUT HE FELT THIS WAS "NORMAL" AND AFTER I DEMONSTRATED THE PROBLEM AND WAS I TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE AND THAT THEY SAID IT WAS "DRIVER INDUCED". I GUESS THAT'S THE PRICE YOU PAY WHEN YOU DEMONSTRATE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM AND THE MANUFACTURE WANTS TO IGNOR IT! I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR OVER 2 1/2 YEARS WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND NOTHING RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. I MUST ADD THAT IT TOOK SOME TIME FOR ME TO REALIZE THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE YOU CAN BREAK WHILE THE THROTTLE IS STICKING AND THEN WHEN STOPPED IT DROPS RPM. THIS CAN TEND TO MASK RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY. *AK