NHTSA Complaint #745091 — 2000 FORD EXPEDITION

ON 5/3/01, AT APPROX. 2:40 PM, I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON 10TH(AMSTERDAM) AVE IN MANHATTAN IN RELATIVELY LIGHT TRAFFIC AT APPROX 20-25MPH. AS I CROSSED THE INTERSECTION OF AMSTERDAM & 58TH ST, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE UNCONTROLLABLY TOWARD A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. STANDING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH ALL MY WEIGHT ONLY MANAGED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE TO PERHAPS 30MPH, WITH ENGINE RACING AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WERE PUSHED TO THE FLOOR, WHEN OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS NO PRESSURE BEING APPLIED TO IT AT ALL. AS I CROSSED THE INTERSECTION OF 59TH ST, I MANAGED TO GENTLY EASE THE GEARSHIFT LEVER INTO NEUTRAL. THIS COMBINED WITH MY CONTINUOUS PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO NEARLY A STOP, WITH THE ENGINE STILL RACING. THE INSTANT FORWARD MOTION CEASED, THE VEHICLE LURCHED INTO REVERSE, WITH THE GEARSHIFT STILL IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THE VEHICLE THEN BEGAN TRAVELING BACKWARDS, ONCE AGAIN AT THE SAME HIGH RATE OF ACCELERATION. STILL STANDING ON THE BRAKE PETAL, I SWITCHED THE IGNITION OFF. A SPLIT SECOND SECOND LATER, THE RIGHT REAR QUARTER OF THE VEHICLE SLAMMED INTO AN AMBULANCE, AT A SPEED OF PERHAPS 30-35 MPH. FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE INCIDENT UNTIL THE END, I TRAVELLED ABOUT 500 FEET FORWARD AND 120 FEET IN REVERSE, CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING MAXIMUM PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PETAL. MY VEHICLE IMPACTED THE AMBULANCE AT THE STRONGEST PART OF ITS STRUCTURE, THE CURVED, STEEL REINFORCED FRONT CORNER OF THE AMBULANCE "BOX". HAD THE AMBULANCE BEEN 2 FEET FURTHER BACK, THE DRIVER WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED INSTANTLY. THERE WERE 3 EMT'S IN THE FRONT OF THE AMBULANCE, AND NO PASSENGER OR PERSONEL IN THE REAR. ALL OF THEM SAW EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE DESCRIBED, AND I AM SURE THEIR STATEMENTS ABOUT THE MOVEMENTS OF MY VEHICLE WILL CORROBORATE MY DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT. I WAS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE TO IMPACT A VEHICLE WITH ENOUGH MASS TO STOP THE MOMENTUM OF MY 2 1/2 TON SUV. HAD I IMPACTED SMALLER PASSENGER VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS, MANY PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.*AK