NHTSA complaint: 2003 ACURA MDX — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I WAS DRIVING ON THE CARPOOL LANE OF 170N WITH MY TWO KIDS (HEADING TO 5N) WHEN THERE WAS SUDDENLY A DOG,YELLOW LABRADOR CROSSING THE FREEWAY AND GETTING RIGHT ON MY LANE. I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND BRAKE BUT IT WAS TOO LATE,I HIT THE DOG RIGHT ON THE FRONT OF MY CAR. I FELT MY SEAT BELT TIGHTENED UNCOMFORTABLY THEREAFTER AND I RELEASED IT SO I CAN RESET AND PUT IT AGAIN,BUT IT WON'T PULL TO REACH THE PORT ON MY RIGHT SIDE,IT SEEMED STUCK. IT WAS RIGHT AROUND THAT TIME WE STARTED SMELLING SMOKE THEREAFTER WE HIT THE DOG. MY KIDS AND I WERE LOOKING AROUND WHERE THE SMOKE WAS COMING UNTIL MY DAUGHTER WHO WAS SITTING RIGHT ON MY BACK (DRIVER'S) SAID "MOM THERE'S SMOKE ON THE BACK"..(I WAS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE 170N FREEWAY JOINING 5N) SO I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ON THE SHOULDER AND PULL OVER AND TOLD THE KIDS TO "GET OUT OF THE CAR, NOW!" I DIDN'T SEE WHERE THE SMOKE REALLY WAS BECAUSE MY CONCERN WAS TO GET OURSELVES TO STOP THE CAR SAFELY AND GET OUT. WE RAN AWAY FROM THE CAR ABOUT 30-50 FEET AWAY. THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN WHO PULLED ON THE SHOULDER AND ASKED WHAT'S GOING ON AND LEND ME HIS PHONE (I LEFT EVERYTHING IN THE CAR). HE CHECKED ON THE CAR AND THOUGHT "IT WAS OKAY".. I TOLD MYSELF I CAN GET MY PHONE AND PURSE STILL SO I RAN BACK AND GET IT (THERE WAS SOME SMOKE INSIDE I CAN'T TELL WHERE IT WAS FROM) . BY THE TIME I RAN BACK TO MY KIDS AND THE GENTLEMAN IT WAS ALREADY SMELLING SMOKE FROM WHERE WE ARE AND IN MAYBE A SECOND THERE WAS SOME FIRE VISIBLE FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE,ON THE D
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation