NHTSA complaint: 1995 CHEVROLET LUMINA APV — EQUIPMENT
INABILITY TO STOP MOVING VEHICLE CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS VEHICLE IS A 1995 CHEVY LUMINA MINIVAN. DRIVING 55 (POSTED SPEED LIMIT) DOWN A RURAL HIGHWAY AND APPROACHING STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN FAST ENOUGH TO MAKE THE STOP, FORCING EVASIVE ACTION BY DRIVER AND AN ONCOMING, CROSS TRAFFIC VEHICLE. VEHICLE GOING CROSS TRAFFIC EVADED THE HIT BY SWERVING AND SUBSEQUENTLY HITTING A TELEPHONE POLE. NEITHER DRIVER SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT INJURY. UPON INVESTIGATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE THROTTLE ON THE VAN WAS STUCK, CAUSING THE INABILITY TO DOWN SHIFT OUT OF GEAR AND SLOW THE VEHICLE QUICKLY ENOUGH TO MAKE THE STOP. THE BRAKES WERE FOUND TO HAVE 75% AVAILABLE PAD AND WERE IN EXCELLENT WORKING ORDER. THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WAS FOUND TO BE IN WORKING ORDER, RESPONDING APPROPRIATELY UNDER CIRCUMSTANCE. THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS VAN WAS COMPLETELY REBUILT BY A REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION REBUILDER WHO IS REGISTERED WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION REBUILDERS ASSOCIATION IN OCTOBER 2002. A THROTTLE PROBLEM OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT, AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. THAT PARTICULAR TIME THERE WAS SIMPLY A SHUDDER WHEN GOING FROM 4TH TO 5TH GEAR, AND THERE WAS NO THREAT TO SAFETY KNOWN. THE VAN WORKED PROPERLY UNTIL THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT WHICH IS THE CAUSE OF THIS COMPLAINT.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation