NHTSA complaint: 2001 FORD ESCAPE — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AFTER STOPPING TO POSSIBLY TAKE A LEFT TURN, I REALIZED I NEEDED TO GO ONE MORE BLOCK SO I PRESSED THE GAS TO CONTINUE FORWARD. HOWEVER RIGHT AS I DID THAT THE LIGHT TURNED YELLOW SO I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND PRESSED ON THE BRAKE INSTEAD. THE CAR SHOT FORWARD AT FULL THROTTLE AND THE CAR WENT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND THE RED LIGHT. THE STREET WAS CLEAR IN FRONT OF US AND I HAD A FULL LONG BLOCK TO TRY TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE'S ACCELERATION. I CALMLY SHIFTED THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND WAS VERY SURPRISED THAT THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I STARTED WORRYING AS THE CAR CONTINUED TO SPEED UP. I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND PARK (WHICH NORMALLY ISN'T POSSIBLE). ALL THE WHILE THE VEHICLE SPED UP. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE FOR ALMOST THE WHOLE BLOCK AND WASN'T SLOWING THE VEHICLE AT ALL. I DECIDED THAT SINCE THE TRANSMISSION AND BRAKES WERE NOT RESPONDING, THAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE MY FOOT TO GET UNDER THE GAS PEDAL AND LIFT IT UP (BECAUSE IT FELT FROM THE FULL ACCELERATION LIKE IT WAS STUCK ON THE FLOOR). HOWEVER, THE PEDAL EASILY CAME OFF THE FLOOR BUT WOULD FLOP BACK DOWN AS SOON AS I MOVED MY FOOT OUT FROM UNDER IT. IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT STUCK BY A FOREIGN OBJECT OR FLOOR MAT THOUGH. HAD TO AVOID A PEDESTRIAN THAT WAS CROSSING THE STREET AND THE ROAD AHEAD WAS OBSCURED BECAUSE IT WENT DOWN A STEEP HILL SO I CHOSE TO TURN RIGHT. THE CAR ENDED UP HITTING THE CURB, HITTING 2 SMALL TREES. AND FLIPPING UPSIDE DOWN BEFORE ALSO HITTIN
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation