August 12, 2004 re: Dangerous runaway-vehicle 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan VIN [xxx] this is to document a very dangerous situation that occurred on July 22, 2004 with the above vehicle. The minivan has been very well maintained and at the time of the incident had about 124,800 miles on it. My wife, [xxx], was driving the vehicle in a northwest direction on I-40 from wilmington to chapel hill. She was using the cruise control and is not clear exactly what the situation was prior to the incident although it is likely that she had accelerated to pass another vehicle. Suddenly the car was going over 90 mph and wouldnT stop although she used the brakes with all her force. She turned off the ignition and braked to a stop on the shoulder, with the brakes smoking and in flame. In trying to restart the car, the engine speed took off and she shut it down and called aaa for a tow. The aaa service station mechanic disconnected the cruise control cable from the throttle. The cable was stuck fast and had kept the throttle open. We were very fortunate that my wife had been able to control the van without colliding with another vehicle or running off the road before bringing it to a halt. The cable appeared to have a broken strand that stuck into the outer sheath. It is only about 20 inches long and makes a 180 degree U-turn between the cruise control vacuum servo and the throttle. That design places more stress on the cable than if it were a straight run. The defective cable is available for examination. I am an mit graduate mechanical engineer and former assistant director of technical operations for consumers union and I believe action should be taken by NHTSA to address this problem. Chrysler corporation and the local Dodge dealer did not offer me any remedy except repair at my own expense. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA