This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
At approx 8:00 on the morning of 2/16/15 my 2005 Jeep Liberty, 3.8L V-6 with automatic transmission began to accelerate out of control while braking for a stop sign. The engine was cold, I had just started it and the temperature was in the mid to upper 50S. I was traveling about 27 mph, and began to slow for the stop. At about 10-15 mph, I noticed the car was no longer slowing down. It seemed as though the brakes stopped working. At the same time, the engine briefly revved on its own. This made the car accelerate. I could not stop at the stop sign and the car accelerated into 50 mph cross traffic. I made a hard right turn to bring the car next to the curb, allowing room for traffic to go by. At the same time, I put the transmission into neutral and that allowed the car to stop. I then put the car into park and revved the engine. It seemed to respond normally at that point (engine would return to idle immediately after taking my foot off the gas). After shifting between part to drive, then reverse, etc. Several times, it still seemed to work normally so I continued to work with no further problems. It seemed as though while coming to a stop, the transmission did not down shift or disengage. As the engine rpms were reduced below idle due to the car slowing, the computer control system tried to bring the engine speed back up, causing it to accelerate. A couple of facts - the car has approx. 159,800 miles on the odometer. I purchased it used a few months ago and have put 13,000 miles on it. When I purchased it I had it examined by a mechanic and had all the hoses, belts, etc. Replaced. I've had the oil changed at about 5,000 mile intervals. I drive with one foot only, I don't use separate feet for the gas and the brake. The floor mat was not moved before or after this incident, and is not close to the gas pedal. Check engine light did not come on.
Making a left turn onto a major route at 30 mph when all of a sudden the vehicle takes off on it's own and begins to swerve picking up speed while both my feet are off of the pedals. It hits one concrete wall on a bridge and proceeds to cross yellow line picking up more speed before smashing straight into other concrete wall. It's the only thing that stopped this vehicle from continuing on. Air bags went off and split expelling strange odor. A Jeep dealer commented that either a sensor went or accelerator pedal had stuck. I could not straighten the vehicle out by steering at all.
When slowing down in bumper to bumper traffic the vehicle will accelerate at a high speed. Vehicle must be placed in neutral until engine decelerates. This has occurred approx. 5 times. It always is unexpected, and always occurs when moving slowly in bumper to bumper traffic. If the brake is depressed during the acceleration the rear wheels will spin. The car must be placed in neutral. The acceleration lasts for about 5 seconds. The dealer cannot find the problem. The car is maintained and operates perfectly, except for this problem. It is an accident waiting to happen. Please help!
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving in reverse approximately 2 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated. The vehicle failed to decelerate and crashed into the rear bumper of a parked vehicle. The contact applied the brakes and the emergency brake in order to come to a complete stop. The contact was not injured and there was no police report. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 53,400.
- Belleville, IL, USA
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Stopped at a stop light with foot on the brake when vehicle suddenly accelerated forward hitting a vehicle in the front causing a crash. No other known instance before this and no injuries.
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3 mph in the driveway, the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle unexpectedly accelerated without and then crashed into the side of a brick house and two other parked vehicles. The driver sustained a minor injury to the shoulder. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 83,696.
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the vehicle would suddenly accelerate when driving at any speed. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The failure was located at the accelerator pedal, which failed due to corrosion. The accelerator pedal was replaced however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was not made a ware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 72,428.
I wanted to include my vehicle incident in regards to the complaints on the Jeep SUV fires. I thought it was necessary to include my entry, because unlike other incidents mentioned in the investigation, my vehicle spontaneously caught fire while I was driving it and was not the result of impact from a crash. It was a Friday evening and I was traveling home on the highway during rush hour traveling with the flow of traffic at about 65 mph. All of the sudden, and without warning, my vehicle started losing speed at a rapid pace. Thankfully, I was in the first lane and was able to pull immediately into the breakdown lane. All of my dashboard lights came on and while I was leaning over to inspect what could possibly be the problem, the hood of the vehicle suddenly burst into flames. I exited the vehicle swiftly and luckily a tow truck driver who had saw the smoke immediately called 911. The car was engulfed in flames in less then 5 minutes. Had I not been able to exit the vehicle or had children restrained in the back seat, there could have been serious injuries or possibly a fatality. I reported the incident to Chrysler after going through my insurance. There response was a polite letter telling me they were sorry for the incident, but were not responsible. The vehicle was less than 2 years old at the time and serviced regularly. The finding of the fire dept.'s inspection was inconclusive, but I was told in confidence that it seemed more than likely it was a faulty issue with the vehicle. After the incident, I took multiple photos of the interior and exterior of the Jeep, which included under the hood since we suspected the engine was at fault. If they are useful to your ongoing investigation, please feel free to contact me so that I can email them along. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty, the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly surged forward until she shifted into park. The vehicle was safely driven home and was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were 81,859. Updated 11/28/11
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. While the contact was driving 25 mph he depressed the brake pedal as he was approaching a traffic light but the vehicle accelerated. He was able to stop the vehicle without incident and notified the manufacturer of the failure. The manufacturer advised him to have a diagnostic test performed by the dealer to determine the exact cause of the failure. The contact stated that he would take the vehicle to an independent mechanic but not to an authorized dealer since the dealer would not disclose the actual cause of the failure. The contact also stated the failure occurred approximately two additional times, when braking while approaching a traffic light. The failure and current mileages were 29,000. Updated 11/03/10 updated 11/04/10
S10 appropriate handling-letter to the secretary from re acceleration problems. The consumer stated while driving, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. The consumer stated he attempted to apply the brakes, but it felt as though they locked up. Eventually, the vehicle slowed down to normal speed. The consumer stated he was involved in an accident and none of the air bag deployed.
The 2005 Jeep Liberty in which we were riding accelerated while I was depressing the brake pedal. This happened twice. The first time, I thought that perhaps I had hit the accelerator accidentally. The second time (the very next time we started the Jeep), I had my foot on the brake to slow our descent down a long driveway. I am positive my foot was on the brake. The Jeep lunged forward and picked up speed. The only way I could stop was to turn into an embankment. The Jeep overturned. The accident occurred on December 26, 2008 and was reported that day to the police and our insurance company. The 2010 Toyota incidents have prompted me to report this incident, but the accident occurred a year earlier. Again, I repeat: The brake pedal was depressed; this was not a case of accidentally hitting the accelerator.
While waiting at a traffic light the vehicle started to accelerate and struck the vehicle ahead of it. The brake pedal was applied with both feet but this not stop the vehicle. This has happened on more than one occasion, but this time there was property damage.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Harts, WV, USA