My car got stuck in a snowbank and became unresponsive. I attempted to gently rock it back and forth by putting it into drive and reverse two or three times. The car began to smoke. I took my foot off the accelerator and attempted to exit the vehicle, but the door was locked and did not automatically unlock. I tried to press the child safety lock button in case the child safety lock had been activated, but accidentally pressed the button to open the window. Smoke started coming into the car. I manually unlocked the door, pressed the button to put the car into park. I evacuated the car, and it was engulfed in smoke and making a very loud noise. I had the neighbor call 911 as I left my phone in the car and I was afraid the car would explode. I left the neighbor's house and waited for the fire trucks. My car's wheels were still spinning extremely fast and pieces were coming off of them. A firefighter was able to enter my car in protective gear and turn the car off. The wheels were burned off my car. The car eventually cooled down and I had it towed to the dealership. The dealer does not know why the wheels kept spinning after I was no longer in the car, so we do not know what malfunctioned. My safety was put at risk as I would have been unable to control the car if it had not been stuck in a snowbank. The problem has not been reproduced. The dealer examined the car and has repaired the tires and rims, but still does not give an answer as to why the wheels kept spinning long after I had exited the vehicle. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the incident.

- St. Paul, MN, USA