Complaint 704535

Complaint Summary

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Owner Narrative

2004 DODGE RAM 3500 PICKUP CUMMINS 5.9 LITER DIESEL ENGINE. 1/17/2009 UNDER/OVER ACCELERATION. VEHICLE IS A "DRIVE BY WIRE" DESIGN. PROBLEM HAPPENED VERY SPORADICALLY. WOULD ONLY HAPPEN WHEN VEHICLE AND OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS 20 DEGREES F OR LOWER. PROBLEM HAPPENED ABOUT 4 TIMES DURING THE WINTER OF 2007-2008. PROBLEM AT THAT TIME WAS ONLY UNDER ACCELERATION. I WOULD BE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT BETWEEN 55 AND 70 MPH. THE TUCK WOULD SUDDENLY NOT MAINTAIN SPEED AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WOULD PRODUCE NO RESPONSE FROM THE ENGINE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. AFTER A FEW SECONDS TRUCK DRIVES NORMALLY AGAIN. THIS SCENARIO HAS HAPPENED 8 TO 10 TIMES. OVER ACCELERATION. THIS HAPPENED TWICE ON 1/13/09. AGAIN TRUCK HAD BEEN SITTING OUTSIDE ALL DAY. STARTED TRUCK AND ALL WAS NORMAL FOR THE FIRST 5 OR 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT A STEADY SPEED OF 60 MPH. WITH NO INPUT FROM ME SUDDENLY THE TRUCK ACCELERATED VERY RAPIDLY. THE TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTED AND THE ENGINE RPM JUMPED UP CONSIDERABLY. IN MY PANIC I STABBED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE TRUCK SOMEWHAT. AFTER ACCELERATING WILDLY FOR ABOUT 1 TO 2 SECONDS THE TRUCK THEN WENT INTO THE UNDER ACCELERATION MODE. NOW PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WOULD GET ZERO RESPONSE FROM THE ENGINE. THIS SUDDEN OVER ACCELERATION HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT TEN MILES FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD. LUCKILY THE ROADS WERE DRY AND THERE WERE NO VEHICLES CLOSE ENOUGH TO ME TO CAUSE ANY CRASH. I REPLACED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR AND SO FAR THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RETURNED. THIS IS A GREAT CONCERN BECAUSE OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED DURING THE OVER ACCELERATION. IF THE ROAD WAS SNOW COVERED OR ICY THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUS OR EVEN DEADLY. *TR

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.