And now, Self-accelerating Chevrolets?

And now, Self-accelerating Chevrolets?

It isn't hard to find runaway Toyota car claims nowadays, but now Chevrolet is joining the runaway pack.


We're handling a runaway 2009 Chevy Traverse case now and in the last few days there are news reports out about a runaway 2008 Chevrolet Equinox too.

A Kentucky woman frantically called 911 as her Chevrolet Equinox increased beyond 90 mph on Interstate 64, with her two young children in the back seat. Applying the brakes did nothing to slow it down, she said. Her panic call went through the vehicle's OnStar system and she was told to try to shift the vehicle into neutral and apply the emergency brake and physically lift the accelerator pedal with her foot, but nothing worked.

With the driver in tears, State troopers eventually stopped the vehicle by pulling in front of the Chevrolet and slowing to a stop. Turns out the stop was just in time, only a few miles from a construction zone with clogged traffic.

The driver, Marlene Taylor, hasn't filed a lawsuit and (like many Toyota owners) is only asking GM to investigate the problem and find the cause. Like Toyota, General Motors eventually responded by saying they could find no evidence to back up the driver's story, according to reports published by local Louisville station WHAS.

You can watch the WHAS local news report and listen to the 911 call by clicking here.

Later, GM reported that they had looked at the vehicle and found that an after-market floor mat on top of the vehicle's floor mat could be the cause and that there were no trouble codes in the vehicle's computer.

Does "no problem found" sound familiar to you, too? How about "could not duplicate"? If you listen to the woman's voice on the news, it's clear that her panic is no joke.

There's no word yet on whether or not GM's explanation is the real cause of this runaway incident. Still, it's important to make sure that you don't put a floor mat on an existing floor mat in your car. And be sure you know how to control and slow down a runaway car if it happens to you. Meanwhile, others are reporting of similar runaway incidents.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Known nationwide as a leading Lemon Law attorney, Ronald L. Burdge has represented literally thousands of consumers in "lemon" lawsuits and actively co-counsels and coaches other Consumer Law attorneys. From 2005 through 2018, attorney Ronald L. Burdge has been named as the only Lemon Law Ohio Super Lawyer by Law and Politics magazine and Thomson Reuters Corp., Professional Division. Burdge restricts his practice to Lemon Law and Consumer Law cases. The Ohio Super Lawyer results are published annually in the January issue of Cincinnati Magazine. Ronald L. Burdge was named Consumer Law Trial Lawyer of the Year 2004 by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the nation's largest organization of consumer law private and government attorneys. "Your impact on the auto industry has been magnified many times over because of the trail you blazed for others," stated NACA's Executive Director, Will Ogburn. Burdge has represented thousands of consumers in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere since 1978 and is a frequent lecturer to national, state and local Bar Associations and Judicial organizations. Burdge is admitted to Ohio's state and federal courts, Kentucky's state courts, and Indiana's federal courts. Other court admissions are on a "pro hac" temporary, case by cases basis.