NHTSA to review unintended acceleration complaint in Honda Accord Hybrids

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced today that it will review a request for a full investigation on some Honda Accord Hybrid vehicles that may be at risk of unintended acceleration. The request comes from a driver of a 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid who was involved in a fatal crash in July 2005.

In the complaint, the driver alleges “while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to (apply) the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably.”

As a result of the accident the driver is now disabled. The complaint went on to say that it “began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. The end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles.”

The driver also identified 22 complaints involving other Honda Accord Hybrid and Honda Civic Hybrid cars in NHTSA’s database of crashes she feels showed similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate on uneven surfaces.

Honda has not released a statement about the complaint.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News