It was a surprising end to her Christmas holidays and one she will never forget.
"I'm still in a state of shock," said Nancy Anderson. "Are you kidding?"
Pictures of the aftermath are now a snapshot of her nightmare
"I slowly backed out of my garage, and it started going about 40 or 50 miles-an-hour," said Anderson.
Anderson is a loyal Chevrolet customer. She owned a truck and a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse. She was in her midsize SUV when she said it accelerated unexpectedly.
"I was like 'Oh my God, what is happening?'" she said.
First, it slammed rear end first into a tree and then sprung forward, crashing into the vehicles that were parked in her driveway.
"I'm in there like, 'What is happening?'" she said, "It was the freakiest thing."
Nine days later, the skid marks are still all over the driveway
She said she did not do anything differently. She said she got into the vehicle, started it and placed it in reverse.
"I was slowly backing out," she said.
The website, www.carproblems.com reveal similar complaints about the midsize SUV.
On Your Side found complaints about unintended acceleration on the Federal Government's website www.safecar.gov.
A complaint was reported February 2017 in Beardstown, Illinois, July 2017 in Los Angeles California and December 2017 in Roseville, California.
A few days ago Anderson, a retired educator, filed her own complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, a federal agency.
Her 2015 Traverse was so damaged, her insurance carrier declared it a total loss.
"This acceleration," said Anderson. "I have never been so scared in my life."
On Your Side contacted Chevrolet and received a response from Tom Wilkinson:
Thank you for contacting Kevin with the report of unintended acceleration of your viewer’s Traverse. I can’t speculate on what might have happened, but I would like to have one of our safety investigators contact the customer directly so we can learn more. Can you forward contact info?
In terms of viewer advice in general, the gas pedal catching on a floor mat or other object is a common cause of unintended acceleration across all brands of vehicles. Floor mats should be designed for the vehicle and fastened in place, as specified in the owner’s manual. Here is sample language from the 2018 Traverse Owner’s Manual:
Floor Mats
Warning: If a floor mat is the wrong size or is not properly installed, it can interfere with the pedals. Interference with the pedals can cause unintended acceleration and/or increased stopping distance which can cause a crash and injury. Make sure the floor mat does not interfere with the pedals.
Use the following guidelines for proper floor mat usage.
- The original equipment floor mats were designed for your vehicle. If the floor mats need replacing, it is recommended that GM certified floor mats be purchased. Non-GM floor mats may not fit properly and may interfere with the accelerator or brake pedal. Always check that the floor mats do not interfere with the pedals. Do not use a floor mat if the vehicle is not equipped with a floor mat retainer on the driver side floor.
- Use the floor mat with the correct side up. Do not turn it over.
- Do not place anything on top of the driver side floor mat.
- Use only a single floor mat on the driver side.
- Do not place one-floor mat on top of another.