My True Story of a 2019 Jeep
Grand Cherokee Trailhawk with Electronic Start Stop System: developed
a sudden uncontrolled acceleration along with a foot brake stop failure,
resulting in a two car collision.
My name is Elmer E. (Bud)
Baumgart Jr. from Sioux Center, IA. and I own the damaged Jeep vehicle in this
report.
I truly need your
help!
I want to know if anyone reading this web page and had this type of Jeep
accident happened to them, or know of someone that may have had a similar issue.
Please let me know! E-mail:
Baumgart@mtcnet.net
On January 25, 2024 (after lunch) I damaged my personal vehicle 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk (purchase used) by striking another parked auto at Ver Hoef Auto Sioux Center, IA parking lot (private property). I really don’t believe it was my fault. No injures.
A brief report: The day of the accident I wanted to make an appointment with the local Jeep dealer for a routine lubrication service. After making the appointment I walked back to my Jeep, starting the vehicle up, now checking for traffic on the street, placing transmission in (R) to back up toward the east. After clearing the Nissan van (to my right) and stopping, pointing jeep north, (My front bumper now clears the van rear). I placed transmission in (D) drive gear to move forward into the street lane and out of the lot, Immediately to my amazement, Jeep suddenly accelerates forward out of control, veering to the left toward the van rear. What I do remember is having both hands on the steering wheel trying to apply as much pressure on the brake petal as possible to stop the vehicle, with no success. It continued to accelerate with engine screaming at a high RPM and I now hit the rear fender of the Nissan at an accelerated speed. The collision stopped the Demonic progression. My estimate travel time approx. 1 to 2 seconds. Note: considerable amount of damage for such a short distance, with a total of approx. $25,000.00 damage to both vehicles.
My personal information at
the time of the accident; I’m was 81 years old in good health, eyesight is good
and obey all traffic laws, no traffic offenses and have a valid driver license.
I retired from a fulltime sales career in late 2022, however, I currently have a
Federal Firearms License to buy & sell a few guns and ammunitions for extra
income.
My vehicle accident history: In 1960 at the age of 18, I did rearend a car on an
open country two lane hi-way in rain and foggy weather. The vehicle stopped in
front of me to pick up a hitchhiker, and I did not see the brake lights in time.
Very minimal damage and I was not injured (no seatbelts during that time
period). So, from the fall of 1960 to January 25, 2024, little over 62 years of
normal driving, no accidents, and I believe I have an excellent driving record.
One other note: I’m sure there are bad drivers at age 50, and good responsible
drivers at age 90, and between. Age is not the issue, it’s the individual’s
capability and skill!
Again, back to the accident at Ver Hoef Auto Sioux Center, IA parking lot, on
January 25, 2024, I was told at the time of the accident (stated by the Ver Hoef
Jeep service manager) the cause maybe by my winter
leather boots that I was wearing that day in some way could have caused the
acceleration and brake failure. It’s only a service manager theory! No
investigation or proof by Ver Hoef Automotive to prove such a claim. Also; the
auto dealer was quick to blame me, versus a possible mechanical problem with the
vehicle. I’m not a new customer, and have been employing the business services
for 41 years. I also will point out; I have been driving for a number of years
with the same boots (during cold winter weather only) with no problem. The
uncontrolled acceleration accident only took a few seconds, not a lot of
thinking time, so it’s hard to know for sure, but I don’t think it was my boots
or using the wrong foot on the brake vs. gas petal, because I just had backed up
the vehicle into the street and successfully stopped and positioned for forward
movement (my foot gas/brake application and position was correct at that
moment). The reason I’m seeking more information and wanting a fair
evaluation of the accident.
Sioux Center Iowa Police was
asked to investigate the accident case number 24-001212. Time of accident
1/25/2024 approx. 2:00 pm. No accident reports due to private property, just
exchange of insurance information.
I asked Chrysler / Stellantis to investigate the
crash and they did. The reply 2-21-24: “The inspection involved a thorough
examination of your vehicle and the photographing of all critical areas. We have
had the opportunity to review the details of the inspection report and must
inform you that we are not led to believe that the incident was due to a
manufacturing responsibility. Therefore, we must
respectfully decline any assistance associated with this matter”
Stellantis Special Investigations.
Hopefully Stellantis has honest people. Early this year, I was optimistically thinking Stellantis would create an unbiassed investigation and willing to find the problem. Now I’m not so sure! Personally, if I was Stellantis, I would want to know, to assure my customers the vehicle is safe. What caused the Demonic progression?
The Jeep had a routine lubrication service by Ver Hoef Auto Sioux Center, IA on September 8, 2023. By the shop service record, no report of any battery condition was listed, most likely not tested. Why this important?
I personally believe the
crash was due to possible low voltage caused by an auxiliary battery failure,
and I have to disagree with the Stellantis report, it may not be manufacturing,
but an electronic responsibility. Report by Stellantis, the ACM System
Voltage at Event (V) 14.9 at the time of the accident was high. Should I
understand this number correctly, the main battery was low on voltage or the
battery was weak, alternator voltage increase reported is trying to correct the
voltage loss from the battery. In my opinion, the low voltage resulted in an
electronic voltage failure with the vehicles “Drive by Wire technology” causing
a possible unwanted sudden engine acceleration. Stellantis needs safe guards in
place to assure owners this will not happen.
Report from Jeep Forum from the internet: A voltage of 14.9V is slightly higher
than the typical range for a vehicle’s charging system, which is usually around
13.5 to 14.7 volts. Here is a potential cause: A faulty battery can sometimes
cause irregular voltage readings and output, even if the battery seems to be
holding a charge, it might not be functioning correctly under a load.
Now, I’m seeking proof of a battery failure and I wanted someone (independent source) to test the Jeep’s twin battery condition. The day the Jeep was repaired by the body shop and released to be driven, during the first hour on April 23, 2024, I drove the vehicle to an Interstate Batteries shop in Sioux Center, IA. They reported my Jeep’s Mopar AGM auxiliary battery was dead and main Mopar AGM battery tested 600 amps (low) of the 650 amps reported on the battery label. I immediately had them replace both batteries with the best AGM Interstate Batteries available.
I also personally believe by
evidence found, that the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk with ESS (Start /
Stop System with (1) Mopar AGM regular and (1) Mopar AGM
auxiliary battery paired) with the auxiliary battery reported dead, it
would drain the main battery voltage, possibly causing
the Demonic unwanted acceleration.
I also believe the possibility of a vehicle sudden acceleration failure is
a huge safety concern. Owners (and service departments) need to monitor
vehicle battery conditions regularly, it’s important, unwanted acceleration
could happen on private property and could easily happen within the public
domain and possibly kill someone or yourself.
Elmer Elton (Bud) Baumgart Jr.
E-mail:
baumgart@mtcnet.net