what's wrong with this picture?

[Richard Sargent]

I have been following this thread, and others similar, for years now. I was inclined to believe that the whole "unintended acceleration" fiasco could be blamed on drivers merely stepping on the wrong pedal, if I hadn't had an experience a few years ago that made me re-assess my conclusions.

I was driving my '87 5000S (non-turbo, non-quattro, automatic transmission), and was stopped at a red light. The car was in gear (Drive), and my foot was on the brake, holding the car in place. After being stopped at the light for probably 20 or 30 seconds, the engine suddenly raced up to about 3 or 4 thousand rpm, and I had to apply FIRM pressure to the brake pedal to hold the car in place. The engine raced for less than 10 seconds, and then everything returned to normal. I immediately thought of the "unintended acceleration" scandal that was written off as drivers stepping on the wrong pedal, and thought that perhaps there was, indeed, a mechanical or electrical cause for the condition. I owned that car for several years, and never had the condition manifest itself again.

Perhaps the easiest explanation (driver error) is not always the correct explanation. When it happened to me, I felt as if my car was possessed!