NHTSA complaint #11492958

Owner complaint summary

I needed to stop quickly, but not unreasonably fast. I had time to consider my passenger and that this would be a quick stop for them. I then firmly applied the brakes and it felt like something kicked in causing the car specifically not to stop or slow down as expected. I subsequently had to push harder and harder to try to get the car to stop, which it didn't in time and I t-boned another vehicle (minor) that then left the scene. My passenger, who I do not have a relationship with and had just met that night, turned to me and said "you're car didn't stop." She noticed this as well. Upon having it fixed at the auto body shop, they found that "the brake pedal is below the gas pedal and keeping brakes applied when brake pedal is released. The brake pedal assembly is bend and holding brake pads applied when driving." I spoke to the technician (owner?) who said that "if the pedal assembly is bending instead of stopping then it is possible that this caused it." He also suggested that "brake assemblies don't bend" and that he has never seen or heard of one bending in his decades of work. All I know is that I applied the brakes quickly, but not unreasonably and the car reacted in a way causing it not to stop when it should have. Whether this was a problem with the ABS or the brake pedal assembly bending, I am not sure. I do want to document that this car did not stop as it should have and feel that a mechanical problem caused this collision. Fortunately we made light contact with the other vehicle, the air bags did not go off and there were no injuries. There was, however serious risk of injury should cars have been only a few feet further in any direction. This car was repaired by a body shop.