WEST FARGO 鈥� Honda says there was no "system malfunction" that caused a West Fargo teen's car to reach speeds of 113 mph and would not stop until a Minnesota trooper intervened, forcing the driver to hit his squad car.
was driving his Honda Pilot on Sept. 17 near Harwood, North Dakota, when the car suddenly accelerated and would not slow down or stop. He called his mother and 911 as he sped through numerous rural intersections and into Minnesota.
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In all, he traveled about 30 miles before a Minnesota State Patrol trooper was able to get in front of Dutcher east of Hitterdal, Minnesota.
The trooper then had Dutcher intentionally crash into the back of his vehicle to slow it down and eventually stop the runaway car.
In a statement to WDAY News on Tuesday, Jan. 7, Honda said it did an inspection of Dutcher's car in November. The company said it "identified no vehicle defects that could have contributed to the event described by the driver." It went on to say that "no evidence of any system malfunction was found."
The family said the last time they saw the car was when the insurance company picked up the vehicle.
Catherine Dutcher, Sam's mother, said she does not believe Honda did not find any problems with the car.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not responded if they have yet to inspect the car.
The Trust Project
