Troubleshooters: Help for couple who wants rollaway vehicle replaced

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. (WPVI) -- Action News obtained alarming video of a runaway vehicle. The owner says she could have been killed.

This is must-see video. And the story that follows is a must-hear. The couple who owns the luxury vehicle contacted the Troubleshooters for help to get the car replaced with one they deem to be safe.

"It was horrifying and I'm really lucky to be alive," said Sara Goldstein.

Video from the couple's home security camera captured what happened in their driveway.

"I pulled up, put the car into park, put the emergency brake on, turned the car off," said Jordan Solomon.

In the video, Goldstein can be seen getting her coat out of the backseat when the couple's 2015 Cadillac CTS begins moving.

"And the first thing I thought is, 'This is it. I'm going to be killed by my Cadillac,' " said Goldstein.

Fortunately, she jumped out of the way just in the nick of time.

After her husband made sure she was OK, he says he immediately checked the vehicle.

"I saw that the car was in park, the emergency brake light was on, the engine was off, and I thought to myself, 'There is a huge problem with this vehicle,' " said Solomon.

Both Solomon and Goldstein say they reported the incident to their dealership. And while the 2015 Cadillac CTS was not under any recall, "They told us there was a service bulletin. The dealer did express that to us," said Solomon.

The service bulletin is online: "Vehicle Rolls in Park," "2013-2015 Cadillac CTS Models."

The car's maker, General Motors, tells us, "If we are aware of a potential mechanical issue, we will issue a technical service bulletin to help technicians work with customers to diagnose any problems."

The couple says the dealership offered to fix their vehicle, but that isn't what they wanted.

"Our vehicle needs to be removed from the road, and should absolutely never be in service again," said Solomon.

So the couple contacted Action News.

And after the Troubleshooters contacted General Motors and the dealership, good news, GM agreed to repurchase the vehicle and help them get into a brand new one.

"We were given an option for any GM vehicle, so we went with this one," said Goldstein.

It's a 2017 Cadillac ATS Coupe.

"With a brand new transmission with a very different engine from the car we had previously," said Goldstein. "I'm incredibly relieved and grateful, and very thankful for the help that 6abc gave to us in resolving this issue."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tells Action News the Cadillac CTS is not subject to any existing investigations.

But Goldstein tells us NHTSA officials have told her they are interested in looking into her incident.

General Motors tells us:

- We take reports of vehicle rollaways very seriously.

- Vehicle rollaways can be caused by a number of factors, and because driver error is often involved, they can be hard for a service technician to diagnose.

- If we are aware of a potential mechanical cause, we will issue a technical service bulletin to help technicians work with customers to diagnose any problems. If we find a specific vehicle defect, we will recall those vehicles.

- Due to the safety features on modern vehicles, including brake-transmission interlocks, rollaways are very rare. (Back before transmission interlocks, they were a frequent occurrence.) Because they are rare, they do tend to upset customers.

- Driver error is still a common cause for rollaways. That is one reason we recommend that customers use the parking brake, especially if the vehicle is parked on an incline.

Before you buy a vehicle, you can check for recalls, investigations, complaints and service bulletins for the make and model you're considering HERE.

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