2024 Dodge Hornet Phev

Dear NHTSA Safety Defects Division, I am writing to report a safety issue I have identified that affects several modern vehicles, particularly from manufacturers including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, and Dodge (Hornet model specifically). This issue relates to the overactivation of the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system and related sensors, including wheel speed sensors, yaw rate sensors, and forward-facing cameras. Over the past two years, I’ve conducted extensive personal testing and analysis across multiple vehicles and brands. My findings indicate that many vehicles using modern ESC systems—likely built on common software frameworks from Tier 1 suppliers (Bosch, Continental, ZF, WABCO, Autoliv, etc.)—are exhibiting the following unsafe behaviors: •Overcorrection of minor road imperfections, such as slight pavement grooves or drainage lines. •Harsh braking or acceleration of individual wheels at highway speeds, triggered by incorrect interpretations of road angle or yaw. •Resulting symptoms include vibration, wobble, instability, and “bouncy” rides, which compromise vehicle control and driver confidence. •In some cases, fuel economy is also impacted, due to unnecessary braking and acceleration by the system. When I disconnected the four wheel speed sensors and the front-facing camera in a 2023 vehicle, the vehicle’s ride quality and directional stability improved significantly. This suggests that the ESC software is misinterpreting normal driving conditions as loss-of-control events and is applying interventions that reduce safety rather than improve it. I believe this is a systemic safety defect, potentially affecting millions of vehicles using similar ESC software logic. If left unaddressed, this could result in increased accident risk—especially at freeway speeds—and consumer mistrust in vehicle safety systems. I respectfully urge NHTSA to investigate this matter and consider whether a defect investigation or broader inquiry into ESC behav