The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting his parked vehicle, he found that the vehicle would not start. The contact self-diagnosed and bypassed the starter solenoid using a screwdriver and started the vehicle. The vehicle slipped out of the park and rolled backward. The contact was backed over by the vehicle and had received injuries to his ribs and stomach. He had lacerations and abrasions to his back and chest. The contact was able to get out from under the vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle which was rolling. The contact jumped into the passenger side and attempted to brake but could not. The contact attempted to push the shift lever into "park" but the gear would not engage. The vehicle rolled and crashed into the rear end of a parked vehicle. The contact's vehicle had damage to the rear bumper and the rear end of the other vehicle had the bumper and trunk crumpled. The police were not called and the contact did not seek medical attention. The contact was able to start the vehicle and drove it to his residence. The contact then examined the undercarriage and determined that the transmission linkage cable had been resting on the doughnut of the exhaust system. The contact stated that the outer cable shell had melted and the metal cable was exposed. The contact diagnosed that the exposed cable had contributed to the vehicle slipping out of gear. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 260,000.

- Sacramento, CA, USA