Sitting in my 2.4 TLX w/ Tech. The car is off. I pushed the Start button once, putting the TLX into Accessory mode. I pushed it a second time, putting the TLX into ON mode. I never engaged the brake pedal + Start and so the engine was never on.

Curious what capabilities I have in ON mode, I shifted from Park to Drive. To my shock and horror, the car starts inching slowly forward! I immediately pressed the brake pedal but to my increasing horror it doesn't stop.

Then I hear this terrible grinding noise (think driving with the parking brake on).

A second passes by before I slam the brake pedal + Start button. The engine immediately turns on and the car stops.

I'm 99% the parking brake was not engaged at the time (else why would it have started rolling forward?) Also, the car was also on a slight decline. Maybe it started rolling forward as if it were in Neutral.

Can anyone please explain what just happened? I'm concerned something could have been damaged. I apologize in advance if I did something extremely careless, honest mistake.

 

I am reasonably sure that you did not damage anything, and sound like you moved it from Park to Neutral rather than Drive as it should not have rolled if it was in Drive. Without the engine running you likely did not have any brake vacuum so it would seem that the foot brake was not working.

Now that you know what might happened, try it again in a safe area and select Neutral rather than Drive to see if this replicates the experience.

 

I would try it again but do not want to incur the grinding noise again. Hopefully it isn't a major issue as I have driven since without any problems.

 

It is the same thing as a typical car, if you never touch the brake and press the on button once its like turning the first click on traditional car. And hit it a 2nd time and its like going the 2nd click on a traditional car, right before "cranking over the engine". So you just probably didnt have the power brakes activated since the car wasnt "on" just the electronic components were. Same thing on a traditional car you can change the gear if you move the lever.