Dear I Car Talk:

have a Scion xA. I use a trickle charger with it because I don’t drive it when I’m away for the winter. I returned home, removed the trickle charger, and securely tucked the pigtails away. Since the battery was old, I had it replaced.

As I was driving a few days later, I noticed the car was gaining speed as I was going downhill. I thought the gas pedal was stuck and stabbed at it a few times, but continued to gain speed. There were no shoulders on the road, there were curves, and there was traffic behind me, so I couldn’t safely brake to a stop.

At this point, the car was going 70 mph in a 55-mph zone and gaining speed. The engine was making a horrendous noise, and I knew I had to do something. There was an access road coming up that was almost a 90-degree turn. As I came to the access road, I put the car in Neutral, slammed the brakes, made the turn, and immediately stopped and shut off the engine.

I was so scared, I was shaking. I had the car towed to the mechanic who had changed the battery and told them that my car was acting like “Christine.” I was very upset and tearful.

I thought I was going to die.

Well, 10 minutes later, the mechanic came out to tell me the trickle charger’s pigtails got wrapped up in the throttle linkage, causing the throttle to be stuck wide open. The mechanic told me it was a very dangerous situation. No kidding!

I was upset because they changed the battery but failed to secure the pigtails.

Shame on them, right? -- Charlene Yes. They were remiss in not securing the pigtails, and they’re responsible for any and all dry-cleaning bills from the incident, too.

For those who don’t know, some trickle chargers use “pigtails.” Those are wire connectors that are permanently connected to the battery terminals, the ends of which are often fed out through the grill, so you can easily connect the charger without opening the hood.

And while manufacturers go to great lengths to make sure nothing gets in the way of the throttle linkage, your pigtails managed to get in there and cause a serious problem. Most cars now have an electronic throttle -- with no throttle linkage -- so this is not an issue on most newer cars.

But for future reference, putting the car in Neutral was absolutely the right thing to do.

No matter what’s going on with the engine, the car cannot accelerate if the transmission is in Neutral. So, if anyone ever has an issue where their car is accelerating and it’s not supposed to be, your first move should be to put the transmission into Neutral.

Even in the worst-case scenario, where an older car’s engine continues to rev like crazy and damages itself, your life is more important than your engine’s (and most modern cars have computers that will not allow the engine to over-rev). So, Neutral first, then pull over safely and shut off the engine. Then call your dry cleaner.

If the pigtails are secured properly, there’s really no chance of this happening again. But if you’re worried, you can also get a trickle charger with cables that clamp directly onto the battery terminals. Those leave nothing behind under the hood, Charlene. And while that’s a little less convenient, it may give you more peace of mind.