When she called for help, she could not tell dispatchers where she was, but she said her car was filling with water.
The crash happened Tuesday as Shanika Parker was driving in Indianapolis.
The 911 operator was able to track Parker's cell phone to a general area and sent rescue crews that way.
Three officers realized she might be in the retention pond where there had been a similar crash only months ago.
They found Parker's car almost completely submerged.
Police say if Parker's car had gone under it would have taken days to locate it. She was not seriously injured.