NHTSA Complaint #10169808 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

I PURCHASED A 2007 CAMRY LE IN LATE APRIL. FROM THE DAY I TOOK DELIVERY, THERE APPEARED TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATION; THERE WERE DEAD SPOTS. THAT LED TO LONG 3 TO 5 SECONDS LAG TIMES BEFORE THE CAR WOULD RESPOND WHEN PRESSING DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO OVERDRIVE WHEN A STEADY ACCELERATION WAS ALL THAT WAS NEEDED. I FINALLY TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TODAY; I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD ALLOW A 'BREAK-IN' PERIOD TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM RESOLVED ITSELF. THE MOMENT THAT I BEGAN TO DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM, I WAS STOPPED AND ASKED IF IT WAS A 2007 CAMRY LE. AN AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSE BROUGHT AN ANSWER THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO; IT HAD BEEN REPORTED TO TOYOTA. APPARENTLY TO DEFLECT WHAT MUST HAVE LOOKED LIKE RISING ANGER, I WAS TOLD THAT THE SERVICE MANGER'S DAUGHTER HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. A CALL TO TOYOTA OF AMERICA BROUGHT A RESPONSE THAT THE VEHICLE IS OPERATING AS IT WAS DESIGNED (SO, I GUESS IT WAS DESIGNED TO STALL WHEN MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, CHANGING LANES ON THE INTERSTATE, TRYING TO GO FORWARD, ETC). MY ANGER IS 1) THAT THEY SOLD ME A DEFECTIVE CAR, 2) THAT THEY KNOW IT IS A FACTORY DEFECT BUT CHOOSE NOT TO FIX THE PROBLEM (I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE STILL 'THINKING' ABOUT A SOLUTION), AND 3) THAT I WASN'T NOTIFIED OF THIS RATHER MAJOR DEFECT (AND WHY IS TOYOTA ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO SELL THESE CARS WITHOUT THE CAVEAT THAT THERE IS A FACTORY DEFECT THAT HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND TOYOTA HAS NO PLANS TO PROVIDE A REPAIR)? I HAVE LOOKED AT OVER A DOZEN WEB SIGHTS WHERE MEMBERS HAVE COMPLAINED, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN A MENTION OF THE REASON FOR THE PROBLEM OR A SOLUTION OF WHAT TO DO. SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED BY THIS ERRATIC BEHAVIOR. *JB