NHTSA Complaint #10203116 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

I PURCHASED A 2007 CAMRY LE 4 CYLINDER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN 9/06. THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS CAR HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTING. ON THE 1ST ROAD TRIP, I NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH THE CRUISE. THE CAR DOWNSHIFTED 2 GEARS ON INCLINES AND THE ENGINE WOULD REV AT APP. 5000 RPMS. AT THE TOP OF THE INCLINE, THE CAR'S SPEED WOULD INCREASE 5-10 MILES PER HOUR CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO DISCONNECT THE CRUISE. MY HUSBAND TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE WE PURCHASED THIS CAR AND HE WAS TOLD THIS WAS EXPECTED AND WAS DESIGNED TO DO THIS. TO CORRECT, THE PROBLEM WE COULD NOT USE THE CRUISE WHEN DRIVING UP INCLINES. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED. AFTER SEVERAL ROAD TRIPS AND NOTICING THE GAS MILEAGE WAS THE SAME ON THE HIGHWAY AS IN THE CITY, WE TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER. THIS TIME, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE "COMPUTER COULD NOT SEE HILLS COMING AND TO COMPENSATE THIS PROBLEM, WE WOULD NEED TO OVERRIDE THE CRUISE ON HILLS BY USING THE ACCELERATOR AND INCREASING OUR SPEED JUST SLIGHTLY." AT THIS VISIT WE ALSO DISCUSSED A PROBLEM WITH HESITATION UPON ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. WE WERE TOLD THAT A NEW COMPUTER CHIP MAY FIX THAT PROBLEM AND THE CHIP WAS REPLACED. NOW THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT--THE CAR WILL HESITATED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PASS A VEHICLE,OR ACCELERATING FROM A STOP-- THE PROBLEM WENT FROM ONLY SLUGGISH ACCELERATION FROM A STOP TO BEING INTERMITTENT AT ANY TIME. MY HUSBAND THEN ASKED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL OFFICE FOR TOYOTA TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM WITH THEM, HE WAS TOLD THE NUMBER COULD NOT BE GIVEN OUT TO CONSUMERS. HE THEN ASKED IF THE OFFICE COULD BE CONTACTED BY THE DEALER REQUESTING THE OFFICE TO CONTACT MY HUSBAND. HE WAS TOLD THAT COULD NOT HAPPEN EITHER. TOYOTA HAS BEEN TOTALLY UNCOOPERATIVE. IN ONE HOUR'S TIME, DECELERATED AND ACCELERATED WITH THE CRUISE 50 TIMES. THE DEALERSHIP KNEW THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH 4 CYLINDER AND IT WAS NEVER MENTIONED TO US WHEN LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE. *JB