NHTSA Complaint #10214754 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

MY 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY HAS A HESITATION AND TRANSMISSION NOISE PROBLEM DURING ACCELERATING AT STARTUP AND WHEN YOU RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR AND STEP ON IT AGAIN. THIS BECAME NOTICEABLE A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER WE DROVE IT HOME. I BROUGHT IT BACK FOR SERVICE SEVERAL DAYS AFTER. THE DEALER SAID EVERY THING CHECKED OUT. THEY DID NOT TEST DRIVE IT BECAUSE THEY SAID IT CHECKED OUT. AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF TRYING DIFFERENT GASOLINES AND DIFFERENT OCTANES RATINGS FROM DIFFERENT COMPANIES I GAVE UP. THEN WE TOOK A TRIP FROM OUR HOME IN TEXAS TO A OUR HOME TOWN IN LOUISIANA. I HAD TO FILL UP IN MY HOMETOWN AND THAT'S WHEN I DISCOVERED THE POSSIBLE PROBLEM. THE GAS IN HOUSTON TEXAS HAS ETHANOL IN IT. THE GAS IN MY HOMETOWN DOES NOT. WHEN I FILLED UP IN MY HOME TOWN WITH REGULAR UNLEADED FROM EXXON, I NOTICED THAT THE HESITATION AND TRANSMISSION NOISE WAS BARELY NOTICEABLE AFTER THE FIRST TANK FULL. AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO MY HOMETOWN IT BECAME QUITE CLEAR THAT IT IS THE GAS WITH ETHANOL THAT'S CAUSING THE HESITATION AND TRANSMISSION NOISE. THE CARS BEING BUILT NOW ARE SUPPOSE TO ALL RUN ON ETHANOL, BUT IT OBVIOUS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, BUT THE DEALER IS TELLING ME THAT, " IT CHECKS OUT ACCORDING TO SPEC." I WAS GOING UP AN ON RAMP ONTO THE FREEWAY AND WAS ACCELERATING WHEN I NOTICED A CAR CHANGE INTO THE RIGHT LANE. I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR TO SLOW FOR THE CAR TO GET PASS. I THEN PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN TO GET UP SPEED. WHEN I DID THAT, THE CAR DECELERATED ABOUT FIVE MILES PER HOUR AND THE CAR COMING UP BEHIND ME ALMOST RAN INTO ME. NOTICE: THE INCIDENT DATE IS EVERY DATE. I PUT THE INCIDENT DATE AS THE DAY I BOUGHT IT. THE "WHAT SOURCE REFERRED YOU ETC" IS INFORMATION I HAVE COME ACROSS OVER THE YEARS FROM READING DIFFERENT ARTICLES IN DIFFERENT MAGAZINES. PLEASE HELP ME GET TOYOTA TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I THING THE DEALERS IGNORE SENIORS, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT A FORCE IN THE BUYERS MARKET. THANKS YOU VERY MUCH JESSE CANTRELL *TR