NHTSA Complaint #10294951 — 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY

ON 9/20/2009 AT 5 PM I WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 60 MILES PER HOUR NORTH ON US TEXAS HIGHWAY 121 AND MY 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY LOST ALL POWER AND THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I WAS ENGAGED IN NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE CAR IS WELL CARED FOR AND HAS 46,902 MILES. APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS PRIOR TO POWER FAILURE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. OTHERWISE, I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AS IT WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED JUST NORTH OF THE ALMA ROAD INTERSECTION AND RESULTED IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THE ROAD WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, THE ROAD DID NOT HAVE A BREAKDOWN LANE OR SHOULDER, AND THE ROAD HAD A HIGH SPEED LIMIT OF 60 MILES PER HOUR. THE COMPLETE LOSS IN POWER MEANT I HAD NO ABILITY TO POWER MY CAR TO A SAFE LOCATION; RATHER, I HAD TO COAST BETWEEN TRAFFIC TO AN AREA OF THE ROAD UNDER CONSTRUCTION. IF TRAFFIC HAD BEEN HEAVIER, THIS COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A CATASTROPHIC, LIFE THREATENING ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE THE DEALER INFORMED ME I NEEDED A NEW THROTTLE BODY AS MY THROTTLE BODY APPEARED TO BE "RUSTED OUT". THE CAR IS KEPT INSIDE A GARAGE IN THE WARM CLIMATE OF DALLAS, TEXAS SO I'M NOT SURE HOW THE THROTTLE BODY "RUSTED OUT". FURTHERMORE, THE CAR HAS HAD ALL SUGGESTED AND REQUIRED DEALERSHIP MAINTENANCE ITEMS PERFORMED TO IT SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW. THE TOTAL COST TO REPAIR THE THROTTLE BODY WAS $1,193.84 WHICH I HAD TO PAY AS IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR