NHTSA Complaint #10301768 — 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY

ACCELERATION ON MY 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE WILDLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. CAR WOULD SUDDENLY ACCELERATE, THEN DECELERATE ALMOST NON-STOP. I SHUT ENGINE OFF, CALLED TOYOTA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED IN. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WAS DEFECTIVE AND WOULD BE REPLACED UNDER A FEDERALLY MANDATED WARRANTY - CAR HAD 76,000 MILES, AND WARRANTY WAS GOOD TO 80,000 MILES. HOWEVER THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY HAD SIMULTANEOUSLY FAILED. THAT WOULD COST ME $681. TOYOTA'S OWN TECHNICIAN SAID THAT THE ECM FAILURE CAUSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO FAIL. TOYOTA CORPORATE, HOWEVER, TOLD ME THAT THE TWO INCIDENTS WERE UNRELATED. AFTER READING ABOUT THE "ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING" PROBLEM IN THE NEWS LATELY, I WONDER IF MY PROBLEM IS NOT PART OF A MUCH LARGER PROBLEM INVOLVING THE ECM ON TOYOTAS CARS. IF I WAS NOT WISE ENOUGH TO SHUT OFF MY ENGINE WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD EASILY HAVE OCCURRED. PLEASE CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THE ECM PROBLEM, AS I BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA IS NOT FORTHCOMING WITH THE FULL STORY HERE. *TR THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THERE WEAS AN ENGINE KNOCK COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPALCED THE TENSIONER, AND BELT. THE WATER PUMP WAS WEARING PREMATURELY, THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON ALL THE TIME. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE ECM AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL WERE REPLACED. UPDATED IVOQ 04/15/11