NHTSA Complaint #10303734 — 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA

IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT TOYOTA RECALLS REGARDING STICKING GAS PEDALS, I FELT I SHOULD REPORT THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME WITH MY 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO. THE PEDAL STUCK THREE DIFFERENT TIMES AND I DISCOVERED THAT BRAKING DID NOTHING. HOWEVER, I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO RELEASE ALL THREE TIMES BY PUMPING THE GAS PEDAL REPEATEDLY! WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, THEY REFUSED TO CONSIDER MY COMPLAINT SERIOUSLY AND SAID IT MUST BE DRIVER ERROR AS IT COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE THEIR VEHICLE. AT THE TIME, I ASKED THEM TO CHECK DIRECTLY WITH THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING WHAT WAS POTENTIALLY A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM, AND WAS SIMPLY BLOWN OFF AND TREATED LIKE I WAS NUTS. I AM REPORTING THIS TO YOU NOW, BECAUSE IN LIGHT OF MY EXPERIENCE, I FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON A LOT LONGER THAN ANYONE REALIZES. I HAVE BEEN A TOYOTA CUSTOMER SINCE 1983 BUT I FEEL LIKE I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE. I THINK TOYOTA HAS BEEN SWEEPING THIS ONE UNDER THE RUG FOR A LONG TIME AND THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. I AM SURE THERE ARE A LOT MORE OLDER MODELS OUT THERE LIKE MINE. *TR