NHTSA Complaint #10304304 — 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

ON MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2008 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:45 A.M. CDT, I DROVE MY 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ON TO THE EMPLOYEE PARKING LOT AT UNIGROUP, INC. AS I ALWAYS DID, I PULLED UP PAST MY ASSIGNED PARKING SPOT, STOPPED, AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO BACK INTO MY SPACE. WHEN I MOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE TO THE ACCELERATOR AND TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO BACK INTO SPACE 304, THE SUV SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT A TREMENDOUS SPEED, HIT AND BOUNCED OFF THE FORD EXPLORER PARKED IN SPACE 305 AND THEN HIT THE SUBARU LEGACY WAGON PARKED IN SPACE 317 IMMEDIATELY BEHIND SPACE 304. ONE WITNESS WHO WAS IN THE PARKING LOT AT THE TIME LATER TOLD ME THAT WHILE HE DID NOT SEE THE CRASH, HE HEARD A HUGE ROAR OF A MOTOR AND THE CRASHING NOISE OF THE IMPACT. THE OWNER OF THE SUBARU ALSO DID NOT SEE THE INITIAL ACCELERATION OF THE SUV, BUT HEARD THE TIRES SCREECHING AND TURNED IN TIME TO SEE MY SUV HIT HIS SUBARU. BOTH OF THE TWO WITNESSES HELPED ME LOAD THE BACK BUMPER OF MY HIGHLANDER INTO THE CARGO AREA. PRIOR TO GOING INTO THE OFFICE, I CHECKED THE FLOOR MAT UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT COULD NOT SEE ANY INDICATION THAT IT IN ANY WAY HAD MOVED. I AM CONVINCED THAT THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED MY HIGHLANDER WAS THE FACT THAT IT HIT THE TWO VEHICLES IN SPACES 305 AND 317. LATER THAT DAY (4.28.2008), I CALLED TOYOTA TO REPORT THE INCIDENT. I WAS TOLD BY A REPRESENTATIVE BY THE NAME OF BARBARA THAT THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS OR RECALLS ON THE HIGHLANDER, ONLY THE CAMRY (THIS ACCORDING TO THE NHTSA.) MY REPORT WAS GIVEN . THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY SUV AND THE TWO OTHER VEHICLES THAT WERE HIT. THUS FAR, TOYOTA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MY VEHICLE (2003 HIGHLANDER) IS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND SINCE THE VIN # BEGINS WITH A J, I AM TOLD THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH ANY VEHICLE MADE IN JAPAN. THEREFORE, I CANNOT EVEN TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. I AM LEFT IN LIMBO WITH A DEFECTIVE TOYOTA. *TR