NHTSA Complaint #10306258 — 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

ACCELERATION & DE-ACCELERATION PROBLEM: WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN FORWARD MOTION, ON A HIGHWAY, AND I PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR TO RAPIDLY SPEED UP, THERE IS AN APPROXIMATELY ONE SECOND TIME DELAY IN THE VEHICLES RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST TO ACCELERATE. FREQUENTLY, THIS DELAY HAS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. ON THE OCCASIONS THAT I WANT TO SPEED UP TO PASS A VEHICLE, OR TO CHANGE LANES OR TO AVOID A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SITUATION, THIS DELAY IS VERY STARTLING. BECAUSE OF THE VEHICLES RESPONSE DELAY, I THEN SOMETIMES SUDDENLY TAKE MY FOOT OF THE ACCELERATOR TO CANCEL MY ACCELERATE REQUEST. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE, AFTER ITS INITIAL ACCELERATION DELAY, WILL THEN ACCELERATE FOR JUST A MOMENT EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOW JUST TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR. IN MY ALMOST 50 YEARS OF DRIVING MANY VEHICLES, ACCELERATORS ALWAYS RESPONDED INSTANTLY. THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS A LINKAGE CABLE THAT MECHANICALLY CONNECTED THE GAS PEDAL TO THE CARBURETOR. NOW, IN THIS TOYOTA, IT IS COMPUTER CONTROLLED. WHEN I COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS DELAY TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, THEY TESTED THE VEHICLE AND ADVISED ME THAT EVERYTHING IS OPERATING NORMALLY. HOWEVER, THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE ACCELERATION IS NOW COMPUTER CONTROLLED AND THE COMPUTER IS OPERATING AS INTENDED. I INSISTED THAT THIS WAS A DESIGN FLAW AND THAT THE COMPUTER SHOULD NOT QUESTION MY DECISION TO ACCELERATE WHEN ==> I <== WANT TO ACCELERATE. I WAS ADVISED THAT THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS AND THAT THIS IS HOW IT IS. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW FROM A TOYOTA DEALER. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS EXISTED. *TR