NHTSA Complaint #10310559 — 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

I OWN A 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND HAVE HAD THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM HAPPEN TO ME SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED A SERIOUS PROBLEM WAS ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO AND MY SON AND I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR SOME FAST THINKING ON MY PART. I WAS TRYING TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT AND MY CAR ACCELERATED FOR NO REASON. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT MY BRAKES HAD FAILED SINCE WHEN I STOMPED ON THE BRAKE, MY CAR WOULD NOT STOP, EVEN THOUGH I HAD BOTH FEET PRESSING DOWN ON IT. AT THIS POINT,WITH CARS IN FRONT OF ME THAT I WAS GOING TO HIT, I SWERVED INTO THE TURN LANE AND THEN ALL I COULD SEE WAS AN 18 WHEELER COMING AT ME. I WAS SO LUCKY THERE WERE NO CARS ON THE SIDE ROAD THAT I TURNED ONTO AND ALL THE WHILE I WAS STEADILY TRYING TO GET MY VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL. I ENDED UP THROWING IT INTO PARK AS I MADE THE TURN. IT TOOK TURNING MY CAR OFF TO BRING IT TO A COMPLETE STOP. AT THAT TIME, I THOUGHT MY FLOOR MAT HAD SOMEHOW GOTTEN STUCK ON THE ACCELERATOR, SO I TOOK ALL MY FRONT FLOOR MATS OUT. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM OF THE CAR "REVVING" FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING IT SEVERAL TIMES AND/OR UPON STARTING IT. IT WOULD JUST IDLE HIGH IN THE 6/8 RPM RANGE. WE JUST THOUGHT IT WAS COLD. HOWEVER, ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND IT KEPT SHOOTING FORWARD AT EVERY STOP. I'D HAVE TO STOMP ON THE BRAKES WITH BOTH FEET. I'D PULL OFF, STOP MY CAR, TURN IT OFF, RESTART IT, AND THE RPM'S WHO SHOOT BACK UP TO 8. I KEPT PRAYING THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE TO STOP. IT WAS THE MOST FRIGHTENING 15 MILE RIDE BACK HOME THAT I EVER TOOK AND SERIOUSLY, I WANTED TO JUST LEAVE THE VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I REFUSED TO DRIVE IT AND I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO CHANGED AN RPM SENSOR. THIS HAS NOT STOPPED THE PROBLEM EITHER. PERIODICALLY, MY CAR'S RPM'S WILL SHOOT UP TO 4 OR 6 WHILE I AM DRIVING IT OR UPON STARTING THE CAR. *TR