NHTSA Complaint #10311099 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

ON 7/31/2007, I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW TOYOTA CAMRY SE FROM KNOXVILLE TOYOTA. ON APRIL 20, 2008, I WAS DRIVING MY TOYOTA CAMRY SE WESTBOUND ON ROUTE 26 JUST WEST OF COLUMBIA, SC, AT A SPEED OF 60MPH. I THEN HIT MY CRUISE CONTROL TO INCREASE THE SPEED TO PASS A VEHICLE, WHEN MY ACCELERATOR STUCK AND MY SPEED WENT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO 105 MPH. ALL EFFORTS TO UNSTICK MY ACCELERATOR FAILED ME.( I AM A 54 YR OLD RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT WHO HAS OFTEN BEEN IN HIGH SPEED PURSUIT- SO I KNOW HOW TO HANDLE VEHICLES AT HIGH SPEEDS) TRAFFIC WAS RELATIVELY HEAVY, WITH A COUPLE 18 WHEELERS, AND SEVERAL CARS WITH FAMILIES IN FRONT OF ME. I RECALLED THERE BEING A FLYER OF WARNING BY TOYOTA ON RUBBER MATS, SO I REACHED DOWN, YANKED THE RUBBER MAT OFF THE FLOOR AND THREW IT INTO THE BACK SEAT, ALL THE WHILE STANDING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, TRYING TO GET THE CAR NOT TO HIT VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME. FINALLY I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND COASTED THE CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC. SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF MY FRONT BRAKES, AND ONCE ON THE RIGHT SIDE MEDIAN, I TURNED THE CAR OFF. LET IT COOL DOWN, THEN GOT BACK ON RT 26. LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES LATER, WHILE PASSING A SLOWER VEHICLE, MY ACCELERATOR STUCK AGAIN, AND THE SPEED GOT TO 95 MPH BEFORE I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AGAIN AND TURNED IT OFF. I BROUGHT MY CAR INTO THE KNOXVILLE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP 4/21/08 (COMPLAINT OF 4/21/08 WAS DOCUMENTED AT TOYOTA KNOXVILLE, PO BOX 30069, KNOXVILLE TN.)AND THEY PUT IT ON THEIR MACHINE AND SAID "NOTHING WAS WRONG." FOR THE NEXT YEAR, I EXPERIENCED SHIMMING OF MY FRONT TIRES WHEN BRAKING. ON 5/5/09, I PAID OVER $171 TO REPAIR WARPED ROTORS. WHEN THE RE-CALL OCCURRED, I REMINDED THEM OF MY EVENT, WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN AN ELECTRONIC ISSUE INVOLVING MY CRUISE CONTROL ON THE FIRST EVENT. THEY PUT MY CAR IN TO HAVE THEIR "FIX" DONE TO MY ACCELERATOR, HOWEVER I AM NOT CONVINCED IT FIXED MY ISSUE. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT TOYOTA HAS HIDDEN THIS PROBLEM FROM ITS CUSTOMERS, AND I AM NOT CONVINCED THIS VEHICLE IS SAFE. *TR