NHTSA Complaint #10317521 — 2006 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH 49,000. THIS IS MY SECOND SEQUOIA (PRIOR WAS A 2002 YEAR MODEL) SO I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS AND NUANCES OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER PURCHASING THIS SEQUOIA, I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT WHILE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, AT TRAFFIC SIGNALS, AND BEHIND OTHER VEHICLES, THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY ACCELERATE AND LUNGE FORWARD MOVING THE CAR SEVERAL FEET FORWARD. THE FIRST COUPLE OF TIMES THIS OCCURRED, I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN REAR-ENDED. I CAME TO REALIZE THAT IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH A MOMENTARY SURGE IN THE ACCELERATOR. EVEN WITH YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE, IT STILL CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO LUNGE FORWARD. MY WIFE AND I HAVE NEARLY STRUCK VEHICLES IN FRONT OF US. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DURING WARRANTY AND REPORTED THE INCIDENTS. OF COURSE WE RECEIVED THEIR STANDARD REPLY "WE COULD NOT GET YOUR VEHICLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM." WHEN QUESTIONED FURTHER, WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS PROBABLY WHEN THE A/C PUMP WAS COMING ON, AND IT ONLY FELT LIKE WE WERE MOVING BUT ACTUALLY WEREN'T, AND THAT THIS WAS NORMAL. WOULD MAKE SENSE, BUT THE VEHICLE DOES THIS WITH BOTH THE A/C ON AND THE A/C OFF THOUGH I MUST ADMIT IT SEEMS TO DO IT MORE FREQUENTLY DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. PLUS, THIS NEVER HAPPENED WITH MY PREVIOUS SEQUOIA. ALSO, IT IS NOT OUR IMAGINATION THAT THE VEHICLE IS MOVING FORWARD. WE HAVE NEARLY STRUCK THE REAR END OF OTHER CARS AND MUST NOW STOP 8 - 10 FEET BEHIND OTHER VEHICLES. I LOOKED ON LINE AND FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER SEQUOIA OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM, AND GETTING THE SAME RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA. BEING SOMEWHAT MECHANICALLY INCLINED, I TOO BELIEVE THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC/COMPUTER CONTROL PROBLEM. EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT AWARE OF THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM CAUSING DEATHS, PLEASE DON'T FORGET US AS IT IS STILL AN ACCELERATION PROBLEM, AND FOR WHAT WE PAID FOR THIS VEHICLE, WE ARE OWED BETTER THAN THEIR LAME EXCUSE. THANKS FOR LISTENING. *TR