NHTSA Complaint #10319653 — 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

SOMETIME IN 2006, MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I WAS STANDING ON THE BRAKE TO MAKE THE CAR STOP AND IT WOULDN'T. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT THROUGH THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, HIT THE BRAKE, THEN THROUGH IT INTO PARK WHILE IT WAS STILL MOVING. I CALLED JIFFY LUBE WHO JUST HAD PERFORMED AN OIL CHANGE. THEY SENT A TECHNICIAN OVER TO LOOK AT IT. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR FOR THE TECH THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE. WE BOTH LOOKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING STUCK UNDER THE ACCELERATOR. THERE WAS NOT. WE BOTH PULLED UP ON THE ACCELERATOR AND IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE STUCK. THE TECH COULDN'T EXPLAIN IT. I CAN'T RECALL IF I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TOYOTA OR IF THE PROBLEM STOPPED SUDDENLY AND I DROVE MYSELF. TOYOTA IS ONE MILE FROM WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. TOYOTA TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND ASSURED ME THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I DROVE HIM WITHOUT INCIDENT UNTIL I PULLED IN MY DRIVEWAY, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I AGAIN HAD TO THROW THE CAR INTO PARK WHILE MOVING. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO TOYOTA AND WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS "FIXED" AND GIVEN SOME EXCUSE THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. IT NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN AND WE TRADED THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE IN 2008. THE DEALERSHIP WAS BOB ROHRMAN TOYOTA IN WESTMONT, IL. I THINK THE RECALL NEEDS TO GO BACK FURTHER TO INCLUDE 2002 VEHICLES. *TR