NHTSA Complaint #10345557 — 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY

MY 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY XLE V6 CAR HAS SERIOUS TRANSMISSION ISSUES. IT HESITATES AND TAKES SEVERAL SECONDS AT SLOW SPEEDS TO FIND A GEAR TO SHIFT INTO. THE ENGINE REVS AND THE RPMS INCREASE BUT THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TROUBLESOME WHEN MAKING TURNS AND MAKES ME VULNERABLE TO BEING REAR ENDED IN RIGHT HAND TURNS, BUT EXPOSES ME TO BEING BROADSIDED IN LEFT HAND TURNS. JUST LAST WEEK DURING A LEFT TURN MY CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND I WAS EXTREMELY CLOSE TO HAVING THE PASSENGER SIDE WHERE MY CHILD SITS HIT! THIS CAR ALSO BUCKS SEVERAL TIMES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 25-35 MPH. THIS CAR HAS TROUBLE CLIMBING SMALL HILLS AND ALSO JERKS AND DOWNSHIFTS WHEN GOING DOWN HILLS, EVEN AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN MY FOOT NEVER LETS PRESSURE OFF THE GAS PEDAL. AS I SAID THE MOST TROUBLESOME ISSUE IS WHEN IT HAS DIFFICULTY SELECTING A GEAR AT LOWER SPEEDS. MORE THAN JUST AN ANNOYANCE, IT IS INDEED A SAFETY ISSUE AND I AM NOW AFRAID THAT I MAY BE HIT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DURING LEFT HAND TURNS. THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY THAT I DRIVE MY CAMRY. WHEN TELLING THE DEALER THE FIRST TIME OF THESE ISSUES HE BASICALLY SAID GET USED TO IT. THE NEXT TIME I TOOK MY CAMRY IN FOR SERVICE AND COMPLAINED AGAIN ABOUT THE ISSUE THEY SAID THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN PUT OUT BY TOYOTA ABOUT RESETTING THE COMPUTER AND THEY THEN PERFORMED THIS MAINTENANCE. FORTUNATELY I DID NOT PAY FOR THIS SERVICE AS IT DID NOTHING TO HELP REMEDY THE SITUATION. I WILL BE TAKING IT IN FOR ANOTHER OIL CHANGE SOON AND COMPLAINING YET AGAIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE! *TR