NHTSA Complaint #10347340 — 2010 TOYOTA COROLLA

DRIVING 2010 TOYOTA COROLLA MANUAL TRANS ON INTERSTATE ON 8/2/10 AT 2:30 P.M. HAD CRUISE CONTROL ON GOING 70 MPH. ENGAGED CLUTCH, SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND BRAKED IN PREPARATION TO STOP FOR TRAFFIC JAM AHEAD. BRAKE DID NOT ENGAGE AND VEHICLE CONTINUED AT 70 MPH WITHOUT TOUCHING ACCELERATOR. CONTINUED ATTEMPTS TO BRAKE, DOWNSHIFT, TURN OFF CRUISE CONTROL WITH NO DECREASE IN SPEED. INITIALLY UNABLE TO DOWNSHIFT BUT THEN DID GET INTO LOWER GEAR BUT WITH NO RESULTING DECREASE IN SPEED, NOR DID THE ENGINE MAKE ANY NOISE INDICATING THAT I HAD DOWNSHIFTED. I WAS ABLE TO GET ONTO SHOULDER WHERE I CONTINUED TO GO 70 MPH.I THEN GOT OFF AT AN EXIT THAT HAD AN INCLINE. PART WAY UP THE HILL FELT SOMETHING DISENGAGE AND THE CAR SLOWED- NOT JUST DUE TO THE INCLINE I THINK. I WAS THEN ABLE TO PUT ON EMERGENCY BRAKE AND THE CAR STOPPED. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES I TRIED THE BRAKES AGAIN AND THEY WORKED. I DID NOT REENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL AFTER THIS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS OCCURRED AFTER I HAD TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR BOTH TOYOTA RECOMMENDED RECALLS REGARDING THE FLOOR MATS AND PUTTING A MODIFICATION IN THE GAS PEDAL. WHEN I WENT IN FOR RECALLS I ASKED ABOUT PLACEMENT OF A COMPUTER BRAKE OVERRIDE SYSTEM AND WAS FIRST TOLD THAT FIX WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE, THEN TOLD IT WAS NOT RELEVANT TO MY CAR, AND, AFTER THE ABOVE EVENT TOLD AGAIN THAT TOYOTA DID NOT YET HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO DO THIS FIX ON COROLLAS. THE DEALERSHIP HAVE THUS FAR BEEN UNPLEASANT AND SUGGESTING THAT I MIGHT NOT BE TELLING THE TRUTH. *TR