NHTSA Complaint #10363816 — 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA

SUDDEN ACCELERATION ON 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. JUST RETURNED FROM FIRST ROAD TRIP WITH THIS CAR, FROM OREGON TO COLORADO, AND CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. IT HAPPENED 5 TIMES - 3 OF THE TIMES WHILE THE CAR WAS IN CRUISE CONTROL. IN PARTICULAR - WHILE GOING UP HILL -- THE CAR PICKS UP SPEED TO GET OVER THE HILL BUT AFTER REACHING THE TOP, CAR FAILS TO SLOW DOWN AND ONLY AFTER HITTING BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES WOULD THE ACCELERATION STOP AND CAR WOULD BEGIN TO SLOW. IN ONE INSTANCE, I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR OFF THE FREEWAY AND ONTO AN UPHILL ON-RAMP TO GET IT TO SLOW AND BRAKES FINALLY WORKED AT TOP OF HILL. I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE GAS PEDAL PUSHING DOWN ON ITS OWN - WITHOUT MY FOOT APPLYING PRESSURE. THE FIRST COUPLE OF TIMES IT HAPPENED, I THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE THE CAR WAS GOING DOWN HILL AND WAS JUST NATURALLY PICKING UP SPEED. IT WAS ONLY AFTER PUTTING THE CAR IN CRUISE CONTROL THAT I NOTICED THE PROBLEM WAS THE CAR, NOT THE ENVIRONMENT. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE CAR WENT FROM 52 TO 83, THE SECOND INCIDENT - 57 TO 90, THE 3RD INCIDENT - 65 TO 88, THE 4TH INSTANCE 75 TO 84 AND THE SCARIEST INCIDENT OF ALL - THE CAR WENT FROM 70 TO 105 MPH!! I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND THE ONLY THING THAT SLOWED THE CAR DOWN (BESIDES MY CONTINUAL BRAKING) WAS THAT I STARTED CLIMBING A LARGE HILL. ONE OF THE INCIDENTS WAS WITNESSED BY A WYOMING HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER - OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND MANY MILES TO A TOWN - WHO THOUGHTFULLY GAVE ME DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO GET THE CAR TO STOP SAFELY (TURN ON YOUR EMERGENCY FLASHERS, PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND APPLY EVEN PRESSURE TO BRAKES - PUTTING CAR IN NEUTRAL GIVES MORE POWER TO BRAKES). THIS CAR HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT AND HAD NEVER BEEN ON A LONG TRIP BEFORE AND VERY RARELY ON A FREEWAY. I HAD NEVER USED THE CRUISE CONTROL BEFORE AND WILL NOT BE USING IT AGAIN. TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADD THE 2003 COROLLA TO THE RECALL AS IT OBVIOUSLY HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE 2005 - 2010. TOYOTA WILL BE HEARING FROM ME TOMORROW. *TR