NHTSA Complaint #10384600 — 2011 TOYOTA CAMRY

AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 40 AND 75, WHEN THE ENGINE IS LIGHTLY LOADED, THE COMPUTER CONTROLLED THROTTLE CANNOT DECIDE IF IT OUGHT TO BE SLIGHTLY OPEN OR COMPLETELY CLOSED. THE WORST CASE IS WHEN TRYING TO MAINTAIN SPEED DOWN A GENTLE HILL. THE THROTTLE CYCLES INTERMITTENTLY BETWEEN OFF AND ON. WHEN THE THROTTLE SHUTS, THE TACH WILL SUDDENLY DROP ABOUT 150 RPM AND THE CAR NOTICEABLY DECELERATES. OFTEN, AFTER A FEW SECONDS, THE COMPUTER SEEMS TO REALIZE THAT THE THROTTLE SHOULDN'T BE ALL THE WAY OFF, AND COMMANDS THE ENGINE TO SPEED UP. ENGINE SPEED THEN JUMPS ABOUT 200 RPM, WITH AN ANNOYING SURGE AND DROPS BACK ABOUT 50 RPM A SECOND OR SO LATER. OCCASIONALLY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT 'WAKE UP' AND I WOULD HAVE TO APPLY THROTTLE TO GET THE CAR TO RETURN TO THE DESIRED SPEED, AT WHICH POINT IT WOULD ACCELERATE THROUGH MY TARGET SPEED AND I WOULD BACK OFF, ONLY TO HAVE THE CYCLE REPEAT. OCCASIONALLY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DECELERATE, WITH MY FOOT COMPLETELY OFF THE THROTTLE, THE CAR WOULD CONTINUE TO HOLD SPEED AS IF ON CRUISE CONTROL. AT ONE POINT, I PROCEEDED ABOUT A HALF MILE AT 60 MPH WITH MY FEET FLAT ON THE FLOOR. SEVERAL TIMES, I HAD TO STEP ON THE BRAKES TO KEEP FROM OVERRUNNING TRAFFIC AHEAD WHEN THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND TO REDUCED THROTTLE. WHEN DECELERATING TO A STOP FROM CRUISING SPEED (ABOVE 50 MPH), PARTICULARLY DOWN A HILL, AFTER THE THROTTLE HAD INITIALLY CLOSED, THE VEHICLE WOULD DECELERATE NORMALLY TO ABOUT 40 MPH, AT WHICH POINT ENGINE SPEED WOULD SUDDENLY INCREASE ABOUT 200 RPM AND THE VEHICLE WOULD BEGIN TO GENTLY ACCELERATE. THESE UNCOMMANDED THROTTLE EXCURSIONS WERE MILD. WHEN THE VEHICLE DID NOT DECELERATE AS COMMANDED, SPEED COULD ALWAYS BE REDUCED WITH LIGHT BRAKE APPLICATION. BUT, THE PROBLEM IS CONSISTENTLY ANNOYING AND IS A SYMPTOM THAT THE COMPUTER CONTROLLED THROTTLE SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY IN THIS VEHICLE. THIS RENTAL CAR EXHIBITED THE PROBLEM CONSISTENTLY FOR A WEEK. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. *TR