NHTSA Complaint #10621698 — 2007 TOYOTA AVALON

I WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT RIGHT OFF A HIGHWAY EXIT ON A BUSY MALL ROAD. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED AND I TRIED TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. ENGINE WAS RUNNING, EVERYTHING WAS WORKING PERFECTLY BUT CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I TRIED TO TURN OFF AND RESTART SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL. ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL OR ANY OTHER GEAR AND ALTHOUGH SHIFT MOVED CAR STILL WOULD NOT RESPOND. CAR COULD NOT EVEN BE PUSHED OFF OF ROAD IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND SAT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. WHEN THE MECHANIC TURNED THE CAR ON IT PRESENTED NO ISSUES, RAN PERFECTLY FINE AND NO SIGNS OF PROBLEMS ON DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER. THE CAR RAN PERFECTLY FOR ANOTHER WEEK OR SO UNTIL MY FATHER WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN COULD FEEL THAT CAR WAS JUST ROLLING, AND THE POWER WAS GONE. HE WAS COASTING IN HIGH SPEED LANE OF INTERSTATE. LUCKILY HE PULLED TO SAFETY. WHEN CAR WAS TOWED TO SAME MECHANIC IT WAS CLEAR THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WITH NO WARNINGS THIS METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED CAR JUST GAVE OUT AND PUT MYSELF AND MY FATHER IN VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WHERE WE COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY OTHER CARS. I HAVE READ MANY SIMILAR STORIES ONLINE FROM TOYOTA OWNERS WITH CARS BUILT WITHIN SAME TIMEFRAMES WHO HAVE HAD THEIR TRANSMISSION GIVE OUT, OR CAUSE PROBLEMS ON THE ROAD AS WELL. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A DEFECT IN THEIR PRODUCTS AND HAS ONLY RESPONDED THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL COSTS. *TR