NHTSA Complaint #10639837 — 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

TWICE IN SEPTEMBER 2014, AS I WAS APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, I PRESSED THE BRAKES AND SLOWED TO NEARLY A STOP. THE ENGINE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED VERY HIGH, AND IF I HAD NOT ALREADY HAD A FOOT ON THE BRAKES, I WOULD HAVE GONE INTO AN INTERSECTION. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING SO HIGH THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO KEEP IT FROM MOVING. I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, AND WHILE THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN NEUTRAL, TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO NORMAL IDLE. THIS SAME SEQUENCE HAPPENED BOTH TIMES. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE THIS MONTH, BUT THESE ARE THE FIRST OCCURRENCES SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER, AND THE SERVICE PERSON SAID THAT IF THE VEHICLE ISN'T DEMONSTRATING THAT BEHAVIOR WHEN I BRING IT IN, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FIND WHAT CAUSED IT. THEY INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE DATA RECORDER WOULD NOT RECORD SUCH AN EVENT. THEY SAID THEY WOULD ADD A NOTE ABOUT THIS TO THE RECORD THEY HAVE ON THIS VEHICLE (THEY HAVE DONE ALL THE SERVICE SINCE I PURCHASED IT FROM THEM). I HAVE ALREADY DECIDED THAT SHOULD IT HAPPEN AGAIN, I WILL TRADE THE VEHICLE. I DON'T LIKE HAVING TO KEEP MY HAND ON THE GEARSHIFT, READY TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. I SAW A REPORT IN USATODAY THAT SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN TOYOTAS IS BEING INVESTIGATED AGAIN. I WANTED TO ADD MY EXPERIENCE TO THE MIX. *TR