NHTSA Complaint #10683283 — 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:50AM MST, AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK AT THE HOLIDAY GAS STATION ON PLEASANT GROVE BOULEVARD IN PLEASANT GROVE, UT, I BEGAN TO PULL AWAY FROM THE GAS PUMPS. BEFORE EXITING THE GAS STATION, AND AFTER MOVING ABOUT 20 FEET AT ABOUT 5 MPH, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED UP TO AROUND 4000 RPM. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY FOOT ENTIRELY OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL AND SLAMMED MY FOOT DOWN ON THE BRAKE, HOLDING THE BRAKE DOWN FIRMLY. DESPITE NOTHING PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL, AND DESPITE THE BRAKE PEDAL BEING VERY FIRMLY AND CONTINUOUSLY PRESSED, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO CYCLE AT EXACTLY THE SAME HIGH RPM AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD, STRAINING AGAINST THE BRAKE. I THEN SWITCHED THE GEAR FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING, BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV AT EXACTLY THE SAME RPM. AT THIS TIME, THE ENGINE WAS CONTINUOUSLY REVVING AT APPROXIMATELY 4000 RPM, THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING, THE GEAR WAS SET TO NEUTRAL, NOTHING WAS PRESSING ON THE GAS/ACCELERATOR PEDAL, AND I WAS FIRMLY PRESSING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I THEN EXAMINED THE DRIVER FOOTWELL TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY BE PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL AND INDEED THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE DRIVER FOOTWELL. I THEN TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE AND PUMPED THE GAS PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND IN ANY WAY TO THIS ACTION ? RATHER IT CONTINUED TO SIMPLY REV AT THE CONSTANT HIGH RPM. I THEN TURNED OFF THE IGNITION, AT WHICH TIME THE ENGINE STOPPED AND THE VEHICLE WAS ENTIRELY OFF. I THEN SWITCHED THE GEAR INTO PARK, AND THEN STARTED THE IGNITION AND THE VEHICLE STARTED NORMALLY. I PROCEEDED TO SWITCH THE GEAR INTO DRIVE, AND PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE VEHICLE MOVED FORWARD AS EXPECTED WITHOUT ANY UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. SINCE THEN, THE VEHICLE HAS BEHAVED NORMALLY. *TR