NHTSA Complaint #10733286 — 2014 TOYOTA CAMRY

THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY HESITATES (STALLS) AT STARTS AND AT OTHER TIMES AS WELL. WE HAVE NOTIFIED TOYOTA OF THIS SITUATION TWICE. AT FIRST THIS WAS JUST A NUISANCE (SHORTER HESITATIONS), BUT NOW IT IS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY AND THE HESITATIONS ARE LONGER LEAVING US IN MORE PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS. WHEN WE ARRIVED TODAY I EXPLAINED THE HESITATION PROBLEM. SOME OF XXX STATEMENTS WERE RATHER TROUBLING TO ME: (1) "THIS IS A NEW SYSTEM. THERE IS NO LONGER A WIRE AND THROTTLE. YOU NEED TO LEARN TO RE-DRIVE WITH IT." (2) "THOUGH WE HAVE EQUIPPED ALL TOYOTAS WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM, THIS HESITATION PROBLEM IS PREDOMINATELY IN CAMRYS." (3) "I HAVE A 15 TOYOTA AVALON AND I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN TO ME. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET." (4) "IF THE COMPUTER ENGINE LIGHT IS NOT ON, THEN YOUR CAR IS OPERATING WITHIN SPEC. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR SYSTEM." (5) "NEW CAMRYS HAVE A LOT COMPUTERS AND YOU NEED TO ALLOW ALL THE INTERFACES OF THE ALL THE COMPUTERS IN THE VEHICLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER. THIS CAUSES SOME DELAY." THESE STATEMENTS WERE STATED BEFORE (1, 2, 4) AND AFTER (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) THE CAR WAS INSPECTED. I TOLD XXX REPEATEDLY THAT THIS WAS OUR SECOND VISIT TO GERMAIN TO REPORT THE PROBLEM AND THAT THIS HESITATION MAY CAUSE US TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. XXX KEPT INSISTING THAT IT WAS NOT TOYOTA'S / COMPUTER'S FAULT, THAT WE JUST NEEDED TO LEARN TO RE-DRIVE THE CAR. I DISAGREE THAT "IF THE COMPUTER ENGINE LIGHT IS NOT ON, THEN YOUR CAR IS OPERATING WITHIN SPECS." TOYOTA NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COMPUTERS CAN BREAK, BE LOADED WITH IMPROPER INFORMATION, BE SET UP INCORRECTLY, ETC. SOMETHING IS CAUSING THIS HESITATION "PRIMARILY" IN CAMRYS! IN OUR OPINION, ALL TOYOTA CAMRYS WITH THIS "NEW SYSTEM" SHOULD BE RECALLED AND THIS SITUATION ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. WE ARE HOPING THAT TOYOTA WILL DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ALL CAMRY OWNERS.