NHTSA Complaint #10838795 — 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY

ON 12/4/2015, EXPERIENCED SLUGGISH RESPONSE WHEN PRESSING ACCELERATOR, THEN SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND SURGING FORWARD AT HIGH SPEED, CAUSING SPEED OF CAR TO BE TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE WITH A STEADY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. BRAKING DID SLOW AND STOP THE CAR. TOOK CAR IMMEDIATELY TO TOYOTA DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE ECU (ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT) AT A COST OF $900. ABOUT 10 WEEKS LATER, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. DRIVING TO WORK ON THE FREEWAY THAT DAY, ACCELERATION WAS SLUGGISH AND UNPREDICTABLE. PARKED CAR AT WORK, AND THEN AFTER BACKING UP IN THE PARKING AREA TO LEAVE, THE CAR AGAIN WAS SLUGGISH ON ACCELERATION, AND THEN BEGAN TO SURGE FORWARD UNPREDICTABLY, OUT OF MY CONTROL, WITH NO INCREASE IN PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR. AGAIN, THE BRAKES FUNCTIONED TO SLOW OR STOP THE CAR. I PULLED OVER AND CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER, WHO ADVISED I COULD BRING IT IN THAT EVENING. NO SURGING WAS NOTICED WHEN CAR WAS IN PARK. I HAD A HARROWING DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP DURING RUSH HOUR, KEEPING A LONG DISTANCE BEHIND THE CARS IN FRONT OF ME TO AVOID HITTING ANYONE. ACCELERATION WAS VERY SLUGGISH WHEN MERGING OR STARTING UP AGAIN AFTER A RED LIGHT TURNED GREEN, AND ONCE I BEGAN MOVING AHEAD, THE UNPREDICTABLE SURGING AND SLOWING BEGAN AGAIN AND CONTINUED UNTIL I STOPPED AT THE NEXT LIGHT, ETC. THEY HAVE HAD THE CAR TEN DAYS AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I NOW NEED TO RETURN THE LOANER, AND DRIVE THE DEFECTIVE CAR AGAIN. NO FLOOR MATS WERE IN PLACE. I CAN ONLY HOPE MY HUSBAND, CHILDREN OR I ARE NOT INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN THE EVENT THIS HAPPENS AGAIN, WHICH I FULLY EXPECT. HOW CAN TOYOTA AND NHTSA DETERMINE THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS WHEN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS IN THIS RECORD, AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED AND INJURED AS A RESULT OF PROBLEMS WITH UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN THESE VEHICLES?