NHTSA Complaint #10949888 — 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR TWO DAUGHTERS (AGES 12 AND 14). IT HAD JUST STARTED TO SNOW AND MY WIFE SAID THE ROAD WAS SLIPPERY SHE PUT THE CAR INTO LOW GEAR AND TRAVELED SLOWLY. SHE WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM OUR HOUSE WHEN SHE COULD NO LONGER CONTROL THE VEHICLE. SHE HIT A TREE, A FENCE, AND THEN TWO MORE TREES, TRAVELING MORE THAN 600 FEET. EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS TRAVELING DOWNHILL SHE SAID THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE THE ABS AND THEN TOWARD THE END OF THE CRASH, BEFORE HITTING THE THIRD TREE THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. UPON HITTING THE THIRD TREE ALL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND FIRE, POLICE, AND AMBULANCE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AND TOOK THEM ALL TO THE HOSPITAL. THEY HAD X-RAYS AND THERE WERE NO BROKEN BONES. OUR YOUNGER DAUGHTER WAS VERY TRAUMATIZED AND EVERYONE HAD BRUISES AND SMALL CUTS FROM SEAT BELTS BUT ALL WERE GENERALLY OKAY. THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THIS ACCIDENT IS HOW FAR THE CAR TRAVELED DESPITE MY WIFE'S EFFORTS TO STOP THE CAR. SHE HAD ALREADY PLACED THE CAR IN LOW GEAR YET THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK AND SHE SAYS THE CAR INCREASED SPEED (NOT JUST DUE TO THE SLOPE DOWNWARD). OUR FAMILY HAS LIVED IN THIS AREA FOR YEARS AND DRIVEN THROUGH COUNTLESS SNOW STORMS. THIS WAS NOT EVEN A STORM BUT JUST SOME LIGHT SNOW. IT WAS SLIPPERY ACCORDING TO MY WIFE BUT THE FACT THAT SHE COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE OVER SUCH A LONG DISTANCE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE AND SHE FEELS THAT THE CAR FAILED IN MULTIPLE WAYS. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED CRASH REPORT. THANK YOU. UPDATED 03/07/17*LJ *CN