NHTSA Complaint #10970623 — 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, I WAS DRIVING ON A SEMI BUSY ROAD IN TUCSON, ARIZONA AT ABOUT 40 MPH AND THE VAN SUDDENLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT I HAD HIT THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON BUT THE DASH SHOWED NO INDICATION THAT THIS WAS CASE. I REPEATEDLY PUSHED THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON AND JIGGLED THE LEVER ARM HOPING TO TOGGLE SOMETHING OFF BUT IT HAD NO EFFECT. I BEGAN TO PUSH THE BREAKS BUT THEY WERE NOT CAPABLE OF SLOWING THE CAR BELOW ABOUT 25. I THREW THE VAN INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO ABOUT 7000 RPM. THAT SOUND CONCERNED ME SO I THREW IT BACK INTO GEAR AND THE VAN BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AGAIN. I PUSHED THE EMERGENCY BREAKS, AND WITH MY PEDAL BREAK FULLY COMPRESSED I COULD GET THE CAR TO 5-10 MPH BUT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO STOP THE VAN. AFTER NARROWLY MISSING A PEDESTRIAN, I TURNED RIGHT, FOUND A PLACE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THREW THE VAN INTO NEUTRAL AND QUICKLY TURNED THE VAN OFF. WITH THE ENGINE TURNED OFF THE BREAKS WERE AS EFFECTIVE AS THE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SO THE THE VAN CAME TO A STOP. AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD I TURNED THE KEY, STARTED THE VAN AND, AGAIN, THE ENGINE AGAIN REVVED TO 7000 RPM. I TURNED IT OFF AGAIN. I PUMPED THE ACCELERATOR SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE STARTING IT AGAIN AND IT STARTED UP FINE. I HAD THE VAN TOWED AFTER THIS AND I'M NOT LIKELY TO DRIVE IT AGAIN.