NHTSA Complaint #11181954 — 2016 TOYOTA COROLLA

WHILE TRAVELLING ON THE HIGHWAY IN MY 2016 TOYOTA COROLLA, I AM NOTICING FREQUENT ISSUES WHERE IF I SLOW DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY FOR ANY REASON (SUCH AS TRAFFIC) AND GO TO SPEED UP OR WHILE ACCELERATING UPHILL, THE VEHICLE JERKS WHILE SHIFTING INTO A LOWER GEAR, WHICH STARTLES ME EVERY TIME, AND EVEN HARD ENOUGH TO WAKE MY 3 SLEEPING CHILDREN IN THE BACKSEAT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE AUGUST 2018 , AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING MORE OFTEN AS TIME HAS PASSED. I HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED IT FROM SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE. TODAY, I TOOK THE MECHANIC ON A RIDE ALONG IN THE VEHICLE, AND WHEN IT HESITATED, I TOLD HIM THAT WAS WHAT IT DID (WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A CAR CHARACTERISTIC GOING UPHILL) BEFORE JERKING. HE TOLD ME BASED ON MY STATEMENT THAT THE ENTIRE THING "WAS WHAT THE CAR WAS SUPPOSED TO DO." IT'S SUPPOSED TO JERK WHILE SHIFTING INTO A LOWER GEAR? I WAS ESSENTIALLY TOLD THAT IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THE COROLLA DID AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I CAN DO. I KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN IN ANY VEHICLE AS PART OF MY LIVING IS MADE ON THE ROAD. NO VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED HAS SHIFTED LIKE THIS VEHICLE IS. I HAVEN'T EVEN OWNED THE VEHICLE A FULL YEAR, AND NOW MY CHILDREN DON'T EVEN WANT TO GET IN MY ONLY CAR.