NHTSA Complaint #11383510 — 2019 TOYOTA TACOMA

UNPROMPTED ACCELERATION - WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 15 MPH IN MODERATE TRAFFIC, I ACCELERATED BRIEFLY AND THEN LET OFF THE GAS PEDAL. AFTER RELEASING THE GAS PEDAL, THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND EVEN DOWNSHIFTED, CAUSING THE TRUCK TO LURCH FORWARD. CONDITIONS - I WAS IN LIGHT TO MODERATE TRAFFIC ON MY COMMUTE TO WORK. THE TRAFFIC WAS STOP-AND-GO. THE CARS AHEAD OF ME ACCELERATED, SO I DID AS WELL. THE CARS AHEAD OF ME QUICKLY DECELERATED, SO I LET OFF THE GAS BUT DID NOT NEED TO BRAKE AS I WAS A SAFE DISTANCE. THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE WELL AFTER I LET OFF THE GAS AND IT LURCHED FORWARD AND DOWNSHIFTED IN THE PROCESS. THE ENGINE RPM WENT TO ABOUT 3,500. I WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKE, AND THE ACCELERATION STOPPED AND THE ENGINE WENT BACK TO IDLE. I HAVE EXPERIENCED DECELERATION LAG IN MANY VEHICLES, BUT IN THIS CASE, IT WAS A SURGE, NOT A LAG. IT WAS LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO THINK OF SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL AND APPLYING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE.