This morning I filed a safety complaint about my 2003 toyota camry xle due to the sudden acceleration without warning problem. At that time I gave incorrect failure mileage as 50,000 miles. When I checked my records of mileage at gas fill ups I found the following: 24 july 2008: mileage at time of incident was between 58026 and 58444. 28 aug 2008: mileage was between 59090 and 59463. 17 oct 2008: mileage was between 60257 and 60540. Mileage at time of accident was approximately 60399. 14 oct 2009: mileage was between 64205 and 64532. That is as close as I can pin down the failure mileage . I used the 10/17/2008 date for approx. Incident date because that was the one time that our car hit the vehicle in front of us. The other three times we did not have an accident. I trust you can put this information with the report I filed this morning. Note: my e-mail address may change within the next week or so as I am planning on hooking up to high speed internet access. Thank you for your attention to this matter. *tr charles & algene ashworth
2003 Toyota Camry acceleration complaints
Page 6 of 10: complaints 131 to 160 of 260, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Sudden acceleration without warning: 2003 toyota camry xle: four incidents to date: while driving car it began to accelerate rapidly without warning. Taking foot off accelerator and putting onto brake did not get the car slowed down. Had to cut off ignition at the key switch. The only thing in common was that each time this occurred it had been either damp, misty, raining or raining hard. This is not an accelerator pedal/floor mat problem. It is a throttle problem! Our floor mat was locked down and did not get near the accelerator pedal but we removed the floor mat anyway. Incidents as follows: 24 july 2008 - traveling to roanoke va south on I-81. Female owner driving. Cruise control on. Daytime. Raining gently. Car made a roaring sound (like revving the motor while in neutral) and suddenly increased speed rapidly. We got the car stopped without an accident. 28 aug 2008- traveling to roanoke va south on I-81. Female owner driving. Cruise control on. Night. Raining very hard. Car suddenly made the roaring sound and the car accelerated rapidly. We got the car stopped without an accident. 17 oct 2008 - on a city street in lynchburg va. Male owner driving. Cruise control off. Daytime. Had been raining hard all day. Driving slowly in heavy traffic. Car made roaring sound and accelerated rapidly. Car hit vehicle in front of it. No serious damage. 14 oct 2009- traveling on city street in henrico va. Male owner driving. Cruise control off. Slowing down to make a left turn. Morning and just starting a misty rain. Car made roaring sound and car accelerated rapidly. No accident. Mcgeorge toyota, broad st., henrico(richmond)va has made every effort they know to try to find out what caused these incidents, without results. They kept the car and drove it in good and rainy weather and did not duplicate the problem. They called the engineers in california who don't have answers.
I was slowly pulling into a parking spot at the mall and the car suddenly accelerated and I crashed into a tree. The engine sounded like it was driving 100mph. I called the toyota dealer and they said it was probably due to the car mats. I don't believe that because my mats were in place after the crash. There was major damage to the car and the tree.
2003 toyota camry involved in an 8 car accident on 6/20/09. Car accelerated uncontrollably and driver was unable to stop car.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. When the contact started the vehicle. Suddenly, an unintended acceleration occurred without application to the brake and accelerator pedals. The engine RPM's began to increase. The contact could not stop the vehicle with applying pressure to the brake pedal. The identical failure occurred on a separate occasion while at a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. Failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 81,000.
I purchased a 2003 toyota camry in the fall of 2002. One week after the purchase I was at a stop sign, with my foot on the brake, and the car suddenly accelerated. I tapped the accelerator but the engine continued to accelerate with the tachometer reading nearly 9,000 RPM's. I turned the engine off with the ignition. The next day I called my dealer (fitzgerald toyota, chambersburg, pa.) and reported the incident and it was suggested I had stepped on the accelerator vs. The brake. I didn't argue the point and the car performed fine up until two weeks ago when the same thing happened twice within three days. I spoke with fitzgerald toyota yesterday (jay newcomer) to ascertain if anyone else had reported a similar problem. I was told "fitzgerald hadn't heard anything about a problem with sudden acceleration. This morning I checked on the internet and found this problem was fairly common with toyota's of that year plus other year's models. Is the federal safety agency aware of a problem with toyota's and sudden acceleration?
I backed out of my driveway, and while stepping on the brake, preparing to shift to drive, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the car backed at high speed into my neighbor's driveway, and would only stop after crashing into a brick wall. The car was towed to a body repair company, and was repaired at great cost. Toyota inspected it and found no defect. Since then the car has started accelerating several times, when my foot was not on the gas pedal, but I was able to slow it down.
Followup to odi #10256120. Informed by toyota rep that your agency performed two investigations f the 2003 camry respecting acceleration surges but returned no findings of vehicle failure.your website recounts about 130 reports of such 2003 camry failures mostly (102) under vehicle speed control , some under power train auto trans & vsc accelerator pedal. For ford taurus I counted 12; honda accord and chevrolet malibu 20+ - all for model year 2003. As % of cars sold quite small even for camry but as an occurrence ratio of 6-1 or 10-1 vs. The other models quite impressive.. The fact you conducted two investigations of camry is telling in and of itself. How many accelerator investigations did you conduct for the 2003 taurus, accord & malibu? Absent an airplane like recorder how can you be assured that there was no vehicular failure? The alternative is to imply that camry operators are less competent than drivers of other makes... *tr harvey miller
My wife was pulling into our daughters daycare to drop her off as she does every morning and while pulling into the parking spot and when applying the brake the vehicle surged forward at a high throttle speed jumped the curb and went crashing into the building. Even pumping the brakes didn't stop the car. The only way to get the vehicle to stop going forward was to jam the gear selector into reverse and then the vehicle went backwards at a high rate of speed (brakes still didn't work) and then had to jam the gear selector to park to stop the vehicle. Update as of today. Our vehicle is currently at a toyota dealership and service center and the service manager said there is no problem with the brakes, and we are scared of the through of driving this vehicle again. It seems to be a electronic issue and connected to the speed control. I have found a message board on the internet where 97 other similar incidents have been reported. And toyota does a recall on the floor mats? Hmm I smell a cover-up and a possible class action lawsuit.
Wife turned into our driveway which slopes down (10 - 20 degrees) as she has been doing for the last 20+ years with her foot on the brake. The pavement was dry. The brakes failed to stopped the car. She veered left to avoid going over a 20 foot embankment at the end of our driveway and crashed into a stone wall. Based on the angle of impact the car rolled over onto its roof. Air bags did not inflate. My wife remained suspended by the seat belt upside down until emergency forces arrived. She sustained multiple bruises and chest pains attributed to the seat belt. If she had gone over the embankment only god knows what the extent of her injuries would have been. New tires had been installed on the car (front wheels) during june 2008 at which time the front brakes were also checked for wear by an auto mechanic. The car was "totaled" as a result of the accident. Subsequently I checked the brake fluid in the car (after the accident); the brake cylinder was full. Further, the toyota camry is equipped with brake wear indicators. No indication (sound) of excess wear was given prior to the accident. My wife is adamant she had her foot on the brake pedal. I surmise two things could have happened: 1. The brakes failed completely and gravity acceleration down the driveway contributed to the car's speed and subsequent impact; or 2. The car surged due to a failure of the electronic throttle control (etc) in which application of the brakes was inadequate to stopped the car. Based on prior the federal safety agency complaints/actions (ref the federal safety agency action numbers pe04021; dp05002; and dp06003) and the similarity of circumstances, I believe the etc failed. I recommend the federal safety agency and toyota take action to remedy this unsafe situation.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. While backing into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and caused the contact to crash into another vehicle. He attempted to apply the brakes, but the vehicle would not stop. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to a local repair shop and is only being repaired for body damage. The failure has occurred approximately ten times. The speed was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 20,000. Updated 07/16/08.
My wife was pulling into a parking lot the car accelerated on its own out of control. My wife was able to get stopped without hitting anything but she is so shook up she won't drive it anymore. Nothing has been done about fixing the problem it just happened today.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. The contact switched gears from neutral to drive and the vehicle accelerated to maximum speed. The accelerator pedal was stuck and the vehicle would not stop. She drove into some bushes and trees that were in front of a two foot wall. The undercarriage, transmission housing, tie rod, and bumper were all damaged. The repairs would cost $5,800. The fire and police departments along with an ambulance arrived at the scene. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and the contact refused to go to a hospital, even though her blood pressure was 200. The dealer stated that nothing could be done. The speed was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 43,960. See odi 10206896 also.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated at an unknown speed without warning when the gear was shifted into drive. As a result, the vehicle traveled approximately 200 yards and then crashed into a wall. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal stuck and she was unable to depress the brake pedal. The air bag failed to deploy. The federal safety agency campaign id number 04v346000 (air bags: side/window) was referenced. A police report was filed. The insurance inspector felt that the electrical system caused the failure. As of october 25, 2007, the manufacturer had not inspected the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 41,000. See 10209036 also. *dsy. Updated 01/11/08.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. While pulling into a parking space between 3-5 MPH, the engine began to rev. The vehicle surged forward when the contact applied more pressure to the brake pedal. The vehicle crashed into a concrete wall and the air bags failed to deploy. Her knees were badly bruised. The hood and front bumper were damaged, but the majority of the damage was on the passenger side of the vehicle. The side panels were moved and misaligned, which impacts the opening and closing of the doors. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 58,500.
2003 toyota camry faulty acceleration customer states vehicle accelerated out of control and caused her to hit another car and a house**sb *jb see also 10183782
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated automatically to 45 MPH as she was pulling into a parking space. There were no warning indicators. The vehicle struck a cement block. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle sustained front end damage and was towed away. The body damage must be repaired before the dealer can attempt to diagnose the cause of failure. The current and failure mileages were 24,000.
Delayed response of engine and forward motion of the car when applying acceleration. For lack of better words, it seems to create a revving or surge in the engine...like something is out of synch. Other issues relate to persistent problems with the hydraulic brake and grinding in the steering column that have been dismissed by the dealership that works on my car. As of today, I cannot safely drive my car because I am not confident I will be able to stop the car. I am scheduled to bring the car in this week, but will need to expedite it given the rapid change in brake response in the last few days.
Cruise control did not disengage upon pressing brake pedal. Hydraulic brakes would not stop vehicle. Method used to stop vehicle included putting vehicle in neutral and applying emergency/parking brake. Narrowly avoided collision with other vehicles which had stopped by squeezing between them and the concrete medium. My vehicle was scraped on drivers side but no other vehicle was damaged (thank god!). Could not duplicate.
2003 toyota camry. The consumer stated when she placed the vehicle in drive with her foot on the brake, the vehicle suddenly surged forward.***cc *jb see also 10181803.
2003 toyota camry accelerated out of control and rear ended second vehicle and then a building before stopping. Operator attempted to stop the vehicle by fully depressing brakes, pumping brakes and shifting to neutral to no avail. Vehicle was brought to dealer for problem in 06/06 and again in 02/07. In 06/06 dealer stated there was a computer problem and an adjustment was made. In 02/07 dealer stated they could not find any problem. Operator state he had four failures before servicing in 2006 and only one failure before bringing it in in 2007. There was direct frontal impact that caused extensive damage, neither air bag deployed. *nm see also 10196913
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. The contact put the vehicle in reverse and it accelerated on its own without warning. The contact stated that his foot remained on the brake pedal and the vehicle continued to accelerate, it lunged forward over a curb and hit a tree. The rear axles were damaged. The vehicle was towed. There were no injuries. A police report was taken, and the contact had photos of the vehicle. The vehicle has not been diagnosed at this time.*ak the vehicle lunged in reverse, onto a manin street, jumped the curb and hit a tree. Updated 03/19/07.
Sudden acceleration of 2003 camry with 27,000 miles on it. I was parked, had foot on brake, turned car on . Put car in drive while foot still on brake and car surged forward. This was so frightening as a mom and child were walking in front of my car. I smashed my foot on the brake, put car in park and turned motor off to make it stop. *jb see also 10184772.
Dt*: the contact stated on three separate occasions the vehicle accelerated without warning when placed into gear. The vehicle was driven to the dealer both times however the problem could not be duplicated. Updated 01/30/07.
Dt*: the contact stated that the brake pedal and the accelerator were too close together, and the brake pedal moves down too far. The position of the brake pedal and accelerator caused a collision while backing out of a parking spot. The accelerator was accidentally depressed causing the vehicle to increase in speed and collide with another parked vehicle which subsequently pushed that vehicle into a third. There were no injuries. A police report was filed, and there were no mechanics consulted.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 7 MPH in heavy stop and go traffic with the brakes applied, the vehicle accelerated into the rear of another vehicle. The contact was wearing a seat belt and no injuries were sustained. Minor damage was sustained to the vehicle. The police were on the scene and a report was taken. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer. Updated 7/13/2006 - this acceleration problem occurred 6-7 time prior to this accident.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving slowly at 1 MPH wit foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated suddenly causing an accident. The vehicle crashed into three other vehicle's causing property damage. The seat belts were in use at the time. The air bags did not deploy. There were no problems prior to this accident. The vehicle was towed to local dealership where they were unable to duplicate the problem. The vehicle has been inspected by toyota. The police were alerted to the scene and a report was filed. Updated 6/19/2006 -
I was driving into the automatic car wash, slowed to go up slight ramp to top. Gave the car a little gas and it started reving, did not stop when brake pedal pushed, jumped the track and hit the side of the car wash. The car was able to be moved to outside carwash, still reving but was able to stop and turn off the engine. The front bumper and driver's side front fender were replaced, and suspension damage repaired.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 25 MPH depressing the brake pedal the vehicle accelerated. This occurred four times. The first 3 times the vehicle was stopped with excessive pressure to the brake pedal. The last time the vehicle struck a pole. There was a police report taken at the scene of the accident. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop for body repairs caused by the crash. When the vehicle was inspected the first three times diagnostic testing did not identify any codes. Also, while carrying 125 pounds of bird seed in the trunk, the vehicle began to veer to the left on a slushy road. When the bird seed was moved to the front passenger seat the vehicle operated normally. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 7/11/2006 - the consumer reported these incidents to the dealer but they told the consumer that nothing was wrong.
I was parked in a strip mall where I had just picked up some dry cleaning. I entered my car, a 2003 toyota camry xle, and started the engine. I then put the car in reverse gear, and removed my foot from the brake. The car suddenly accelerated in reverse,,and went totally out of control, hitting another car parked across from mine and continued in a somewhat circular path until I was able to apply the brake and come to a stop. I have called the federal safety agency today and was told that there have been 83 previous complaints for this vehicle under "vehicle speed control," and 15 complaints under "vehicle speed control, accelerator pedal." I have also called toyota motor sales (1 800 331-4331) and was told that they would make an appointment with a nearby toyota dealer to have my car inspected for any defects. I have also gone to a auto body shop where the damages to my car have been estimated at $3,879.13. In addition, the police arrived at the scene and I was cited for "careless driving," and paid a fine of $107.70. I am also been required to attend a 4 hour traffic school where the fee is $35.95. I wish to have this matter investigated.
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