This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was driving to work one day and my 1995 Toyota Camry started accelerating on its own on the freeway, at first I thought I was imagining it. I hit the brakes and it would not slow down. The car kept accelerating faster and faster on it's own till it went up to 90 mph. I pulled on my emergency brakes, that slowed the car down a bit but not by very much. It mostly just made a cement grinding sound. It was really scary I felt like I was in a death machine. Luckily there weren't very many people on the freeway that day, so I just swerved out of the way of the other cars. I finally got it to slow down enough with the emergency break and I immediately turned my car off and had it towed to a mechanic who repaired the issue. I was really lucky, I think if there were more people on the freeway that day, there would have been a very different outcome.
The contact owns a 1995 Toyota Camry. The contact was driving approximately 71 mph with the cruise control activated. As the brakes were depressed, the cruise control would not deactivate and the vehicle would not decelerate. In order to stop the vehicle, the entire engine was shut off. The failure recurred intermittently and at least five times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 163,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 1995 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving uphill, the vehicle began to accelerate suddenly. The contact pressed both feet on the brake pedal but the vehicle continued to accelerate. When the vehicle reached the top of the hill, the engine froze. The vehicle was inspected by a local mechanic who stated that the motor needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 140,000.
The contact owns a 1995 Toyota Camry. The contact stated the vehicle abnormally accelerated to 30 mph and there was an unusual increase in engine rpms up to 5,000. When the failure would occur, the contact would shift into neutral and apply the brakes to stop the unintended acceleration. The dealer advised that the cruise link assembly and throttle was binding and becoming stuck. The dealer advised replacing both. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 185,904 and the current mileage was 185,950.
Problem: My 1995 Camry suddenly accelerated. While attempting to increase speed from 32 to 35 mph in the third lane during rush hour traffic, my vehicle accelerated as if I had floored the gas pedal (the pedal was minimally depressed.) I immediately stepped on the brakes, then turned off the engine. I put the car in neutral and glided to a stop. After waiting 2 minutes I restarted the vehicle. Without touching the gas pedal the engine reved up past 7,000 RPM. I turned off the car immediatly. I tried pushing the pedal up after waiting 3 minutes. Once again the vehicle raced in neutral to 7,000 RPM. I opened the hood and (using a pair of pliers) rotated the throttle assembly. While rotating the assembly I felt the assembly hit and go through some kind of barrier. I restarted my vehicle. This time it started normally. I took the car to a repair tech who said he thinks the spark plug wire caught on the assembly. He wire tied the spark plug wires to a small rubber hose to secure it. There is enough play in where the cables are routed (even though the wires are tight) for the spark plug wires to touch the assembly while driving. The tech said that that might have been the problem and to call him if I had any more problems. He also reminded to turn off the engine (again) if I had any further acceleration problems. Any other causes? I almost hit the vehicle in in front of me. Had I not turned of the engine the brakes (even though they are new) would not have stopped the acceleration. I reacted quickly. From sudden acceleration to engine off were less than 3 seconds and the engine was really racing. The depression I placed upon the pedal should have taken 10 seconds to bring me to 35 from 32. Instead, in less than 3 seconds I was going 40 and accelerating. The brakes alone could not have stopped the acceleration of the car.
- Fair Oaksd, CA, USA
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I have a 1995 Toyota Camry that will go on its own. No need to push the gas pedal. I can stop it using the brake but it will then go on its own when I release the brake. I have to really push the brake at stop lights. I have to shift into neutral to stop the car.
The contact owns a 1995 Toyota Camry. While the contact was driving out of a car wash the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning and caused the contact to crash into a house. No one was injured during the crash. The failure was not diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 52000.
1995 Toyota Camry. Consumer states sudden acceleration was the cause of an accident. The consumers wife was driving the vehicle when it suddenly accelerated and crashed into a tree and a wall. The consumer's wife was seriously injured.
The contact owns a 1995 Toyota Camry. He stated that when he applied the brake pedal at an intersection he heard a loud winding noise. The vehicle would not come stop until he was forced to shift gears into the park position. The failure occurred intermittently approximately every four to six weeks. He stated that the engine acted as if it was trying to override the braking system. The dealer stated that it was an idling problem and they could not duplicate the failure. He also stated that in 2004 he experienced sudden acceleration while driving in reverse and the vehicle suddenly crashed into the restaurant. He didn't suffer any injuries. The portsmouth police department report number is 04-020448. The failure mileage in 2004 was 20,000 and the current mileage was 161,800. Updated 02/23/10. The consumer stated the first time the sudden acceleration occurred, he shifted into reverse with his foot on the brake, and the vehicle accelerated quickly and the consumer hit a building. The consumer stated the sudden acceleration has happened several times. Updated 08/11/10
When the cruise control is engaged in my 1995 6-cylinder Camry, it can suddenly and forcefully apply the accelerator, jerking the vehicle forward and backward before disengaging and not reengaging until the ignition is turned off. It was very frightening so I took it to the dealer who read the error code and assured me it was not dangerous and refused to repair it under warranty. I spoke to the Toyota representative and he too refused to authorize warranty work. I have not used the cruise control since and have asked Toyota to reconsider a warranty repair based on recent disclosures of concealment of unintended acceleration.
The contact owns a 1995 Toyota Camry. While driving approximately 30 mph on normal road conditions and applying pressure to the accelerator pedal, unexpectedly, the accelerator pedal began to stick. The vehicles speed increased to 90 mph. In an attempt to engage the brake pedal and the parking brake, the vehicle failed to slow down. The vehicle came to a complete stop only after the gear shift was forced into park while the vehicle was moving. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence with extreme caution. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The contact has concerns of the significant safety hazard. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were unknown.
Consumer said, when he set the cruise control at 55 mph and traveling on level ground or uphill it holds this speed perfectly. But if he start down hill the system does not sense promptly that the car is accelerating. It always takes between 20 and 30 seconds before it senses the increased speed and releases the throttle. By then the car is traveling 8 to 14 mph faster.
Consumer said, when he set the cruise control at 55 mph and traveling on level ground or uphill it holds this speed perfectly. But if he start down hill the system does not sense promptly that the car is accelerating. It always takes between 20 and 30 seconds before it senses the increased speed and releases the throttle. By then the car is traveling 8 to 14 mph faster.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Kearns, UT, USA