Letter to the administrator from senator grassley transmitting questions re unintended acceleration information was provided to the senators office, with supported documentation, which raised concerns that the scope of the NHTSA and nasa investigations may have been too narrow. A phenomenon known as "tin whiskers" within the accelerator pedal assembly and possibly other vehicle electronics may be a cause for concern. The nasa report defined "tin whiskers" as electronically conductive, crystalline structures of tin that sometimes grew from surfaces where tin; especially electroplated was used as a final finish. In a separate unintended acceleration vehicle study of a 2003 Toyota Camry conducted last fall, a nasa expert examined the accelerator pedal assembly and found two "tin whiskers" inside. He concluded that, although the vehicle operated, it was not considered to be drivable.

- Washington, DC, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The driver was at a complete stop when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. He tried to apply the brakes but the vehicle did not slow down or stop until it crashed into a pole. The police report stated that the brakes were applied numerous times and that the failure was caused by a stuck accelerator pedal. There were no injuries. The dealer stated that there were no related recalls. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The current and failure mileages were approximately 32,000.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

Fax fwd ltr (oh) they previously owned a 2003 Toyota Camry that had experienced sudden acceleration problems since 2006, concerned that Toyota recall is not broad enough, reply painesville, oh. On four different occasions the vehicle suddenly accelerated while the consumer was driving. In April 2006, the accelerator pedal became stuck and the consumer was forced to hit a concrete pillar to avoid hitting occupied vehicles.

- South Russell, OH, USA

2003 Toyota Camry with unintended acceleration. Consumer believes that his/her vehicle year should also be included in the recall since it has the same problem.

- Allegheny, PA, USA

2003 Toyota Camry acceleration problem. The consumer stated in 2006, while pulling into a parking lot, the vehicle accelerated from 5 mph to at least 60 mph without her foot on the gas pedal. The accident caused major damage to her vehicle and the apartment complex in which she lived. In addition, the consumer has a lingering injury from the accident.

- Maple Grove, MN, USA

On January 12, 2010, I had my 2003 Camry detailed (washed inside and out-including the carpet)at a car wash. I proceeded to a nearby mall, where I stopped briefly at a store. Upon exiting the parking lot, I made a full stop at the stop sign. I then proceeded to go by stepping on the accelerator. At this point the car suddenly accelerated to a high speed, and I was not able to stop it, even though I was pressing on the brake. The car went across 3 lanes & up, over, and down a median, continued to go across another 3 lanes and finally came to rest after hitting a tree on another median. To the best of my knowledge, the accelerator became stuck in the down position, and pushing down on the brake to the left of it did not help, nor did the steering wheel turn as I was trying to avoid hitting the tree. Also, please be aware that my front air bag did not deploy. At the time, I had no visible signs of injury, but injuries became apparent soon after, and can be verified by a doctor. A police report is available, if needed. The vehicle was towed to a collision shop, waiting to be repaired. A claim was filed with Toyota manufacturing. The failure mileage was about 52,000. See ODI 10301845

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

I have a 2003 Camry. On Nov. 8, 2009 I had a very big problem with the accelerator. When stepping on the gas pedal I couldn't get any gas, and then the car would jerk forward at a rapid rate so that I had to apply the brakes. It was totally undrivable. The mechanic replaced the gas pedal assembly, and I have the old part in my possession. The part was $428.01 plus the labor cost. My old Camry I drove for 12 years without any problems. I feel the part was defective and that Toyota should reimburse me for the cost of replacement. Would your Agency please look into this for me? updated 11/16/10 the mechanic replaced the accelerator pedal assembly the pedal position sensor. Updated 11/19/10 updated 11/24/10 updated 01/06/11 updated 04/12/11

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The accelerator pedal would become stuck due to the entrapment of the floor mat. She usually has to manually remove the floor-mat to prevent a catastrophic failure. The failure occurred every-time she operated the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician stated that since her vehicle was not included in recall number 09V388000 (vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal), she was ineligible for a free remedy. She called the manufacturer, but could not reach a representative. No repairs were made, but she was in the process of removing the floor- mat. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. The current mileage was approximately 162,000.

- Valencia, CA, USA

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... harvey miller

- Atlanta, GA, USA

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.

- Revere , MA, USA

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. NHTSA 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.. updated 01/11/08.

- Revere, MA, USA

While driving at 35 mph vehicle hesitated when trying to accelerate and then stalled. Owner contacted the dealer, and had the transmission replaced. However, the problem recurred.

- Fairfax Station, VA, USA

While driving at 35 mph vehicle accelerated without warning. When applying the brakes vehicle accelerated even more. As a result, the vehicle collided into two parked cars and a brick wall. Driver sustained head injuries. The consumer recieved a check $18,636.18 in full payment for auto loss. When the consumer pressed the gas pedal the rpms where high. One airbag deployed.

- Bronx, NY, USA

Went to drive 2003 Toyota Camry xle out of the garage. Started the car tried to put in reverse and gear shift would not move out of park, the motor started racing during this time. Turned off car got out of car to wait till later to run errand and decided to try one more time. Start car again tried to put in reverse. It seceeded this time but the car accellerated out of the garage rapidly w/ out my assistance. Damaging several items on its way out of the garage.

- Orlando, FL, USA

When driving 30 mph rpms accelerated to 80 mph. This caused the consumer to go off the side of the road, causing damage to the vehicle. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

- Campbell, CA, USA

While parking vehicle accelerated and crashed into a wall. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy. No injuries reported.

- Lomita, CA, USA

While applying the accelerator pedal vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. Consumer was not able to maintain control of the vehicle and collided with the vehicle in front. Upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries, and was transported to the hospital by an ambulance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection.

- Wheaton, MD, USA

While attempting to park suddenly vehicle surged forward. Consumer was depressing the brakes, but, vehicle jumped a curb, struck a bench, and several other items. Consumer was not injured in the incident. Dealer examined the vehicle, and claimed that the air conditioner was causing the problem. The consumer states that the malfunction may have been cause because of the A/C cycled through on/off. RPM increased. A witness stated that he heard the engine racing. The consumer stated that the A/C was on. The incident was reported to the building security.

- Folsom, CA, USA

Vehicle hesitated to accelerate when gas pedal was pressed. Also, unexpected acceleration occurred intermittently.

- Fairhaven, MA, USA

While applying the brakes vehicle suddenly accelerated. Driver was not able to control the vehicle, causing the vehicle to collide with a wall. Driver sustained minor injuries. Vehicle was towed to the dealer.

- Chicago, IL, USA