The latest occurrence of this issue has resulted in the 4th time I have reported it to the dealer and taken it in for investigation of the issue. Three (3) times in 2020 [January, May and September] I took the vehicle to the Toyota dealer in Simi Valley California and each time they advised that they found nothing. I stressed to them that I was concerned about the possibility of having an accident and that I would not allow anyone else but me to operate the vehicle. Overall, this event has occurred about 6-7 times. Normally, I'm in the vehicle alone but in April of 2022, I had my wife and grandson in the car when it happened again. As before, I was able to to put the car into neutral and hit the brake until the issue had passed.
It happens so sporadically and unexpectedly that I cannot anticipate it. Of course, even if I take it to the dealer, they are unable to replicate it. Until this most recent event, I have been fortunate enough to react by sliding the transmission into neutral and applying the brake to avoid a collision until the accelerator slows down enough to slip the transmission back into drive and move on.
Most recently, on 10 June 2022, I was returning home from work and, as I do customarily, I began to back into an open parking spot when the accelerator raced again unexpectedly. As I had done successfully previously, I attempted to slide the gear shift into neutral but was unable to do so quickly enough and, as a result, I ran over the curb and banged into a wall situated about 2-3 feet behind the curb.
I called Toyota as I had done previously as well as my insurance company (AAA) to report the incident but, because this happened on a Friday evening, I couldn't do anything about it until Monday morning. Per my insurance company's recommendation, I did take the car to a different dealership (Thousand Oaks Toyota dealer) on Sunday night (12 June) so they could begin to investigate 1st thing on Monday, the 13th of June.
The dealership kept the vehicle until Thursday, the 23rd of June, during which time, I was told by Toyota that a 3rd party organization (Bosch) called EAA was retained by Toyota and would conduct tests on the car.
I again expressed my concern with operating the vehicle before I receive an answer from Toyota. I asked the dealership if I could get a loaner vehicle until the results of the EAA report was received based on my concern for safety. The report I received stated that there would be results (conclusion) in about 30 days, presumably from the date that the car was picked up by me. The dealer told me that they (the dealer) is basically out of the loop and that a decision as regards a loaner vehicle is one that Toyota would have to make. When I called Toyota, I was advised that they cannot authorize a loaner but, if I rented a vehicle, that I should keep the receipts in case Toyota is found liable. I've been using my wife's car to get back and forth to my place of employment.
In the interim, the HOA where I live sent an estimate of damages to the wall I hit to my insurance carrier, so I'm awaiting the results of the report from EAA because I do not think the accident was a result of anything I did but was a direct result of the unintended accelerator issue.
Today is 30 June 2022 and I'm just waiting for the results of my complaint(s).
I've checked to find that my complaint is not a singular occurrence regarding unintended acceleration issues with Toyota but every time, to date, that I have brought this to the dealership for investigation, they find nothing and suggest that perhaps it's my fault [floor mat sticking, me placing my foot on the accelerator instead of the brake, etc.]. Those implications are patently false. I've not only been driving for more than 50 years - long enough to know if a floor mat is the culprit or if I'm pressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake - but each time this has happened, I have been slowing down to stop, with my foot covering the brake.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The latest occurrence of this issue has resulted in the 4th time I have reported it to the dealer and taken it in for investigation of the issue. Three (3) times in 2020 [January, May and September] I took the vehicle to the Toyota dealer in Simi Valley California and each time they advised that they found nothing. I stressed to them that I was concerned about the possibility of having an accident and that I would not allow anyone else but me to operate the vehicle. Overall, this event has occurred about 6-7 times. Normally, I'm in the vehicle alone but in April of 2022, I had my wife and grandson in the car when it happened again. As before, I was able to to put the car into neutral and hit the brake until the issue had passed.
It happens so sporadically and unexpectedly that I cannot anticipate it. Of course, even if I take it to the dealer, they are unable to replicate it. Until this most recent event, I have been fortunate enough to react by sliding the transmission into neutral and applying the brake to avoid a collision until the accelerator slows down enough to slip the transmission back into drive and move on.
Most recently, on 10 June 2022, I was returning home from work and, as I do customarily, I began to back into an open parking spot when the accelerator raced again unexpectedly. As I had done successfully previously, I attempted to slide the gear shift into neutral but was unable to do so quickly enough and, as a result, I ran over the curb and banged into a wall situated about 2-3 feet behind the curb.
I called Toyota as I had done previously as well as my insurance company (AAA) to report the incident but, because this happened on a Friday evening, I couldn't do anything about it until Monday morning. Per my insurance company's recommendation, I did take the car to a different dealership (Thousand Oaks Toyota dealer) on Sunday night (12 June) so they could begin to investigate 1st thing on Monday, the 13th of June.
The dealership kept the vehicle until Thursday, the 23rd of June, during which time, I was told by Toyota that a 3rd party organization (Bosch) called EAA was retained by Toyota and would conduct tests on the car.
I again expressed my concern with operating the vehicle before I receive an answer from Toyota. I asked the dealership if I could get a loaner vehicle until the results of the EAA report was received based on my concern for safety. The report I received stated that there would be results (conclusion) in about 30 days, presumably from the date that the car was picked up by me. The dealer told me that they (the dealer) is basically out of the loop and that a decision as regards a loaner vehicle is one that Toyota would have to make. When I called Toyota, I was advised that they cannot authorize a loaner but, if I rented a vehicle, that I should keep the receipts in case Toyota is found liable. I've been using my wife's car to get back and forth to my place of employment.
In the interim, the HOA where I live sent an estimate of damages to the wall I hit to my insurance carrier, so I'm awaiting the results of the report from EAA because I do not think the accident was a result of anything I did but was a direct result of the unintended accelerator issue.
Today is 30 June 2022 and I'm just waiting for the results of my complaint(s).
I've checked to find that my complaint is not a singular occurrence regarding unintended acceleration issues with Toyota but every time, to date, that I have brought this to the dealership for investigation, they find nothing and suggest that perhaps it's my fault [floor mat sticking, me placing my foot on the accelerator instead of the brake, etc.]. Those implications are patently false. I've not only been driving for more than 50 years - long enough to know if a floor mat is the culprit or if I'm pressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake - but each time this has happened, I have been slowing down to stop, with my foot covering the brake.
- Larry S., Simi Valley, US