The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla. While stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. In order to stop the vehicle, the contact had to depress the brake pedal with both feet. The vehicle was merged into a parking lot and towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician was unable to locate the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 72,930. Updated 12/09/14 updated 6/1/2015

- Ventress , LA, USA

A fire started from underneath the car and came up through the back seat. Entire car engulfed in flames in seconds except for front hood area and engine. Faulty fuel line?

- Mechanicsburg, IL, USA

I stopped at a gas station to fill my gas tank and while this was being done I heard a loud bang similar to a gunshot. When I started my car there was a loud rattling sound. I stopped the car and got out to look underneath but couldn't see anything hanging. Since I was near home I started the car and drove slowly home. I took it to the dealer the next day and they repaired the gas tank strap passenger side. I told them I considered this to be a design defection and a safety issue. They stated there has been no recall despite the fact that they had seen quite a few of the same problems. I had to pay for the repair. Toyota Corp has refused to reimburse me for the repair because my car is out of warranty. I have had many cars and have never had this problem before. I am told that there is a drivers side strap as well so I suppose I can look forward to this happening again plus since it is due to corrosion I can expect this to happen again in about five years. I do not know how likely this is to lead to the gas tank dropping but I don't feel to good about it.

- Cohasset, MA, USA

This car only has 65,000 miles on it and has hardly been driven given the fact that it is 4 years old. I heard a loud rattling noise and took it to a mechanic. He told me that a bolt came off the heat shield by the gas tank. I'm surprised that such a lightly driven car could already have such expensive problems. As stated here, Toyota has a new design for heat shield which clearly gives problems:

- Rockville, MD, USA

Filled gas tank as usual. On leaving gas station heard clanking noise. Went home and thought something was loose in my trunk. Checked- nothing was. My husband went under the car and found the heat shield for the gas tank loose. The next day I brought it to my mechanic. He had to replace the gas tank hanger. The plastic where they put the bolt had split apart. The bolt was broken in half and rusted. The new gas tank hanger has a completely different design so I am sure Toyota is aware of this problem and as usual is being very "quiet". this was an expensive repair for me. Toyota should have had a better way to secure the gas tank and heat shield.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

The vehicle check engine light comes on. The codes identify it as P0456. When we took it to the dealer, they tried to tell us that an animal had made a small pinhole in the gas return line. They wanted to charge $600 to replace the tank or they could temporarily fix it until we could get that done. The temporary fix after a few months opened and we got the alert again. Taking it back they said the temp fix was okay and they couldn't find anything wrong. Upon return home, I looked and found the temp fix was electrical tape rapped around the line. There was evidence of leakage and you could smell the gas. I removed the tape and it appears this is a very thin hose. It is in a position over the tank where wind could blow it up and hit the underside of the car. That is not smooth and could have caused the puncture. Taking to another dealer, they wanted to say the same thing. Animal damage and they didn't even really investigate. I have the vehicle and hose. I also read a number of similar cases online. When you look at the hose, it does have an antichaphing foam near the lower half of the hose close to the wheel area. Nothing on top of the tank. Appears to me they know they have a chaphing problem and choose to blame it on animals as that is hard to prove. Some of these vehicles have had explosions due to this issue. I think this is serious and needs investigation.

- Berryville, VA, USA

I was driving down the road, in my 2007 Toyota Corolla, when suddenly many of my indicator lights went on and the engine went dead, I also lost my power steering and my capability of braking/stopping. Thankfully I was only going about 20 miles per hour and my car came to a stop on its own, on a non-busy road. I was then able to turn the engine back on and drive 10 minutes back home. This was the first time this had happened in the three years of owning my car. Once home I called my service garage to make an appointment. I then went to start my car to drive it there and it would not turn over to start. After having it towed it was diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced.

- Merrimack, NH, USA

2-17-10 2007 Toyota Corolla stalled on 4 lane highway. I had to rent a car. Went back to the car and it started and ran fine for a few days. Then started stalling again. Once when on interstate I-26 I was in passing lane doing 65 mph and it stalled and I had to get it off the road. I was almost run over by irate motorist. If that's not a safety problem I don't know what is. Problem became progressively worse and it would stall every 10-15 miles. Took it to mechanic on 3-15-10 and he installed a new oxygen sensor and everything was fine for the next 100 miles. Now the check engine light is back on and the mechanic suspects the ECM is the problem. Now I'm afraid to drive the car. Don't know if used parts are available.

- Asheville, NC, USA

On July 29, 2008 I went to get into my 2007 Toyota Corolla and smelled gas. I crouched down to look under the car and noticed a gas leak coming from the gas line under the gas tank. I got up to walk into the garage and when I closed the car door, the car exploded into flames. The explosion pushed me into the garage and I was able to get the garage door closed. The car was a total loss. After looking at other 2007 Toyota Corolla's it seems there is a defect in the fuel line under the car. The fuel line is the same consistency as a radiator hose and is the lowest hanging structure under the car, with an area that is not protected and could very well get punctured by normal road conditions causing a gas leak in the fuel line which is very dangerous, obviously, since ours exploded into flames and burned so hot that it melted the top of the engine. Toyota maintained no blame in this and did nothing to correct the problem.

- Mabank, TX, USA

December 17, 2009 the ECM unit failed in our 2007 Toyota Corolla. Engine cut off. This is a known problem. There was an angel on my daughter's shoulder as she was on a low traffic city street when this happened and she was able to pull over safely. If this had happened on the freeway it could've been deadly.

- Vacaville, CA, USA

My husband and I just dropped our two kids off at my mother-in-laws house and were on our way back home when I started to smell gas. I told my husband and he stated to pull the car over and he would check it out. He popped the hood and flames shot out from under the hood. The first thing that I thought was my husband was on fire. I jumped out of the car and found my husband on the other side of the car looking for the kids in the backseat and he was screaming get out of the car. I jumped out of the car and we ran. We looked back and all I saw was a big ball of fire. When the fired department put out the flames all that was left of my car was a burnt frame, the 2 back tires and the spoiler. My husband and I are really upset by this situation. What if our five months old and nine year old was in the car at the time" what if my husband was burnt severely by the fire? what would happen to the children if both of us died in the fire"

- Amsterdam, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla sport. When the contact started the ignition, the check engine warning indicator immediately illuminated on the instrument panel. The indicator remained lit until the engine was turned off. She also smelled a strong odor of fuel outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the fuel system, which was common for this vehicle. The vehicle was repaired at that time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on seven separate occasions for the identical failure, but there were no resolutions. The vehicle has not been repaired again. The VIN and failure mileage were unknown. The current mileage was 22,000.

- Rockport, WA, USA

While driving on the highway, the rpms dropped and there was a total loss of power. I had to coast to the side of the highway, the engine light came on. The car had approx. 19,500 miles on it. I had the car towed to the dealer and they replaced the computer module and the fuel pump. Four days later the car died again while driving and I had to have it towed a second time and the dealer replaced the fuel pump and gasket. The car has 26,000 miles on it now and has not repeated this incident. Needless to say, my perception of quality is negative.

- Mentor, OH, USA

It starts with the car not feeling like it is receiving fuel to the engine, then a couple of weeks later, it just dies and won't start back up. First time I was stopped at a red light, it just died and I had it pushed to the side of the road. I left the vehicle and returned half an hour later in which it did restart. I had the vehicle towed to the Toyota dealership in which it turns out found that it was a censor that was bad and replaced. The second time it stalled on me, again, I could tell that fuel wasn't getting to the engine in short intervals. Then a couple of weeks later, I was traveling at a speed of 55 mph when it just died and wouldn't start back up at all. It was towed again to the Toyota dealership where they say it was a blown fuse. In both instances there is "power" to the vehicle. The radio, air, wipers, flashers, etc all work fine. But the engine doesn't work.

- Reding, CA, USA