While in reverse, idling slowly to a stop to pick up a hot water heater, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The vehicle did not respond when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result the vehicle crashed into a plumbing supply warehouse, sending the vehicle through an overhead door and through expensive hot water heaters and spas. The vehicle continued into the warehouse until it hit an immovable object and stopped. The throttle continued to highly rev the engine and the vehicle was shifted into drive to get out of the warehouse. The vehicle crashed at high speed on the way out, and onto the street. Brakes did not stop the vehicle. The vehicle was eventually shifted into neutral and the throttle resumed normal speed operation. Next day, Toyota dealer could not diagnose the throttle problem because, being a 2004, it did not throw computer failure codes. Independent garage diagnosed the problem as a failed throttle position sensor. Earlier in the same week, the throttle stuck open when backing up at low speed, but I didn't think anything about it or the seriousness of a failing throttle. The truck is now operating after repairs.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

While driving the vehicle, the throttle suddenly stops responding for about 3-5 seconds, then returns. While it is unresponsive, it seems to return to a fully closed position as the vehicle starts slowing, then suddenly reopens to where the accelerator pedal is being depressed, and quickly starts accelerating. It doesn't seem to matter what type of road I am driving on or at what speed. It doesn't do it under hard acceleration, only normal driving. I suspect it is the throttle body itself that is causing the problem as investigating has told me that other people have had this same exact issue, all with a 2003 or 2004 Toyota Tacoma with a 3.4L V6. I have also discovered that these two years a newer drive by wire throttle body was used, and was changed to a different design in 2005 and newer Tacoma.

- Roseland, NJ, USA

Going 35 miles an hour the vehicle will start to pull to the side and the ball joint will come out also the ABS sensor cable will brake and you will have to replace it a $2500 dollar spence for a Toyota malfunction in the suspension I have a friend in California that has one a year early model than mine a 2003 Toyota Tacoma and he told me about this problem had happen to him in the freeway about 60 mph to him a had to learn the hard way if you have a Toyota Tacoma please I am warning you to have the ball joint replace before its to late the new ball joints are warranty for life but I will check in to that if I still have the pick up in four years

- Spokane, WA, USA

While driving the vehicle loses pedal response due to the throttle control motor shutting down and the check engine light coming on. The engine either shuts down completely or the becomes very jerky and cannot sustain an idle. Incidents began to occur around 95,000 miles odo but stopped for several years after a mechanic worked on the vehicle and said the throttle position sensor was out of alignment. More recently the truck has again been experiencing the same problem as before: Loss of pedal response, and in addition it now shuts the engine down and the gauges shoot up to the top of the charts and tick unresponsively until the key is removed from the ignition. This has occurred multiple times now in traffic and along the roadway where the truck becomes unresponsive and is difficult to drive safely off of the roadway.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

Was in parking lot of store. Started engine and put in gear and vehicle shot forward and it seemed as if I had no control of it sideswiping another vehicle and headed for another vehicle that I was about to broadside when I was able to stop my vehicle. Was able to get vehicle home which was a short distance away but am now terrified to drive it. Notified insurance company. I called dealership where vehicle was purchased but unable to speak to anyone. Left message but no one has returned my call.

- Millerstown, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Tacoma. While idling at a stop, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The vehicle did not respond when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the contact crashed the vehicle into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. No injuries were reported and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred three times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,200. Updated 12/30/14 updated 05/26/2015

- Lancaster, OH, USA

2004 Toyota Tacoma V6 3.4L 5vz-fe with automatic transmission. Toyota originally equipped this vehicle with a throttle by wire system. The vehicle unexpectedly does not respond to accelerator pedal position. Toyota on board diagnostic system does not detect fault thus does not log any error codes or illuminate check engine light. Occurrence rate and duration of events is intermittent and inconsistent. Velocity of the vehicle rapidly decreases unexpectedly and momentarily as if foot was temporarily removed from the accelerator pedal. Vehicle also unexpectedly and momentarily does not respond when accelerator pedal is depressed to begin moving or suddenly decreases speed when accelerating. This is a potential hazard in situations such as cruising in traffic, clearing an intersection, crossing railroad tracks, etc... occurrence rate and duration of problem seems to be worsening over time or with increased ambient temperatures.

- Land O Lakes, FL, USA

2004 Toyota Tacoma V6 3.4L 5vz-fe with automatic transmission. Toyota originally equipped this vehicle with a throttle by wire system. The vehicle unexpectedly does not respond to accelerator pedal position. Toyota on board diagnostic system does not detect fault thus does not log any error codes or illuminate check engine light. Occurrence rate and duration of events is intermittent and inconsistent. Velocity of the vehicle rapidly decreases unexpectedly and momentarily as if foot was temporarily removed from the accelerator pedal. Vehicle also unexpectedly and momentarily does not respond when accelerator pedal is depressed to begin moving or suddenly decreases speed when accelerating. This is a potential hazard in situations such as cruising in traffic, clearing an intersection, crossing railroad tracks, etc... occurrence rate and duration of problem seems to be worsening over time or with increased ambient temperatures.

- Flagstaff, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a traffic stop, the accelerator pedal stopped responding and the vehicle would not accelerate. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

- Sacramento , CA, USA

With steady pressure on the gas pedal, the vehicle intermittently hiccups (as if foot was taken off the pedal) and vehicle changes speed and then surges back to accelerate. I believe it to be the throttle by wire throttle bodies which was placed in the Tacoma model for 2003-2004 and then later revised in 2005-present.

- Whittier, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph the vehicle lost the ability to accelerate. The failure had recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnosis, but they stated that they could not recreate the failure. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, who informed the contact that they knew it was a throttle body failure but they were unable to get the failure codes to appear on their computer to validate their suspicions. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 147,000.

- Manahawkin, NJ, USA

The contact owned a 2004 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while engaging the brake pedal, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. The contact applied extreme pressure on the brake pedal in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The vehicle continued to accelerate until crashing into a brick building. The contact sustained major injuries to her head and neck. The vehicle was destroyed and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and the failure was not diagnosed.the VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 164,000.

- Oconto, WI, USA

While driving the engine speed dropped and the accelerator pedal stopped responding. After towing the truck home I read the scan codes and there were many that related to the throttle body sensors. In order to debug the system I cleared the problem. With the key on and the engine not running I tested the drive-by-wire system manually. It responded correctly and showed no problems. No more codes were thrown. I started the truck and put it in gear and engine went to full throttle immediately. I turned the truck off quickly and rechecked the drive by wire servo system. It still worked correctly with no codes thrown. I am an engineer and have worked a great deal with servo systems including writing a book on the how to troubleshoot these systems. I can't believe that the designers did not build any redundancy into the feedback and control devices. This device is considered a major risk in a failure mode analysis. If I did that type of work in my position I would be fired and have and unending list of lawsuits brought against me. This truck has been incredible in terms of reliability however I am very surprised that a company as large as Toyota would leave something like this to chance. This device can easily fail in a way that would cause a life threatening situation. I was lucky to have it fail at low throttle and not full throttle as it did when I tested it at home. This is a definite safety issue and Toyota needs to address it. I called Toyota and they "couldn't help" me. It cost $1200 to repair. It's not the money, it's the risk that this failure imposes. The truck now belongs to my 16 year-old son and I'm concerned about his safety. I also have a video that shows the methods I used to test the system and the failure happening right in my driveway!...updated 05/15/12 *

- Hopkinton, NH, USA

TL- the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Tacoma. While driving approximately 5 mph the contact applied pressure to the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle crashed into a metal pole and came to a stop. There was damage to the front end of the vehicle. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The manufacturer stated they would have an inspector inspect the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 78,100.

- Warren, AR, USA

Vehicle suddenly loses engine power. Sometimes happens at cruising speed, sometimes happens with a slight depressing of the accelerator (when making turns, at risk of getting struck when making left turns). Dealers have tried to fix several times and usually cannot duplicate the intermittent problem (no check engine codes). Abundance of reports online of similar problems. Often reported as throttle body problems. How can a common problem be impossible for theoretically well trained dealer employees to diagnose" if it is a routine problem, why isn't there a recall, or at least a service bulletin"

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

When I was 16 years old my parents got my a new 2004 Toyota Tacoma, which was bought in September 2004. However, I did not get my license until December 21, 2004. I did not start driving right away. I started driving the truck in January. I only drove to school and back, which was about 7 miles away. On day after softball practice, which was held after school, on February 24 2005, I wrecked the Toyota Tacoma. I was not going very fast down the road, but all of the sudden the truck sped up and I felt like I did not have control over the truck. I ran off the road and over corrected twice. The whole time I was hitting the brake but nothing happened. After I overcorrected the second time, I hit a mail box and when about 65 feet off the road and hit a tree, the whole time trying to hit the brake with nothing happening. I was injured on the wreck and I never understood what had happened to make the truck to do. I was told it was probably just me being an inexperienced driver, but looking back now I do not think that was it. I had to go to the hospital, but the injuries were not life threatening. Also, because of the accident, the brand new truck was totaled and my family and I got dropped from our insurance. After all these problems with the Toyota and the gas pedal, I wanted to file a complaint to get this problem looked into so that it will not happen to someone else. I was lucky but the next person may not be as lucky.

- Ringgold, VA, USA

Gas pedal stuck.

- New Waterford, 00, USA

The contact has a 2004 Toyota Tacoma. The vehicle was pre-owned and purchased in April 2009. While driving between 25 and 35 mph, the vehicle began accelerating without placing pressure on the gas pedal. The failure has occurred on five occasions. The failure is related to the vehicle speed control. The failure mileage was 68,000 and the current mileage and most recent failure occurred at 74,000 miles.

- Bristol, TN, USA

Vehicle suddenly loses engine power, usually when pulling into traffic, starting from a stoplight or attempting to pass on the freeway. In all cases resulting in dangerous situations. The dealer attempted to fix the issue once, acknowledging it was a common problem with the vehicles throttle body system. After $1000 worth of parts the problem is back, they refuse to warranty anything past the 3year/36mile period. In researching online this appears to be an extensive issue with similar Tacoma. I've contacted the dealer about diagnosing the problem, they refuse to look at it citing the need for another $1000 worth of parts needed.

- Sandy, UT, USA

: the contact stated after releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle idled when the pedal was depressed again. The pedal must be released and depressed for the vehicle to respond. This occurred once every two weeks or several times a day. The dealership was unable to duplicate the problem. Updated 10/4/2006 - while driving 65 mph the accelerator pedal with the accelerator pedal pressed the vehicle would decelerate. The vehicle would lose power without warning.

- Fountain Valley, CA, USA