2004 Toyota Avalon

NOV., 2003, GOING 25 MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC I HIT A POT HOLE AND THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE ALREADY AS THERE WAS A RED LIGHT AHEAD AND HAD TO USE EXTREME FORCE TO STOP THE CAR. I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND IT STOPPED RACING. JULY 11, 2006 I WAS TRAVELING AT 75 MPH AND HEARD A NOISE AS IF THE CAR WAS RACING. IT WAS REGISTERING 5500 RPMS. I SLOWED TO 65-70 AND IT WENT DOWN TO 5000 RPMS. I GOT OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT AND WHEN I CAME TO A STOP IT RETURNED TO NORMAL. FOR THE NEXT HOUR I TRAVELED AT 75 WITH THE CAR REGISTERING APPROX 2000 RPMS. JULY 31, TRAVELING APPROX. 25 MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC I TRIED TO SLOW TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AS IT TURNED RIGHT. IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND I WOULD HAVE HIT IT IF IT HADN'T TURNED. AGAIN I HAD TO USE SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE TO BRING IT TO A STOP. AS IT CAME TO A STOP I NOTICED THAT IT WAS AT 3000 RPMS. WHEN IT WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED IT RETURNED TO A NORMAL 500 OR SO. AUGUST 2, 2006 AS I WAS ABOUT TO ASCEND A HILL, IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT MY APPLYING MORE GAS, BUT RETURNED TO NORMAL WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS. I DIDN'T NOTICE THE RPM READING. TODAY I TRADED THE CAR IN, RATHER THAN RISK INJURY TO MYSELF OR OTHERS BY CONTINUING TO DRIVE IT. THE TOYOTA DEALER WAS PREVIOUSLY UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE INCIDENTS OR FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER IS GOING TO TRY TO FIND THE PROBLEM. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, TWO OTHER VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED. HOWEVER, NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. REPAIRS TO THE REAR END TOTALED $7014.00 PLUS SALES TAX

HAVING TRAVELED UP A STEEP ROAD, I PROCEEDED TO TURN INTO AN ACQUAINTANCE'S DRIVEWAY. I BEGAN TO APPLY THE BRAKE AS I CAME TO PARK BEHIND HER VEHICLE. SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING, MY 2004 TOYOTA AVALON SURGED AHEAD AND CRASHED INTO HER PARKED VEHICLE CAUSING MY FRONT BUMPER TO GO UNDER THE BACK OF HER 2004 SEBRING CONVERTIBLE LIFTING IT UP OFF THE GROUND. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I CALLED MY TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY SUGGESTED I NOT DRIVE IT (I WAS TO GO OUT OF TOWN FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND). SO I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER AS I WANTED THEM TO CHECK THIS ACCERLATION PROBLEM. I HAD $2537.16 DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF MY AVALON, THAT INCLUDED DAMAGE TO MY FRONT BUMPER, GRILLE, HEADLAMP, PANEL HOOD, RADIATOR AND FRONT FENDERS. THE SEBRING HAD APPROXIMATELY $650 DAMAGE. IT TOOK 10 DAYS TO REPAIR. THE DEALER SAID THAT HE COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. IT WAS HOOKED UP TO A COMPUTER TO SEE IF ANY SYSTEMS HAD FAILED. HE ALSO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I FEEL CERTAIN THAT THIS ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A POWER SURGE OF SOME KIND. MY AVALON HAS ONLY 9500 MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT IT IN JULY OF 2004 AND IN SEPTEMBER 2004, I EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR POWER SURGE. TRAVELING UP A HILLY ROAD NO MORE THAN 30 MPH, AS I REACHED THE TOP OF THE HILL AS THE ROAD STRAIGHTEN OUT, THE CAR TOOK OFF. IT LASTED ONLY A FEW SECONDS, BUT SCARED ME. HOWEVER, I DID NOT REPORT IT. THE THOUGHT OF ANOTHER POWER SURGE HAS ME VERY HESITANT ABOUT FEELING SAFE IN THIS AUTOMOBILE. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ACCIDENT FREE FOR 47 YEARS. I AM IN VERY GOOD PHYSICAL HEALTH.

WHILE DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE REVVED UP AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. *NM THE RPM REACHED 7000. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THIS MARKS THE FOURTH TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD THIS ISSUE. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED 10099310. HEAVY SMOKE CAME FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AFTER THE CRASH. THE CONSUMER HAD TO TURN THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION TO STOP THE ENGINE FROM RACING. *TC *JB