1986 Toyota Camry

WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1986 TOYOTA CAMRY THAT WE BOUGHT NEW. WE HAD AN ISSUE WITH SUDDEN ACCELERATION BACK IN 1986 AND BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE ORIGINAL TOYOTA DEALER. THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE ISSUE WITH SUDDEN ACCELERATION HAS HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES MOST RECENTLY A FEW WEEKS AGO. WE HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THE LAST INCIDENT A FEW WEEKS AGO WAS TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 120K MILES AND RUNS GREAT. IS THERE A SPECIFIC FIX FOR THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION ISSUE IN THE 1986 TOYOTA? WE DON'T WANT TO SELL THE CAR IN FEAR SOMEONE WILL HAVE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT CAUSES THIS INTERMITTENT SERIOUS ISSUE. THE 1ST ACCELERATION ISSUE IN 1986 WAS WHEN WE WERE ON THE HIGHWAY USING CRUISE CONTROL. ONCE WE TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL THE CAR CONTINUED TO GAIN SPEED EVEN WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES. WE WERE ON AN OPEN HIGHWAY WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC AND WERE ABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND CONTINUE APPLYING THE BRAKES TILL WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT TO STOP. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WE STILL HAVE THE RECEIPT FROM 1986 WITH NO PROBLEM FOUND. THE 2ND TIME IT HAPPENED ALSO IN 1986 WAS WHILE REVERSING IN A PARKING LOT. THE CAR ACCELERATED EVEN WHILE HITTING THE BRAKES, AGAIN THE CAR WAS PUT INTO NEUTRAL AND AGAIN THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE NO MECHANICAL ISSUE WAS FOUND. WE WENT MANY YEARS WITHOUT ANOTHER ISSUE UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. WE WERE REVERSING INTO A PARKING SPOT AND THE CAR ACCELERATED. ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN PROVIDE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

1986 TOYOTA CAMRY UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ONCE*CW THE CONSUMER STATED THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION HE EXPERIENCED WAS DUE TO ELECTRONICS NOT THE PEDAL. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS ON A STEEP UPHILL CLIMB ON MN HIGHWAY 52 WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENABLED. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWING BECAUSE OF THE HILL. HE PUSHED ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT STARTED ACCELERATING OUT OF CONTROL. HE REMOVED HIS FOOT FROM THE PEDAL, BUT THE SPEED CONTINUED TO INCREASE. THE CONSUMER PULLED THE PEDAL UP WITH HIS FOOT WHICH HAD NO EFFECT. HE HIT THE BRAKE TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL, BUT IT DIDN'T STOP ACCELERATING. HE TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL VIA THE ON/OFF BUTTON AND THE LIGHT WENT OUT, BUT IT STILL DID NOT STOP ACCELERATING. AS THE CONSUMER CRESTED THE HILL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE EVEN MORE. HE TURNED THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AND THE VEHICLE COASTED TO A STOP WHILE HE PRESSED ON THE BRAKE MUCH HARDER THAN WAS NORMALLY NECESSARY. THE CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE. *JB

3/28/04-PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES FROM WAL-MART TIRE CENTER (P185/70R13 BW X-TRAC). 4/16/2005- BROKE DOWN ON SIDE OF ROAD DUE TO VEHICLE SHAKING VIOLENTLY. HAD VEHICLE TOWED; MECHANIC SAID THAT BELT IN TIRE SLIPPED. I RETURNED TIRE TO WAL-MART AND THEY GAVE ME A PRO-RATED PRICE ON NEW TIRE (BASED ON THE TREAD THAT WAS LEFT ON DAMAGED TIRE) 6/27/05-BROKE DOWN ON SIDE OF ROAD AGAIN BECAUSE OF VEHICLE SHAKING VIOLENTLY. ALMOST HIT ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN I SWERVED INTO OTHER LANE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO MECHANIC-MECHANIC SAID THAT BELT SLIPPED ON OTHER TIRE. HAD TO HAVE TIRE REPLACED.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 70MPH WHEN I HEARD AN EXPLOSION AND MY CAR BEGAN TO VIBRATE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND SAW THAT MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD BLOWN OUT. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING ON THE ROAD NOR WAS MY TIRE PUNCTURED. SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO LOOKED AT THE TIRE SAID THE BLOWOUT WAS CAUSED BY A STRUCTURAL DEFECT. 3 WEEKS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, I HAD THE TIRES INSPECTED AND PROPERLY INFLATED BY THE TIRE DEALER WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THEM. THE TIRES WERE SUPPOSED TO LAST 40,000 MILES BUT I ONLY GOT 24,000 MILES OUT OF THE DEFECTIVE TIRE. THE TIRE IS A GOODYEAR CLUB DOT # 7UE8 0Y62 1700 (SIZE 185/70R/13 - 86T) I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE THIS TIRE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AND I AM NOW WORRIED ABOUT THE OTHER 3 GOODYEAR CLUB TIRES THAT I HAVE REMAINING ON MY CAR. I AM A CONSCIENTIOUS AND RESPONSIBLE DRIVER (I HAVE MY TIRES ROTATED REGULARLY AND PROPERLY INFLATED) AND I WAS SHOCKED WHEN THIS BLOWOUT HAPPENED. I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE.*AK

THIS IS A GENERAL RATHER THAN SPECIFIC COMPLAINT, ABOUT ONE OF THE GREATEST DANGERS ON THE ROAD: THE POSSIBILITY OF SUDDEN BREAKAGE OF THE TIMING BELTS IN MANY CARS. THEY ARE PRONE TO BREAK WITHOUT WARNING, LEAVING THE CAR TOTALLY WITHOUT POWER, POWER-ASSIST STEERING, OR POWER BRAKES, AS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE IN THE ABOVE CASE. FEW PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THIS DANGER, OR OF THE NEED TO REPLACE THE TIMING BELT AFTER 50,000 MILES OR SO. THE MADDENING THING IS THAT UNBREAKABLE METAL TIMING CHAINS ARE AVAILABLE (AND USED ON THE SAME ENGINES IN PICKUP TRUCKS, I BELIEVE) BUT ARE NOT INSTALLED IN AUTOS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOISIER.*AK