1994 Toyota Camry

"TAKATA RECALL" MY BRAKES WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN INTO A DIRT ROAD TO GET HOME. INSTEAD I LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL AND ENDED UP CRASHING INTO A DITCH. MY AIRBAGS INFLATED. NOW MY MUFFLER SOUNDS LIKE ITS RATTLED AND A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE ALWAYS OCCUR WHEN DRIVING. I HAVE NO EXTERIOR DAMAGE DUE TO THE CRASH. ONLY INTERNAL AND PRIOR TO THIS, MY BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS WOULD COME OFF AND ON. I WAS TOLD THAT IT JUST MEANT THAT MY BRAKE SENSOR HAD A GLITCH. OTHER THAN THAT MY BREAKS WORKED JUST FINE WITH NO WARNING SIGNS OF THEM GOING OUT SOONER.

I WAS SLOWLY TURNING TO THE RIGHT INTO A PARKING SPACE AND HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A TREE THERE TO STOP THE CAR. IN THE PREVIOUS MONTHS, SEVERAL OF THE PANEL WARNING LIGHTS HAD BEEN COMING ON AND OFF. I HAD TOYOTA CHECK THEM. THEY REPLACED THE EGR VALVE BUT IT KEPT HAPPENING SO I TOOK IT BACK. THEY SAID THEY CHECKED EVERYTHING AND COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATING, BUT IT MIGHT HAVE.

AT NOON ON 6/11/12, I WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT MY CAR'S GEARSHIFT OUT OF PARK. I REMOVED THE TAB THAT COVERS THE GEARSHIFT RELEASE BUTTON ON THE SHIFT PANEL AND UNLOCKED THE SHIFTER. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE THE VEHICLE TO MECHANICSVILLE TOYOTA (MECHANICSVILLE, VA) AND HAD THE PROBLEM ASSESSED BY THE SERVICE PERSON, [XXX]. SHE SAID SHE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE AND THE CHANCES WERE PRETTY HIGH THAT THE BRAKE SWITCH (ABOVE THE BRAKE PEDAL) WAS DEFECTIVE. SHE SAID THAT CAUSES THE GEARSHIFT TO LOCK UP AND FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS NOT TO WORK. INDEED MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING AT THAT TIME. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT COULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART (BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH). I PAID FOR, AND ORDERED, THE SWITCH AND ARRANGED FOR THE REPAIR TO BE DONE ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012 AT 10AM. [XXX] WARNED ME TO BE CAREFUL AS I DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME SINCE THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. MY HOUSE IS APRX. 7 MILES FROM THE DEALERSHIP SO I CAREFULLY DROVE TOWARDS HOME. AS I TURNED OFF OF THE MAJOR HIGHWAY ONTO THE SECONDARY ROAD THAT GOES TO MY HOUSE, MY RIGHT ANKLE WAS ACHING SO I USED THE CRUISE CONTROL TO TAKE ME TOWARDS MY HOUSE AT 45MPH. AS I APPROACHED MY TURNOFF, I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE, BUT THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN AT ALL! QUICKLY THINKING ABOUT WHAT [XXX] HAD SAID ABOUT THE BRAKE SWITCH, I THOUGHT TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE THUD SOUND FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND THE BRAKE IMMEDIATELY ENGAGED AND STOPPED THE CAR. HAD I NOT DISENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL, I AM CERTAIN I WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AS IT APPROACHED TRAFFIC, AHEAD. I HAVE MORE COMMENTS BUT THE SYSTEM WON'T ACCEPT THEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

EXPERIENCED TWO TIMES WITH UNWANTED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WITH TOYOTA CAMRY '94(MADE IN US MODEL) IN MAY 2011: WHILE DRIVING 30MPH, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE SPEEDOMETER WAS UP LIKE CRAZY (6000-7000RPM) AND WHILE APPLYING BRAKE ON IT WHICH DIDN'T SEEM TO RESPONSE AND I HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKE VERY HARD TO MAKE THE CAR STOP AND HAD TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. *TR

* THE CONTACT OWNED A 1994 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE INTO AN INTERSECTION WHERE A VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND PUSHED THE VEHICLE UP ON A CURB WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. THE CONTACT WAS KILLED IN THE CRASH AND TWO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS WERE INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED ACCORDINGLY. THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED BY THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WHO HAS ALSO PREVIOUSLY DRIVEN THE VEHICLE. SHE CONFIRMED THAT SHE TOO HAD EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT YET BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 80,000. UPDATED 06/03/10*BF UPDATED 08/30/10 UPDATE 9/19/2011*CW

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE 91 FREEWAY IN CA AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY ACCELERATOR STUCK. I WAS FRANTIC TRYING TO STOP MY CAR. I PRESSED ON MY BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD. IN THE MEANTIME I GOT OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND EXITED THE NEAREST OFF RAMP (CARMENITA). I DROVE THE STREETS FOR AWHILE AND CAME TO A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. SOMETIME DURING THIS TIME THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO GET BETTER. I PULLED OVER TO A HOUSE WITH TWO WOMEN STANDING IN FRONT AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP AND ASKED THEM FOR HELP. ONCE I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND BACK ON AGAIN THE PROBLEM WAS GONE. I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MY DESTINATION WHICH WAS TO VISIT MY DAUGHTER IN THE HOSPITAL. IT WAS ONE OF THE SCARIEST MOMENTS OF MY DRIVING EXPERIENCES. IT IS AMAZING THAT I DIDN'T HIT ANOTHER CAR. IT NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN SO I NEVER REPORTED IT UNTIL NOW. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND CRASHED INTO AN EMBANKMENT. THE CONTACT DID NOT REPORT ANY INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER PRIOR TO THE FAILURE FOR THE BRAKES TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE A PROBLEM, AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AFTER THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,933.