2018 Toyota Camry

THE 2018 TOYOTA CAMRY SE HAS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH DELAYED ACCELERATION THAT IMPACTS THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. THE CAR'S 8-SPEED TRANSMISSION HAS TROUBLE SELECTING THE PROPER GEAR WHEN THE DRIVER NEEDS TO ACCELERATE AFTER DECELERATION. FOR EXAMPLE, IMAGINE DRIVING STEADY AT 40MPH BEFORE DECELERATING TO AN INTERSECTION FOR A TURN, MAKING THE TURN, THEN PRESSING THE GAS AGAIN TO ACCELERATE. WHEN PRESSING THE GAS AGAIN TO ACCELERATE IN THIS SCENARIO, THE CAR STRUGGLES TO SELECT THE PROPER GEAR AFTER THE DOWNSHIFT FROM 40 MPH CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO PAUSE (NO ACCELERATION) FOR 3 SECONDS BEFORE VERY ROUGHLY CYCLING THROUGH TWO OR THREE GEARS BEFORE THE PROPER GEAR IS SELECTED. BOTH MY WIFE AND I EXPERIENCE THIS WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AND OFTEN FEEL VULNERABLE AND STUCK AS TRAFFIC MUST BRAKE UNEXPECTEDLY BECAUSE THE CAMRY WILL NOT SIMPLY SELECT A GEAR AND MOVE WHEN THE GAS IS PRESSED. ALSO, WHEN THE CAMRY FINALLY DOES MOVE, THERE IS NO PREDICTING HOW MUCH ACCELERATION THE DRIVER WILL EXPERIENCE. THIS CAUSES SAFETY CONCERN FOR BOTH GETTING REAR-ENDED WHILE THE CAMRY WON'T ACCELERATE, AND ALSO SAFETY CONCERN FOR REAR-ENDING SOMEONE ELSE WHEN THE CAMRY UNPREDICTABLY ACCELERATES. THE TOYOTA DEALER HAS DONE NOTHING TO FIX THIS AND STATES IT IS WORKING AS DESIGNED BECAUSE NO ERROR CODES ARE THROWN. THE TOYOTA DEALER DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT 8-SPEED TRANSMISSIONS ARE NEW TO TOYOTA AND THEY HAVE HAD MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE 8-SPEED TRANSMISSION IN THE TOYOTA SIENNA.

WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTS AND IS STATIONARY, IT IDLES TOO HIGH OR IT STUDDERS WHILE IDLING. WHEN DRIVING AROUND 60 MPH TO 64 MPH WHEN SHIFTING GEARS FROM HIGH TOO LOW SPEEDS IT ALSO JERKS ABRUPTLY. IT ALSO DOES THIS WHEN I AM SLOWING DOWN TO LOWER SPEEDS AND WHEN I PUT IT IN DRIVE FROM REVERSE OR PARK TO REVERSE IT JERKS/JUMPS REALLY BADLY. SINCE OWNING THIS CAR, I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW NO MILES, A WHELL BARRING HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED AS WELL.

I HAD JUST EXITED A FREEWAY, AND WAS ENTERING THE SURFACE STREETS VIA A STOPLIGHT. AFTER TURNING ONTO THE SURFACE STREET, THE SIGNAL AHEAD TURNED RED. I ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES IN TRAFFIC WHILE TRAVELING AT OR LESS THAN 20 M.P.H., BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND AS NORMAL. I PUSHED THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP AS NORMAL. INSTEAD, THE PEDAL DEPRESSED FURTHER THAN NORMAL, AND I FELT A HEAVY VIBRATION FEEDBACK THROUGH THE PEDAL. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 2-3 CAR LENGTHS FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, AND I PUMPED THE BRAKES AND DEPRESSED THE PEDAL AS FAR AS I COULD PHYSICALLY MANAGE. AT THAT POINT, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW, BUT SO GRADUALLY THAT I WAS CERTAIN TO COLLIDE WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I THEN STEERED TO THE RIGHT (I WAS IN THE RIGHTMOST LANE) TOWARD THE CURB OF THE SIDEWALK. THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL WENT UP ON THE CURB AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. I PUT ON THE HAZARD SIGNAL, THEN WHEN TRAFFIC CLEARED BEHIND ME, PULLED INTO A GAS STATION APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I STEERED BACK ONTO THE ROADWAY AFTER INITIALLY STOPPING, THE STEERING FELT VERY LOOSE, AND I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS DRIVING ON ICE OR WITHOUT CONTROL OVER THE STEERING. ONCE IN THE GAS STATION PARKING LOT, I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I EXAMINED THE PEDALS FOR BLOCKAGE AND LOOKED FOR FLUID LEAKS, BUT FOUND NOTHING. I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND TESTED THE GAS AND BRAKES IN THE EMPTY PARKING AREA, AND EVERYTHING RESPONDED AS NORMAL. HOWEVER, THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE HAS A TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL AND THE RIM IS LIGHTLY DAMAGED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, EVEN WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED. THERE WAS ALSO A LACK OF ACCELERATION WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE, ABNORMAL SHIFTING, AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. IN ADDITION, THE ODOR OF ANTI-FREEZE FILLED UP THE CABIN. THE FAILURES OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TOYOTA GRAND RAPIDS (LOCATED AT 2555 28TH ST SE, GRAND RAPIDS, MI) WHERE THE FAILURES WERE CONFIRMED, BUT COULD NOT BE REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 250.

THIS IS THE SECOND WINDSHIELD I HAVE HAD SINCE BUYING MY CAR IN LATE MARCH 2018. EACH TIME THEY REPAIR SHOP SAYS THE WINDSHIELD IS SO THIN. AS I AM SITTING WAITING ON MY REPAIR. TWO OTHER PEOPLE WITH 2018 TOYOTA CAMRY'S ALSO COMES IN FOR THEIR 2ND WINDSHIELD. IT SEEMS TO BE A SEVERE GLITCH IN THE MAKE OF THESE WINDSHIELDS AND THIS IS A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SITUATION. PLEASE EVALUATE THIS IMMEDIATELY.

WHILE DRIVING, REAR VIEW MIRROR VISIBILITY ON BOTH SIDES OBSTRUCTS CLEAR VIEW FOR THE LENGTH OF THE CAR TO THE DRIVER. THE INTERIOR CHROME ON THE DASHBOARD CAST A SHADOW ON THE MIRRORS. AT NIGHT, VISIBILITY IS FURTHER IMPAIRED BY THE LIGHTS FROM CARS BEHIND THE 2018 CAMRY, FURTHER COMPLICATING MATTERS. ISSUES REPORTED TO DEALER ON 8/1/18. DEALER DID NOT DETECT PROBLEM. SERVICE REP. AT DEALER SUGGESTED THAT "I COVER THE CHROME WITH VELVET STRIPES." I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTORY IN PLANO, CASE. #1808070542 TEXAS. ISSUES REVIEWED AGAIN BY ARLINGTON, TOYOTA JACKSONVILLE, FL. AS REQUESTED BY SERVICE REP. FROM TEXAS, ON 8/07/18. ONLY RECEIVED A DECISION MADE ON 8/20/18. NOTHING WOULD BE DONE. FOR SAFETY REASONS, I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THAT DECISION.

1. WHILE STATIONARY WITH FOOT ON BREAK THE VEHICLE STARTS TO ROLL FORWARD REQUIRING MORE AND MORE BREAK PRESSURE. BRAKE PEDDLE WILL SLOWLY FADE TO FLOOR. 2. WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED 65 MPH ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE LANES AFTER DECELERATION OR BREAKING THE ENGINE WILL RUNAWAY OVER 5,000 RPM CAUSE A LONG DELAY IN SPEAD INCREASE WHICH CAN BE CRUCIAL FOR MATCHING TRAFFIC FLOW. RESULT IS POTENTIAL FOR COLLISION FROM REAR. 3. THE TOYOTA ENTUNE / SCOUT GPS SYSTEM FAILS TO PROVIDE RELIABILITY AS A HANDSFREE OPERATION SYSTEM, IT CONSTANTAILY CRASHES, REQUIRING A VEHICLE STOP WITH ENGINE RESTART TO CLEAR FALT CONDITION.