1998 Toyota Corolla

I WAS LEAVING AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH. CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. WHEN I PUT CAR IN GEAR, IT TOOK OFF ON IT'S OWN. I TRIED TO BRAKE BUT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE CAR. MY CAR WENT THROUGH A FENCE AND HIT A SMALL TREE. THE CAR WAS TOWED AWAY AND LATER WAS TOTALED. WHEN THE MECHANIC TRIED TO START THE CAR, IT IMMEDIATELY WENT UP TO 2500 RPMS MR

JUST MINUTES AFTER DRIVING IN HEAVY DALLAS TRAFFIC, STOPPED AT A GROCERY STORE AND WAS PULLING INTO AN ANGLED PARKING SPACE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND ALMOST STOPPED, WHEN CAR SURGED FORWARD (REPEAT-WITH MY FOOT ON BRAKE). THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT STOP VEHICLE. I HIT THE VEHICLE PARKED IN FRONT OF ME; VERY LITTLE DAMAGE AS MY CAR WAS ALMOST STOPPED WHEN IT SURGED FORWARD AND BRAKE FAILED. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAD HAPPENED. THE FIRST TIME WAS ONLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW. THE SAME THING HAPPENED AS I WAS PULLING INTO MY CAR PORT. THE BRAKE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND CAR SURGED FORWARD. THAT TIME I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND JUST THOUGHT MY FOOT MUST HAVE SLIPPED. THIS TIME, I HAD TWO OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CAR AND WE ALL WITNESSED THE SURGE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL ON THE FLOOR OF THE CAR (USELESS). AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE HAS STOPPED (BY HITTING SOMETHING EACH TIME), THE BRAKE GOES BACK TO ITS USUAL POSITION. I TOOK THE CAR TO CLASSIC TOYOTA HERE IN TYLER THE NEXT DAY WHEN I DROVE BACK HERE. THEY SAID THEY INSPECTED IT AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. I WAS VERY UPSET AND IT WAS ANNOTATED ON THE JOB TICKET. I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND LEFT MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER WITH THE DRIVER OF THE CAR I HIT IN THE GROCERY STORE LOT. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED JUST MINUTES BEFORE AS I STOPPED FOR THE NUMEROUS RED LIGHTS IN DALLAS, MY CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN PROPELLED OUT INTO THE INTERSECTION AND WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM, AND THE CAR IS A POTENTIAL DEATH TRAP FOR ME AND MY PASSENGERS OR THE VEHICLE I MIGHT HIT BECAUSE OF THE BRAKE FAILURE AND SURGE PROBLEM. THERE WAS A TWO-YEAR LAPSE BETWEEN THE TWO INCIDENTS, WHICH IS WHY THE DEALER COULDN'T TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY SUGGESTED MY FOOT HAD SLIPPED OFF THE BRAKE AND HIT THE ACCELERATOR. THIS ABSOLUTELY WAS NOT WHAT HAPPENED. *AK

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT:1) STARTED THE AUTOMOBILE; SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO REVERSE WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKES AND GENTLY RELEASING IT.2) HE HIT TAP A LIGHT POST, ON THE LEFT BLIND SPOT, WHILE BACKING UP... SPEED LESS THAN 5 MPH. RESULT WAS A PAINT SCRAPE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BUMPER.3)HE QUICKLY SHIFTED TO DRIVE TO MOVE A BIT FORWARD WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKE AND RELEASING GENTLY.4) THE CAR QUICKLY ACCELERATED AND "PLOWED" THROUGH A BRICK BARRIER ABOUT 12" THICK.5) AFTER TRYING TO CONTROL THE AUTOMOBILE, HE MADE A LEFT TURN CIRCLE AND COLLIDED INTO THE BUILDING THAT CONTAINED THE BRICK BARRIER WALL.6) DURING THE IMPACT OF THE BARRIER WALL, HE NOTICED THAT THE AIRBAG DID NOT FULLY DEPLOYED. ONLY AFTER THE IMPACT WITH THE BUILDING DID THE AIRBAG INFLATE FULLY, BUT SLOWLY.