2007 Toyota Highlander

ON MAY 9, 2007 WE PURCHASED A NEW 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. ABOUT A MONTH LATER IT UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AND RAN THROUGH THE END OF OUR CARPORT WHILE BEING DRIVEN IN TO PARK. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS IN FRONT OF IT. THE AUTO SUSTAINED ABOUT $650 IN DAMAGES AND THE CARPORT RECEIVED SIMILAR MONETARY DAMAGES. ABOUT A MONTH LATER WE HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT WHILE PARKING IN A PARKING LOT. AT FIRST WE ATTRIBUTED THE INCIDENTS TO MY WIFE'S FOOT SOMEWAY SLIPPING OFF THE BRAKES AND ON TO THE ACCELERATOR. NOW, AFTER THE RECENT NATIONAL PUBLICITY, WE ARE NOT SO SURE. PERHAPS THE ACCELERATOR MECHANISIM OR SOFTWARE IN THIS VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE IN THIS MODEL TOYOTA ALSO. IN THE MEAN TIME, I NOW WONDER IF THIS MODEL VEHICLE IS SAFE TO DRIVE. I WILL BRING THIS ISSUE UP TO OUR TOYOTA DEALER IN THE NEAR FUTURE. I HOPE THIS INFORMATION WILL BE USEFUL IN HELPING THE GOVERNMENT AND TOYOTA TO SOLVE THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE. *TR

THIS IS IN FOLLOW-UP TO MY COMPLAINT #10306258 FILED EARLIER THIS MORNING (FEB 5, 2010). I FOUND MY PREVIOUS SERVICE ORDER OF JULY 23, 2008, FROM MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, ON WHICH I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE DELAYED ACCELERATION WHEN I PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL. THEIR RESPONSE, AS DOCUMENTED ON MY REPAIR ORDER WAS 'SCANNED FOR ERROR CODES. NONE PRESENT. CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS TRANSMISSION.' ON MY PREVIOUS REPORT TO YOU REGARDING THIS, I CLASSIFIED THIS AS 'FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE' AND AS 'ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,' IT LOOKS LIKE TOYOTA CLASSIFIED THIS AS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. REGARDLESS, THE FACTS ARE AS I STATED THEM AND I STILL VIEW THIS TO BE A DANGEROUS CONDITION. FOR THE RECORD, MY VEHICLE WAS SERVICED ON JULY 23, 2008 AT WEST ASHLEY TOYOTA, 2100 SAVANNAH HWY, CHARLESTON, SC 29414. THEIR PHONE NUMBER IS 843-556-9110. MY CUSTOMER NBR IS 82921. MY CONCERN WAS ADDRESSED ON THEIR INVOICE # TOCS178222. I HAD MY VEHICLE IN FOR A CHECKUP AT THE ABOVE DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING, AFTER MY POSTING ON YOUR WEB SITE. I AGAIN INQUIRED ABOUT MY PREVIOUSLY REPORTED ACCELERATION PROBLEM. THE MAINTENANCE REPRESENTATIVE, HEATHER, INFORMED ME THAT SHE KNOWS OF NO PROBLEM REGARDING THIS. WHEN I ASKED IF I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO IS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM AND QUESTIONED THE FACT THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS TO TOYOTA, HEATHER TOLD ME THAT SHE PERSONALLY HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF OTHERS REPORTING THIS. *TR

ACCELERATION & DE-ACCELERATION PROBLEM: WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN FORWARD MOTION, ON A HIGHWAY, AND I PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR TO RAPIDLY SPEED UP, THERE IS AN APPROXIMATELY ONE SECOND TIME DELAY IN THE VEHICLES RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST TO ACCELERATE. FREQUENTLY, THIS DELAY HAS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. ON THE OCCASIONS THAT I WANT TO SPEED UP TO PASS A VEHICLE, OR TO CHANGE LANES OR TO AVOID A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SITUATION, THIS DELAY IS VERY STARTLING. BECAUSE OF THE VEHICLES RESPONSE DELAY, I THEN SOMETIMES SUDDENLY TAKE MY FOOT OF THE ACCELERATOR TO CANCEL MY ACCELERATE REQUEST. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE, AFTER ITS INITIAL ACCELERATION DELAY, WILL THEN ACCELERATE FOR JUST A MOMENT EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOW JUST TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR. IN MY ALMOST 50 YEARS OF DRIVING MANY VEHICLES, ACCELERATORS ALWAYS RESPONDED INSTANTLY. THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS A LINKAGE CABLE THAT MECHANICALLY CONNECTED THE GAS PEDAL TO THE CARBURETOR. NOW, IN THIS TOYOTA, IT IS COMPUTER CONTROLLED. WHEN I COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS DELAY TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, THEY TESTED THE VEHICLE AND ADVISED ME THAT EVERYTHING IS OPERATING NORMALLY. HOWEVER, THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE ACCELERATION IS NOW COMPUTER CONTROLLED AND THE COMPUTER IS OPERATING AS INTENDED. I INSISTED THAT THIS WAS A DESIGN FLAW AND THAT THE COMPUTER SHOULD NOT QUESTION MY DECISION TO ACCELERATE WHEN ==> I <== WANT TO ACCELERATE. I WAS ADVISED THAT THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS AND THAT THIS IS HOW IT IS. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW FROM A TOYOTA DEALER. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS EXISTED. *TR