1997 Toyota Previa

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA PREVIA. THE CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARK THE VEHICLE. SHE PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND PROCEEDED TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, WHEN THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FROM THE SCENE AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER OR THE MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

I WAS A FEW BLOCKS FROM WORK IN MY 1997 TOYOTA PREVIA WITH MY DAUGHTER. WE STARTED UP A STEEP HILL WHEN AT THE CREST MY VAN SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO 50 MPH AND INCREASING. I STOOD ON THE BRAKE BUT IT HAD NO EFFECT AT ALL. THEN I TRIED TO SHIFT INTO PARK. I SUCCEEDED ONLY IN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE WHICH SENT US CAREENING BACKWARD FROM WHERE I HAD COME. THERE HAD BEEN ONLY ONE OTHER CAR ON THE STREET BECAUSE OF THE LATENESS OF THE HOUR AND IT WAS CLEAR THAT ON MY PRESENT COURSE, I WOULD HIT IT DEAD ON. I MOVED OVER ONTO THE CURB WHERE THERE WAS ABOUT A FOOT OF SNOW. EVEN SO, I RAKED HIS PASSENGER SIDE AND MY DRIVER'S SIDE. I MOVED FURTHER OVER ONTO THE YARDS, TOOK OUT A MAILBOX AND CHOSE TO GO UP A STEEP INCLINE WITH LOTS OF SNOW. THE SNOW SLOWED THE VAN DOWN, AND MY DAUGHTER STOOD UP AND FORCED THE SHIFT STICK INTO PARK. WE STOPPED. BEHIND US WERE DENSE TREES. IF WE HAD NOT STOPPED, WE WOULD SURELY HAVE BEEN KILLED. I HAD EXPERIENCED UNEXPLAINED ACCELERATION PREVIOUSLY, BUT WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO BRAKE AND STOP. SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE I HAD ASKED THE TOYOTA SERVICE TO PLEASE FIX THIS DEFECT. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T TELL WHAT WAS WRONG IF ANYTHING AND COULD NOT FIX IT. THE INSURANCE "TOTALED" MY VAN WITHOUT EVEN HAVING THE CAUSES CHECKED. *TR

MY TOYOTA PREVIA HAD A INCIDENT WITH A STUCK ACCELERATOR. I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO CONTROL AND STOP VEHICLE WITH MAXIMUM FOOT BRAKE PRESSURE TO THE POINT OF GRINDING BRAKES AND TURNING IGNITION OFF WHEN AWAY FROM OTHER TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT WITH THE STUCK ACCELERATOR AND RED-LINING OF RPM'S LED TO A BLOWN HEAD GASKET THAT WAS NOT PHYSICALLY REPAIRABLE BY RECOMMENDATION OF AUTHORIZED TOYOTA REPAIRMAN. *TR

ON OCT 2002, OIL IN THE ENGINE SLUDGED CAUSING CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE MECHANICS WERE ABLE TO REPAIR THE ENGINE TO PARTIAL WORKING ORDER. HOWEVER, THE ENGINE LEAKED EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL AND THE POWER OF THE ENGINE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. ON 8 JAN 2004, THE ENGINE OIL LIGHT INDICATED A LOW OIL PRESSURE. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION BY THE MECHANIC, THE ENGINE OIL APPEARED TO HAVE SLUDGED AGAIN CAUSING DAMAGE TO ENGINE. THE ENGINE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE TOTALED. WE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM WAS COMMON WITH VARIOUS TOYOTA VEHICLES. HOWEVER, TOYOTA REFUSED TO ADMIT ANY WRONG DOING. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM WITH MECHANICS THAT HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH TOYOTAS. THESE INDIVIDUALS INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM FIRST APPEARED IN THE PREVIA VEHICLE. OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEAL WHO FIRST SERVICED THE CAR, CLAIMED TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY FOR US, THE SLUDGING IN OUR ENGINE DID NOT OCCUR DURING HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY DRIVING. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT AND SERIOUS INJURIES. ON A RELATED TOPIC, WE NOTICED ON YOUR WEB SITE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF RECALL NOTIFICATIONS CONCERNING A PREVIA. TO DATE, WE HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF ANY OF THESE RECALLS, EITHER VIA LETTER OR BY THE DEALER.*AK

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. VEHICLE GOING ~50 MPH ON TWO-LANE ROAD. ACCELERATED RAPIDLY TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. PASSED AT ~65 MPH. TOOK FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR BUT VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. WAS ABLE TO BRING TO A STOP. IN 'PARK' ENGINE ALSO RACED. LINKAGES CHECKED, BUT WERE OK. VEHICLE BROUGHT TO TOYOTA DEALER IN FLAGSTAFF AZ. THEY COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. OWNER CONTACTED TOYOTA TWICE. NATIONAL CUSTOMER RELATIONS TOLD US TO CONTACT A DEALER (AGAIN). OWNER BELIEVES ONE CONTACT WAS SUFFICIENT TO SHOW THEY CANNOT ID PROBLEM. WIFE DRIVING AT THE TIME - ACCIDENT BARELY AVERTED. *AK