2000 Toyota Sienna

WHILE DRIVING ON TOLLWAY IN OUR 2000 SIENNA WITH CRUISE SET TO 70 MPH I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR A LITTLE TO INCREASE SPEED A FEW MPH. IT INSTANTLY TOOK OFF AS IF I HAD HIT THE "RESUME" ON THE CRUISE CONTROL (CC) AND HAD IT SET FOR 120 MPH. AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF PANIC I HIT THE BRAKES TO SLOW THE VAN AND RELEASE THE CC. NO LUCK. WITH NO TRAFFIC NEAR ME I LOOKED TO SEE IF THE ACC. PEDAL WAS STUCK, FLOOR MAT WAS INTERFERING, OR SOMETHING ELSE HOLDING THE PEDAL DOWN - NOTHING WAS. I TURNED OFF THE CC, PUMPED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, STOMPED ON THE BRAKES AND WAS JUST ABOUT TO PUT VAN IN NEUTRAL WHEN WE WENT BACK TO NORMAL CONTROL. WE TOOK VAN TO TOYOTA DEALER NEXT DAY, BUT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THEY CALLED TOYOTA AND WERE TOLD IT WAS NOT A KNOWN PROBLEM, SO NO FIX. WE STILL DRIVE IT DAILY, BUT DO NOT USE THE CC IN TRAFFIC, OR ACCELERATE WITH THE CC ON. THIS WAS NOT A STUCK PEDAL, NOR A FLOOR MAT PROBLEM. BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT USED THE CC IN THE SAME MANNER AS WHEN THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION HAPPENED, I WOULD THINK IT IS CC RELATED. *TR

IN SUMMER OF 2000, I HAD AN ACCIDENT IN A 99 TOYOTA SIENNA AND MY ACCELERATOR STUCK CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO STOP FORWARD MOTION AFTER IMPACT. I REPORTED THE STUCK ACCELERATOR TO DEALER, AND STATE FARM. MY CAR WAS TOTALED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT AN INTERSECTION AND ANOTHER DRIVER HIT ME FROM THE RIGHT - HE RAN A RED LIGHT AND WAS CITED AS AT FAULT, BUT AFTER THE IMPACT, MY CAR CONTINUED TO GO FORWARD AND ALTHOUGH I HAD MY FOOT ON MY BRAKE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. I HAD MY TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR WHO WERE SCREAMING IN FEAR AND PAIN, AND THERE WERE TWO ROWS OF CARS IN EVERY DIRECTION STOPPED AT THE INTERSECTION. I LOOKED AT A CONCRETE PILLAR IN A PARKING LOT AND THOUGHT ABOUT RUNNING MY CAR INTO IT TO STOP. INSTEAD, I REACHED FOR THE GEARS AND TRIED TO SHIFT TO PARK. IT WENT INTO REVERSE, AND BY SOME TRUE MIRACLE, I WAS ABLE TO MISS ALL THE SITTING TRAFFIC AND STEER INTO A CHAIN LINK FENCE. BY YET ANOTHER MIRACLE, THERE WAS ONLY ONE SPOT ON THE FENCE THAT WAS NOT TREE LINED. I BACKED BETWEEN TWO TREES INTO THE FENCE AND THAT STOPPED MY CAR, WHICH I LEFT RUNNING AS I GOT MY TWO CHILDREN OUT. A BYSTANDER WAS ABLE TO REACH IN AND REMOVE THE KEYS AND STOP THE CAR. THE FENCE BELONGED TO A CATHOLIC CHURCH WHICH LATER SENT A BILL TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY FOR THE DAMAGE. THIS OCCURRED IN MEMPHIS, TN, AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SURE THAT THE ACCELATOR WAS STUCK IN THAT INCIDENT. I WAS TOLD TO REPORT IT TO THE NTHSA, BUT FRANKLY, THOUGHT THAT SOUNDED LIKE REDTAPE. I DON'T THINK THE TOYOTA PROBLEM IS MECHANICAL OR RECENT, BUT A MASSIVE, LONG-STANDING COMPUTER-BASED ISSUE COVER-UP AND TOYOTA DRIVERS SHOULD BE COMPENSATED BY COMPANY. *TR

ON THE MORNING OF OCT. 27, MY WIFE DROVE THE CAR TO MID TOWN, MANHATTON. SHE DROVE THE CAR FROM A CAR PARK AT 43 STREET. SUDDENLY SHE HEARD A SLIGHT SOUND AND THE CAR LOST GEAR AND SLIDED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AND DEAD OFF. SHE PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, NO REACTION. SHE USED BRA AND STEERING SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. THAT IS A BUSY STREET, A CAR ALMOST HIT HER. SHE PUT THE CAR BACK TO PARKING AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE AWAY. SHE THOUGHT THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE SHE FORGOT TO START. ( SHE FORGOT SHE DROVE 10 FEET FROM THE CAR PARK). THAT WAS A BUSY DAY, SHE FORGOT TELLING ME. ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE SAME DAY. I DROVE THE CAR TO BOSTON TO SEE AN CUSTOMER. ON THE WAY BACK, I FOUND THERE WAS A STRANGE SOUND WHENEVER I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL IT SOUNDS LIKE AN OLD SHABBY CAR DRIVEN OVER 10 YEARS. I STOPPED ON THE SHOUDER AND CHECKED THE TIRES AND I COULD NOT FOUND ANYTHING. I DROVE BACK TO THE HIGH WAY I-91 SOUTH AGAIN, SUDDENLY, I HEARD AND STRANGE SOUND, THE CAR LOST GEAR AGAIN, IT BECAME SLOWLY AND SLOWLY. I PRESSED THE GAS PEDDLE HARDLY AND THAT WAS NO USE. I PRESSED THE EMMERGENCY LIGHTS AND CHANGE TO THE SLOW LANE. A TRUCK BEHIND ME REACHED ME FAST. MY CAR FORCED HIS TRUCK PASSED ME OVER THE SHOULDER BECAUSE THERE HAPPENED TO BE A CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE. I WAS SHOCKED TO DEATH. WITHOUT THE TRUCK DRIVER'S ALERT AND SKILLFUL CHANGING LANE, I WOULD DEFINATELY A DEAD MAN. I STOPPED ON THE SHOULDER AND TRIED ALL DEARS, NONE OF THEM WAS WORKING. I RESTARTED THE ENGINEAND NO USE. I CALLED THE AAA TOW TRUCK AND I WAS TOWED BACK TO FORT LEE NEW JERSEY AT 2:30 IN THE MORNING. BEFORE THIS INCIDENCE, THE LEFT REAR STRUT WAS LEAKING, THEY CHANGED THE LEFT REAR SHOCK AND WE DID A TUNE UP AND ROTATE AND BALANCE 10/01/2000. BOTH ME AND MY WIFE RISKED OUR LIVES FOR TOYOTA'S DEFFECTS CARS. I WOULD NOT WANT TO RISK MY FAMILY LIVES TO THIS CAR AGAIN. I STRONGLY REQUIRE TOYOTA RECALLS THIS CAR. I WOULD RATHER BUY AN AMERICAN CAR. IF THEY DO NOT ALLOW US TO RETURN, CHANGE A NEW CAR.

LOCATION-PARKING LOT, RAINING, TIRES LOST TRACTION AND ACCELERATOR STUCK ON FULL, BRAKES WOULD NOT FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE PROPELLED FORWARD GLANCING OFF THE BACK OF A FULL SIZED PICKUP AND DEFLECTED INTO A SUBURBAN WHERE IT FINALLY STOPPED. NO ONE WAS HURT BUT THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUS IF ANYONE HAD BEEN NEAR BECAUSE I HAD VERY LITTLE CONTROL(STEERING ONLY). *AK