2009 Toyota Venza

I PUT MY VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND THE BRAKES SEEMED TO LOCK, WHEN I PUT IT IN DRIVE IT CONTINUED TO BACK UP. NO MATTER WHAT GEAR I PUT IT IN IT STAYED IN REVERSE. I WAS BLOCKING A LANE AT THE MALL ,U MY HUSBAND TRIED TO PUSH IT WHILE IN NEUTRAL BUT HE COULDN'T BUDGE IT, IT WAS STILL IN REVERSE. I THINK IT HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, AND IT ONLY HAS 40,000 MILES ON IT. SCARY AND VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

MY 2009 TOYOTA VENZA WITH ONLY 70,000 MILES SUDDENLY DEVELOPED A WHINING, GRINDING NOISE WHILE DRIVING AND ACCELERATING. THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE REAR AXLE. THE NOISE GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE VERY QUICKLY. AFTER MECHANICAL INSPECTION I WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS SHOT. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULDN'T BE DRIVEN FOR LONG DISTANCES BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL OF THE DIFFERENTIAL TO OVERHEAT AND FAIL.THE FAILURE COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH SAFE DRIVABILITY ISSUES.

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

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA VENZA. THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY BEGAN TO HESITATE WHEN ACCELERATING AFTER THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED WHILE IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. THE VEHICLE MOMENTARILY PAUSED BEFORE ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,813.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS - RAPID DOWNSHIFTING & SAYS IN DRIVE WHEN IT'S IN SPORT MODE. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ALONE AND I WAS GOING AROUND 60MPH IN THE 3RD LANE WHEN THE VENZA SAID "D" ON THE DISPLAY BUT THEN IT FELT LIKE IT SHIFTED INTO 2ND GEAR BECAUSE IT WENT FROM 60MPH TO AROUND 20MPH WITH NO WARNING AND I HAD TO GET IT INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE IN THE CENTER SO I WOULDN'T GET HIT AFTER THAT I TOOK IT TO RIGHT OVER TO GREENWICH TOYOTA AND THEY LOOKED AT IT BUT FOUND NO TROUBLE CODES AND ABOUT A WEEK LATER I WAS WITH MY WIFE [XXX] AND I WAS GOING DOWN E PUTNAM AVE AND IT HAPPENED WITH HER IN THE CAR AND THIS TIME IT WENT FROM AROUND 40MPH IN "D" TO AROUND 10MPH AND IT SCARED HER AND SHE JUST ASKED TO BE TAKEN HOME SO THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND LEFT IT FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND STILL NO TROUBLE CODES WERE FOUND AND IT'S HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES SINCE THEN WITH STILL NO TROUBLE CODES NOW I ONLY USE IT IN SPORT MODE WHERE I MANUALLY SHIFT IT. WELL JUST RECENTLY IT HAS HAD PROBLEMS IN THIS ALSO WHERE IT WON'T ALLOW ME TO SHIFT UP OR DOWN AND WHILE IT'S IN "S" IT SOMETIMES SAYS IT'S IN "D" AND I'M TIRED OF IT BECAUSE THESE 2 RECENT TIMES ONCE I SHOWED JAY A SERVICE ADVISOR AND ALSO THOMAS STEIN THE OWNER THAT IT SHOWED "D" WHILE IT WAS IN SPORT MODE AND THEY'VE PLUGGED IT IN AND NO TROUBLE CODES WELL THEY SAW IT WITH THEIR OWN EYES, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO. I HAVE TAKEN MY 2009 TOYOTA VENZA TO GREENWICH TOYOTA IN GREENWICH, CT TO GET IT FIXED 4 TIMES NOW AND THEY SAY THEY CAN'T FIX IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT SHOWING ANY TROUBLE CODES. I'M TIRED AND DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN. [XXX] *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MY 2009 TOYOTA VENZA VIN [XXX] , EXHIBITED SEVERE UNINTENDED AND UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION AT 7:45AM ON MAY 5, 2010. THE CAR WAS RUNNING FOR LESS THAN TWO MINUTES WHEN I STOPPED TO MAKE A TURN FROM LORAIN AVENUE, SILVER SPRING MD, ONTO WESTBOUND MD 193 UNIVERSITY BLVD. I ACCELERATED TO ENTER TRAFFIC AND THE CAR TOOK OVER AND ACCELERATED TO FULL THROTTLE ON ITS OWN. THE SAME BEHAVIOR AS IF GOING INTO CRUISE CONTROL "RESUME" MODE AFTER BEING IN "COAST" EXCEPT THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ENGAGED. I APPLIED THE BRAKES FIRMLY BUT THEY DID NOT SUFFICIENTLY SLOW THE CAR NOR DID THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL RETURN TO IDLE POSITION. I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND GUIDE THE CAR TO A SAFE STOP. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN AT FULL THROTTLE AND THE TACHOMETER WAS WELL INTO THE RED ZONE, ABOVE 6800 RPM. THE ENGINE STOP BUTTON DID NOT STOP THE MOTOR WHEN PRESSED PER NORMAL OPERATION. ONLY WHEN I PRESSED AND HELD THE ENGINE STOP BUTTON DOWN DID THE MOTOR STOP. I PLACE THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK AND APPLIED THE FOOT BRAKE. I CHECKED TO SEE IF THE FLOOR MAT WAS ENTRAPPED IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND IT WAS NOT. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT AGAIN IMMEDIATELY REVVED TO FULL THROTTLE. I SHUT THE CAR DOWN AND LEFT IT (WITH MY CHILDREN, AGES 2 AND 6, WHO HAD BEEN THEIR SECOND ROW CAR SEATS AND WERE NOW IN TEARS). AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR I RETURNED TO THE CAR BY MYSELF AND STARTED IT AGAIN. THIS TIME IT STARTED NORMALLY AND IDLED AT ABOUT 800 RPM. I DROVE THE CAR TO MY HOME TWO BLOCKS AWAY AND PARKED IT. KOONS TYSONS TOYOTA TOWED THE CAR TO ITS LOCATION AT 8610 LEESBURG PIKE VIENNA, VA 22182. THEY HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR OVER 24 HOURS AND FAILED TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON APPOINTED TIMES TO CALL ME BACK WITH A STATUS REPORT ON THE VEHICLE. *TR