10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
134 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
49 / 6
Average Mileage:
38,556 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #123

Dec 192009

Camry

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Camry. While driving approximately 10 mph in reverse, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a pole. She shifted gears into drive and the vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into a wall. There were no injuries. There was extensive damage to the front and back end of the vehicle. The vehicle will be towed to a Toyota dealer. The manufacturer was not notified. The police and fire department arrived; however, no police report was filed. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Lynn, MA, USA

problem #122

Sep 172009

Camry

  • 39,000 miles
My wife was pulling into the garage and the automobile just took off. Luckily she was stopped by the end of the carport by concrete steps. Second, my wife and grandchild where at shopping center. My wife was backing out of a parking space and the car, as before, just took off at full throttle. This time she went into a 180 degree spin and struck three other autos, with extensive damages to our cat and others. We have taken the automobile two times to the dealer and they say they find nothing wrong. Being that this condition has happened twice, so far, both my wife and I are very concerned and would like this problem solved.

- Riverside,, CA, USA

problem #121

Oct 292009

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 47,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Camry. While in traffic, the vehicle suddenly accelerated into another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. Since the technicians could not identify the cause of the failure, no repairs were made. He traded the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 47,000. Updated 12/08/09. Lj the consumer stated after stopping at a red light, it then changed to green and then suddenly the engine RPM's race and the vehicle accelerated at full force and crashed into another vehicle. The consumer had damage to his bumper, but no damaged to the other vehicle. Updated 12/10/09.

- Columbus, NJ, USA

problem #120

Jun 022003

Camry 4-cyl

  • miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Camry le. While driving into a parking space and applying pressure to the brake pedal the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. The vehicle came to a complete stop immediately after an aggressive force was applied to the brake pedal. The identical failure occurred on a separate occasion without warning. The cause of the failure has not been determined. The contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. Updated 11/23/09 updated 11/24/09

- Melrose, MA, USA

problem #119

Oct 062009

Camry

  • miles
I am writing this letter on behalf of my mother. She drives a 2002 Toyota Camry. Last week she informed me that her car 'did it again' and that she is afraid to drive the car. Well, I didn't fully understand when she said her car would sometimes accelerate in bursts until I saw nightline last night regarding the Toyota run-away car issue. Here are the incidences that have happened to my mom: 1)on the morning of September 3, 2009, she was backing out of her space at a supermarket parking lot and 'the car back out really fast'. she was so afraid that she was going to hit someone. Luckily, no one was behind her so no one got hurt. She tried applying the brakes to no avail and then tried moving the gears and eventually the car stopped. 2)on September 20, 2009, she was backing out from her home and the car 'took off and went back really fast and then spun around and then hit a tree across the street' in the neighbor's swell. She hit the brake pedal but the car did not stop. She then turned the ignition off and the car eventually stopped. 3)on October 6, 2009, she was backing out from getting her hair done and 'the car accelerated, turned around and went towards the house across the street and then went straight into the backyard of the house---hitting the side of the house along the way'. the car was out of control. The brakes didn't work. The car broke down the clothes line. Thank god that neither she, the passenger, nor the owner of the house got hurt. The owner of the house was under a car - fixing it in the backyard. Had he not been under the car, she felt sure that the car would have hit him. 4)on October 27, 2009 she was driving about 40 miles per hour when the car 'just took off going really fast'. she took her feet off of the gas pedal and tried to use the brakes. That's when she told me that she was so scared and didn't want to drive the vehicle anymore.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #118

Aug 092009

Camry

  • 40,945 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Camry. While pulling to the valvoline service station to get an oil change the vehicle accelerated unintentionally and drove through the service bay, the gas station, and then onto a side street. The vehicle eventually came to a complete stop. The dealer nor the manufacture were contacted. She was parking her vehicle when the second failure occurred. Consequently she crashed into several vehicles. The failure mileage was 40945.

- Florissant, MO, USA

problem #117

Oct 222009

Camry

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Camry. On October 22, 2009 she attempted to drive out of a parking space and suddenly the vehicle accelerated and caused her to crash into two parked vehicles. She was forced to crash into the parked vehicles or a wall in order to bring the vehicle to a stop to and avoid a tragedy. The driver and passenger sustained injuries. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that the sudden acceleration was due to the floor mat; however, the hooks on the floor mat have an additional cover and was not touching the accelerator pedal. The air bag did not deploy when she crashed into the third vehicle. The dealer stated the air bag sensor is located in the middle and that the crash occurred on the right side of the vehicle which is why the air bag did not deploy. The honolulu police report number 09383098. The vehicle will be repaired. The failure and current mileage were 30,000.

- Kaneohe, HI, USA

problem #116

Feb 052009

Camry

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Camry. While driving 5 mph into a driveway her vehicle crashed into a brick retainer wall. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who quoted a repair cost of $2000 to repair the damage to the front fender. The mechanic stated that he confirmed that there was no mechanical damage done to the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy and no one was injured. While parking the vehicle it unexpectedly accelerated and crashed into a beauty salon. The police was notified and a report is available. The police officer stated that the contact loss consciousness prior to the crash. The contact stated she was in complete control of the vehicle when it accelerated on its own on both occasions. The dealer stated that there were no problems with the vehicle when it was sold to her. The manufacturer stated that they would conduct a survey of the damages and check for a mechanical failure. The contact was not notified by the dealer if a representative has assessed the damages. The failure mileage was 55,000. Updated 11/13/09. Updated 11/16/09. See also ODI 10265717

- Kerrville, TX, USA

problem #115

Jun 052009

Camry

  • 39,000 miles
While my wife (driver for 40 years) was backing out of the driveway the car accelerated at full throttle, shot across the street and into the neighbors' yard and crashed into a tree which prevented the car from crashing into the house.

- Minnetonka, MN, USA

problem #114

Feb 112009

Camry

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Camry. While driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle accelerated without warning. As a result, the contact crashed the vehicle into a wall. The vehicle was moderately damaged. One week later, the failure recurred and the vehicle crashed into a building. The vehicle was completely destroyed and none of the air bags deployed. The contact was not injured in either crash. A complaint was filed with the manufacturer and a representative concluded after inspection of the vehicle that nothing caused the spontaneous acceleration. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 50,000 and current mileage was 60,000. See also 10286930

- Kerrville, TX, USA

problem #113

Jan 082006

Camry

  • 85,000 miles
I have a 2002 Camry. In 2006 I started having problems with the acceleration of the car. I would be driving and the car would start to stall, I have taken the car to Toyota on 6 different occasions. Everytime I was told they could not duplicate the problem.. so there was nothing that they could do. I notice the problem when I can not accelerate between 30-50 mph in the first 5 -10 min of driving. The car will then start to stall. All lights come on and I have to pull over to the side of the road. If I let the car sit for a minute or two what ever the problem is resets its self. I am afraid one day there will be nowhere to pull off the road and I will get hurt very badly. I've taken the car to two different dealers and no one seems to know what the problem is or how to fix it. Recently my vsc light and traction control light came on, I took it to dealer to be fixed and rep told me it was safe to drive and not a big deal. When the road is wet the car does not seem to get the traction control. I am going to have to get dealer to reset.

- Ponte Vedra, FL, USA

problem #112

Feb 082008

Camry

  • 47,000 miles
Prior to the accident on 2/8/2008 at 8:55pm there were 2-3 episodes within a 6 year period when ana lopez felt the vehicle mildly accelerate on its own for only a few seconds. The episodes were so mild that she questioned herself whether the car truly accelerated and so she never had the car inspected. However, on 2/8/2008 at 8:55pm while driving home heading South on the veterans expressway in tampa she experienced what she describes as the most frightening event in her life. The first sign that something was going wrong was the dash lights began to flicker on and off so she made an attempt to pull over so she could call her husband and make him aware of how the car was performing. As she began slowing down and veering off the road on the outside lane, which was witnessed, the vehicle mad a very powerful acceleration accompanied by a loud acceleration sound and loss of steering ability as the car began to steer to the left going back into traffic lanes. She felt as though the vehicle was now controlling itself and shortly after began to spin out of control. The vehicle struck the barrier wall and came to a final rest on the right southbound lane. Ana lopez suffered multiple fractures to her right leg and spent 2 months in the hospital and rehab unit where she suffered greatly with pain and continues to suffer from pain and debilitation. The vehicle was inspected by a professional inspector at her home and nothing was found wrong with the vehicle. But the inspection was a preliminary inspection and she feared that a more through inspection would be too costly for her. Her story about the incident has never changed and still is traumatizing to her. This complaint was translated and written by alberto lopez, her son.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #111

Dec 152008

Camry

  • 103 miles
Failure to accelerate properly ( 1 or 2 second hesitation) I took the car to the Toyota dealer for 2 years and they reset the computer each time but that fix only lasted about 1200 miles each time. Dealer says engine falls within specifications and refused to do any more to fix the car under warranty - I have now 34,000 miles and I get scared when I pull out into traffic and the car temporary stalls the slow acceleration.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #110

Dec 022008

Camry

  • miles
After backing out of a parking space and switching the car from reverse to drive, the car accelerated quickly forward crashing into two parked cars and finally stopping after hitting a concrete structure. Applying the brake would not stop the car. The car has been declared a total loss by the insurance company. Unexplained acceleration events have occurred before with this car.

- Sanford, NC, USA

problem #109

Apr 032008

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,000 miles
Backing out of my driveway, I put the car in reverse, a 2002 Toyota Camry and it took off at full speed and did not stop until it went across the street and hit a tree even though I was trying to brake.

- Miller Place , NY, USA

problem #108

Feb 182007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 84,000 miles
Toyota Camry le 2.4 L winter weather cause to vvt on auto to fail and stall engine. Stalled engine caused lost of controls, steering, brakes, etc..parts replaced were oxygen sensors, cat.convertor, etc.. the vvt is variable valve timing control along with ocm, PCM, throttle sensor, mass air sensor which regulates the engine performance.

- Mckeesport, PA, USA

problem #107

Dec 302006

Camry 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 21,200 miles
- while backing up out of a parking lot the 2002 Toyota Camry suddenly accelerated. The contact applied the brake with full force in order to stop vehicle from accelerating into a wall. The contact took vehicle into the local mechanic and the mechanic replaced the accelerator position sensor. The current mileage is 21265 and the failure mileage is 21200. Consumer has included the repair order and wants to be reimbursed. Update/17tr

- Mountain Home, AR, USA

problem #106

Dec 082006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,158 miles
We own a 2002 Toyota Camry last night my wife, son and a friend were sitting at a stop light behind another car. With my wife's foot on the brake, the car revved up and lunged into the back of the car in front of her. Immediately after hitting her once, the engine revved up even higher and accelerated into the car again. Had she been first in line at the light, she would have been thrown into the middle of a busy four lane intersection and might possibly not be here today. If you have any more info on this, could you please send it to me or tell me where it could be found.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #105

Nov 012006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 34,990 miles
: the contact stated while parking the vehicle on the upper level of a multi-level parking garage, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle surged forward, breaking through the safety cable and damaging the body of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the dealer was unable to duplicate or determine the cause of the problem. Updated 12/5/2006 -

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #104

Oct 162006

(reported on)

Camry

  • miles
Ltr fm (ca) re the 2002-2005 Toyota Camry, solora, and Lexus automobiles, request NHTSA do a full investigation on these vehicle re sudden acceleration. While drivng the vehicle accelerated suddenly and resulted in an accident.

- San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

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