10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
33 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
12 / 2
Average Mileage:
30,568 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #55

Aug 212008

Tacoma

  • 6,000 miles
2007 Toyota Tacoma accelerated aggressively when approaching a left turn after slightly pressing the gas. It continued to accelerate after taking foot off the gas and applying brakes. Was unable to slow truck sufficiently to make it around the corner and struck a light pole. Truck was totaled. Injuries were fairly minor - shoulder/neck stiffness, scratches, bruises, etc. Incident occurred in torrance, California (torrance collision report). Reported to Toyota customer service - case #1001122516. I did not follow up on a complaint at the time because the Toyota accelerator problems were not published and I was unaware of how to escalate the issue.

- Torrrance, CA, USA

problem #54

Mar 042008

Tacoma

  • 10 miles
The engine throttle controller on my 07 Toyota Tacoma does not release the throttle when the gas pedal is lifted. The engine continues to rev excessively. This is true at startup, between gear changes and when letting off the throttle to slow or stop. Also, of greater concern is that the engine surges when attempting to slow the vehicle. After letting off the gas the engine initially slows but then abruptly the engine rpms surge propelling the vehicle ahead. I complained about this condition to my Toyota dealer at the 5,000 and 10,000 mile services. Both times they alleged that the engine was performing satisfactorily. The service manager tried to suggest the gas pedal was being caught on the floor mat but the mechanic dismissed that cause. The mechanic further informed me that this complaint was not uncommon and that a fix could be made by purchasing an after-market chip to be installed in the engine controller. Toyota is totally in denial that the electronics are responsible for these engine revs and surges. The gas pedal fix is a farce.

- Banks, OR, USA

problem #53

Sep 192009

Tacoma 4WD 6-cyl

  • 16,472 miles
Driving my 2007 Toyota Tacoma (V6, 4-wd, automatic, access cab), I experienced sudden unintended acceleration as I was turning from w. seventh avenue in eugene, Oregon onto northbound interstate-105. I was traveling at a safe rate of speed (approx. 20 mph) as I made the turn from the surface street to the left-hand, curving, on-ramp which is the beginning of an elevated freeway structure. It was mid-morning and, although there had been some light rain overnight, the pavement was dry. About halfway through the curve the Tacoma inexplicably accelerated. The rear of the truck swung out to the left at which point it was moving sideways up the on-ramp. The front of the truck jumped the curb and the truck proceeded 20-30 feet sideways along the curb and eventually slid up a concrete wall where the curb transitions to the bridge rail of the elevated structure. Just short of the start of the actual bridge railing the front right wheel and fender struck a tree. At this point, the vehicle bounced back, continued to rotate to the left and came to a rest, straddling the transition wall, having turned 150-170 degrees. At this point I realized the motor was still racing and I switched the engine off. My foot was on the brake pedal. The air bags did not deploy. No one was injured, no other vehicles were involved. Police were called to provide traffic control while the vehicle was removed from the scene but no report was filed. I have lived within two-and-A-half miles of this intersection for more than 36 years. I have been through this intersection thousands of times as a private citizen and in my role as a transportation planner. I have been and am baffled by this incident. The collision damage was repaired. Other than that all parts are original. Original equipment Toyota floor mats had been removed previously.

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #52

Nov 202009

Tacoma

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma which was purchased brand new. He stated that while he was utilizing the 4-wheel drive and attempting to accelerate making either a left or right turn at any speed over 5 mph, the vehicle would jerk as if it was resistant to accelerating. When driving over any type of bump in the road, the vehicle would shake violently and would exhibit a banging noise similar to clanging metal. Upon startup, there was a buzzing noise coming from the vehicle. The dealer stated that they would have to remove the leaf spring and lubricate the components, unknown to the contact, in order to investigate the failure. There were no repairs made to the vehicle. There were no recalls. The failure mileage was under 15,000 and current was 62,340.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #51

Jan 072008

Tacoma

  • 6,303 miles
While sitting at a traffic light, I removed my foot from the brake to ease forward. The accelerator drew away from my foot and the vehicle lurched forward, causing me to hit the vehicle in front of me. My airbag deployed, burning me and breaking my left hand.

- Pearland, TX, USA

problem #50

Oct 062009

Tacoma

  • 24,000 miles
2007 Toyota Tacoma throttle sticking while climbing above 5000 ft in mountains throttle stuck wile trying to shift in mountains engine raced until slowly let out clutch shifting in mountains when I came down to normal altitude problem went away. Think it is in computer not gas pedal.

- Muskego, WI, USA

problem #49

Jan 012008

Tacoma

  • 10,000 miles
2007 Toyota Tacoma several times a surging forward even when foot on brake" or even accellerates for no reason? have taken it to dealership and have been told nothing is wrong? what are we to do"

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #48

Jun 302008

Tacoma

  • 1,500 miles
I bought a new Toyota Tacoma in 2007. About a year ago, I noticed that the accelerator pedal would become hard to depress or would travel an inch or more before any result in acceleration. I took the vehicle to the Toyota dealer where I bought it. They informed me that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. Since that time, it happens on a random basis but virtually every day. No incidents have occurred. However, sometimes, as a result of the accelerator pedal travel as it is depressed down, the engine will kick in, resulting in a surge forward. Additionally, when I am traveling along and have to let up on the accelerator pedal, when I press it down again, it does not respond until it is pushed down about an inch or so, making it difficult to maintain traveling speeds consistently.

- Erwin, TN, USA

problem #47

Apr 102008

Tacoma

  • 5,000 miles
Erratic cruise control operation. On slight to moderate uphill grade, the cruise control will often accelerate the vehicle to well over the set speed while holding near full throttle. If not monitored closely, the cruise control will continue to accelerate to 15-20mph over set speed. This has been most noted when the set speed is set to 70mph. This issue can be quite scary when the vehicle can reach speeds of 85-90mph while the throttle is still near full throttle. The system does not seem to be able to back off the throttle in an appropriate manner. If at the beginning of this acceleration sequence, the cruise is cancelled, then immediately re-set, the cruise will behave as expected and hold set speed. This has been addressed by the local Toyota dealer and returned to me with no attempt to resolve with the statement that this is normal operation. The issue was then elevated to Toyota customer care with the same response.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #46

Sep 152007

Tacoma

  • 250 miles
In my Tacoma truck, after stopping at an urban intersection I depressed the gas pedal and the truck accelerated to a safe speed normally. I then removed my foot from the petal and the truck continued to accelerate reaching a very unsafe speed. I began to brake with all of my strength and finally got the truck to stop with the engine still running at some awesome RPM. I turned off the ignition and after waiting 5-10 min. Restarted the truck and it responded normally. This problem has not happened again probably because I drive very slowly, never accelerate rapidly. This malfunction occurred when the truck was new with only 250 mi. On the odometer. After three years I have only 2,500 mi. On the odometer so you can see how much I trust this Toyota !

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #45

Feb 022010

Tacoma 4-cyl

  • 20,684 miles
I was driving my 2007 Toyota Tacoma, which is a 4 cylinder standard shift model, and approaching a stop sign with the clutch depressed and my other foot on the brake when the engine went to maximum RPM. I shut the ignition off immediately and looked at the accelerator which was all the way up. I then restarted the vehicle and it ran normally. A subsequent visit to the place where this happened revealed a utility pole with 3 transformers on it. The static from these transformer was so intense that it drowned out the radio. This incident would appear to contribute to the theory that electromagnetic interference is a possible factor in the Toyota accelerator problem. No previous or subsequent problems have been experienced.

- Richfield Springs, NY, USA

problem #44

Jun 152009

Tacoma

  • 15,000 miles
I have a 2007 Toyota Tacoma. I have had one experience of the accelerator sticking. I was driving on a highway when all of a sudden the car was going like 80 mph, engine screaming - the brakes didn't respond at all. I was not in cruise control (I never use that) and I have just factory installed mats, which were not stuck under the accelerator. Thank god the road was empty, I pulled over, put the car in neutral and shut it off. It didn't do it again so I forgot about it until all this news about so many people describing the exact same thing. I have a flawless driving record for 34 years, I can drive anything. The fact that Toyota says Tacoma not involved I do not believe for a second. They are lying. Now I have to sell the car because it feels like an accident waiting to happen. Please please investigate further the problem with the Tacoma. Thank you.

- Dillon, MT, USA

problem #43

Jan 302009

Tacoma

  • 30,000 miles
When driving down hill and applying the brakes, the vehicle accelerates and the engine revs up. This can be repeated on a regular basis. Inquired about the problem with the dealer and was told it was normal.

- Guntersville, AL, USA

problem #42

Apr 152009

Tacoma

  • 35,000 miles
I was traveling to a training op on hwy 301 South with 2 co-workers in my vehicle. I eased out to pass a vehicle and punched to gas to get on around him. The gas pedal stuck in the wide open position (or felt like wide open). It acelerated from about 50 mph to 100 mpg in such a short time, it seemed like seconds. I had heard a rumor that the floor mat may be the issue, so..while accelerating at an absolutely unbelievable speed, I attempted to re arrange my floor mat. I was scared to death, bent over, traveling at over 100 mph. Omg. Finally something happened and the vehicle pedal let go. I was visibly shaken as were my passengers. It scared my to death.

- Waynesville, GA, USA

problem #41

Dec 272009

Tacoma

  • 37,000 miles
Sunday after 2009 christmas, we went to church. As we pull into the church parking lot and getting ready to back in one of the parking lot and our car Toyota Tacoma accelerate all of sudden with rapid speed and slam into the rear bumper of another parked vehicle (Honda Accord). No one was hurt but our Tacoma front bumper and Honda's rear bumper was damaged. After that our truck brake light remain blinking and we can hear some clicking noise. We called police and reported the incident. We also left a note for Honda's owner to call police for further claim to fix they bumper. The following Monday, we took our truck to nearest Toyota dealer (lakenorman Toyota dealer over huntersville, nc) to have them check on our truck. The technician had to adjust something with brake and he told us that, the accident was likely caused by brake or gas pedal being stuck. I requested him to put that in writing and he was not willing to do so. We requested statefarm claim adjuster to file the claim to Toyota's claim department and they sent letter.

- Huntersville, NC, USA

problem #40

Jan 152009

Tacoma

  • miles
Accelerator moving to wide open position and sticking. Intermittently occurs. Toyota motors sent recall notice for mats only and the mats aren't what caused the problem. I had and still have dealer installed mats in my vehicle. The notice for the mats was sent a couple of months ago and I have yet heard from Toyota but it appears that they are not including Tacoma's in the recall and my Tacoma did not accelerate on it own because of the mat. It moved without any outside force and it has also stuck in the wide open position when I have tried to pass another vehicle at a high rate of speed.

- Freedom, NH, USA

problem #39

Dec 012009

Tacoma

  • 33,000 miles
On 1 Dec 2009 I was driving behind a lebanon riii district school bus at approximately 3pm on Washington ave in lebanon mo. I was driving my 2007 Toyota Tacoma at approximately 20-25 mph when the school bus began to slow to make a left turn. I was approximately 30 feet behind the bus and lifted my foot off the accelerator to coast my truck and then began to brake when the bus stopped to make its turn. When I applied the brakes the truck did not slow, instead it kept at about the same speed despite pressure on the brake pedal. At first I thought I had brake failure and pushed harder on the pedal and was practically standing on the pedal when I impacted the rear of the bus. The crash resulted in minor damage to the bus, but major damage to the Tacoma ($8K). There were no injured children on the bus, however, some parents took their child to a doctor for a check-up. Eye witnesses of the accident verified that I tried to stop the Tacoma and could not. Additionally, there was approximately 20 feet of fresh tire skid mark behind the truck which indicated the brakes worked as intended. The crash occurred after both vehicles had crossed a series of railroad tracks at a train crossing. I called Toyota later on in the day to report the accident and followed up by mailing a narrative description of the accident, police report and insurance adjuster's estimate of damages to the truck on 15 Dec 09. Toyota also send a representative to investigate the truck who inturn filed a report with Toyota hq. I received response from Toyota on 20 Jan 10 and their report said that they could not find any manufacturer defect with the Tacoma which could have caused the accident. I believe they are in error and believe there may be a software problem with the ECU or accelerator control module which may have been affected by radio signals or electron signals by the train crossing.

- Lebanon, MO, USA

problem #38

Dec 232007

Tacoma

  • 0 miles
Vehicle accelerated and hit a wall.

- Allentown, PA, USA

problem #37

Dec 302009

Tacoma

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma which was purchased brank new in 2007. She stated while traveling at speeds under 25 mph and attempting to stop her vehicle in front of her home, the brakes would not operate and did not respond to her depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle proceeded to crash into a parked a vehicle. Later in the week, the contact received an interim recall letter from Toyota pertaining to unintended acceleration of her vehicle. She believed this was the cause of the crash. No repairs were made to the vehicle to date. The failure and current mileages were under 35,000.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #36

Nov 272009

Tacoma

  • 62,571 miles
On November 27, 2009, my boyfriend and I were driving my 2007 Toyota Tacoma home after attending a football game at auburn university. My boyfriend was driving and as he was accelerating to pass a semi, my Tacoma's accelerator sucked to the floor, pushing my vehicle to dangerous speeds nearly causing us to rear-end the vehicle in front of us. He was unable to get the vehicle to stop using the brake and was unable to pry the accelerator up with the toe of his shoe. He resorted to putting the vehicle in neutral and turning it off. We were terrified, in heavy traffic and in a vehicle we no longer felt safe driving. Approximately an hour after the first incident, the truck suddenly accelerated again. As we were speeding up after being stopped at a red light, the vehicle surged pulling the accelerator away from my boyfriend's foot to the floor. He resorted, again, to putting the vehicle in neutral in order to stop it. We took the Tacoma to Toyota of dothan the next morning to determine what the problem was. The dealership kept the vehicle nearly a week to determine the problem. They reported that the floor mat must have been caught under the gas pedal. I know for a fact the mat was not under the accelerator. I had read reports prior to the incident where misplaced floor mats were causing the accelerator to hang and I had pulled the mat in my vehicle back into a secure location. I talked to my boyfriend; he reported that the mat was in its proper place when the incident occurred.

- Bascom, FL, USA

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