2007 Toyota Avalon

ON AUG. 6TH WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO LANE ROAD IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN MY 2007 AVALON, THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STUCK. MY CAR REACHED SPEEDS OF UP TO 80 MPH. I COULD ONLY REDUCE THE SPEED TO 60 MPH BY RIDING THE BRAKES. I FINALLY STOPPED THE CAR BY FINDING A SAFE PULL-OFF AND SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN PARK. MY BRAKES WERE COMPLETELY RUINED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER IN GREENVILLE, SC. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT THE FAULTY ACCELERATION WAS DUE TO A RUBBER ALL-WEATHER MAT. THE MAT HAD BEEN PLACED OVER THE STANDARD FLOOR MAT. I FEEL THAT AVALON OWNERS NATIONWIDE NEED TO BE NOTIFIED OF THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I NOTED IN MY LOCAL NEWSPAPER LAST WEEK THAT YOU ARE INVESTIGATING THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE LEXUS ES 350 WHICH HAS THE SAME DESIGN AS THE AVALON. *TR UPDATED 03/04/10 *BF UPDATED 05/06/10.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONSUMER ACCELERATED TO PASS A VEHICLE AD IT TOOK OFF AND WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN OR STOP. THE BRAKES WOULD HOLD THE VEHICLE AT THAT SPEED. THE CONSUMER PLACED THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND STOPPED. THE ENGINE NEEDLE HAD REDLINED. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO DELAY WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP AND THEN TAKE OFF RAPIDLY. UPDATED 12/12/07

I AM ON HIGHWAY WITH 65MPH SPEED. I TURNED THE LASER CRUISE CONTROL ON. WHEN THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME IS SLOWING DOWN, THE LASER CRUISE CONTROL DETECTS THE SPEED AND SLOW DOWN AUTOMATICALLY. HOWEVER, THE DEFECT IS: THE BRAKING LIGHTS NEVER LIGHT UP WHILE THE CAR IS SLOWING DOWN. IT ALMOST CAUSES ME AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE CAR BEHIND ME CAN NOT RECOGNIZE MY CAR BEING BRAKED. IT HAPPENS MANY TIMES AT CRUISING WITH HIGHWAY SPEED. *TR

WE HAD A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR CONDUCTING A CLASS USING THE 2007 AVALON. THE INSTRUCTOR WAS DRIVING AND ACCELERATED TO PASS A VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND THE ACCELERATORS STUCK AND THE CAR REACHED 8000+ RPMS THE INSTRUCTOR HAD TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE AND PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OFF, USING THE PUSH BUTTON START. IT FINALLY TURNED OFF AFTER NUMEROUS TRIES ON THE PUSH BUTTON. ONCE THE MOTOR TURNED OFF THE ACCELERATOR THEN CAME UP SLOWLY BY ITS SELF. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, AND WERE TOLD IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE FLOOR MATS. THERE WERE THREE PEOPLE IN THIS CAR AND THEY ALL SAW THE SAME THING. THE FLOOR MATS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS PROBLEM. WE HAD THE DEALER GO OVER THE CAR AND AGAIN WERE TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. WE HOWEVER DO NOT BELIEVE THEIR FINDINGS. *AK

NOV 23, 2006: IN REPOSITIONING MY 2007 AVALON XLS IN THE DRIVEWAY OF MY SISTER'S HOUSE, I SLOWLY PULLED FORWARD TO RE-PARK AND APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AND THE ACCELERATOR IMMEDIATELY WENT TO HIGH RPMS - I HAD TO BRAKE VERY HARD TO KEEP FROM HITTING MY BROTHER-IN-LAW AND HIS HOUSE. I WAS BRAKING - AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. ON DEC 23, 2006 THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED TWO BLOCKS IN A ROW IN OUR CONGESTED DOWNTOWN AREA. THE 1ST TIME, I WAS STOPPING VERY SLOWLY; THE SECOND TIME I WAS BRAKING TO WAIT FOR A PARKING SPACE. THE 1ST TIME I TRIED CHANGING GEARS AND THEN TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. THE SECOND TIME I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. MY WIFE WAS A WITNESS. I DROVE THIS CAR FOR THE MONTH AFTER IT'S PURCHASE NEW (SEP 6, 2006), EVERY 2ND/3RD DAY FOR THE MONTH OF OCT 2006, AND OFF/ON DURING NOV 2006 WITHOUT THIS PROBLEM. I TOLD THE LOCAL/DISTRICT TOYOTA PERSONNEL THAT I COULD NOT TRUST THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. IT HAS BEEN PARKED EITHER AT THE DEALERSHIP OR IN MY GARAGE ALMOST EVERY DAY SINCE DEC 23, 2006. THE DISTRICT TOYOTA PERSONNEL SAID THAT THEY DID NOT CONSIDER MY CAR UNSAFE BECAUSE THEY 'COULD NOT FIND ANY ERROR CODES' IN THE CAR'S SYSTEM, AND ON THE 102 MILE TEST DRIVE THEY DID, WITHOUT ME PRESENT, THEY DID NOT EXPERIENCE MY PROBLEM. THEY DID SIMULATE IT BY STEPPING ON THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR AT THE SAME TIME!!!! I WAS ON THE HIGHEST ALERT THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED ON DECEMBER 23RD! MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR! I WAS BRAKING ALL THREE TIMES - OR ELSE MY BROTHER-IN-LAW WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURED, HIS HOUSE DAMAGED, AND CARS DOWNTOWN HIT. I RESENT THE INSINUATION THAT I WAS PUSHING BOTH PEDALS ALL THREE TIMES. NO EXPLANATION WHY I HAD NOT EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM IN THE NEARLY THREE MONTHS (WITH THE SAME SHOES ON) BEFORE THE PROBLEM FIRST AROSE. TOYOTA CLOSED MY PROBLEM REPORT AS 'SOLVED' EVEN THOUGH THE LOCAL SERVICE MANAGER STATED HE DID NOT CONSIDER IT 'SOLVED'. WHY? *NM