2004 Toyota Camry

I WAS SLOWLY PULLING MY 2004 CAMRY INTO A PERPENDICULAR PARKING SPACE IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT, WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. AS I APPROACHED THE CURB TO COME TO A STOP, THE CAR SUDDENLY LEAPED FORWARD AT WHAT SEEMED LIKE FULL THROTTLE, JUMPED THE CURB, LUNGED UP A FLIGHT OF THREE CONCRETE STEPS, AND CRASHED THROUGH THE GLASS DOORS OF THE ENTRY OF THE BUILDING. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, AT THE HOUR OF THE DAY WHEN THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED (3:30 PM), THERE ARE SMALL GROUPS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WAITING FOR RIDES OR CHATTING IN FRONT OF THIS FACILITY. BY SOME MIRACLE THERE WERE NO PEOPLE PRESENT ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THE CAR OR COMING OUT OF OR GOING INTO THE BUILDING WHEN THIS HAPPENED. TRULY A MIRACLE THAT NO ONE WAS HURT OR WORSE. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES. THE POLICE HAD THE CAR REMOVED BY FLATBED TO A BODY SHOP YARD. I LATER LEARNED THAT THE POLICE HAD DRIVEN THE CAR IN THE BODY SHOP YARD AND COMMENTED THAT THE CAR DROVE WITHOUT ISSUES. I SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED A CARELESS DRIVING CITATION IN THE MAIL. A LOCAL MEDIA REPORT OF THE INCIDENT, CRIBBED FROM THE POLICE BLOTTER, STATED THAT THE POLICE BELIEVED THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS DRIVER ERROR. THERE IS NOT THE LEAST DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH WENT TO THE FLOOR AND DID NOT STOP THE CAR! THE CAR ACTED ON ITS OWN AS IF POSSESSED! I WILL NEVER DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN! I BOUGHT A NEW CAR AND TOOK A HUGE LOSS ON THE VALUE OF THE TOYOTA BY SELLING IT FOR PARTS TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR A TENTH OF ITS RETAIL VALUE SO IT WOULD NEVER FIND ITS WAY BACK ONTO THE ROAD TO THREATEN OTHER PEOPLE WITH INJURY OR DEATH! *TR

MY 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY HAS STARTED TO "HOLD BACK" WHEN I DRIVE IT. THEN THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND STARTED FLASHING AND WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES, THE FLASHING LIGHT WENT OFF. I CALLED THE LANCASTER PA TOYOTA DEALER AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT AS LONG AS IT IS INTERMITTENT AND NOT CONSTANT, IT IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. BUT I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER TOYOTA CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEMS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON WET ROAD CONDITIONS AND ATTEMPTING TO APPLY THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING TO THE LEFT THEN TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT TURNED THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON AND MAINTAINED A SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OTHER VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY CAME TO A STOP. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FAILURE ONLY OCCURRED WHEN THE ROAD WAS WET. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER BUT RECEIVED NO ASSISTANCE WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT PREVIOUSLY FILED COMPLAINTS FOR SIMILAR MODELS SHE OWNED UNDER THE SAME MANUFACTURER REGARDING BRAKE FAILURES; SHE COULD NOT RECALL THE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF THE VEHICLES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I OWN A 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY VIN#[XXX] ON JANUARY 6, 2010 I WAS DRIVING UP FIRST AVE IN MANHATTAN GOING TO RANDALLS ISLAND. AT 1ST AVE AND ABOUT 10 ST I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 20 MILES PER HOUR, PRESSED THE BRAKE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. INSTEAD THE ENGINE REVVED (VROOM) AND CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD. I FLOORED THE BRAKE AND PULLED UP THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND STILL I TAPPED THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE IN FRONT BEFORE BEING ABLE TO STOP BY PUTTING CAR INTO PARK. 2 HOURS LATER I WAS RETURNING HOME AND DRIVING DOWN 9TH STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY AND UNIVERSITY AND AGAIN APPROACHING A RED LIGHT BRAKED TO SLOW DOWN THE CAR (I WAS ALREADY GOING 20MPH) AGAIN, INSTEAD THE VEHICLE REVVED AND ACCELERATED FORWARD AND THIS TIME NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED THE BRAKE THE CAR WOULDN'T STOP. I SLAMMED THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK , PULLED UP THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND THAT STOPPED THE CAR. I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TOYOTA OF MANHATTAN WHERE THEY SAID MY BRAKE PINS WERE FROZEN AND THERE WAS A THROTTLE PROBLEM AND CHARGED $1300 FOR REPAIR. (MY PERSONAL MECHANIC IN NJ LATER TOLD ME BRAKE PINS AND UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION WERE NOT RELATED. ON MONDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2010 WHILE DRIVING TO MY SUMMER APARTMENT IN VENTNOR NJ THE SAME THING HAPPENED. WE WERE AGAIN ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BY PULLING INTO PARK MODE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE. WE RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE 10 MILES PER HOUR TO OUR PARKING LOT WHERE THE CAR STILL SITS. CALLS TO TOYOTA OF MANHATTAN SIMPLY STATED THAT THIS MODEL WAS NOT UNDER RECALL AND THE CAR WAS TOO FAR FOR THEM TO SEND A TOW. ATTEMPTS TO BRING THE CAR TO A LOCAL TOYOTA (SHORE TOYOTA) CALLS WERE NOT ANSWERED AND I WAS TOLD I COULD NOT BRING THE CAR IN WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT. AND I SHOULD BRING THE CAR BACK TO WHERE THE REPAIR WAS DONE. SO THERE IT SITS IN A PARKING LOT. I HAD TO RENT A CAR TO GET HOME. THE REPAIR WAS CLEARLY BOGUS AND THIS PROBLEM IS ACCELERATION UPON HITTING THE BRAKE PEDAL. *TR UPDATED IVOQ 09/01/10

ALTHOUGH MY TOYOTA XLE V6 IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES SINCE 2004, THE YEAR OF MY CAMRY. WHEN I'M DRIVING SLOWLY, (APPROXIMATELY 15MPH) GOING OVER A BUMP AND I NEED TO BRAKE, MY BRAKES DO NOT RESPOND. I HAVE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKES WITH GREAT FORCE AND THE ANTI-LOCKS KICK IN. . I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF MY DEALER IN 2004. I WAS TOLD THEY COULD DO SOMETHING MINOR (OF WHICH I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND) BUT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO OCCUR. I HAVE BEEN UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE BRAKING ON THIS CAR FOR YEARS. THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH THIS HAPPENS CONSTANTLY, IN ORDER TO PROCEED, I NEED TO INPUT A DATE. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT DEALS WITH ALL TOYOTA CARS WITH REAR WHEEL DRUM BRAKES. ON MY CAR AND MANY OTHERS POSSIBLY THE PEDAL IS SOFT HAS TO GO DOWN QUITE A WAYS TO ACTIVATE BRAKES. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ALTHOUGH I DRIVE CONSERVATIVELY I FEEL MY BRAKING WAS COMPROMISED WHEN I NEED QUICK BRAKING RESPONSE. I BELIEVE THE REASON IS THE AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM ON MY REAR BRAKES WAS AND IS NOT WORKING. THIS MECHANISM ON ALL MODERN CARS WITH REAR DRUM BRAKES ADJUSTS FOR WEAR BY BRINGING THE BRAKE SHOES CLOSER TO THE DRUM WHEN BACKING AND BRAKING. AN AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT. WHEN THE MECHANISM ISN'T WORKING THE REAR BRAKE SHOES GET FARTHER AND FARTHER FROM THE DRUM DUE TO WEAR AND ONE MUST PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL FARTHER AND FARTHER DOWN ON BRAKING TO GET THE SHOES TO CONTACT THE DRUMS BEFORE BRAKING CAN BEGIN. THIS DELAYS THE BRAKING TIME OF THE DRIVER CONSIDERABLY. RECENTLY GETTING NEW TIRES THE MECHANIC NOTED MY SOFT BRAKE PEDAL AND REMOVED THE REAR BRAKE DRUMS AND MANUALLY ADJUSTED THE SHOES TO BRING THEM IN LIGHT CONTACT WITH THE DRUM. MY BRAKE PEDAL GOT HARD AGAIN AND ACTIVATED AT THE TOP. TOYOTA SHOULD BRING THE CARS IN TO CHECK THIS LACK OF ADJUSTMENT PROBLEM AS I WOULDN'T DOUBT THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF IT. WITH THE NEW CARS WITH DISK BRAKES THE PADS ARE ALWAYS AGAINST THE DISK AND THE IS NO SOFT PEDAL PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, BUT SAW A CAR COMING, SO I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. THE CAR ACCELERATED AT A VERY FAST PACE OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE, INTO THE ROAD, JUST MISSING THE CAR, BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP IT. ON DECEMBER 14, 2009, I HAD BACKED UP MY DRIVEWAY (TO A LEVEL SPOT) . I DECIDED TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE CAR, SO I DROVE THE CAR FORWARD, PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO PUT IT IN REVERSE AND THE CAR WENT SPEEDING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK, UNTIL I GOT OUT INTO THE ROAD, THEN THE CAR STOPPED. PRAYER KEPT ME SAFE! *TW