NHTSA complaint: 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I WAS ENTERING A CAR WASH ON HWY51 IN AMITE CITY, LA. I LIGHTLY TAPPED THE ACCELERATOR. THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AS IF I HAD STOMPED THE ACCELERATOR. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS. IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. I USED TO BRAKES WITH NO RESULTS. I PUT MY FULL WEIGHT ON THE BRAKES WITH NO RESULTS. I WAS TERRIFIED AS I ZOOMED OUT OF THE CAR WASH AND INTO AN AREA WHERE THERE IS HEAVY PEDESTRIAN AS WELL AS VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. I COULD TELL THAT I WAS GOING AS FAST AS THE CAR WOULD GO. I QUICKLY SCANNED THE AREA AND SAW THAT NO ONE WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME. I CROSSED THE SIDEWALK, PINE STREET AND THE PARKING LOT OF A CONVENIENCE STORE. I HIT A TELEPHONE POLL, AN IRON POLL AND A LARGE POLL ON A SIGN FOR GAS. BOTH MY LEGS WERE BROKEN/ BOTH BONES WERE BROKEN JUST ABOVE THE ANKLE ON THE LEFT LEG. THE LARGE BONE WAS BROKEN JUST BELOW THE KNEE ON THE RIGHT LEG. I STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH BOTH. MY DAUGHTER WAS DYING WITH CANCER. I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL, LATER REHAB, THEN A NURSING HOME WHILE I RECUPERATED. I WAS NOT RELEASED UNTIL LATE MARCH. WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE MY DAUGHTER WHO LIVED IN TEXAS. I WENT TO SEE HER AS SOON AS I WAS RELEASED. SHE DIED A MONTH LATER. NOT BEING WITH HER AND HER FAMILY DURING THAT TIME WAS AS BAD AS THE INJURIES. ALL LAWYERS STATED THAT IT WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE TO PURSUE. TOYOTA EXAMINED THE CAR AND POO POOED THE IDEA THAT THEY WERE IN ANY WAY RESPONSIBLE. I WAS VERY WORRIED ABOUT SOMEONE HAVING A WORSE ACCIDENT. *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation