# 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
> NHTSA complaint `759697` · 2010-02-06 · Toyota Motor Corporation
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 1
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** Yes
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** TOYOTA
- **Model:** PRIUS
- **Year:** 2002
- **Manufacturer:** Toyota Motor Corporation
- **Component:** VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
- **Miles at failure:** 86,000
- **Speed:** 1 mph
## Narrative
I DRIVE A USED 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS, WHICH NOW HAS ABOUT 86,000 MILES ON IT.  IN NOVEMBER 2009 I WAS PARKING WHEN THE CAR SPONTANEOUSLY ACCELERATED.  MY SPEED WAS LESS THAN 2MPH, MY FOOT WAS CONTINUOUSLY ON THE BRAKE WHILE EASING INTO THE PARKING SPACE, PRIOR TO THE UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION.  SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING I HEARD THE ENGINE RACE AND THE CAR BOLTED FORWARD, UNRESPONSIVE TO MY BRAKING.  I ONLY STOPPED WHEN MY CAR COLLIDED HEAD ON WITH A PARKED CAR, WHICH WAS MOVED ABOUT TWO FEET BY OUR COLLISION.  IT HAPPENED TOO FAST TO EVEN THINK OF CHANGING GEAR INTO NEUTRAL, BECAUSE I WAS ONLY 5 FEET FROM THE OTHER CAR WHEN THE SPONTANEOUS ACCELERATION OCCURRED.    AFTER THE ACCIDENT I LOOKED FOR CAUSE AND I DETERMINED THAT NO OBJECT IN THE CAB HAD ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, INCLUDING THE FLOOR MAT.    I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF DRIVERS EXPERIENCING UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION OUT OF THE MILLIONS OF TOYOTAS SOLD, THAT THE PHENOMENON IS CAUSED BY TWO OR MORE INDEPENDENT ERRORS IN THE VEHICLE ELECTRONICS, OCCURRING UNFORTUNATELY AT THE SAME TIME.  THE CONFLUENCE OF TWO UNLIKELY EVENTS HAS EVEN SMALLER PROBABILITY, THEREFORE FEW OCCURRENCES.  FOR EXAMPLE IF THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO DISENGAGE AND ALSO THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN THE SIGNAL FROM BRAKE PEDAL TO BRAKE DRUMS, THE COMBINATION COULD BE TRAGIC.    THE TOYOTA PRIUS 2002 MODEL WHICH I DRIVE HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED; HOWEVER SINCE THE ACCIDENT I HAVE BEEN EVER ON THE ALERT, PREPARED TO
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*