# 1996 TOYOTA CELICA — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
> NHTSA complaint `769216` · 2010-03-02 · Toyota Motor Corporation
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 2
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** Yes
- **Police report:** Yes
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** TOYOTA
- **Model:** CELICA
- **Year:** 1996
- **Manufacturer:** Toyota Motor Corporation
- **Component:** VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
- **Miles at failure:** 500,000
- **Speed:** 70 mph
## Narrative
THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN MY 1996 TOYOTA CELICA MALFUNCTIONED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON I-75 SOUTH NEAR PIQUA, OHIO.  MY LANE OF TRAFFIC (PASSING LANE) WAS SLOWING DOWN DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, SO I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN.  TO MY SURPRISE, MY BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT RESPOND (EITHER DUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF EITHER THE CRUISE CONTROL OR ACCELERATOR--OR BOTH), AND I HAD TO MOVE TO THE MEDIAN.  UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN I TRIED TO BRAKE AGAIN, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND THE MEDIAN ENDED.  MY CAR TRAVELED AIRBORNE OFF THE MEDIAN AND PLUMMETED TO THE ROAD BENEATH I-75.   MY CAR TOOK OUT A SET OF CABLE WIRES, JUMPED A FENCE, BEFORE  LANDING  ON THE BUSY ROAD BELOW AND STOPPED WHEN IT HIT A CONCRETE BRIDGE SUPPORT.  AN AMBULANCE WAS CALLED AS WELL AS THE OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL.  EVERYONE INVOLVED WAS SURPRISED THAT MY PASSENGER AND I WERE NOT INSTANTLY KILLED!  WE DID SUFFER SOME MINOR INJURIES AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED.  I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL.  I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AND THEY WERE INITIALLY VERY COOPERATIVE AND UNDERSTANDING.  THEY WOULD NOT PROMISE ANYTHING, BUT ASKED WHAT I EXPECTED.  I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT THAT TOYOTA SHOULD AT LEAST REPLACE MY CAR.  THEY DID NOT SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS.  THEY LATER ASSUMED NO LIABILITY AND REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING.  TO FOLLOW UP, I WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO COME UP WITH $25,000 TO HIRE AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTIONIST.  I DID NOT HAVE THAT AMOUNT OF CASH, SO I DROPPED IT.  I RECENTLY HAVE BEEN AMAZED IN RE
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*