NHTSA complaint: 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
MY 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA EXPERIENCE UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION IN 2004. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED (WORTH ABOUT $12K AT THE TIME) DUE TO THE BENT FRAME CAUSED BY HITTING A CONCRETE WALL, THEN ANOTHER CAR IN A PARKING LOT. MY WIFE, A TOYOTA EMPLOYEE, WHO WAS DRIVING THE TRUCK, SUFFERED BUMPS AND BRUISES DUE TO THE FACT THE TRUCK ONLY WENT ABOUT 30 FEET BEFORE IMPACT. THE INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE, AND POSTULATED MY WIFE HAD HER FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. SHE GUARANTEED HER FOOT HAD BEEN ON THE BRAKE. THE VEHICLE WAS SHRINK WRAPPED UNTIL A TOYOTA REP COULD READ THE ELECTRONICS. HIS RESPONSE WAS THE SAME. SO WAS HERS. GUESS WHAT MODEL YEAR TOYOTA BEGAN USING THEIR ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM (ETCS)? 1998 - WHAT A SURPRISE. MY WIFE HAS BEEN VINDICATED. TOYOTA'S PROBLEM IS NOT WITH FLOOR MATS OR GAS PEDALS THAT STICK. IT IS WITH THE ETCS. *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation