NHTSA complaint: 2010 TOYOTA COROLLA — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I WAS DRIVING MY 2010 TOYOTA COROLLA DOWN THE ROAD. WHEN I BEGAN TO APPROACH A RED LIGHT AT INTERSECTION, I APPLIED BRAKES TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN, HOWEVER, THE CAR BEGAN TO RAPIDLY ACCELERATE. THIS REQUIRED ME TO PASS TWO VEHICLES WAITING AT RED LIGHT IN ORDER TO AVOID COLLISION. REMEMBERING WHAT TOYOTA CO SAID TO DO WHEN THEIR VEHICLES ARE SPEEDING OUT OF CONTROL, I PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AND CONTINUED TO APPLY BRAKES, WHICH HAD NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER. I CONTINUED TO SPEED DOWN DOUBLE-LINED ROAD, PASSING VEHICLES IN MY LANE. THEN WHEN OTHER VEHICLES WERE COMING IN OTHER LANE IN MY DIRECTION, I WAS FORCED TO SLAM FULL SPEED INTO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME IN MY LANE. THIS CAUSED MY VEHICLE AND THAT VEHICLE TO ROLL OVER. WHEN MY FAMILY AND I HAD FIRST HEARD OF THE RECALLS WITH TOYOTA IN FEBRUARY OF 2010, WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK CAR TO TOYOTA DEALER IN FL WHERE WE VACATIONED FOR THE WINTER. WE WERE ASSURED THAT SINCE OUR VIN# INDICATED IT WAS JAPANESE-MADE, WE WERE NOT PART OF THE STICKING ACCELERATOR RECALL. THEY TOLD US TO REMOVE DRIVER-SIDE FLOORMAT ANYWAY, WHICH WE IMMEDIATELY DID. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE TOOK EVERY PRECAUTION POSSIBLE, AND AS MY CAR WAS CAREENING OUT OF CONTROL, I DID EVERYTHING I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO AND IT DID NOT MATTER. AND PLEASE DO NOT INSULT VICTIMS OF THESE TRAGEDIES BY INDICATING THAT IT IS POSSIBLY DRIVER ERROR. CLEARLY THERE IS SOMETHING MAJOR WRONG HERE AND THESE VEHICLES NEED TO BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD. *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation