Toyota owners

[Connie]

I just leased a Toyota Camry a week before Christmas. Before that I had a Rav 4 (2008). I would have kept the Rav if I knew the Camry has a serious issue.

I AM SO ANGRY!!! I have 1,000 miles on this car. I think about this accelerator pedal problem every time i get in the car now.

When I called yesterday, they were so rediculously non chalant about it. "Well, it's very rare, but if you have a problem...blah blah blah". Yeah, heard that on the news.

I knew about the problem with the mats and I was glad that my mats were new ones, but they knew about this problem and sold me a car they knew would be recalled? Production stopped?

I think it's really deceptive. Especially since they knew. I just hope to God that my car isn't one that is affected. I don't have a "J" at the beginning of my Vin number.

Anyone else?

[promoguy]

Three year old Camry here and no problems. Doubt if you were deceived at all. You went to a dealer and they didn't know what Toyota was going to do this week.

We live in an over reactive society today to most things. How many sticky pedals vs number of units sold. I don't know but I feel safe and haven't had any recall work done on my call.

[flip-flop]

NPR had a piece on this morning. Apparently there are two manufacturers of the pedals and if you have one you are fine the other might have issues. Still, like they said, fewer than 100 cars out of millions.

Anyway, take a listen and maybe you can get some peace of mind my looking under your pedal and seeing which one you have.

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/med ... =123055568

[Connie]

With a due respect Promo. You're not in my situation and this is a pretty serious issue to me and alot of other people. Recalls of cribs are serious, but at least you can take the baby out of the and get a refund.

This is a car that I have to drive everyday.

I also believe that they were aware of this issue quite awhile before I bought my car.

Thanks flip-flop for the information and the link. I'll check it out.

[soxfan22]

This is an age-old question...I would tend to agree with the folks at Toyota, the chances are great that you will have no problems with your car.

And we seem to go down this road from time to time...See Milton Friedman address this 30 or 35 years ago as it related to the Ford Pinto:

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[loria]

out 'new' car just made the list (we bought a used 2008 highlander hybrid 2 weeks ago)
I am not that worried. when we have a chance i will take it in and get it checked out (or i will check the pedal myself having listened to the same piece FLip mentioned)

[toes in the sand]

I don't see why Toyota would risk so much with a knowing deception. I rather suspect that while someone was researching the "floormat" problem that they found this problem with the sticking accelerator. Just my take on the story.

[promoguy]

With a due respect Promo. You're not in my situation and this is a pretty serious issue to me and alot of other people. Recalls of cribs are serious, but at least you can take the baby out of the and get a refund.

This is a car that I have to drive everyday.

I also believe that they were aware of this issue quite awhile before I bought my car.

Thanks flip-flop for the information and the link. I'll check it out.

I also drive my car every day on the freeways and byways of Los Angeles. You can believe what you want but it seems the dealers didn't know as much as you seem to think they knew.

But if you like to over react that is fine with me. I drive quite a bit, but decide not to.

Have a lovely day.

[Kathyzhere]

Hey Connie,
It certainly is a bummer about the accelerator problem but as you've been told it is not every single Toyota. My husband works for Toyota and has for MANY years. I am fortunate that my Camry was made in Japan and it's only a defect on SOME of the parts made in the US.
I understand your concern Connie but I think there are far more defect free Toyotas on the road presently than not! This is a fairly new discovery while investigating the floor mat problem. I hope you will realize that your dealer would not have leased or sold a vehicle to anyone knowing this problem beforehand. My thoughts are that Toyota made a very smart move by halting all manufacturing at the moment, as it shows they are VERY concerned for the public's safety! Hubs has assured me that they are investigating the problem extensively and will offer the best plan to remedy the situation.
I sure hope that your new Camry is defect-free and that you will be worry-free real soon!!
If anyone should ever experience a problem with the accelerator sticking; place vehicle in neutral and pull off to the side asap.
Good luck Connie!
Take care ...

[loria]

Hey Connie,
It certainly is a bummer about the accelerator problem but as you've been told it is not every single Toyota. My husband works for Toyota and has for MANY years. I am fortunate that my Camry was made in Japan and it's only a defect on SOME of the parts made in the US.
I understand your concern Connie but I think there are far more defect free Toyotas on the road presently than not! This is a fairly new discovery while investigating the floor mat problem. I hope you will realize that your dealer would not have leased or sold a vehicle to anyone knowing this problem beforehand. My thoughts are that Toyota made a very smart move by halting all manufacturing at the moment, as it shows they are VERY concerned for the public's safety! Hubs has assured me that they are investigating the problem extensively and will offer the best plan to remedy the situation.
I sure hope that your new Camry is defect-free and that you will be worry-free real soon!!
If anyone should ever experience a problem with the accelerator sticking; place vehicle in neutral and pull off to the side asap.
Good luck Connie!
Take care ...

Kathy--thanks for that--and esp for the what to do if--very reassuring--I am thrilled with our new-ish toyota--and i am sure we'll be fine in it--but it's nice hear what you had to say.

[soxfan22]

I don't see why Toyota would risk so much with a knowing deception. I rather suspect that while someone was researching the "floormat" problem that they found this problem with the sticking accelerator. Just my take on the story.

Toes...That is precisely the reason why I put the Friedman video up...Not to make yet another political point, but to shed some light on what these companies think about when these issues arise.

We'd like to think it is all about customer safety, but quite simply, it is not. As a purchaser, you have the right to choose whether you buy a Camry or an Accord (Honda being I believe the safest care on the road).

Just like there are adverse and sometimes lethal events that take place in clinical trials for new medicines. The question is, what is the percentage of adverse events (or in this case accelerator dysfunction) that would make the drug/car non-marketable...Is it one case, or 500 cases? And how does one make that decision?

Friedman was right, these cases are not black and white. There is some nuance that needs to be considered.

[soxfan22]

And then, right on queue...I bought a Honda Ridgeline last summer, and so the dealer continues to send me emails...Here's the one I received from them today:

If you, your family, or your friends are currently driving a Toyota, Ron Bouchards Nissan Is offering $500.00 in trade-in assistance above and beyond the trade-in value of your Toyota to get you out of your current vehicle and into a brand New Nissan!! If you are unfamiliar with the problems Toyota is having with its vehicles and its 2.3 million vehicle recall, we’ve included the information below from the national news. With $500.00 in trade-in assistance above and beyond the value of your current Toyota, now is absolutely the perfect time to get out of your current vehicle and into a brand New Safe Nissan. (see dealer for full details)



http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayTo ... id=9173621

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[soxfan22]

It kind of makes me feel a bit uneasy knowing that a driver on the road with me could experience a stuck excellerator.

Soxy - How do you like that Ridgeline?

I was thinking the same thing! In fact, we (the driving public) are probably at the same risk of being injured as say Connie is...Her car either has the problem or doesn't, and more than likely it does not. Therefore, it is just as likely that someone else has the issue and plows through a red light into somebody NOT driving a Camry.

And Connie, if you find yourself unable to disengage the accelerator..."Neutral and brake". Whatever you do, don't shut the car off! I would think that would work.

SJ - I absolutely love our Ridgeline. We really don't buy new cars all that often. I drive a company car, and my wife had been in a Jetta she bought back in 2002 I believe. We just needed something bigger now that there are four of us, and something we can throw all of our "stuff" into! So, being that this will be our family car (the "backseat" in the Ridge is huge), we splurged and went for the "RTL" with the moonroof, leather, etc. Two things I really like...There is a HUGE storage compartment underneath the bed (much larger than most car trunks)...It can be used for storage...BUT, there's also a drain plug in the bottom, so that it can be used for beverages if your're tailgating, fishing, whatever. Also, the sliding rear window is power, which is really nice.

And the safety (air bags) is incomparable. It is the coolest and most comfortable car I have ever driven, and has quite a bit of pop. Not like the pop I had in my old Ford straight 6, but pretty damn good.

And we are now getting about 20mpg...Started out getting about 16mpg, but now that it's broken in a bit (9,000 miles), we're doing better.

Here's a picture of that "trunk"...The gate comes down like a traditional tail gate does, or it also opens like a door. They bill this car as the "Swiss Army Knife" of cars/trucks. I would agree! It is very versatile. And my wife likes driving it, and she was pretty skeptical in the beginning...The Ridgeline is her primary car, the one she drives the kids around in all week.

http://www.autospectator.com/cars/files ... e-0005.jpg

[Connie]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-t ... 8292.story

Toyota wasn't aware of the problem with gas pedals? Here's an article that says they were.

It may be that it had to trickle down to dealers.

Anyway, my best friend got in my car today and we talked about it. My car is most likely not a "problem" car, but right now, it's a problem for me.

Would I have bought this car a month ago knowing that there was a serious problem? No.