Unintended Acceleration -- While Parking

How can an ongoing NASA study not be considered recent?

December 2010. Court allows disclosure of $10 million settlement.

http://research.lawyers.com/blogs/archives/10820-Toyota-Settles-Lawsuit-for-10-Million.html

August 2010. A Toyota driver was willing to stay in jail for 15 years rather than plead guilty and be released on probation.

Koua Fong Lee: Toyota Driver Freed From Prison, Charges Dropped - ABC News

Toyoto Crash: Minnesota Camry Driver, Victims - ABC News

Here's an NHTSA complaint for a 2011 Camry. I can see possibly hitting the gas instead of the brake once, but 3 times in a row, with the first happening while stopped at a red light? It threw two diagnostic trouble codes and Toyota did nothing? I guess they like your advice, the problem doesn't exist because they can't find it. I'm sure that explanation made this customer very satisfied.

DRIVER FIRST NOTICED A PROBLEM WHEN SHE CAME TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE CAMRY STARTED REVVING THE ENGINE EVEN THOUGH DRIVER WAS DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL; AT THIS POINT THE TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON. FIVE MINUTES LATER, DRIVER APPROACHED A RED LIGHT GOING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH. SHE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE CAMRY MADE A LOUD SOUND THEN JERKED FORWARD REPEATEDLY. THE BRAKES DID NOT SLOW DOWN THE CAR CONSEQUENTLY CAUSING HER TO RUN THE RED LIGHT. SHE THEN ATTEMPTED TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE, SO SHE PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT. WHEN DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO STOP BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR DID NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN NEARLY CAUSING HER TO CRASH INTO A PARKING LOT BARRIER. THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE BURNING SMELL. TERRIFIED, WE TOOK THE CAMRY TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP TECHNICIANS RECOVERED DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES: C1249 AND U0129. THE TECHNICIANS ALSO DROVE THE CAMRY FOR 55 MILES, BUT THEY DID NOT MAKE ANY REPAIRS, DESPITE THE DTC CODES, BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A BRAND NEW CAMRY, AND WE ARE TERRIFIED TO DRIVE IT, BUT TOYOTA WON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY SAY THERE’S NOTHING WRONG. THE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES INDICATE OTHERWISE. BASED ON RESEARCH WE DID, THE FIRST CODE C1249, INDICATES AN OPENING IN THE STOP LIGHT SWITCH CIRCUIT, WHICH RECOMMENDS THREE LIKELY CAUSES OF THE ERROR, 1) THE STOP LIGHT SWITCH, 2) STOP LIGHT SWITCH CIRCUIT, OR 3) THE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY (SKID CONTROL ECU). THE SECOND CODE U0129 INDICATES TROUBLE WITH THE ABS AND TRACTION ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY (AS WELL AS THE SKID CONTROL ECU), OR THE CAN COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. THIS IS PARTICULARLY ALARMING BECAUSE WHAT THIS ERROR MEANS IS THAT THE COMPUTER DISENGAGES THE BRAKES, WHICH IS CLEARLY WHAT HAPPENED TO US. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TOLD US TO CONTACT CORPORATE; CORPORATE TOLD US TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN DONE, AND THE CAR IS JUST COLLECTING DUST NOW.

 

1. OK, I'll tell my friend with his crashed 2010 Prius to not worry about it.

2. Yep, doing that.

3. Press the "P" button. Apply brakes. Press Start button for 3 seconds. Download video from footwell cam.

4. Relax, don't worry, what's the worst that could happen. It's just a 3100 lb car, how much damage could it do.

I was actually asking for suggestions on what Toyota should do.

 

You whine if the OP posts and leaves. (prius2k)

You whine if the OP posts and stays. (evpv)

You whine if the OP is the actual owner. (nylion)

There is a pattern.