Just had an accident with my Toyota Camry

[Christine]

Whew! I've got a 1999 Camry, and we've never had a problem. DH was after me to trade it in, but I'm so afraid that there might be a problem if I did. Does anyone know how many years back this acceleration problem has been discovered? Or is it only on the 2010 models? And I didn't know, is it also possible on Corollas?

The recalls are all over the internet. I have a 2002 that is not part of it.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

A friend of mine has a 2009 Camry and she had it recalled about two weeks ago - on the way home from the dealer who supposedly fixed the problem, she was sat at a red light with her foot on the brake and the car lurched forward really fast. Luckily no traffic was coming (the road she lurched into has a speed limit of 55mph so it's terrifying to think of what might of happened) but she managed to get the car out of the way and she walked away unharmed, just totally freaked out. The dealer took the car back to see what the problem was - the car has been there since! She says it doesn't matter what they tell her is wrong, she will never get in the car again.

Her DH told me he thinks is going to be an ongoing problem for Toyota and that they're not fixing what needs to be fixed. I wonder what the outcome will be in the long run. Even if they fix everything and can assure drivers the problem is taken care of, it will be a long time before I buy a Toyota again.

 

[SaraJayne]

How terrifying!

I think it's going to come out before long that the "repair" doesn't really fix the problem. That's going to be a huge nightmare for Toyota. I read somewhere that if it becomes clear that it's actually a problem with the car's electronics, the cost to Toyota will just be unfathomable.

Toyota must know that there are more and more reports of post-recall repair incidents. I don't know that I'd trust the dealership to be completely honest about what happened. I wouldn't feel comfortable driving the car again.

I agree. And we are in the market for a new car and I won't even consider a Toyota.

 

[mum4jenn]

There was woman here a couple of weeks ago that was getting ready to stop to get her hair done and her car plowed into the plate glass window and into the shop! Luckily no one was hurt and she was the first appointment of the day so they were lucky the shop was not full of customers.
A team from Toyota was supposed to be here today to decide what happened. Of course though it seems they are always trying to blame the customer now in some cases. I think she had just gotten her car out of the shop as well to have the fix done.
I think it is a glitch in the computer system now since these things are still happening even after the "fix". Makes me wonder if there is some sort of hacker out there causing these things to happen and trying to destroy the Toyota name.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

It never happened before and I never had any problems. It seems very strange to me that this happened a week after the recall repair was supposed to be done.

I have heard speculation that there is strong contention that hte problem isn't mechanical (which is what the recall repair corrected) that it is a computer problem.

If that is proven to be the case--no amount of "physical" repairs will prevent the problem.

It also seems that there is difficulty in replicating the trouble. So I'm not sure I'd trust any outcome of an inspection/investigation unless they have a eureka moment and realize it is something different that caused it unrelated to the recall repair.

 

[DebbieB]

The lady in front of me didn't understand at first why I was so upset about such a minor accident until I explained to her the absolute panic I was in because I could not make my car stop and it was very fortunate for me that she was there to block me. She was even going to just go on her way as her only damage was the Toyota emblem imprinted on her bumper and she had prior damage to her car so she didn't really care and I told her that I really need to report this accident. I felt bad for keeping her there because she obviously needed to go somewhere but the police came very quickly and she got to leave very soon after. My insurance will probably buy her a new bumper now and I have a very high deductible so that means I will be buying her bumper and I am sure my rates will go up as well. But the important thing is we are both safe because I know some people have had some really bad accidents due to this problem.

The damage to her bumper would be on your liability coverage, which there is no deductible. The damage to your car would have the deductible. I would talk to your insurance company, they should be filing a claim against Toyota.

 

[Scurvy]

There was woman here a couple of weeks ago that was getting ready to stop to get her hair done and her car plowed into the plate glass window and into the shop! Luckily no one was hurt and she was the first appointment of the day so they were lucky the shop was not full of customers.
A team from Toyota was supposed to be here today to decide what happened. Of course though it seems they are always trying to blame the customer now in some cases. I think she had just gotten her car out of the shop as well to have the fix done.

I think it's reasonable for them to consider the possiblity of user error. Several cars have driven into buildings in my city in the last few years, and sometimes it was user error and sometimes it was transmission problems, but none of them were caused by the issue currently affecting Toyotas. So even though the current Toyota problems could cause that to happen, it would be foolish of them to assume that's definitely why it happened. Plus, in light of the guy who faked the problem with his Prius recently I can see how they would want to be absolutely sure about each incident.

ETA - I was wrong about the bolded, it has not been proven that the guy was faking, though investigators seem to believe that to be the case.

 

[Silent1CB]

I would be driving around with one hand on the shifter ready to shift to Neutral at a moments notice. Almost how I drive in the winter.

 

[My_3_Mi_Princesses]

If the dealership does not give you a very very good explanation you could consider reporting it to NHTSA (http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/).

Anyways Toyota has claimed that these problems after the car has been taken in to be fixed is due to installation errors by the dealership, and not due to electronics.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I am so sorry to hear this, I am happy to hear that everyone is ok though, but like you I would still be shaken up and wouldn't want to drive the car again.

We were getting ready to buy a Toyota right before this massive recall. We really needed a new car and had our heart set on a Corolla. When we went car shopping 2 weeks ago we ended up at certified used lots, SO MANY of them had Toyotas on the lots. The dealer asked us if we would be interested in a used camry, we said we were but not anymore, it wasn't worth putting our lives and our daughter's life in danger, he turned around and said yeah, I really don't blame you, I am a little "iffy" too about the whole situation myself.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I think it's reasonable for them to consider the possiblity of user error. Several cars have driven into buildings in my city in the last few years, and sometimes it was user error and sometimes it was transmission problems, but none of them were caused by the issue currently affecting Toyotas. So even though the current Toyota problems could cause that to happen, it would be foolish of them to assume that's definitely why it happened. Plus, in light of the guy who faked the problem with his Prius recently I can see how they would want to be absolutely sure about each incident.

That was faked by the owner? Wow, I remember them saying it was a possibility on the news, but never followed through with the story, now I will have to google it.
Scary that someone would do that though! How crazy!

 

[Scurvy]

That was faked by the owner? Wow, I remember them saying it was a possibility on the news, but never followed through with the story, now I will have to google it.
Scary that someone would do that though! How crazy!

I'm not positive, but I thought I heard that on the news the other day. I know Toyota had said the features on the Prius wouldn't allow that sort of behavior even in a case of the malfunction happening. And then there was something about his financial problems and the fact that he retained a lawyer so quickly . . . but now I'm really not sure so I'll have to Google too! I apologize in advance if I was wrong.

ETA - Apparently I was wrong, they didn't say he faked it. However, Toyota and the NHTSA couldn't find evidence to substantiate his claim but couldn't dispove it, either. However some of the evidence didn't entirely fit with his story - the brakes weren't worn in the same way that would be expected, and a few things like that. (So Mr Runaway Prius Guy, I am sorry for accusing you falsely if you didn't actually fake it!)

 

[mum4jenn]

I think it's reasonable for them to consider the possiblity of user error. Several cars have driven into buildings in my city in the last few years, and sometimes it was user error and sometimes it was transmission problems, but none of them were caused by the issue currently affecting Toyotas. So even though the current Toyota problems could cause that to happen, it would be foolish of them to assume that's definitely why it happened. Plus, in light of the guy who faked the problem with his Prius recently I can see how they would want to be absolutely sure about each incident.

Was it decided that he faked it????? I thought there was a deputy who stated he saw the brake lights and smelled the rubber burning??

 

[Scurvy]

Was it decided that he faked it????? I thought there was a deputy who stated he saw the brake lights and smelled the rubber burning??

No, I was wrong. I don't think anything has been proven conclusively at this point. But Toyota released their initial findings and they at least appear to believe that he did fake it. http://priuschat.com/news/toyota-sikes-intentionally-misused-brakes-overheat-them Essentially it was possible for the deputy to see brake lights and the guy still be faking, because the feature that would cut engine power only kicks in when the brakes are pressed more than 50%. The guy would have to have pressed them that much if he was standing on the brakes as he says he was.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I'm not positive, but I thought I heard that on the news the other day. I know Toyota had said the features on the Prius wouldn't allow that sort of behavior even in a case of the malfunction happening. And then there was something about his financial problems and the fact that he retained a lawyer so quickly . . . but now I'm really not sure so I'll have to Google too! I apologize in advance if I was wrong.

ETA - Apparently I was wrong, they didn't say he faked it. However, Toyota and the NHTSA couldn't find evidence to substantiate his claim but couldn't dispove it, either. However some of the evidence didn't entirely fit with his story - the brakes weren't worn in the same way that would be expected, and a few things like that. (So Mr Runaway Prius Guy, I am sorry for accusing you falsely if you didn't actually fake it!)

Yes, I remember hearing that he had a lot of financial problems as well. Thankfully everyone was ok in that situation.
I know it sounds terrible, but I get a little nervous whenever a toyota pulls up behind me. Its all very scary.

 

[mum4jenn]

No, I was wrong. I don't think anything has been proven conclusively at this point. But Toyota released their initial findings and they at least appear to believe that he did fake it. http://priuschat.com/news/toyota-sikes-intentionally-misused-brakes-overheat-them Essentially it was possible for the deputy to see brake lights and the guy still be faking, because the feature that would cut engine power only kicks in when the brakes are pressed more than 50%. The guy would have to have pressed them that much if he was standing on the brakes as he says he was.

Of course it is possible that the cut off system is faulty as well. I could see if he were going to fake it to maybe run into one car or a building but to try a "stunt" on a busy highway is not a smart thing to attempt because he had no guarantee that he would not be killed trying it. That is why I truly believe the guy was telling the truth. The engineers and media have run his name into the ground by insinuating that he was faking it. Toyota has consistantly said that there is no way it could be a computer problem but I bet about 6 months ago they would have said there is no way there could be a problem with the brakes. I am betting that this will get much worse and they will eventually determine that there is a computer problem.

 

[LoraJ]

Of course it is possible that the cut off system is faulty as well. I could see if he were going to fake it to maybe run into one car or a building but to try a "stunt" on a busy highway is not a smart thing to attempt because he had no guarantee that he would not be killed trying it. That is why I truly believe the guy was telling the truth. The engineers and media have run his name into the ground by insinuating that he was faking it. Toyota has consistantly said that there is no way it could be a computer problem but I bet about 6 months ago they would have said there is no way there could be a problem with the brakes. I am betting that this will get much worse and they will eventually determine that there is a computer problem.

He did not use the safety shut offs. He said he was afraid the car would flip. Which being a car enthusiast as he is, he would know that is not true. He did eventually shut the car down putting it in neutral and using the emergency brake when the cop told him to.

I vote scam artist.

 

[Scurvy]

Of course it is possible that the cut off system is faulty as well. I could see if he were going to fake it to maybe run into one car or a building but to try a "stunt" on a busy highway is not a smart thing to attempt because he had no guarantee that he would not be killed trying it. That is why I truly believe the guy was telling the truth. The engineers and media have run his name into the ground by insinuating that he was faking it. Toyota has consistantly said that there is no way it could be a computer problem but I bet about 6 months ago they would have said there is no way there could be a problem with the brakes. I am betting that this will get much worse and they will eventually determine that there is a computer problem.

You could definitely be right. I admit I believe he faked it (though I do think it was a stupid thing to do) mainly because it is nothing like the other incidents and it just doesn't ring true to me. Especially in light of the results of the Toyota tests. But I also think it's totally possible that the affected cars do have a computer issue going on.

Either way, I really hope they get it all figured out soon. I hope no one else gets hurt! Plus, I love my Toyotas and fully intend to buy another in the future. I hate to see a black mark like this on the company's reputation, especially when their safety and reliability record has been so good in the past.

OP, I'm sorry for sidetracking your thread. I am glad you and the person your car hit are both safe.

 

[ChrisFL]

First, I am driving my 4th Toyota vehicle (actually a Scion) but I don't plan to buy another one until they sort this mess out.

Second, people actually believe the Prius story??? OMG, I mean, I know there's issues, but that was so fake from the start, it's not even funny.

 

[funnygarcia]

There is a man in prison in MN for vehicular homicide , his lawyer and the victims family wants the car to be re-checked. It was an older model not affected by recall (1996). The man says he stepped on brake repeatedly and the car kept accelerating.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124070164