2014 Toyota Camry Speed Control & Cruise Problems

The vehicle shudders when switching from 2nd gear to 3rd gear at average acceleration and light load. It is an ongoing issue. Upon researching I found TSB SB0034-14R2 which appears to describe my issue. I took it to the dealer and they said I had to change the entire transmission, the torque converter and update the ECM software. When I called Toyota HQ customer service, they said the previous owner was notified of the issue and they didn't bring it in. They were willing to fix it for free up to May 2022 and I bought it after that. What I don't understand is why they aren't willing to at least provide a free ECM software update since this is likely an issue that existed in the software from the time it was manufactured. Software updates don't require a large amount of labor or a change of parts and it could remediate this safety issue. The shudder could cause me to get in an accident and get injured.

I was slowly pulling into a parking space at the Nordstrom store in Dunwoody, Georgia, when the car suddenly self-accelerated, jumped the curb and hit a concrete pillar. The pillar was about 15 feet from the parking area curb. Pressing the brake did not slow the car.

While stopped at a red light with my foot on the brake pedal only, the power switched from the battery of this hybrid vehicle to gas and started racing, causing the vehicle to accelerate and move through the crosswalk and into the intersection.? Had there been pedestrians in the crosswalk or traffic at the intersection, the outcome could have been tragic. I applied pressure to the brake which did not readily stop the vehicle until it had crossed into the intersection. Once the engine stopped racing and the car has come to a halt, I pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and tested it to determine if I could still drive it. I reported the problem to the dealer and they kept the vehicle for 2 days. I could feel the difference in the way the loaner vehicle performed. They indicated the problem was fixed although no other information was disclosed. Without reading the receipt, I drove the vehicle again, constantly alert to the problem and when the engine started racing and the vehicle started moving forward. I lifted my foot off the brake and kept slamming it against the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. I was recovering from an ulcer on the bottom of the second toe of my right foot which started bleeding leaving a wide hole on the underside of my toe. I reported this to my podiatrist who scheduled me for an emergency appointment. The phalanges in that toe were had been demolished by the force applied. The tendons had separated and the toe could not be salvaged. I was sent to the hospital to have the toe amputated and to see if the metatarsals could be spared. I went back to the dealership and the only work they did during the course of the week was to tint the windows that I begged them not to do. I have been unable to drive the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,900.

ON 2 OCCASIONS, MONTHS APART, SHORTLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR, I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO STOP THE CAR. THE GAS DID NOT LET UP WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OF THE GAS PETAL AND PUT IT ON THE BRAKE.

JUST ABOUT COMPLETELY STOPPED AT STOP SIGN AT END OF STREET - WITHOUT WARNING CAR ACCELERATED EXTREMELY FAST, CROSSED 2-LANE STREET - DROVE INTO CHURCH PARKING LOT ON AN INCLINE TURNED AND BACK ACROSS THE 2-LANE STREET AND MY VEHICLE HIT NEIGHBOR'S TRUCK HEAD ON. BOTH CARS TOTALLED. HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OF STEERING AND BRAKES DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. POLICE TOOK REPORT - MY PASSENGER AND I TOLD THE SAME SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AS WELL AS A NEIGHBOR WHO SAW EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED. EVERY SINGLE AIRBAG WENT OFF.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH BEFORE SUDDENLY ACCELERATING TO 55 MPH. THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN OCTOBER OF 2018. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CARMAX TOYOTA (10201 PHILADELPHIA RD, WHITE MARSH, MD 21162) ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,100.

VEHICLE HAVE NO ENGINE CHECK LIGHT. BUT HESITATES N VIBRATES BETWEEN 2 AND 3 GEAR.

START TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM ON 12/20/2018 GET UP TO 20 MPH HARD SHIFT AND THEN UP TO 40 MPH HAS A VIBRATION AND THEN AFTER BETWEEN 45 AND 55 MPH IT DRIVE NORMAL. NOTICEABLE HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING AND SHIFTING OCCURS BETWEEN 30-32 MPH. HESITATE TO ACCELERATE BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR WHEN TAKING OFF, IT MOSTLY HAPPEN WHEN THE ENGINE IS FIRST STARTING OUT FROM STOP, AFTERWARD IT FINE GEARS SHIFTS CORRECTLY AND THE IDLE CONTROL GUAGE IS NORMAL BETWEEN GEARS. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER ON 01/03/2019, THE TECHNICIAN TOOK THE CAR FOR DRIVE TEST AND HE SAID ITS A TORQUE CONVERTER PROBLEM. THEY CHANGED THE TORQUE CONVERTER PART; ON 1/05/2019 I WENT TO THE DEALER TO PICK UP THE CAR AND AFTER DRIVING FOR FEW MINUTES, I NOTICED THE SAME PROBLEM. I RETOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THE SAME TECHNICIAN TOOK FOR THE TEST DRIVE, AND THIS TIME HE SAID IT HAS INTERNAL DELAY ON SECOND GEAR. I AM NOT SURE WHAT'S THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY ADVISED I NEED TO CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THE FOLLOWING ONLINE. "CARS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MIGHT EXPERIENCE A HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING. REVISED SOFTWARE FOR THE ON BOARD COMPUTER IS AVAILABLE WHICH MAY CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. SOFTWARE REVISIONS ARE COMMONLY MOST HELPFUL ON NEWER VEHICLES. ONCE THE MILEAGE BUILDS UP A WORN COMPONENT COULD CAUSE SIMILAR PROBLEMS. WHENEVER MAJOR TRANSMISSION WORK IN PERFORMED, THE TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE SHOULD BE UPDATED AS NECESSARY". I AM TAKING MY CAR ON 01/07/2019 TO UPDATE THE SOFTWARE AND SEE IF THAT CAN FIX THE PROBLEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL AND CAME TO A STOP IN A DRIVEWAY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES TO THE RIBS, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND WAS TOWED BY THE POLICE TO AN UNKNOWN LOT. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS NO FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS AT FAULT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000.

ON 3/5/18, I WAS PARKING MY 2014 TOYOTA CAMRY IN A PARKING LOT AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE CAR WAS BARELY MOVING WHEN SUDDENLY IT ACCELERATED OVER A CURB AND INTO A RETAINING WALL.

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FROM MY SONS DAYCARE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WOULDNT ACCELERATE. MY ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I PUT MY CAT IN PARK AND PUT IT BACK INTO DRIVE AND IT JERKED BUT STILL WOLD NOT ACCELERATE. IT DID THIS FOR ABOUT 10 MIN. UNTIL I TURNED NY CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT. BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON. I WAS ON A BUSY STREET IN THE MORNING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND FAILED TO STOP. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE FRONT OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS UNSURE IF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED CHEST, RIGHT ARM, AND LEG INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM THE CRASH SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

THE CRUSE CONTROL ON THIS VEHICLE, AS WELL AS OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES, DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY ON HILLS OR INCLINES. WHEN SET AT A SPEED IT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE SPEED WHEN GOING DOWN THE HILL. THIS IS DANGEROUS WHICH COULD RESULT IN SOMEONE BEING KILLED. I HAD A COROLLA BEFORE THAT HAD SAME PROBLEM MY BROTHER-IN-LAW HAS A CAMRY THAT ALSO HAS THE SAME ISSUE. I SPOKE TO ONE OF THE SALES PERSONS AT L & S TOYOTA IN BECKLEY, WV. HE SAID ALL TOYOTAS WITH THIS TYPE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT WORK CORRECTLY ON A HILL. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WHEN USING CRUSE ON INTER STATE 64 SPEED LIMIT IS 70 MILES PER HR. VEHICLE WILL BE DOING 80 BEFORE YOU KNOW IT IF YOU DON'T NOTICE IT IT IS HARD TO TELL HOW FAST YOU WOULD BE GOING. ACCIDENTS COULD ALREADY HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THIS. I AM USING A DATE BELOW TO CONTINUE

SOMETIMES WHEN PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WILL NOT GO. PUSHED IT TO THE FLOOR STILL NOTHING TOOK A FEW SECONDS FOR IT TO WORK AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES ALREADY. USUALLY AFTER STOPPING THEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE NOTHING HAPPENS.

ON A CITY STREET EITHER STATIONARY OR IN MOTION, OR ON HIGHWAY, WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SUDDENLY BUT NOT 'FLOORING IT' THE CAR HESITATES AND THEN FEELS LIKE IT DOWNSHIFTS AND IS SLOW TO INCREASE SPEED.

WHEN TURNING, CAR IS MOVING SLOWLY FORWARD AND CAR FAILS TO ACCELERATE WHEN GAS PEDAL IS PRESSED TO COMPLETE THE TURN. TURNING RIGHT OR LEFT. THERE IS A 5 SECOND HESITATION BEFORE IT KICKS IN. CITY DRIVING. CAR IN MOTION AND THERE IS ALSO AN ACCELERATION HESITATION WHEN TRYING TO PASS A CAR IN HIGHWAY DRIVING. UNKNOWN COMPONENT PROBLEM. DRIVE TRAIN PROBLEM. TRANSMISSION PROBLEM.

3 INSTANCES OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, THE LAST WHILE PARALLEL PARKING ON A BUSY SMALL TOWN STREET WITH PEDESTRIANS PRESENT. A SEVERE ACCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED PEDESTRIAN OR DRIVER INJURY WAS AVOIDED ONLY BY QUICK REFLEX APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES AND A SHIFT OF THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE ENTERING A MAJOR HIGHWAY VIA AN ACCESS ROAD.THE ENGINE SUDDENLY TOOK OFF AND RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION AFTER BRAKE APPLICATION AND A DOWNSHIFT TO NEUTRAL. THE THIRD EVENT OCCURRED OCCURRED A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE FINAL EVENT, WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT. UNINTENDED ACCELERATION SIMILAR TO THE OTHER TWO INCIDENTS LIKEWISE OCCURRED. AFTER THE FINAL INCIDENT, THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE ASSURANCES FROM THEIR ENGINEERS THAT THE CAR WAS " SAFE TO DRIVE" RANG HOLLOW, GIVEN THAT A NUMBER OF DEATHS CAUSED BY UNINTENDED TOYOTA ACCELERATION HAD BEEN REPORTED IN RECENT PREVIOUS YEARS. ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T RECORD SPECIFIC DATES WHEN THE INCIDENTS HAPPENED, THE FINAL ONE OCCURRED IN THE FALL OF '15 AND THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN ON THE ROAD SINCE FOR FEAR OF INJURY TO MYSELF, FAMILY OR OTHERS. AS THE CAR LEASE CONCLUDES ( THE MONTHLY PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN DUTIFULLY PAID SINCE THE FINAL INCIDENT) I WRITE THIS TO HAVE IT ON RECORD THAT I CONSIDER THE CAR TO BE UNSAFE AND THAT I WANT TOYOTA (GIVEN THEIR SEEMING LACK OF CONCERN ABOUT THE ORIGINAL COMPLAINT) TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE SHOULD THE CAR BE SIMPLY PASSED ON TO A NEW OWNER OR LESSEE AND ANOTHER UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OCCUR, CAUSING INJURY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE BRAKES FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO TREES AND SHRUBBERY. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE FRONT END AND DRIVER SIDE DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,900. UPDATED 11/04/15*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOTALED AND REPAIRED. UPDATED 2/1/2016*JS *CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A REFRIGERATOR AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,100.