2003 Toyota Corolla Speed Control & Cruise Problems

My mother got in the car and as soon as the car was put on drive, the car accelerated to its max potential, but when she attempted to hit the brakes they did not respond. So max acceleration, on its own, and brakes did not work. She ended up in the hospital for 9 days suffering a broken rib, front teeth missing, they had to sew her tongue back together, both cheeks shattered, broken clavicle and she has a hole right under the back of her skull. Miraculously, after she flipped to the side and took out two trees, the third tree flipped her back to right side up, and stopped the vehicle completely.

I WAS PARKING AT ABOUT 3 MPH, TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND PRESSED DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOWLY EASE THE CAR TO A STOP AT THE PARKING SPOT. THE VEHICLE JOLTED FORWARD AND ACCELERATED. I HIT A POLE AND THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED TERRIBLE FRONTEND DAMAGE. I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA AND IT IS OVER 188,000 MILES.

WE WERE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. MY WIFE GOT INTO THE CAR, PUT HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO TAKE THE CAR OUT OF PARK, AND PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. THE CAR ACCELERATED RAPIDLY BACKWARD WITH THE ENGINE REVVING AND NO EFFECT FROM THE BRAKES, AND HIT A POLE. WITH THE ENGINE STILL RACING, MY WIFE THEN PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE, STILL WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE, AND IT SPED FORWARD RUNNING INTO THE BACK OF A PICKUP TRUCK. THE ENGINE WAS RACING AND THERE WAS NO EFFECT WITH PUSHING ON THE BRAKE. THE PICKUP TRUCK WAS PUSHED FORWARD ABOUT A FOOT HITTING A GUARD RAIL IN THE FRONT OF THE PARKING SPACE.

MY 2003 TOYOTA CORROLA (ODOMETER READING APPROX. 230,000 MILES) NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM TILL THIS YEAR AROUND MARCH WHEN MY WIFE NOTICED THAT THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELARATED AND SHE COULDN'T REDUCE THE SPEED BY BRAKING. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY SUDDNELY AS IT CAME. THIS THING HAPPENED TWICE AFTERWARDS THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO SEARS AUTO CENTER, NATICK, MA AND THEY CLEANED A DIRTY THROTTLE. THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY TILL THREE DAYS AGO THE PROBLEM CAME BACK. I WAS DRIVING THIS TIME IN BROAD DAYLIGHT WITH MEDIUM TRAFFIC. SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED ACCELARATING AND I COULDN'T REDUCE ACCELARATION BY BRAKING. I CLEARED THE FLOOR MAT AREA IN CASE THERE WAS ANY BLOCKAGE. BUT THERE WAS NONE, AND THE CAR KEPT ON ACCELARATING. IT SCARED THE WITS OUT OF ME, AND I HAD TO STOP THE CAR BY MOVING THE GEAR TO 'PARK'. I INTEND TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO SEARS AUTO. BUT, IT MAY BE A CHRONIC PROBLEM OF 'SUDDEN ACCELARATION AND FAILURE TO BRAKE' WITH MANY TOYOTA AUTOMOBILES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS RELEASED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED QUICKLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 183,500.

I EXPERIENCED A STUCK ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN MY 2003 COROLLA.I TRIED TO KICK THE PEDAL LOOSE AND COULD NOT.I ENDED UP GRABBING THE KEY AND SHUTTING THE ENGINE DOWN TO AVOID LOSING CONTROL ON THE SNOW COVERED ROAD AND HITTING TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME.I LATER DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE LINKAGE HAD LOST NORMAL FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT IN THE COLD WEATHER,EVEN THOUGH I HAD CLEANED THE INSIDE OF THE THROTTLE BODY SOME MONTHS EARLIER.I BELIEVE MOST PEOPLE WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT IN MY SITUATION.THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED ME FROM AN ACCIDENT WAS MY MECHANICAL KNOWLEDGE OF CARS ENABLING ME TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE REVERSING AT 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE REVERSING AT 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND THE BRAKES FAILED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO TEN VEHICLES AND INTO A CONCRETE WALL WHERE THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED WHIPLASH INJURIES TO THE NECK AND BACK INCLUDING NUMEROUS HEMATOMAS ON THE WAIST THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. DJR

WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TO WORK, DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70-75 MPH, I STARTED TO BRAKE. INSTEAD OF DECREASING IN SPEED, MY CAR ACCELERATED AND EVERYTIME I WOULD PUSH THE BRAKE, MY CAR WOULD INCREASE IN SPEED (UNINTENDED ACCELERATION). WITHIN THE SPAN OF ABOUT 3 MONTHS, THIS INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED A TOTAL OF 5-6 TIMES, MAKING IT VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND. THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP UNTIL THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT'S RIGHT FOOT WAS PARTIALLY SEVERED AND THE CONTACT'S LEFT FOOT WAS FRACTURED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. *TR

2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE ACCELERATING. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS TRAVELING AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT, WHEN THE SIGN AHEAD INDICATED TO REDUCE SPEED AHEAD. THE CONSUMER REDUCED HER SPEED TO THE POSTED LIMIT BY PRESSING DOWN ON THE BRAKE. AS SHE ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO INCREASE IN SPEED AND A LOUD NOISE WAS PRESENT. THE CONSUMER STATED SHE CONTINUED TO PRESS HARDER ON THE BRAKE AND SHE COULD FEEL THE ABS ACTIVATING. THE ABS SOUNDED LIKE A HIGH PITCHED NOISE AND PULSATING VERY FAST. THE CONSUMER FINALLY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, BEFORE GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. HOWEVER, THE ENGINE WAS EMITTING A LOUD ROARING SOUND. THE CONSUMER SHIFTED THE GEAR FROM DRIVE 1 TO DRIVE 2 AND THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED. SHE TRIED TO SHIFT TO PARK, BUT AS SHE GOT TO REVERSE THE VEHICLE TRIED TO BUCK, SO SHE PUT THE GEAR IN NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. *JB UPDATED 08/10/11. *JB THE DEALERSHIP MAINTAINED THE PROBLEM WAS THE DRIVER SIDE FLOOR MAT AND DRIVER ERROR. UPDATED 08/23/11.*JB UPDATED 09/29/11.*JB UPATED 10/11/11. *JB

LETTER FROM CONGRESSMAN ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE SUDDEN UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION OF A TOYOTA COROLLA AUTOMOBILE DOT/I#2011-2068. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS TRAVELING AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT, WHEN THE SIGN AHEAD INDICATED TO REDUCE SPEED AHEAD. THE CONSUMER REDUCED HER SPEED TO THE POSTED LIMIT BY PRESSING DOWN ON THE BRAKE. AS SHE ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO INCREASE IN SPEED AND A LOUD NOISE WAS PRESENT. THE CONSUMER STATED SHE CONTINUED TO PRESS HARDER ON THE BRAKE AND SHE COULD FEEL THE ABS ACTIVATING. THE ABS SOUNDED LIKE A HIGH PITCHED NOISE AND PULSATING VERY FAST. THE CONSUMER FINALLY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, BEFORE GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. HOWEVER, THE ENGINE WAS EMITTING A LOUD ROARING SOUND. THE CONSUMER SHIFTED THE GEAR FROM DRIVE 1 TO DRIVE 2 AND THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED. SHE TRIED TO SHIFT TO PARK, BUT AS SHE GOT TO REVERSE THE VEHICLE TRIED TO BUCK, SO SHE PUT THE GEAR IN NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED HER CRUISE CONTROL WA ACTIVATED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. HOWEVER, THE DEALER STATED THE PROBLEM HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL. *JB UPDATED 11/10/11 *BF UPDATED 11/16/11

SUDDEN ACCELERATION ON 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. JUST RETURNED FROM FIRST ROAD TRIP WITH THIS CAR, FROM OREGON TO COLORADO, AND CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. IT HAPPENED 5 TIMES - 3 OF THE TIMES WHILE THE CAR WAS IN CRUISE CONTROL. IN PARTICULAR - WHILE GOING UP HILL -- THE CAR PICKS UP SPEED TO GET OVER THE HILL BUT AFTER REACHING THE TOP, CAR FAILS TO SLOW DOWN AND ONLY AFTER HITTING BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES WOULD THE ACCELERATION STOP AND CAR WOULD BEGIN TO SLOW. IN ONE INSTANCE, I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR OFF THE FREEWAY AND ONTO AN UPHILL ON-RAMP TO GET IT TO SLOW AND BRAKES FINALLY WORKED AT TOP OF HILL. I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE GAS PEDAL PUSHING DOWN ON ITS OWN - WITHOUT MY FOOT APPLYING PRESSURE. THE FIRST COUPLE OF TIMES IT HAPPENED, I THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE THE CAR WAS GOING DOWN HILL AND WAS JUST NATURALLY PICKING UP SPEED. IT WAS ONLY AFTER PUTTING THE CAR IN CRUISE CONTROL THAT I NOTICED THE PROBLEM WAS THE CAR, NOT THE ENVIRONMENT. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE CAR WENT FROM 52 TO 83, THE SECOND INCIDENT - 57 TO 90, THE 3RD INCIDENT - 65 TO 88, THE 4TH INSTANCE 75 TO 84 AND THE SCARIEST INCIDENT OF ALL - THE CAR WENT FROM 70 TO 105 MPH!! I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND THE ONLY THING THAT SLOWED THE CAR DOWN (BESIDES MY CONTINUAL BRAKING) WAS THAT I STARTED CLIMBING A LARGE HILL. ONE OF THE INCIDENTS WAS WITNESSED BY A WYOMING HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER - OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND MANY MILES TO A TOWN - WHO THOUGHTFULLY GAVE ME DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO GET THE CAR TO STOP SAFELY (TURN ON YOUR EMERGENCY FLASHERS, PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND APPLY EVEN PRESSURE TO BRAKES - PUTTING CAR IN NEUTRAL GIVES MORE POWER TO BRAKES). THIS CAR HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT AND HAD NEVER BEEN ON A LONG TRIP BEFORE AND VERY RARELY ON A FREEWAY. I HAD NEVER USED THE CRUISE CONTROL BEFORE AND WILL NOT BE USING IT AGAIN. TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADD THE 2003 COROLLA TO THE RECALL AS IT OBVIOUSLY HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE 2005 - 2010. TOYOTA WILL BE HEARING FROM ME TOMORROW. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO PARK WHEN THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO THE CINDER BLOCK WALL, KNOCKING A HOLE INTO THE CINDER BLOCK. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE WALL WITH SUCH FORCE THAT IS ALSO CAUSED A PORTION OF THE CINDER BLOCK TO SHOOT THROUGH A NEIGHBORING WOOD FENCE, FRACTURING THE FENCE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MODERATE DAMAGES TO THE FRONT END. THE CONTACT WAS UNINJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK IN A MALL PARKING LOT AT A LOT SPEED, THE ENGINE ACCELERATED WITHOUT USING THE GAS PEDAL. THIS OCCURRED TWICE WITHIN A SPAN OF 30 MINUTES. I WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE FOOT BRAKE, EMERGENCY BRAKE AND SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK WITHOUT INCIDENT. THEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF. I THEN STARTED THE CAR AFTER SHUTTING IT DOWN AND THE CAR RAN NORMALLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 45 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. SHE WAS UNABLE TO DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL SINCE THE RPMS BEGAN INCREASING EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND WOULD NOT STOP DESPITE HER ATTEMPTS TO APPLY THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL GEAR AND CONTINUE TO APPLY THE BRAKES. THERE WAS SMOKE PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE AS IT BEGAN TO DECREASE IN SPEED TO 15 MPH. SINCE THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE, SHE THEN JUMPED FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE AS THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED AND PLOWED INTO A SNOW BANK BEFORE STOPPING. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL BODY DAMAGE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DESTROYED DUE TO HER SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL GEAR FROM THE PARK POSITION. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AND A REPRESENTATIVE FROM TOYOTA WAS SCHEDULED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE FAILURE. THE INVESTIGATOR COULD FIND NO FAILURES WITHIN THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE TO THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 118,000.

2003 TOYOTA COROLLA LE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 4 DOOR. FIRST TIME INCIDENT. WESTBOUND HIGHWAY 401 NEAR WOODSTOCK ONTARIO WITH CRUISE CONTROL @ 100 KMH IN RIGHT LANE AND SLIGHTLY ACCELERATED TO MIDDLE LANE TO AVOID MERGING INCOMING TRAFFIC FROM ROADSIDE GAS STATION. ACCELERATOR PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR WITHOUT DRIVER ASSISTANCE. STRONG BRAKING DID NOT STOP CAR. STOMPING ON ACCELERATOR DID NOT STOP CAR. TURNING OFF CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT STOP CAR. FASTEST SPEED WAS 150KMH @ 7500 RPM. SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND WHEN SPEED AT 120KMH @ 4000 RPM, THE BRAKES STARTED WORKING. SLOWED AND PULLED OFF ONTO SHOULDER AND PARKED THE CAR. TWO MINUTES LATER, STILL IN PARK, IDLED AT 1900 RPM. ABLE TO DRIVE TO WORK. OVER THE PHONE, DAN FROM COMPETITION TOYOTA TOLD ME THAT PROBABLY THE THROTTLE BOX OR THROTTLE CABLE HAD BECOME GUMMED UP AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLEANED AS PART OF THE TOYOTA 60,000KM MAINTENANCE. I HAVE NOT USED TOYOTA DEALER TO SERVICE THE CAR DUE TO AFFORDABILITY. I DO HAVE A REGULAR MECHANIC WHO SERVICES THE VEHICLE. TOOK IT INTO COMPETITION TOYOTA AND PROBLEM WAS A DIRTY THROTTLE PLATE WHICH WAS CLEANED AT A COST OF $70. DEALER ALSO DID A RECALL REPAIR ON A WINDOW AND SAID THERE WERE TOO MANY MATS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WHICH SHOULD BE REMOVED. I TOLD DAN THAT DRIVER MATS WERE NOT THE CAUSE AND IN THE PRESENCE OF TWO TOYOTA EMPLOYEES, I SHOWED HIM PHOTOS THAT I TOOK OF THE DASHBOARD JUST AFTER I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY. I ASKED IF THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, HE SAID YES, AND I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SINCE. REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO TRANSPORT CANADA. *TR

THE CRUISE CONTROL ON MY WIFE'S 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA HAS ACTED UP ON OCCASION WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS. WHEN USING "RESUME" THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE WELL PAST THE PREVIOUS SET POINT. MOSTLY THIS WAS A MINOR ANNOYANCE AS THE CAR DOESN'T HAVE A BIG ENOUGH ENGINE TO TAKE OFF LIKE A ROCKET, AND SWITCHING OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL AND RESTARTING IT SEEMS TO CURE THE PROBLEM. I NEVER WAS ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE SEQUENCE THAT WOULD RELIABLY REPEAT THE PROBLEM AND PRETTY MUCH FIGURED WE'D LIVE WITH IT. (SHE DOESN'T USE CRUISE CONTROL AND I USE IT WHEN WE ARE TAKING TRIPS.) WITH THE RECENTLY IDENTIFIED CRUISE CONTROL PROBLEMS ON THE NEWER COROLLAS, I'M SUSPICIOUS THAT THE PROBLEM MAY GO BACK FURTHER THAN REPORTED. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AT VARIOUS TIMES OVER THE PAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS(WHILE WE HAVE OWNED THE CAR), SO THE DATE INDICATED BELOW IS A DUMMY DATE TO GET TOT THE NEXT SCREEN. *TR

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA S MANUAL THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 9 YEARS HAS ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. I STARTED THE CAR AND PUT IT IN THE FIRST GEAR AND IT DROVE NORMALLY, BUT WHEN PUSHED ON THE CLUTCH SWITCHING TO THE SECOND GEAR THE RPM WENT UP HIGH ABOVE 4000. I MADE SURE THAT I WASN'T PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR. I CHECKED IF THE FLOOR MAT WAS IN CONTACT WITH THE ACCELERATOR BUT IT WASN'T. I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND TRIED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BUT THE RPM WAS GOING VERY HIGH AND MORE THAN NORMAL . SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE AND THE RPM WENT BACK TO NORMAL . NOTICING THAT THIS IS THE ONLY TIME HAS HAPPENED I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM TOYOTA ABOUT THE PROBLEM NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING AT THIS MOMENT BUT IF I THE ISSUE IS STILL PERSISTING THEY MIGHT HAVE TO LOOK CLOSELY TO THE ISSUE. BECAUSE MY CAR HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, I HAVE MORE CONTROL ON THE CAR THAN AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION( OPTION ON PUSHING ON THE CLUTCH) AND DISENGAGE THE ENGINE FROM THE TRANSMISSION FASTER, I HAVE LESS RISK IN BEING INVOLVED IN AND ACCIDENT UNLESS I NEED TO SUDDENLY STOP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN. *TR