Problems with 2004 Toyota Camry VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The speedometer needle stopped moving one day and another day it moved erratically. a few days later, the shifting became really hard, would take a lot of pressing of the pedal to increase speed. finally, it wouldn't even go above 20-30mph on highway no matter what. later it was found that the vehicle speed sensor has gone bad. replacing that fixed the problem but still the car hesitates before shifting, especially in low gears (<550mph).

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. while operating the vehicle, the contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted to a lower gear; however, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated without warning. as a result, the contact crashed into a curb. the air bags did not deploy. no injuries were sustained. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 75,906.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. while driving out of a parking lot, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly over a curb and crashed into a tree. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. there were no injuries and a police report was filed (17014133). the vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was destroyed. the approximate failure mileage was 136,700.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. while driving into a parking lot at 2 mph, the vehicle's speed rapidly accelerated without warning. the contact shifted the gear into neutral and stopped the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the accelerator sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact had to pay $800 for the repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 77,000. updated 06/21/17*lj *as

Car was stalling, engine code revealed throttle stuck in closed position. throttle body was gummed up with carbon, throttle body was cleaned with foaming throttle body cleaning agent designed for cleaning intake parts. computer cannot understand new throttle position after cleaning, engine surges from about 800 rpm to about 3000 rpm in idle. when placed in gear, car accelerates on its own to well over 40 mph in idle. creating a dangerous situation. must ride brakes to control speed. car is undrivable in its current state.

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 toyota camry. after parking the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated without warning and crashed into a garage. the air bags failed to deploy. the passenger sustained chest contusions, which required medical attention. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 54,608. updated 01/05/17*lj

I was slowly pulling into a parking space when all of a sudden the car surged without warning. it accelerated so fast that i went through the bushes across the adjacent sidewalk and slammed into a light pole totaling my 2004 camry.

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 toyota camry. after the contact placed the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. the vehicle crashed into a fence and a building. the air bags failed to deploy. a police report was filed. the contact injured her back and upper neck, which required medical attention. the contact's neck injury was diagnosed as an upper sprain. the vehicle was towed to an unknown local dealer where it was deemed destroyed. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Slowly making a right turn to park in a wide open parking space in a parking garage. car lunged forward hitting a wall in front of the parking space and damaging the front end of the car. no brake problems or previous acceleration problems

Unintended (unexplained) acceleration: slowly approached red light at intersection. as i eased on brake to stop behind line of traffic, engine surged. i pushed brake to floor and pushed on emergency brake with other foot while shifting into park. my next step would have been to shift into neutral, but car stopped a few inches behind the car ahead. this was all in the space of perhaps 5 seconds. fortunately, i was not going fast or on a wet/icy road. light changed to green and i shifted into drive. car functioned normally. dealer had car a full day, went through toyota hq interview and tests, they were unable to repeat the ua, stated "vehicle is operating as designed" but would not tell me the car was safe or unsafe. i bought this car new in 2004, loved the way it handled for 75k miles, but now i do not trust it. i wonder if toyota's tests ever allow them to recreate the ua, but they could/would not tell me that when i talked with the case manager at hq. my car was never on the ua recall list. because i did not crash, the computer would not have recorded the accelerator or brake use to prove the ua happened! seems like a catch 22. i am afraid to drive my car and will give full disclosure if i trade it in or sell it. i asked and was told by toyota hq case manager that this incident will be available if the car is checked on carfax. while the dealer was always sending me requests to trade in my car as it would sell well, i'm sure the value has dropped considerably now. i am not pleased with the outcome at all, only grateful that no one was hurt or killed in this incident.

On 9/20/15 while reversing out of a parking space at the south windsor public library, i depressed the accelerator lightly and the car surged backwards into very tight circles. i took my foot off the accelerator and pressed on the brakes and tried to put the car in park. after almost 2 rotations the car hit one curb and then another and after that i was finally able to put the car in park, all the while with my foot on the brake. my vehicle was towed to a local toyota dealer and i contacted my insurance company. the insurance company reviewed my claim and has issued me a check to have the vehicle front end and undercarriage damages repaired. i have asked the toyota dealership if the vehicle is safe to drive and they referred me to toyota national. toyota sent out an independent evaluator who evaluated the vehicle and then sent me a flash drive with the event data recorder results. however no summary report or narrative was provided, so i do not know if the vehicle is safe to drive. i called toyota back and they informed me that it is up to me to find someone to interpret the results.

I was driving on a high speed. there was a red light so i tried to hit the brake pedal. but by doing that i the car had a sudden accelerate and the brake pedal went all the way down to the floor and the brake power is super weak. i was lucky that the car stopped right behind the car in front of me so no accident happened. i drive my car to a local brake shop, they inspected the whole system and tell me that they can't find anything wrong there. it was really scary to feel that your car is not controlled by yourself.

I went to a local store to shop. i was attempting to park in the store lot, saw a space close to the front of the store. i slowed down to start turning (maybe 5-10 mph) into the parking space and when i tried to brake, my brake pedal went straight to the floor and the car started speeding up. it kept going like someone else had control of the car! i couldn't stop it and it ran into a car that was parked in front of the space. it pushed the other car completely out of the parking spot and rammed her car in the front area. we both suffered vehicle damage and i was charged. there was smoke coming out from under my car and as i was attempting to stop my runaway car, my foot slipped onto the accelerator. i thought maybe my brakes had given out but the officer said the brakes were not bad. there were skid marks showing i tried to stop and i was able to drive it home, very slowly. i was so scared!! i remember seeing a segment on tv about toyota having problems regarding sudden acceleration in some of their cars. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that while attempting to park at 5 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated. as a result, the contact crashed into a parking barrier and through a concrete wall. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but it was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 62,000.

2004 toyota camry. consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration. *smd the consumer stated as she pulled into her driveway, though a security gate, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and hit a stone post in front of her house. the impact severely damaged the left front of the vehicle and also chipped out several pieces of the stone from the post. *jb

On 6/2/2014 i was on my way to work. as i pulled out my dirt road onto the main highway, my check engine light came on and my car automatically shut off. mind you my car was still rolling, but i manage to pull on the side of the road and shut the car off. i try to step on gas peddle but car would not accelerate. so i waited a few mintues on side of road before attempting to re-start my car. once i got it cranked, i drove 10 to 15 miles to get my car back in my yard. at this point in time, i cant drive it until it gets fix. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact was driving 60 mph when the accelerator was depressed and the vehicle failed to respond. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. the contact was advised that the throttle body motor was rusted. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the incident. the approximate failure mileage was 135,000. ...updated 11-18-13 *bf

Throttle body failure, engine shuts down, will restart in limp mode. corroded defective throttle body. new part on order from toyota. $900 repair. this also happened in 2007 an $850 repair. i called toyota in 2007 and again this time. toyota refuses to provide new throttle body or pay for repair. i assert this is a design and safety problem that toyota should repair or recall at no charge. i purchased car new and have been a loyal toyota customer. purchased four new toyota cars since 2002. why would i purchase another car from toyota? *tr

Purchased car from local toyota dealer with just over 100k miles. gas pedal stopped working. car would not accelerate. found out it was a failure of the throttle body. it costs over $1000 to fix. there are numerous complaints for this exact part on toyota camry's. when is it going to be recalled! obvious design flaw! *tr

I had slowed down to turn into side road, foot was off gas and it accelerated. i immediately put on brakes and it corrected the problem. this is about the 3rd time it has happened. the first time it happened fast and i thought it was me. the next time same thing so i have been aware to watch and notice. today it happened again and i know for sure it has a problem in accelerating. sometimes it cuts off when first cranks like not getting enough gas. i have had toyotas for years but now getting leary

I was driving, took a corner and my car turned off without warning or signal, and i lost power steering and hit another parked vehicle. i proceeded to turn my car back on, drive ten feet and the engine shut off again without warning. i went to the auto body shop and they stated it was a code 2112 throttle issue. i researched on the internet and saw several other consumer complaints about this same issue with the same make/model/year and around the same mileage as my car has. toyota is not recalling or providing free service on the parts and i was given an estimate of over 1300.00 to fix. seeing that this is normal wear and tear - i didnt do a thing to cause this to happen, and it's a safety issue, i believe they should be replacing and or recalling these vehicles. *tr

I started my 2004 toyota camry le in my driveway. at the time of ignition, the engine chugged then idled as usual, but the check engine light illuminated. i put the vehicle into reserve and rolled back about 20 feet into the street, then put the vehicle into drive. i stepped onto the accelerator pedal and nothing happened. the vehicle continued to idle while in the drive gear, however, it would not accelerate despite me pressing the pedal all the way to the floor. i turned off the vehicle and waited approximately 10 minutes, then restarted the vehicle. the check engine light was no longer illuminated and when the vehicle was put into drive the accelerator worked properly. i took the vehicle to a local repair facility and was told about 2 codes in my computer: p2112 - throttle actuator control system - stuck closed, and p2102 - throttle actuator control motor circuit low (suggesting the throttle body be replaced). i contacted the local dealership in farmington, mi at which they reported throttle body issues were a known and common problem that they get calls about frequently, but there was no recall on the vehicle regarding this issue at this time. i was fortunate that i was on a side street near my home when this occurred, but am concerned that this could happen again while driving (as i have read in many safety complaints on the vehicle safety website). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated to 40 mph without any warning. the vehicle crashed into 5 other vehicles. there were no injuries. the police were contacted and a report was available. the vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic where it was deemed destroyed. the manufacturer was contacted and they advised him that an investigator would come out and inspect the vehicle. the failure and current mileages were approximately 40,653.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph downhill. the engine surged at a much higher rate of speed. the brakes failed and the contact was unable to control the steering. the contact was unable to stop the vehicle until she crashed into an embankment. the contact was not injured. the vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were approximately 108,000. updated 3/14/13 *cn the consumer stated she had not control over the vehicle. it continued approximately 3/4 of a mile all over the road and surrounding areas, until it finally hit an embankment and the front end of the vehicle went into the ground. and then stopped.

After entering a parking lot my mother-in-law was turning into a spot when the car suddenly accelerated thru the spot and was heading for the concrete wall. she was able to turn it to the left, run over the curb and in to a snow bank. she was unable to back the car out and had to be towed out. there was damage to the front end, but the airbags did not deploy. the tow truck driver said that she could drive it home and she managed to do so, but she was scared to do so. it is now sitting in the driveway and will not be driven until we are satisfied with the repairs to the acceleration problem. i am still waiting to hear from the dealer?. *tr

I was approaching a freeway in atlanta, ga. as the connector curved, i was driving about 35 mph and gently brake about 200 feet from the freeway. the car immediately and violently accelerated, throwing my head back against the headrest; i brake harder but there was no response from the car; the car seemed to pivot on the right front tire and the rear end flew to my left about 240 degrees or so and struck the guard rail with the left rear quarter panel and bumper. the car then, continuing at high speed, ricocheted off the guard rail and the rear end pivoted toward the road, making the front bumper strike the same guard rail. the second collision scraped the paint off the center of the bumper but the impact seemed stronger than the damage would indicate. the second impact did stop the car. i make this report because my car was not one of those recalled by toyota for this problem; but, believe me, it happened. *tr

Defective gas pedal sensor prevented the vehicle from moving. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds and decelerating, the vehicle accelerated independently. the failure recurred numerous times. the failure had not been diagnosed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 70,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that after he pulled onto the highway and attempted to enaged the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to accelerate. the contact was able to merge to the shoulder safely. also, the contact mentioned that the engine light had illuminated. the vehicle was later towed to the dealer who diagnose that the electronic throttle body failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 94,000. the current mileage was approximately 94,200.

2004 toyota camry. consumer states vehicle lost power while driving *tgw the consumer stated the throttle body was replaced. the consumer stated toyota updated the part, but never informed her. *jb

Please note that i filed a complaint through phone on 9/4. the complain number is 10473713. but it was too brief. and i don't know how to add additional comment (see below). and just found out i can file it through online. so, i did. below is the letter which briefly describes the sudden unintended acceleration happened on 7/20/2012. note that this sua also happened in early 2010 when my wife was driving this same car. here are the events: 1. i was driving my car to a parking slot. just a couple of feet before i reached the parking position, the car all of a sudden moved forward violently with "full throttle" for a few feet then stopped by me. the car hit the right pillar of the pavilion. (the left pillar was about one to two feet before my left rear mirror.) 2. i was able to stop the vehicle and said to my wife (she was on the passenger seat), "what's going on this car?" at the same time i was planning to back it out. 3. it then all of a sudden the car moved forward again with full throttle. (at that moment, my left hand was still on the steering wheel and the right hand was on the gear handle.) before i had a chance to shift the gear, this sudden acceleration caught me completely off guard. the car hit the mailbox and veered toward the left. it went down the slope and stopped at the street facing left. 4. between the first stop and the second sudden acceleration it probably lasted two seconds. 5. note that this sudden acceleration already happened once in early 2010 while my wife was parking the car to a parking slot. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that while traveling 2 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without any warnings. as a result, the vehicle crashed into a mailbox. the vehicle was destroyed. the crash caused no injuries and a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 83,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that the driver was traveling 15 mph when the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. the driver attempted to brake, but the vehicle failed to respond. the driver attempted to turn off the vehicle. however, the vehicle was unresponsive. the driver crashed against the pavement, a fence and then dove into a creek. the air bags did not deploy. the driver sustained a concussion and injuries to the back and neck. the vehicle was destroyed. the police were called and a police report was filed. the current and the failure mileage was 75,000. updated 08/16/12*lj ...updated 03-10-16 *bf *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. while driving approximately 15 mph the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to restart the vehicle but the vehicle stalled a second time. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic. the technician stated the throttle body assembly would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 74,300.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced a sudden acceleration that caused the vehicle to jump a curve and crash into brick steps. the vehicle was towed away and repaired. the contact hurt their wrist in the crash. the vehicle was repaired and it was reported that nothing was wrong with the vehicle per the dealer. the vin was not available. the failure and the current mileage was 70,200. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that while driving 1 mph, the vehicle accelerated abnormally with the brakes applied. the vehicle crashed into a building and there the contact sustained minor injuries. the vehicle was towed to an auto body shop and a police report was filed. the dealer was contacted and a claim was filed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 105,000.

I was slowly pulling my 2004 camry into a perpendicular parking space in a public parking lot, with my foot on the brake pedal. as i approached the curb to come to a stop, the car suddenly leaped forward at what seemed like full throttle, jumped the curb, lunged up a flight of three concrete steps, and crashed through the glass doors of the entry of the building. more often than not, at the hour of the day when this incident occurred (3:30 pm), there are small groups of young people waiting for rides or chatting in front of this facility. by some miracle there were no people present on the sidewalk in front of the car or coming out of or going into the building when this happened. truly a miracle that no one was hurt or worse. there were no witnesses. the police had the car removed by flatbed to a body shop yard. i later learned that the police had driven the car in the body shop yard and commented that the car drove without issues. i subsequently received a careless driving citation in the mail. a local media report of the incident, cribbed from the police blotter, stated that the police believed the cause of the incident was driver error. there is not the least doubt in my mind that my foot was firmly on the brake pedal, which went to the floor and did not stop the car! the car acted on its own as if possessed! i will never drive this car again! i bought a new car and took a huge loss on the value of the toyota by selling it for parts to a local mechanic for a tenth of its retail value so it would never find its way back onto the road to threaten other people with injury or death! *tr

While driving on freeway, all of a sudden when i tried to press accelerator pedal to accelerate, nothing happened, and vehicle started to slowly slow down. i pulled over to side of road, turned off vehicle and restarted. vehicle accelerate fine after that. check engine light on. the toyota dealer checked and found throttle body failure and replaced it. cost more than $1300. *kb

Saturday afternoon 19 nov 2011, the accelerator on my 2004 4-cylinder camry became uncontrollable -- inexplicably slowing to a crawl and/or surging forward seemingly independent of how hard i depressed the gas pedal. i barely got to a local mechanic without being hit from behind or smashing into the vehicle in front of me. the mechanic told me the accelerator pedal sensor had died, and replaced it at a cost in excess of $600!!! i've seen reports that this is relatively common in this "fly-by-wire" design and am very concerned that toyota has not recalled this model to correct the problem. no way should such an issue arise after only 40000 miles on my car. i contacted toyota about reimbursing me for correcting this safety design defect, and both the local dealer and toyota customer care told me in no uncertain terms where to go -- the local director of operations almost literally telling me to f...o..! *tr

The left front tire ( new tire, i punched 4 new michelin tires 7/11) on my car popped. i am not sure if the car pedal got stuck first, everything happened fast. steering became impossible and the car when side to side as i attempted to steer the car. the stewing wheel would turn, but it didn't work. the major thing is that i couldn't operate the car because of the pedal getting stuck and the steering was impossible after that. the car was taken to carriage cage auto repair by aaa, who recommended i take it there, since the car could not be driven. i then went to the er room for care. nationwide insurance was notified, they gave an estimate of over five thousand dollars to repair the car. toyota in lake city, wa -bruce in auto care was notified regarding the pedal becoming stuck. i will have to take the car there once it is repaired. i wonder how safe is the car and what can be done about it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that the vehicle would not accelerate after the brakes were applied in order to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was shut off and upon restart, the failure continued. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the throttle body unit failed. the mechanic replaced the throttle body unit and informed the contact that the new unit was modified differently than the original. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 77,941.

On i-5, in the fast lane outside portland, oregon without warning the car lost all power. i was able to drift to the side of the road but was still in traffic. when i reached a repair shop they diagnosed the problem as a chip failure in the gas pedal. this could have happened anywhere, without gas the car just stops, and the result could be far more serious. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated while driving 65 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to restart the vehicle after numerous attempts. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the mechanic advised that the throttle body assembly malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. the contact did not have the throttle body replaced. the failure mileage was 78,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry xle. the contact was driving 65 mph when the vehicle stalled and coasted to a stop. the vehicle restarted and was diagnosed by a private mechanic who advised that there was a throttle body failure. the manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 80,258 updated 10/19/11 *bf updated 10/28/11

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that the accelerator was engaged while driving approximately 55 mph, but the vehicle did not respond. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where they advised that the electronic throttle control unit was faulty. the vehicle was left with the dealer where the contact was awaiting repairs. the manufacturer was made aware of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 112,000. the vin was unavailable. updated 9/13/11 *cn updated 09/28/11*jb

Sudden unintended acceleration. updated 09/23/11 *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated while driving the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate. the dealer repaired the failure previously; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified, but denied assistance with the repairs. the failure was not remedied. the failure and current mileage was 60,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota camry. the contact stated that while turning left at 5 mph and attempting to park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated across a cement median. the contact was able to avoid a crash when the vehicle came to a stop on its own. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer sent an engineer to examine the vehicle, who could also not locate a failure. the contact also experienced sudden acceleration while stopped and while shifting into drive. the contact was able to safely turn the engine off. the dealer replaced the throttle control assembly, but the failure continued. the failure mileage was 47,280 and the current mileage was 53,312. the consumer stated the drivers side doors were damaged. the vehicle grazed the concrete base of a lamppost in order to avoid a collision with a parked vehicle. three (3) other incidents of unintended acceleration occurred in march 2008, february 2008, and march 18, 2012. updated 09/18/2012 *js

Toyota camry (2004) with approx 50k miles stalled while driving. it did not respond to pressing of the accelerator pedal. car which was speeding at 30 m/h came to a rolling stop right in the middle of the road creating a dangerous situation. (if it had occurred 5 mins ago, we were on the freeway driving at 65m/h and would have definitely resulted in an accident. car was towed to toyota dealership. they diagnosed the problem to be failure of the pedal sensor. *tr

Another toyota accelerator problem i was a great believer in toyota's reliability reputation until 6/3/2011 when my wife called from the side of a road to say that the gas pedal didn't work. luckily, before she had pulled out into the traffic lane the oncoming car had already stopped to turn into the road she was leaving; otherwise she would have been t-boned. shop diagnostics indicated failure of the accelerator pedal position sensor (apps). the car is a 2004 v-6 camry with 140,000 miles on it. when contacted about the problem, toyota headquarters in california denied culpability. the apps is an electronic gadget which replaces the old cable/pulley gas pedal linkage between the gas pedal and the fuel injectors or carburetor(s). its purpose is to improve emissions control. there is no diagnostic procedure to test its remaining life. the old cable/pulley system could be checked visually and by touch and be replaced rather cheaply if need be. apps failure results in the engine immediately reverting to idle speed. if it fails in heavy traffic at high speed, there will be an instantaneous loss of speed and power. the person behind you will have no warning and you will probably be rear-ended. if it fails during acceleration to cross traffic or merge into traffic you will probably be hit from the side. clearly the apps trades off vehicle safety for improved emissions control. if the old cable/pulley were still in place as a fail-safe measure, then apps failure would not present a safety hazard. however, it would still cost you about $600 to replace. when hydraulic brakes were introduced the cable/pulley system for the emergency brake was wisely retained as a fail-safe measure. duh. *tr