| Issue ID | 793499 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10334188 |
| Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
| Brand | TOYOTA |
| Model | CAMRY |
| Model Year | 2010 |
| File date | 09/04/10 |
| Component | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | I bought a new 2010 camry. I complained to the dealer the very next day that the accelerator pedal was too sensitive and the car was not drivable. I was assured that all accelerator pedal recall modifications were done on the car before the sale. I was still not satisfied. The manager of the shop and i did a test drive and after a detailed discussion of the accelerator pedal and design defects we jointly agreed to try and replace the pedal mechanism with one made - not by the us vendor - but by nippondenso -- toyota's alternate vendor in japan. To my great surprise the accelerator pedal was of a different design and feel. With the nippondenso pedal the foots position on the pedal is at a much more comfortable angle. But most important of all the response characteristics is a 100% better than the american made pedal. With the us made pedal the car had a "step" response whilst with the nippondenso pedal it has more of a "ramp" response. I was told by the dealer's shop manager that the nippondenso made pedal mechanism does not need the spacer or the floor mat modification either. I am surprised that two vendors making the same part for the same manufacturer to the same specifications and drawings have products that are so vastly different. The only thing common between the pedal mechanisms from the two vendors is its mounting on the floor board. Where is toyota's quality control? In my opinion there is a strong co-relation between unintended acceleration complaints and the us made accelerator pedal design and its sharp "step" response. Let all those who have a complaint about the unintended acceleration insist on replacing the pedal mechanism made by nippondenso. Nhtsa should look into the variations in the design from the two vendors and question as to why toyota has permitted the vendors to design the mechanisms rather than just build it to toyota's specifications. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 50 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | ARLINGTON, TX |
| VIN pattern | 4T4BF3EK2ARXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 40 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |