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In April 2012, our 2003 Toyota Camry surged into a parked van while I was attempting to park behind the van. I had to move up maybe 2 feet (while 5-6 feet) behind the van when the car surged forward when I hit the accelerator from a dead stop.

It did some minor damage to the bumper of the van, but in instinctively turning left, away from the van when the Camry surged the center/passenger side front of the Camry was damaged. It did some extensive damage to the front and passenger side body of the car, but even more damage under the hood, resulting in over $8,000 in damage. My insurance totaled out the car!

I called the local dealer service department to ask if they were aware of any surge problems, and of course they said no.

Monetary Loss: $11000.

Location: Mount Laurel, New Jersey

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Dannette Byh

GM and Toyota are cut from the same cloth! Bob Hilliard along with Trudy Baltazar and others were instrumental in freeing imprisoned Koua Fong Lee, Toyota owner whose Camry suddenly accelerated and crashed, killing several members of one family.

Koua Fong Lee served four years of his eight year sentence after he was wrongfully convicted. He missed the birth of one of his children. He is so honest that he refused to cut a deal by admitting fault.

Toyota did NOTHING.

Unfortunately, Koua Fong Lee is far from alone. An embedded software expert. Michael Barr, has found the ECTS-i in Toyota and Lexus vehicles has poorly designed software and glitches can lead to an ELECTRONIC sudden unintended acceleration with an ineffective fail-safe. Translation: a runaway Toyota with ineffective brakes.

Problem? Mr. Barr's 300-page report is court-sealed. It was a big part of the Oklahoma Bookout vs.

Toyota SUA case won by the 2005 Toyota Camry owner.

Toyota and Lexus vehicles continue to violently accelerate from parking lots and stopped positions and crash into storefronts, buildings, and homes where deaths have resulted. Jail time has been served. Lives have been forever changed.

Vehicle owners continue to complain to Toyota but Toyota says the vehicles are fine...no traceable problem found. BUT...does Toyota know the truth and is it keeping it secret?

No public corporate response has been given to Toyota whistleblower and translator, Betsy Benjaminson's publicly-disclosed Toyota internal documents which show evidence that Toyota knows what's happening. However, Toyota is currently attempting to stop Betsy's actions behind-the-scenes via legal motions. Is Toyota more customer-responsive as promised or more public information-suppressive as historically-demonstrated?

It seems that Mary Barra may follow in Toyota CEO, James Lentz's footsteps. Denial is so much easier. Blaming the vehicle owners is more lucrative and less damaging to the self-lauded public image, after all. What the public doesn't know can't hurt it...or can it?

As we've seen with both GM and Toyota, the vehicle owners and their families have to become vocal and organize in order to be heard by the automaker. Even then, the automakers dance around the issues and choose words carefully in order to escape full responsibility. What's wrong with this picture? Why isn't NHTSA protecting the vehicle owners instead of the automakers?

The system is severely broken and needs repair. It will take public outrage about the lack of safety standards in vehicles before change is impacted. Unfortunately, the public is in the dark thanks to the automakers and the beholden media. Couple this with an in-the-back-pocket government regulatory agency and you've got a runaway train, right?

Add Reputation Management Companies and on-line suppression of vehicle owner complaints and dialogue and you've got criminal culpability, don't you?

Until the fix is in effect, vehicle owners are the "test pilots." Driving these vehicles with unsafe parts and poorly designed software is like playing Russian roulette, isn't it? Charlene Blake

Dannette Byh

Singer/songwriter, Kris Kitko did an AWESOME job on her YouTube video directed at Toyota regarding her own real world experience with Toyota SUA, sudden unintended acceleration. With her satirical approach, she completely destroyed the Toyota and NHTSA myth about SUA, namely โ€œpedal misapplicationโ€ by drivers.

Unfortunately, Kris Kitkoโ€™s YouTube video is no longer available for viewing online.

In the wake of the NHTSA/DOJ $1.2 BILLION settlement following a CRIMINAL investigation, Kris should be encouraged to use her finely-honed musical skills to do a sequel to her first Toyota SUA YouTube video. The U.S. Federal Government allowed Toyota โ€œdeferred prosecutionโ€ in this settlement provided it follow the steps outlined in the terms of the agreement. No oneโ€ฆnot one single Toyota executiveโ€ฆis going to serve any prison time for knowingly withholding evidence that could have saved many lives and ensured public safety on the roads.Toyota ADMITTED that it LIED to both the Toyota customers and the government.

Michael Barr, renowned embedded systems expert, after studying Toyotaโ€™s ETCS-I far longer than NASA did, found the existence of faults in the software which could lead to a real-world, potentially-catastrophic SUA event with a number of potentially ineffective failsafes.

Imagine flying down the road in a Toyota with no functioning brake override to exit a software task-death! Isnโ€™t that a bit like being on a high-speed roller coaster and having the track fail to keep you on? And want to know the most SHOCKING part? Toyota reportedly didn't have a copy of the code in their OWN monitor chip!

Michael Barr and company had to SHOW them! Can we just say, โ€œScary!โ€

Toyota cites that there is no electronic cause for SUA in its vehicles based on the short-duration investigations by NHTSA and NASA. Michael Barr and other experts have shown these studies to be scientifically seriously flawed. First, the ETCS-I software investigation was extremely limited.

Only a SMALL FRACTION of the embedded software was tested by NASA.

Secondly, Toyota misrepresented the presence of EDAC RAM (error detection and correction random access memory) while indications of this issue were apparently redacted in the original NHTSA report. This misled NASA into NOT LOOKING INTO a number of potential sources of failure โ€“ which they may otherwise might have.

According to NASA expert, Dr. Henning Leidecker, some Toyota's can grow "tin whiskers" within certain electronic components. This can result in short circuits which can lead to yet another type of electronically-induced SUA event.

Dr. Leidecker and associates actually DID FIND and study a case of "tin whiskers" found within the accelerator pedal assembly; rendering a Toyota vehicle UNDRIVEABLE. Dr. Leidecker suggests driving the affected Toyota vehicles is "a game of Russian roulette." Dr.

Leidecker is most concerned about 2002-**** Toyota Camrys with their potential to grow "tin whiskers." He indicates the risk of this condition increases over time. Meanwhile, whistleblower Betsy Benjaminson remains scared for Toyota drivers. She is convinced Toyota's own internal documents strongly indicate SOMETHING IS WRONG with their ETCS-i ELECTRONICS . She says "ghosts" indicate glitches can cause a runaway car.

Betsy now blogs on a Blogger website where she continues to EXPOSE key documents that she says open the company's PR KIMONO. Betsy's goal is to reveal the true inside story of Toyota's SUA problem and to demonstrate and expose the differences between the company walk and company talk. How did Betsy turn whistleblower? As a Japanese-to-English translator, Betsy was hired by Toyota's legal team to translate documents for the criminal investigation of Toyota.

Just like the DOJ, Betsy SMELLED A RAT. After checking with top experts, she came forward to alert the public to the major safety issues involved. Toyota owner, turned consumer activist-blogger, Parris Boyd has been blogging about what he calls โ€œThe Recall Kingโ€ (a.k.a. Toyota) for years.

His blog, โ€œBeware of Toyota. Their next victim may be YOUโ€ฆโ€ was initially an outlet for his frustration with Toyota, after his MR2 Spyderโ€™s engine disintegrated at low mileage. Parris went for assistance. What he faced was an unresponsive, stonewalling company in a state of denial.

During the height of Toyotaโ€™s engine oil SLUDGE debacle, Parris created his blog with the goal of using his free speech to help other similarly-affected Toyota owners. He also wanted the public to know just how Toyota and its dealerships treated their โ€œvalued customers.โ€ Parrisโ€™s Blogger website currently receives over 100 views a day! So, WHY is Toyota trying so hard to CONVINCE its own customers and the public that its vehicles suffer from SUA caused only by 1) improperly placed or type of floor mats (huh?); 2) sticky accelerator pedals (like those pesky sticky Sienna minivan sliding doors?); or 3) pedal misapplication (oh...the little old lady theory?). Why does it IGNORE the recent findings of the electronic experts?

WHY isnโ€™t it currently LISTENING to its own customers?

Well, YOU be the judge. The FACTS are before you.

Tracy W Yeb

Absolutely no affirmation from Toyota regarding a surge issue. My 2003 Toyota Camry that was in immaculate condition, with just over $90K miles is a TOTAL LOSS!

We bought a Honda to say the least.

Toyota for now is no longer on the top of my list for new car purchases. :sigh

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