SUDDEN AND UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION

THE PETITIONER OWNS A MODEL YEAR (MY) 2006 TOYOTA TACOMA EQUIPPED WITH A V6 ENGINE AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. IN A PETITION SENT TO NHTSA'S OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) DATED JANUARY 10, 2008, HE ALLEGES HE EXPERIENCED TWO INCIDENTS OF UNWANTED ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING HIS TACOMA. THE PETITIONER REPORTED THAT DURING BOTH INCIDENTS, WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE SPEED INCREASED OF ITS OWN ACCORD (WITHOUT ACCELERATOR APPLICATION), CAUSING SUDDEN AND UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION. THE PETITIONER REQUESTED THAT THE AGENCY COMMENCE A PROCEEDING TO DETERMINE THE EXISTENCE OF A DEFECT RELATED TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY INVOLVING THE ELECTRONICALLY ACTUATED THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM. ODI REVIEWED THE PETITION, ASSESSED VOQS, INTERVIEWED PERSONS WHO FILED VOQS, TESTED THE VEHICLE, AND REVIEWED TOYOTA'S RESPONSE TO AN AGENCY INFORMATION REQUEST. THE COMPLAINTS FELL INTO THREE GROUPS. A MAJORITY OF THE COMPLAINTS MAY HAVE INVOLVED THE TACOMA'S THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM. SOME COMPLAINTS DID NOT INVOLVE A FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM. FOR THE REMAINING REPORTS, ALTHOUGH THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THE THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM AS ONE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION, WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DETERMINE A CAUSE RELATED TO THROTTLE CONTROL OR ANY UNDERLYING CAUSE THAT GAVE RISE TO THE COMPLAINT. FOR THOSE VEHICLES WHERE THE THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM DID NOT PERFORM AS THE OWNER BELIEVES IT SHOULD HAVE, THE INFORMATION SUGGESTING A POSSIBLE DEFECT RELATED TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY IS QUITE LIMITED. ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION IS UNLIKELY TO RESULT IN A FINDING THAT A DEFECT RELATED TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXISTS OR A NHTSA ORDER FOR THE NOTIFICATION AND REMEDY OF A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT AS REQUESTED BY THE PETITIONER. THEREFORE, IN VIEW OF THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE NHTSA'S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY'S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED. PLEASE SEE THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.