general problems of the 2008 Toyota Corolla

The contact owned a 2008 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle surged forward independently. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a church gate. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 77,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle suddenly surged forward. The contact indicated that the brakes were depressed to stop the vehicle from accelerating forward while the engine erroneously continued to operate. The vehicle was taken to a the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the defect. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 59,000. Kmj.

My wife was pulling into a parking spot in front of a bagel shop and the car just lost control accelerating , not stopping until it crashed into a pillar. Causing extreme damage to the car.

Since, I bought this car brand new it would make noise rattle like something was loose. Every time I would take the vehicle in they would keep it the whole day for days and I was without transportation. They refused to lend me a vehicle. And at the end stated there was nothing wrong. Making it look like I was hearing things. The 2nd issue is when I put in reverse for example I want to parallel park and put it in reverse it gets stuck and reverses super fast. When I took back they said they heard it then they did not. Now the reverse part and rattle noise is worse. This has been happening and I go in to leave the car to complain about the same issues but on the paper they would always change the complaint to a new one. This is what has happened since I bought the car. At first they were nice but once I was out they were helpless. Then I had to return various times for a letter I got in the mail that the vehicle was on "recall". Ever since buying a brand new car from Toyota has been a bad experience because I was with a new car but with the conditions of a used car. And to top it off they charge me to inspect the vehicle. Sadly to say these people don't car once they get you hooked on the car. Once you're out your alone and they won't back up their vehicles. And another issue the batteries died fast and I had to pay for a new one. And since they know one needs a car their is nothng to do but to suck it up this sucks!! warning!!.

I had my Toyota Corolla 08 serviced on 4/5/11 due to a recall for the engine control module. After the Toyota dealer looked at they determined it did not need to be replaced according to "lot #7238" and on 8-21-2012 my wife was driving on the highway going 55 mph when all of the sudden the vehicle's electrical system just cut off. Luckily there were no cars in front of her at a distance and it started to slow down until she was able to control it and manage to park at the median. She said that the breaks did not work and the power steering did not work. She was terrified at that moment and feared for her life. The next day I took the car to the dealer and explained what had happened. They just told me that there was a recall and it should be fixed immediately. I asked the representative why this recall was not taken care of the first time I went to the dealer. He had told me that at that time it was not necessary to change the part which affected the electrical system. Well they should not have wasted my time, but looking back they were negligent on their part. I could have lost my loved one or one of my beloved children which could have devastating for me.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while braking at approximately 1 mph the vehicles rpms increased and the vehicle lurched forward without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal with force and the vehicle responded. The failure recurred on several occasions while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. Sw.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 2 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated to 15 mph without warning. The contact called the dealer who provided her with a 2010 model vehicle. The contact was awaiting an investigation from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages was approximately 57,750.

On November 22, 2010 I was pulling into a parking space between two parked cars on the roof of a parking garage. The space was straight ahead of me and as I started to pull in and applied the brake, my 2008 Toyota Corolla accelerated to top speed causing me to crash into the concrete wall approximately 18. 5 feet in front of me. The car jumped the concrete parking block and hit the 3ft. Concrete wall. My air bag deployed and the seat belt extended to its limit but did not retract. I was bruised and sore from the impact. The estimate to repair my car is in excess of $7,500. I called my dealer and was told that there are no acceleration problems with the 2008 Corollas (contrary to what I see on the website) but they will look at it if I bring it in after it is fixed. It was obvious the car was accelerating on its own and I had no control. It was a very scary experience and I don't think I will be comfortable driving my car again.

This is an update to complaint # 10314227 I have had two more sua's. One was in may when I was parked at a fast food restaurant on a slight upward slant. The car was slightly warm. It was a dry, cool day. When I shifted into reverse and began to roll backward, I put my foot on the brake to pause to look for traffic. Then the motor began to race as if someone had floored the accelerator and was holding it there. As my foot remained on the brake, which fortunately held, I looked around to see if anyone was witnessing the event so I would have someone to back me up, but no one was near. It stopped racing after a few seconds, then abruptly starting racing again for a few seconds. All this time I was in reverse and had my foot on the brake. Then it suddenly stopped. I put it into park for a while to see what it was going to do, but when nothing happened I went into reverse again and the engine did not race. The second occurrence was in the first part of June when I had just gone about 1/8 of a mile and the car was still cold. It was a warm, dry day. I was sitting at a light waiting to get on the beltline when I heard what sounded like a motorcycle nearby racing its engine. My radio was on playing music. I heard it for a few seconds and then it stopped. I looked around for the motorcycle. Then it started again. By this time I realized that it was my engine that was racing. By the time I cut the radio off, it had again stopped. So this was the second time the sua happened when the engine was relatively cold and with two short episodes of the racing engine. I did not think to look at the tachometer. It was too quick. Again, my foot never left the brake. When the light changed I drove on through the traffic without further incident. Please reference this complaint number to my other complaint. Thank you.

Vehicle experienced an uncommanded acceleration. We were approaching the exit from the dental school parking and had to slow for another car waiting to turn. When the brake was applied the vehicle suddenly went into full acceleration causing us to swipe the waiting car and forcing extreme evasive action. Situation was witnessed by traffic officer directing traffic. Vehicle was taken to body shop where it was investigated by the manufacturer's representative. No fault was found. Vehicle was traded in and is in dealers possession - for potential resale. There is no doubt that there was a fault because there was clearly no contact with the accelerator during the event. We refused to drive the car again!.

While applying brake, car suddenly surged forward (hard acceleration). Minor accident ensued, several police officers observed accident.

My Toyota Corolla ce sedan automatic, 2008. Mileage 69938. Warranty is out. 04/25/10 while my car was parked I started engine, gas pedal did not accelerate. , engine had low tone & slowly went off. I tried 4-5 times, pressing on gas pedal while engine was on, same result. Finally. I started engine, without depressing gas pedal, I backed up, then, I put gear in drive & moved the car forward, after abt 2 minutes I depressed gas pedal, engine accelerated & drove on. It has been normal ever since. I had previous 2 similar cases but engine accelerated on 2nd try. 4/26/10, I reported it, as manufacturing defect, to Toyota dealer & asked fixing it without charge to me. Dealer had car checked by a technician, he could not diagnose the cause & said I should leave it for complete inspection at $98/hr. I told customer relations mgr I could not pay it. He had the car inspected again, this time by head mechanic at workshop abt 20 minutes. He said car was ok & could not diagnose the cause. 4/28/10 I faxed all in detail to Toyota motor sales USA inc, torrance, CA, dept wc11 (customer experience center). 04/29/10, they emailed "due to high contact volume, we are unable to respond to your inquiry in a timely manner and it may take several weeks to receive a response to your inquiry". 4/27/10, I emailed "Toyota owners member registration" & registered myself as Toyota member. Then, I reported my problem. 05/04/10 Toyota called, a lady asked me to recount my story, again & again, obviously trying to worn me out. She said she had not seen my original report, so I faxed her copy of my fax 5/04/10 & asked her help. 05/04/10, she emailed: I should contact dealership. "if the dealership discovers a warranty concern, all fees will be covered, otherwise you would be responsible for all costs related to the inspection. . . . . " my question to you (NHTSA-dot"= have similar cases been reported to you. What shall I do next ?.

I was traveling less than 30 mph and stopped at a stoplight. The moment the light turned green, my car stalled. The engine light and battery light went on. After I restarted, it drove all right for another 10 minutes. It stalled out again at another stoplight. Scared to go on the highway, I pulled into a hotel parking lot. The car made jerky vibrations and would go no faster than 10 mph regardless of the pressure on the gas pedal. I took it to the Toyota dealership, and they said the electronic control module was bad. It was still under warranty, and I was not charged for the replacement (thankfully!).

On 1-30-10 I took my car for its first "free" lube etc. And I mentioned a "surge" when accelerating and also an intermittent clunk sound when braking. They found no problem. On 1-30-10 I was driving into my garage slowly to reach a cone I have placed to "stop". About a foot from the cone the accelerator surged into the cone, and a cabinet and table behind the cone were damaged, plus $4653. 76 damage to my car.

My vehicle accelerated and I hit the vehicle ahead of me despite braking as hard as I could.

Defective engine control module in the electronic throttle control system. As a result, the engine speed did not increase when the accelerator pedal was depressed when the traffic light turn green. Low speed driving (less than 20 mph) was used to remove vehicle from road. The car was towed to the dealer and the computer control module was replaced.

The contact rented a 2008 Toyota Corolla. When the contact was making a left turn the vehicle accelerated briefly and crashed into another vehicle. The contact thought the vehicle accelerate due to operator error. The following while driving approximately 5 mph in reverse, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into another vehicle causing damage to the passenger of the vehicle. No one was injured during the crash. The contact returned the vehicle to the rental company since it was unsafe. The failure mileage was unknown.

On four separate occasions the engine revved up to 6000rpm on my 2008 Toyota Corolla ce when I was stopped. My foot was off the accelerator and no floor mats were near the accelerator. I brought it to my dealer but they did not find anything wrong with it. I reported it to Toyota corporate but they have not responded other then to say that to tell me that my car was not covered by the recall.

2008 Toyota Corolla acceleration issue the consumer stated when his wife attempted to stop at a stop sign, the vehicle continued to accelerate. She was able to bring the vehicle under control. The consumer stated the incident happened again two months later where his wife was unable to stop the vehicle as she approached a 4-way stop sign. She had to use both of her feet to step on the brake, in order to get the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated the problem was with the floor mat. The consumer stated neither the floor mat nor the gas pedal caused the problem. The consumer believed there was an electronic issue with the vehicle. The service manager at the dealership examined the vehicle and verified that the floor mat was secure an stated the brake and gas pedal were too close to each other causing the probability that both could have been stepped on at the same time causing driver-error. Updated 06/16/10.

I have a 2008 Toyota Corolla and the floor mat has gotten stuck under the gas pedal, similar to the situations leading up to the recall on the 2009-2010 Corollas. Over the course of a few days of driving, the floor mat will unhook from the hook in the floorboard and slowly get jumbled under the gas pedal as I move my feet by getting in and out of the car. I will put it back on the hook and it gets jumbled again.

Vehicle continued to accelerate after releasing throttle. Unable to stop vehicle and had accident with vehicle ahead. Plenty of distance between cars to stop vehicle, but unable to bring vehicle to a stop in time. Apparent throttle problem.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. While driving 5 mph out of a parking lot there was a loud popping sound and the vehicle began to accelerate into on coming traffic. The vehicle stopped after it crashed into a parked vehicle. The contact suffered a back injury during the crash but was not transported to the hospital. The vehicle was not destroyed and has been repaired. The contact does not know why the vehicle accelerated. The current mileage was 19,700 and the failure mileage was 19,500.

From the day of purchase, the gas pedal was way too hard to press. It is similar to the tension of a clutch pedal. The regional/district Toyota service manager and the service reps at the at kearny mesa Toyota in san diego stated the it was normal and that all of the Corollas were the same. However, when san diego mossy Toyota service personnel were asked about this, they stated on 8 or 9 Jan 09 that there had been numerous complaints about the gas pedal having too much tension and that there probably would be a recall on it in the future. While this may not cause a major accident, I am sure that someone will try to accelerate slowly, and because of the tension, they will lunge forward and strike another vehicle. The pedal requires a constant awareness to avoid lunging. It is even more difficult to take off on an incline smoothly.

-the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving she applied the brake, she shifted into reverse and the vehicle suddenly shot backwards at approx 100 mph. The vehicle stopped after hitting the cement post in front of a supermarket. The contact stated that she had not experienced this failure in the past. There was no warning that the issue would occur. She spoke with both the dealer and the manufacturer who would not assume responsibility for the failure. The current and failure mileages were approximately 3,200. Updated 05/27/09. Updated 05/28/09.

2008 Toyota Corolla accelerated while the driver still had his foot on the brake. The consumer stated the vehicle accelerated backwards at a speed of 100 mph. The vehicle was totaled.

On Aug. 1, 2008 I bought a certified used 2008 Toyota Corolla with 5,420 miles on it from manhattan beach Toyota, in manhattan beach, CA. After driving it for several weeks, I realized there was something troubling about the accelerator. Whenever I depressed the accelerator to make a standing start -- when a traffic signal turned green, for example -- the car would often lurch forward in an uncontrollable manner. I soon traced the problem to the position of my foot on the accelerator. If my foot was in just the right position -- low to midway on the pedal, with my heel closest to the floor -- I had complete control. But if I miscalculated and placed my foot ever so slightly higher on the pedal, the car would lurch forward even when I applied the same pressure. I could regain control only by quickly taking my foot off the accelerator and/or hitting the brakes. The Toyota dealership that maintains my car repeatedly said I should not worry -- that as the car's computer got used to my driving habits, it would eventually adjust the action of the accelerator to my touch. But nothing changed. Now I take extra care to try and get my foot in just the right spot before accelerating from a standing start. Sometimes I am successful, other times not. In anticipation of trouble, I make it a point to leave plenty of extra space between me and the car ahead of me, so I won't rear end it if the accelerator sends me lurching forward. I have become resigned to the problem, because I am a Toyota fan and like everything else about the car. I never thought to complain about this until a new york times story indicated that other Toyota owners have had the same problem, and (I believe) had notified your agency. (pls ignore the dates I entered below; the problem persists to this day, but your form would not allow me to so indicate. ).

A run away full throttle engine in a 2008 Toyota Corolla (purchased in fall of 2007). I accidentally backed up into a tree at 2 to 3 mph. The rear bumper of the car hit the tree squarely causing no visible damage to car. The engine of the car did not die out after the impact. Upon shifting from reverse to drive -- the car lurched full speed forward (with full acceleration) despite full application of the foot brake and no application of the accelerator. I quickly placed the car in neutral and shut off the engine to avoid running into pedestrians, building and trees. After inspecting the car for damage and any carefully placing the car in park with parking brake and foot brake engage I restarted the engine. The car has run normally since this incident which took place July of 2008.

When braking and almost at a full stop the engine rpm's rev up and vehicle lunges forward. At those instances, the vehicle will not stop even when I stand on the brake pedal.