Cruise Control problems of the 2009 Toyota Tacoma

I was driving south on I/s 95 in attleboro, MA at about 2:45 pm on 6/6/13 in a 2009 Toyota Tacoma pickup. My wife was in the passenger seat and the only other passenger in the vehicle. I was traveling at about 60 mph and moved to the right lane to take exit 2 onto rt 1a southbound. The cruise control was “on” and engaged. When I flipped the lever to disengage (cancel) the cruise control the truck did not start to slow down (my foot was off the accelerator pedal). If anything, the truck started to accelerate. I immediately applied the brakes very forcefully, with little, if any affect. I immediately put the transmission into neutral. By this time, I was off the highway and on the exit ramp. Centrifugal force was pushing me to the left. It pushed the truck over the curb and grass and into the entrance ramp from 1a south onto I/s 95 south. At this time, I saw a vehicle on the entrance ramp headed toward me. Had I tried to steer to the right the truck would most likely would have skidded and blocked the ramp entirely, so I turned to the left, turning into the skid, hoping that the oncoming vehicle would have room enough to pass to my right. My truck continued skidding to my left and I believe hit the curb on the right side of the entrance ramp. It then flipped onto the driver’s side, skidded along the pavement, hit something else – most likely the guardrail – and flipped back to the upright position. It came to rest on the left side of the entrance ramp. I do not know what became of the previously on-coming auto. There was nothing to indicate contact between contact between the two vehicles. Both side airbags deployed. Both of us had our seat belts attached. The front windshield was broken, the roof severely dented, scrapes along the driver's side and glass throughout the cab. The rescue arrived and transported us to the hospital.

Using the cruise control, set at 61mph, climbing a small hill, the truck downshifted at least 3 times, revving the engine to over 5000 rpm. It startled me. My first reaction was to shift to neutral, but I knew that would cause the engine to over rev. I lifted the cruise control to shut it off, and the engine speed dropped. I drove a while with the cruise off, then retried it. On the first hill the same thing happened, and I shut off the cruise. I tried two more times with the same results. When I drove with out the cruise control on, the engine would down shift only one time, then at the top of the hill would upshift, resuming the normal operation. Through out the rest if my visit to PA, I drove w/o cruise control, and there were no over shifting incidents. On the return trip to nc on the 26th, I reset the cruise, and upon climbing a hill, the same thing happened. I shut off the cruise control until I got out of the hills, and then the operation seemed normal. I have made that trip before in the truck, and had nothing like the experience I just mentioned.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. While driving 70 mph on a hill with the cruise control activated, the vehicle changed gears and the rpms increased rapidly. The failure has occurred approximately 20 times. The dealer was contacted, test drove the vehicle and duplicated the failure; yet, they said that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 6000 and the current mileage was 17311. Updated 03/19/2010. The consumer stated the transmission down shifted into second gear. Updated 07/19/jb.

2009 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 crew pickup truck with auto transmission and v6 engine accelerated unexpectedly to over 80 mph, then later on the same trip it happened again. I was on a long straight stretch of interstate the second time so I allowed the truck to accelerate to approximately 95 mph at which time I stopped the truck again. The first time it happened, I had disengaged the cruise control due to a slower car in front of me and when I engaged the cruise control resume feature the truck accelerated 15 mph past the preset speed at which time I turned off the cruise control and regained control of the truck. The second time that it happened the truck was again in cruise control mode and was going up a long hill. When the cruise control shifted the transmission down and accelerated to maintain set speed the truck continued to accelerate past 95 mph and was only stopped by turning off the cruise control again. I allowed the truck to get to that speed to see if it would discontinue accelerating but chickened out at 95 mph because it is after all a truck. I took the truck to the selling dealer, he tried to make it happen again with no success (told me he would have to replace the cruise control unit but could not do that unless he could duplicate the problem because it is a very expensive change out) and it has not happened but one more time. 4 things seem to be common: 1. The cruise is turned on. 2. The vehicle is accelerating when the problem starts. 3. The transmission has automatically downshifted. 4. The problem is halted by turning off the cruise control. I had the dealer document the problem since he would not fix it. I hope this info helps in your continuing investigation of the problems that Toyota seems to be having. I am not a disgruntled customer, I have purchased a 2010 corolla from the same dealer since the incidents.