2005 TOYOTA CAMRY SOLARA Complaints

2005 TOYOTA SOLARA WITH V6 ENGINE AND "DRIVE BY WIRE" THROTTLE EXPERIENCES SIGNIFICANT HESIATION UPON ACCELERATION AND OCCASSIONAL UNINTENDED/UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. SPECIFIC SITUATIONS ARE: 1) IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, AFTER SLOWING DOWN TO ADJUST DISTANCE TO CAR IN FRONT, THEN ACCELERATING WITH FLOW OF TRAFFIC, THE CAR DOES NOTHING BRIEFLY THEN JUMPS AHEAD LEADING TO A POTENTIAL COLLISION. IT'S AS IF IT IS STRUGGLING TO FIND THE RIGHT GEAR. 2) WHEN SLOWING DOWN FOR A CURVE, THE TRANSMISSION ABRUPTLY DOWNSHIFTS WITH THE CONSEQUENT INCREASE IN ENGINE RPM. BUT RATHER THAN MAINTAIN SPEED IN A DIFFERENT GEAR, THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY ACCELERATES UNEXPECTEDLY. THIS IS PARTICULARLY NERVE WRACKING ON WET OR SNOWY ROADS ON WHICH ONE CAN LOSE CONTROL AND SPIN OUT. *AK

DRIVER NOTICED THAT WHILE SHIFTING THE VEHICLE TRANSMISSION WOULD DOWN SHIFT ON ITS OWN, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK UNCONTROLLABLY. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC CLAIMED THAT VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. *AK THE HESITATION AND THE JERKY SHIFTING IS NOT ONLY IRRITATING AND UNCOMFORTABLE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. ALSO, SUDDEN SHIFTING INTO A LOWER GEAR CAUSES THE FRONT WHEELS TO SPIN ON SLIPPERY SURFACES WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF TRACTION AND LOSS OF STEERING. *BF *NM

TRANSMISSION HESITATES TO DOWNSHIFT. E.G. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE IN TRAFFIC, APPLYING THE ACCELORATOR, RESULTS IN A VEHICLE HESITATION WHERE THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN, THEN THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS, AND FINALLY THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO ACCELLERATE. THE VEHICLE I MERGED IN FRONT OF SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES, AS DID THE VEHICLES BEHIND THEM. THE HESTITATION HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE VEHILCE IN MAR 2004. THE HESITATION OCCURS AT LOW SPEEDS, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURED WHEN ACCELRATION FROM 40 MPH. DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS FUNCTIONING PER DESIGN.*AK

WHEN MAKING TURNS (AND SOMETIMES JUST WHEN ACCELERATING), THIS CAR AND ALL LIKE IT HESITATE WHEN THE THROTTLE IS DEPRESSED AND THEN LUNGES FORWARD SUDDENLY NEARLY CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL.*JB

THIS VEHICLE HAS CONVERTIBLE SEATS, BOTH FRONT SEATS AND HEAD RESTS ARE TOO LARGE. THIS CAUSES POOR VISIBILITY, CONSUMER UNABLE TO SEE PROPERLY. CONSUMER TOOL VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC CLAIMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. *AK....TOYOTA REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING TO LOWER REAR SEAT HEAD RESTS. THEY RESTRICTED VISIBILITY BY 1/2 THROUGH REAR WINDOW. *AK

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2005 TOYOTA SOLARA CONVERTIBLE. WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR, IT WAS GREAT WEATHER, SO I HAD THE TOP DOWN THE WOULD TIME I TEST DROVE VEHICLE. . IT WAS ONLY AFTER I PURCHASED IT AND PUT THE TOP UP THAT I REALIZED THAT THE VISIBILITY OUT THE REAR MIRROR OF THE CAR WAS AWFUL. I'VE HAD 2 OTHER TOYOTA CONVERTIBLE PREVIOUSLY, AND RECOGNIZE THAT VISIBILITY IS NOT THE BEST THROUGH THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR DUE TO THE SMALLISH CONVERTIBLE WINDOWS. HOWEVER, WITH THE 2005 SOLARA, TOYOTA HAS PUT VERY LARGE HEAD RESTS ON THE REAR SEATS THAT MAKE THE VISIBILITY SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE THAN MY TWO TOYOTA CELICAS. WITH THOSE HEAD RESTS (WHICH SURPRISINGLY ARE NOT REMOVABLE OR ADJUSTABLE), THE VISIBILITY OUT THE REAR MIRROR IS EFFECTIVELY LIMITED TO A 1 FOOT BY 1 FOOT SQUARE. THIS MEANS THAT LANE CHANGES MUST BE PERFORMED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY BY LOOKING OUT SIDE MIRRORS IN ORDER TO AVOID BLIND SPOTS. PARALLEL PARKING IS ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THE QUESTION BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEE THE RIGHT REAR OF THE CAR AT ALL. I TALKED TO TOYOTA, AND WAS TOLD THAT OTHERS WHO HAD DRIVEN THE CAR HAD ALSO EXPRESSED THE SAME CONCERN, BUT THAT THE REAR HEAD RESTS WERE NOT REMOVABLE OR ADJUSTABLE. THAT WAS AS FAR AS THEY WERE WILLING TO GO WITH THE DISCUSSION. I BELIEVE THE HEAD RESTS SHOULD BE MADE AT LEAST A FEW INCHES SHORTER AND SLIGHTLY NARROWER. THIS WOULD IMPROVE THE VISIBILITY SIGNIFICANTLY. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE THIS VISIBILITY ISSUE.*AK

CONSUMER CLAIMS THAT THE HEAD RESTRAINT OBSTRUCTS THE DRIVER'S REAR VIEW. IT IS HARD TO BACK UP OR CHANGE LANES.*AK