Has anybody experienced the issues they are having?? Seems like if it was just accelerator pedals, carpet issues that should be able to be fixed fairly easly. Weird--like maybe ghosts of geisha girls past!!

My wife hasad a 1999 Toyota Avalon and it was getting to the point for her needing a new car. She's been looking for the last several months for something she liked and would consider owning.

While she didn't care for current Toyota styling, she was looking at them because she had such good luck with her Avalon. She's came across the accelerator issue while doing research on the Toyota and other models. It's not floor mats. There is a 911 call you can find on the internet where the occupants of an Avalon called 911 when their car kept accelerating. All 4 occupants were killed and all 4 floor mats were in the truck of the car. Toyota's having a hard time blaming floor mats on that one.

Lexus has a similar recall. I saw a post on another website that indicated there have been 23-24 fatalities as a result of the accelerator peddle issue. I think the issue may have more to do with the drive by wire system in the throttle body. It amazes me that people don't have the sense or maybe the presence of mind to put their cars in neutral or turn off the key when this happens.

The issue spooked my wife enough to where she ended up buying a Ford Fusion.

After a brief search, I'm confusing my stories. The 911 call was a Lexus that crashed into a highway barricade at 120 mph. It was a family of 4 that was killed. The other I mention was an Avalon that went into a pond and killed the 4 passengers while all the floor mats were found in the trunk. They aren't certain it was a sudden acceleration issue, but they're having difficulty finding another explanation.
Lexus crash
Avalon crash

Certainly don't wish to make lite of others misfortune, but after years of experience with cruise controls, junk on the floor, worn out accelerators, pedals that have fallen off leaving just a metal shaft, etc. it seems like there must be some other glitch. I haven't owned a Toyota for years, but had great experience with the ones I have owned. Just seems like there has to be something else, computer glitches, something!

Had one cruise once that would slowly gain speed, and after awhile you would be zooming along. It was a Chevy Monte Carlo.

That's the issue. Drive by wire technology is a computer controlled acceleration device. There is no mechanical linkage to the throttle body. It's all electronic. You press the accelerator pedal and it sends an electrical impulse to open the throttle body. All manufacturers are using this technology. I have it in my 2008 F-150 and I don't care for it. There is no feedback from the pedal. I'm used to some resistance. Little resistance starts to make my ankle hurt. I find I use cruise control a lot more often.