Recently while driving on the freeway my 2006 avalon began accelerating on it’s own and it took me several miles to bring it to a stop. I was not using the cruise control. The local Toyota dealership checked it out but couldn’t find anything wrong. Any suggestions?
For the time being, you should go to the NHTSA website in order to see if there are any other reports of this type of malfunction on Avalons. Whether you find other reports or not, be sure that you submit a report to NHTSA via that website.
Then, write to the Toyota regional office, telling them of the malfunction and of your reporting of it to the NHTSA.
AND–if this should happen again, get into the right lane a.s.a.p. and turn off the ignition (taking great care not to lock the steering wheel). If you cut the ignition, despite losing power assist for your steering and brakes, you will still be able to steer and to brake, albeit with much greater effort, and it will not take you “several miles” to bring the car to a stop.
This may sound too simple, but is there a chance that the floormat jammed the accelerator? I say this because my son called me once saying that his accelerator had stuck and that he was seeking help. He had the car towed to a service center and I drove 50 miles to pick him up. He discovered that a floormat was holding the accelerator down. Ford recalled some Windstars to replace the floormats because of this problem.
Another report of unintended acceleration by a vehicle with drive-by-wire throttle.
I can’t comment on the cause, but if this ever happens again there is a VERY QUICK way to stop the acceleration. Turn the key OFF. Not all the way to LOCK, which will lock the steering, but just to OFF, to stop the engine.