04 Camry 4 Cyl Check Engine Light and No Acceleration

[cyberslider]

I drove my Camry up on some ramps today to check out the condition of my oil filter and later in the day when I went to drive it somewhere, I am getting a "maintenance required" light flashing which eventually disappears but also a CEL that stays on solid.

The big issue is that the it can't be driven because it won't rev up at first when I push my foot on the accelerator pedal. If I really push it down far it seems to rev up a little bit. I don't want to do any damage to it so I did not try to drive it very far. It idles and moves forward and reverse but only about 2 mph. I can't drive it to Autozone in the condition that it is in.

I have tried twice disconnecting the battery cables and pushing on the horn to get all excess charge out of the system to clear the code but that has not worked.

Has anyone had anything happen like this before? My car has been cared for well and only has 42k miles on it.

Seems the slant of the ramp and the angle the car sat at must have screwed something up internally.

Advice appreciated before I have it towed to the dealer.

[Glenn8963]

i wouldn't be sure on what year they went to "drive by wire", which means you have no accelerator cable. to get rid of the "service engine soon" light, just turn your key on and hold down the reset button on the odometer. that will shut off the light till the next mileage service interval comes up.

i do not believe that simply driving up the ramps did anything but i would at least get under the hood and check for any disconnected plugs you may have near the throttle body/firewall area.

also, check ALL the fuses. maybe one popped...??

[cyberslider]

Originally Posted by Glenn8963

i wouldn't be sure on what year they went to "drive by wire", which means you have no accelerator cable. to get rid of the "service engine soon" light, just turn your key on and hold down the reset button on the odometer. that will shut off the light till the next mileage service interval comes up.

i do not believe that simply driving up the ramps did anything but i would at least get under the hood and check for any disconnected plugs you may have near the throttle body/firewall area.

also, check ALL the fuses. maybe one popped...??

Tried all your recommendations and same issue remains. I decided to attempt to drive it to Autozone. It drives a little better than I thought initially. There is a 3-4 second delay when I push the accelerator but I was able to get it up to 40-45 mph but the rpm's seemed to run higher than usual at just above 3000.

Autozone plugged in scanner and it spit out the codes P2121 & P2128. Code P2121 says "Throttle pedal position sensor switch "D" circuit range/performance. Code P2128 says "Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor 2 Circuit High Voltage".

Is this where I start complaining to Toyota for putting a faulty part in my car?

[Tech1984]

The ECM has shut down the throttle body and put it in "limp mode" That is what you're experiencing.
Here's what the TSB states:

When these DTCs are stored, the Engine Control Module/ECM (SAE term: Powertrain Control
Module/PCM) enters LIMP MODE or FAIL SAFE where the ECM cuts off current to the throttle control motor. The throttle control valve returns to a predetermined opening angle (approximately
16 degrees) by the force of the return spring. The ECM then adjusts the engine output by controlling the fuel injection (intermittent fuel-cut) and ignition timing in accordance with the accelerator pedal opening angle to enable the vehicle to continue at a minimal speed. If the accelerator pedal is depressed firmly and slowly, the vehicle can be driven slowly

Bottom line, there's an updated part to resolve your issue. New throttle body assy.
See your dealer and what they can do for you.
But be forewarned, at last check it was around a 700.00 part.

[Tech1984]

This repair is covered under the Toyota Federal Emissions Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s in-service date.
• For vehicles equipped with a California Certified Emission Control System that are registered and operated in California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont, this repair is covered under the California Emission Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 84 months or 70,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s in-service date.
• For 2004 Camry 4-cylinder models certified as partial zero-emission vehicles (PZEV) that are sold, registered and operated in California, this repair is covered under the California Emission Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 180 months or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s in-service date.
• For 2005 Camry 4-cylinder models certified as partial zero-emission vehicles (PZEV) that are sold, registered and operated in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, or Vermont, this repair is covered under the California Emission Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 180 months or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s in-service date.
• Warranty application is limited to occurrence of the specified condition described in this bulletin.

[cyberslider]

Does anyone think that driving it up the ramps had anything to do with triggering this situation? It did create some strain on the engine to accelerate it up the ramps and into position.

I will definitely log a complaint about this part through the Customer Relations at Toyota and the Auto Safety government website that I have read about in other threads.

42K miles is too low to be experiencing a breakdown like this one!

Thanks for all the info provided to date.

[cyberslider]

Just got results from dealer. They say I need a new accelerator pedal assembly at a cost of $650.06 out the door.

I want to say I am happy but then I ask why would this fail at 42K miles and why do I have to pay for it so soon. Also, I suspect that I will soon be paying for a new throttle body eventually.

Can you imagine spending almost $2 g's for something related to faulty parts having to do with an accelerator pedal and a throttle? Outrageous!!!

That amount represents ~10% of the cost of my car when I bought it in 2004.

I'm not a big conspiracy theorist but c'mon TOYOTA, why would you do this to your customer base just to bring in some extra $$ for the service people?

Add me to the list of skipping Toyota on my next new car shopping experience. I've learned my lesson--the HARD WAY!!!

[Mike Gerber]

Call Toyota corporate customer service (they call it the Customer Experience Center) at 1-800-331-4331 and ask for somw goodwill help. With all the problems they have had with sudden acceleration on the generation 6 Camrys, they might be willing to do something for you. It's worth a call IMHO.

Mike

[cyberslider]

Yep, I already tried that approach. Got shot down. She apologized for my bad experience but she said that since I was well beyond my warranty period that there was nothing she could offer.

I let her know that I would never buy Toyota again and I would make sure everyone I knew would hear the same message. I said that I am considering escalating the issue to the local and national media and would do my part to be a "squeaky wheel".

[Glenn8963]

Originally Posted by cyberslider

Yep, I already tried that approach. Got shot down. She apologized for my bad experience but she said that since I was well beyond my warranty period that there was nothing she could offer.

I let her know that I would never buy Toyota again and I would make sure everyone I knew would hear the same message. I said that I am considering escalating the issue to the local and national media and would do my part to be a "squeaky wheel".

you WILL NOT get far "escalating the issue".....no one will want to hear your story.....you DID NOT crash, your car DID NOT suddenly accelerate, you DID NOT hurt anyone or yourself.

the "drive by wire" that cars and "big rigs" have, are here, and here to stay. what that means is, it's an electrical device, subject to failure at any time, in warranty or out.

your car is OLD.....at the very least 6 years old, by date of manufacture. yes, you have low miles, but that doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot, in the scope of longevity fir anything mechanical or electrical.

it is all coincidence that the day you put YOUR car up on ramps that this happened. you got no one to blame foe this......NO ONE.......

you can be "squeaky wheel" all you want, but the "media"......????

you WILL NOT be heard.......your car IS OLD, OUT OF WARRANTY......it was NOT a factory defect.........only a "simple" breakdown, which happens........when things ARE OLD.......

[cyberslider]

Glenn, you have stated it very clearly. I get it but I don't believe the line is so clear in the sand that I would never receive any assistance if I decided to pursue something.

That said, I used Toyotaparts.com to price match a dealer who agreed to sell me the part for the same price. Instead of $427 for the part I am getting it for $307+tax.

I also found a small repair shop that will only charge $60 labor to install it vs the dealer labor charge of $250.

From what I see, there are only two bolts that hold the accel pedal assembly down and one plug to connect. Should be pretty straight forward if that is what the problem really is. So I am not sure why I would be charged 2 hours of labor at the dealer for the install. If what I think needs to occur, it should take no more than 15-30 min to install.

I thought they were required to use some sort of standardized labor manual when conducting all repairs. Have they been able to skirt this issue? Wouldn't surprise me if they were...

[Glenn8963]

Originally Posted by cyberslider

Glenn, you have stated it very clearly. I get it but I don't believe the line is so clear in the sand that I would never receive any assistance if I decided to pursue something.

That said, I used Toyotaparts.com to price match a dealer who agreed to sell me the part for the same price. Instead of $427 for the part I am getting it for $307+tax.

I also found a small repair shop that will only charge $60 labor to install it vs the dealer labor charge of $250.

From what I see, there are only two bolts that hold the accel pedal assembly down and one plug to connect. Should be pretty straight forward if that is what the problem really is. So I am not sure why I would be charged 2 hours of labor at the dealer for the install. If what I think needs to occur, it should take no more than 15-30 min to install.

I thought they were required to use some sort of standardized labor manual when conducting all repairs. Have they been able to skirt this issue? Wouldn't surprise me if they were...

you can pursue it all you want, but IT IS out of warranty, and NOT a safety issue....or it probably would have been done either at a MUCH reduced cost, or free. well anyway's, don't expect the results you want.

as for labor charges. the dealership, all dealerships, not just toyota, DO HAVE labor guides. all the service writer has to do is enter the job and the labor pops up. for a small repair shop to do it for less, only means they have a lower over head, lower hourly rates, and probably pay the mechanics MUCH LESS than a dealership does. i'm sure you will get very good service at the repair shop as you would the dealership......BUT.......

i think you would have a much BETTER warranty from the dealer than the repair shop.

you COULD buy the part from Toyota parts mans. then take it to your dealer. they will see its toyota factory parts......and install it. maybe what you "might" want to do is this. go to a dealer near you. talk with the parts man there and ask for a customer discount.....if you get one, great, if not, well at least you tried......

so now you buy the part, walk over to the service counter, show them the part you just bought.....ask them if they will warranty the part/labor and for how long......

at ONE TIME, General Motors had a warranty policy that if you had a part replaced and you paid for it, it was covered for "life".......

you really got nothing to lose but ask, and be ever so nice and polite about it.....you could be very pleasantly surprised. but if not, buy the part, go to the repair shop, or heck, replace it yourself..

let us know how you make out on this.