Owners describe five distinct unintended acceleration patterns in the 2007 4Runner. The most common: sudden engine RPM surge while driving at various speeds, with the vehicle accelerating despite the driver's foot on the brake or off the accelerator entirely. These incidents happened at speeds from 5 mph in parking lots to 70 mph on highways, mileage ranging from 19,900 to 78,000 miles. One owner's accelerator stuck to the floor during rush hour, pushing the vehicle over 120 mph; another driver had the pedal locked down for 2 miles of highway before regaining control by pumping the brakes.
Engine revving in Park also appears repeatedly—owners shift from Park into Reverse or Drive and the engine spins to red line without throttle input, jerking the vehicle forward despite hard brake pressure.
A separate issue involves the air conditioner: when the AC is running, the engine idles higher, causing the vehicle to lunge forward at traffic lights and drive itself up inclines without any pedal input. Severity increases with AC fan speed.
Dealers consistently failed to reproduce the failures and found no diagnostic codes. One owner had four repair attempts; Toyota told another that 4Runners were not on the recall list. Floor mats were blamed and adjusted, then removed entirely—the failures continued.
Failure modes owners describe
Sudden unintended acceleration while driving
Engine races and vehicle accelerates without driver input on accelerator pedal, occurring during normal driving at various speeds. Happens while driver maintains foot on brake or has no foot on accelerator.
When: Various speeds (5 mph to 70 mph), most often during lane changes, at traffic lights, or in heavy traffic; mileage 19,900–78,000
Symptoms owners cite: Engine RPM increases suddenly without driver input; Vehicle accelerates despite brake application; Accelerator pedal unresponsive or stuck to floor; Continued acceleration even with hard brake pressure; Vehicle lurches forward at stops or during turns
Repairs/costs cited: Dealers unable to duplicate failure in most cases; no diagnostic codes recorded; throttle body cleaning mentioned once; floor mats adjusted; no sustained repair remedy found
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Toyota dealerships inspected vehicles in multiple cases but found no defect; one owner traded vehicle to 2011 model with 'smart pedal' technology; manufacturer advised 4Runners not on recall list despite complaints
Stuck accelerator pedal
Accelerator pedal becomes physically stuck or mechanically locked to floor, preventing release even with foot lift-off.
When: Mileage 20,000–40,000; one incident lasted 2 miles; one incident during 200+ mile trip
Symptoms owners cite: Accelerator pedal stuck to floor; Pedal does not return when foot lifted; Vehicle accelerates to extreme speeds (over 120 mph in one case); Driver unable to release pedal by foot action; Shifting to neutral stops acceleration
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer made four repair attempts on one vehicle, first three under warranty; fourth repair not covered; floor mats removed without stopping recurrence
Engine revving in Park
Engine RPM spikes excessively while vehicle is in Park and stationary, even with brake pedal applied.
When: Mileage 33,100–40,000; occurs on restart or after shifting into Park
Symptoms owners cite: Engine revs at red line upon startup or after shifting to Park; High RPM occurs with brake firmly applied; Engine continues revving until ignition turned off; Happens with both cold and warm engine
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer towed vehicle for inspection; cause of failure not determined; floor area inspected for mat entrapment with no findings
Unintended acceleration upon shifting from Park
Engine revs to red line and vehicle lurches or accelerates immediately when driver shifts from Park into Reverse or Drive.
When: Fourth occurrence in one owner; occurs on both cold and warm engine starts
Symptoms owners cite: Engine revs to red line on shift from Park; Vehicle attempts to move despite brake application; Accelerator pedal does not depress; remains at normal idle when pedal pressed in Neutral
Idle surge when air conditioner is running
Vehicle idles at elevated RPM when air conditioner is on, causing vehicle to lunge forward at stops without driver throttle input. Severity increases with higher AC fan speed.
When: Occurs at traffic lights and stops whenever AC is engaged; mileage not specified
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle idles higher than normal when AC is on; Vehicle surges forward and drives itself uphill or on flat roads; Engine RPM increases when AC compressor cycles; Vehicle lunges forward when AC compressor shuts down; Effect correlates with AC fan speed setting
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer stated no 'computer program' available to fix
Synthesized from 19 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer
allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.