NHTSA complaint #11647862

Owner complaint summary

I started hearing a "noise" over the course of 2 weeks. When the accelerator was depressed, the vehicle never accelerated. The vehicle also seemed as though it was losing power, but no lights ever came on. I have only taken my vehicle to the dealership to be serviced. The maintenance has been done regularly and without fail. When I brought the car in for regular maintenance I had them check for the noise and they said they didn't find anything. I took a video before leaving for work the following day, and brought the car back. Because it sounded it was coming from the wheel well they charged me for a diagnostic and said one of the plates for my brakes was bent. The following day it was still making the same noise, but when I went to accelerate the car shut off in the middle of a major highway and then the check engine lights started flashing. I took it back to the dealership and they claimed it was an air flow component, said it would be repaired, and kept the car for 5 days. After the repair, it was still making the "noise" and that is when they said it was the transmission and I would be responsible for the repair. This happened at 150,098 miles. Needless to say, I will not be paying for that repair. I believe this is a Toyota issue and the customer, especially one who has been religious in maintenance and upkeep, should not have to bear the cost of a their design failure. I was also told although in the maintenance manual, Toyota has decided against flushing the transmission because it is sealed. No warning lights, messages, or anything of the sort ever appeared until the check engine light came on.