2011 TOYOTA RAV4 Complaints

WE PURCHASED THIS USED CAR IN THE FALL OF 2014. THANKS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION 49 CFR PART 571 [DOCKET NO. NHTSA-2004-19807] RIN 2127-AH09, HEAD RESTRAINTS, FINAL RULE, THE HEADRESTS ON THIS VEHICLE PROTRUDE SO FAR FORWARD THAT THE DRIVER HAS TO BEND HIS HEAD AND NECK FORWARD AS WELL AS PULL THE UPPER BACK FORWARD OFF THE BACK OF THE SEAT. THIS HAS RESULTED IN STRAINING OF THE NECK AND SPINE WHILE DRIVING, LEADING TO NECK INJURY WITH NERVE PAIN IN THE ARMS, NECK AND UPPER BACK AFTER SPENDING TIME DRIVING! THE HEADREST IS ONLY ADJUSTABLE UP AND DOWN, NOT FORE AND AFT. PLEASE RETHINK THE REGULATION. SAFETY PROTECTION FROM WHIPLASH IS ADMIRABLE, BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF HORRIBLY UNCOMFORTABLE DAILY DRIVING RESULTING IN HEAD, NECK, SHOULDER AND UPPER SPINE STRAIN. HUMANS ARE NOT CRASH TEST DUMMIES. WE CAN CONTOUR OUR SPINE TO A SEAT AND IN OUR OLDER VEHICLES WE CAN ACTUALLY PLACE OUR ENTIRE BACK FLAT AGAINST THE SEAT WITH THE HEADREST NATURALLY RIGHT BEHIND AND IN LINE WITH THE HEAD AND NECK. *TR

THIS RAV 4 HAS HAD TWO SEPARATE INSTANCES OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION. ONE TIME WHILE APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, AND THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED, THE ENGINE STARTED TO REV, AND THE VEHICLE HAD "EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE". LUCKILY, THERE WAS NO CAR IN FRONT OF US, OTHERWISE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. IT OCCURRED A SECOND TIME WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT WORK. AGAIN, LUCKILY, THERE WAS A SNOW BANK IN FRONT OF THE SPACE (AND NOT ANOTHER CAR!). THE CAR IS A 4CYL., AND CERT. PRE-OWNED. IT'S SCARY TO THINK THERE IS THIS UNPREDICTABLE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. DEALER CLAIMS THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT. I WILL BE SHOWING THEM THE 56 OR SO COMPLAINTS FROM THIS NHTSA SITE FOR MERELY THE 2011 RAV4. I HAVEN'T EVEN LOOKED AT THE OTHER YEARS YET! MORE THAN 50% OF THE COMPLAINTS IN HERE ARE FOR THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM! ISN'T IT ABOUT TIME FOR A RECALL ON THIS DANGEROUS "FEATURE"? HOW MANY MORE LIVES NEED TO BE AT RISK? OR IS THE GOVT. TRYING TO PRESERVE "TOYOTA QUALITY"? IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS REPLACING THE BRAKE PEDAL -- SPACE IT FURTHER AWAY FROM THE ACCEL. PEDAL AND MAKE IT "TALLER" SO THAT THERE CAN BE NO ITERATION BETWEEN THE TWO. OR, SIMPLY ALLOW THE BRAKE LIGHT SIGNAL TO INTERACT WITH THE ECM TO INHIBIT ANY "THROTTLE INCREASE" COMMAND TO THE ENGINE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO CHURCH IN MARYLAND. FROM NEWARK DELAWARE--I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR--I CAME TO A STOP SIGN ON A SMALL HILL INTERSECTING WITH ELKTON ROAD, MD. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES. THE CAR WAS STILL TRYING TO ACCELERATE FORWARD--THERE WAS A TRACTOR-TRAILER TRUCK COMING DOWN ELKTON ROAD--I STOOD ON THE BRAKES. AFTER IT PASSED I CAME OFF THE BRAKE IT JUMPED FORWARD. I CANNOT TRUST THIS CAR WITH MY WIFE KIDS OR GRANDKIDS --IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I JUST BOUGHT IN ON 3/9/15. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE DRIVER WAS ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY EXCESSIVE FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO TURN THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE, IT LUNGED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN AWAY AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 5/19/15*CN

I WAS DRIVING DOWN SUBURBAN ROAD AT APPROX 20-25 MPH BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT. THE BRAKES LOST POWER AND ENGINE QUICKLY REDLINED TO 6000 RPM. IT WAS ONLY BY IMMEDIATELY SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL THAT I AVOIDED RUNNING A REDLIGHT AND PLOWING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. I PLACED IN PARK AND SHUT OFF ENGINE WITHIN 3-5 SECONDS TO AVOID ENGINE DAMAGE. I WAITED ABOUT 10-15 SECONDS STUCK AT A RED LIGHT BEFORE RESTARTING ENGINE AND LIMPING IT BACK HOME LESS THAN HALF A MILE AWAY. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A TREE AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. NEITHER THE CONTACT NOR THE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED ANY INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

1. AFTER HAVING DRIVEN MY TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED EDITION FOR ABOUT 3 MILES, I WAS TURNING LEFT INTO A PARKING SPACE AT THE MORGANTOWN AIRPORT. I HAD MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 25% INTO THE SPACE, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE SPONTANEOUSLY. I INCREASED PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE AND SHIFTED FROM DRIVE TO PARK. THIS CAUSED AN IMMEDIATE DECREASE IN THE ENGINE SPEED. MY WIFE WAS WITH ME AND I TOLD HER TO LOOK TO VERIFY THAT MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, NOT THE ACCELERATOR. I WENT DIRECTLY TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. AFTER 3.5 HOURS TOYOTA CONCLUDED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS "PEDAL MISAPPLICATION" AND NO FURTHER ACTION WAS REQUIRED (CASE#-[XXX]). 2. AT ABOUT 8:12 PM THIS EVENING, WE WERE DRIVING AROUND LOOKING AT CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. I WAS DOING ABOUT 5 MPH IN FRONT OF 937 RIVERVIEW DRIVE, MORGANTOWN. I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH MY RIGHT FOOT TO SLOW DOWN FOR A BETTER VIEW. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE SPONTANEOUSLY. I SHIFTED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL, WHICH SOLVED THE PROBLEM. I HAD MY WIFE VERIFY THAT MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE ONLY. 3. THIS IS THE THIRD OCCURRENCE OF THE SAME PROBLEM I FIRST REPORTED IN ODI NUMBER 10667543 (TOYOTA CASE#-[XXX]). THIS VEHICLE HAS A DANGEROUS DEFECT WHICH TOYOTA HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT. THIS IS A PROBLEM IN THE CONTROL SYSTEM. IT IS NOT A "PEDAL MISAPPLICATION". INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AFTER DRIVING MY 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED EDITION FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO TURN LEFT. I TURNED LEFT AND ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 15 MPH. I THEN NOTICED PEDESTRIANS ENTERING A CROSSWALK SO I HIT THE BRAKES A BIT HARDER THAN NORMAL, BUT NOT IN A PANIC MODE. AS THE CAR DECELERATED, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE. I INCREASED MY PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WHEN THE SPEED WAS ALMOST ZERO SHIFTED FROM DRIVE TO PARK. THIS IMMEDIATELY CURED THE PROBLEM. THE DISTANCE FROM STOP TO STOP WAS LESS THAN 100 FEET. I BELIEVE THAT THE PAVEMENT WAS DAMP, BUT IT WAS NOT RAINING AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE 40S. I DRIVE WITH ONE FOOT, AND MY FOOT DEFINITELY WAS ON THE BRAKE, NOT THE ACCELERATOR. THE FLOORMAT WAS SECURELY IN PLACE AND THERE WERE NO LOOSE OBJECTS ON THE FLOOR. I BROUGHT MY SUV TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. THEY TESTED THE VEHICLE AND CONTACTED THE COMPANY. THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND ATTRIBUTED THE PROBLEM TO "PEDAL MISAPPLICATION" (TAS CASE#-143510469). AS IT IS GEOMETRICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS AT THE SAME TIME IN A RAV4, I CONCLUDE THAT TOYOTA CANNOT FIND THE SOFTWARE/HARDWARE BUG IN THEIR PRODUCT. I FEEL THAT I AM DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT COULD TURN ON ME AT ANY TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO SELL IT, BUT HOW CAN I PASS SUCH A SERIOUS DEFECT ON TO AN UNSUSPECTING BUYER? *TR

WHEN DRIVING AT TEMPERATURES BELOW 32 DEGREES (FREEZING) THE HEATING/COOLING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK AND THE WINDSHIELD AND WINDOWS FOG COMPLETELY INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS CREATES AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS VISIBILITY ISSUE. THE ONLY WAY THE VEHICLE CAN BE DRIVEN IN COLD WEATHER IS IF THE DEFROST IS ON FULL BLAST WITH NO HEAT ON THE FEET. EVEN THEN, THE REAR WINDOWS ARE COMPLETELY STEAMED UP AND THE DRIVER AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WINDOWS ARE ONLY PARTIALLY CLEAR. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN AT LEAST 7 TIMES. IF THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM THEY HAVE BEEN DISMISSIVE OF THE ISSUE EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE SEEN PHOTOS. WHEN THEY HAVE REPRODUCED THE PROBLEM THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY A CAUSE. *TR