2016 TOYOTA RAV4 Complaints

WHILE ENTERING A PARKING SPACE IN A NORMAL AND FREQUENT MANNER ON THE SIDE OF A WALMART STORE THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND TO THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN APPLIED. THE VEHICLE KEPT MOVING AND PROCEEDED OVER THE SIDEWALK AND INTO THE FENCED AREA AROUND THE GARDEN DEPT. BRAKES WERE APPLIED SEVERAL TIMES. NO OTHER VEHICLES INVOLVED AND NO OTHER PERSONS INVOLVED EXCEPT DRIVER (MYSELF), HUSBAND AND SON.

THIS SAFETY ISSUE WHICH I HAVE SEEN MENTIONED BY MANY OTHER BUYERS ONLINE AND HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN ON A 2015 RAV4 CONSISTS OF TWO PIECES OF PLASTIC MOLDING ON THE DASH BOARD WHICH APPEAR TO BE DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE SHINY METAL MOLDINGS BUT EXHIBIT A VERY DANGEROUS GLARE FROM BOTH THE FRONT AND SIDE REFLECTIONS FROM THE SUN. EVEN WHEN WEARING SUNGLASSES IT CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING. I SHOWED THIS ISSUE TO THE SALESMEN AND HE COULD SEE IT TOO. HE SAID THAT HE WOULD TRY AND FIND THE PHONE NUMBER FOR A TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE AND CALL HIM ABOUT THE PROBLEM. AFTER NOT HEARING BACK FROM HIM I RETURNED A FEW DAYS LATER AND HE TOLD ME THAT NO ONE AT THE DEALERSHIP COULD LOCATE HIS NUMBER. HE THEN TALKED TO HIS MANAGER AND RETURNED TO TELL ME THAT HIS MANAGER WOULD SEND AN EMAIL TO THE REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SEE IF ANYTHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT THE PROBLEM. IT HAS BEEN MANY WEEKS NOW AND I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM ANYONE ABOUT RESOLVING THIS SAFETY ISSUE.

DURING THE FIRST STARTUP OF THE DAY (OR AFTER COOLED DOWN) THE STEERING WHEEL MOVES RAPIDLY FROM SIDE-TO-SIDE AND THE ENGINE SURGES ROCKING THE CAR BACK AND FORTH. THE CAR IS IN PARK, AND MY FOOT HAS TO BE ON THE BRAKE TO START THE CAR, BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THIS HAPPENING IN TRAFFIC WITH THE CAR IN GEAR. SO FAR IT'S AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. I CAN'T REPRODUCE IT FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THE STEERING WHEEL CAN WOBBLE AT STARTUP WITHOUT THE ENGINE SURGING. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I LEASED THE CAR.

MY 2016 TOYOTA RAV 4 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON.. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND THE MECHANIC SAID THAT A RODENT CHEWED THE WIRES AND THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR 2080. ALSO THAT THE WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER IT EVEN THOUGH IT'S ONLY 7 MONTHS OLD AND THEY KNOW IT'S DO TO FAULTY WIRES OR USING SOY PRODUCTS.

TOYOTA PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM (PCS) ON 2016 RAV4. I NEVER GET ANY KIND OF WARNING, EVEN WHEN CARS CUT ME OFF AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I APPROACH A CAR FROM BEHIND AT SPEED (I CANNOT GET TOO RISKY HERE), ETC. OTHER PCS SYSTEMS ON FRIENDS CARS (NON TOYOTA) HAVE SOME WARNINGS, EVEN FALSE ONES A BIT. I ASKED MY DEALER TO CHECK IT WAS WORKING, THEY HAD NO PROCEDURES TO TEST IT OTHER THAN OBDII FOR SENSORS OUT. SEEMS LIKE THE PROMISED AND IIHS TESTS INDICATED THAT THIS PCS SYSTEM WORKED TO STOP THE CAR. ON LINE SEARCHES I CANNOT FIND ANYONE WHO HAS SEEN THEIR SYSTEM WORKING OR ALARMS. THE TOYOTA VIDEO INDICATES WARNINGS SEEM TO OCCUR AT 7-10 CAR LENGTHS - I HAVE BEEN CUT OFF ON HIGHWAY AT LESS THAN ONE CAR LENGTH WITH NO WARNINGS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, ALL OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND METAL FRAGMENTS EJECTED FROM THE AIR BAGS ALONG WITH A YELLOW POWDER. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP WHERE IT WAS DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 700.

THE PRE COLLISION SYSTEM (PCS) DOES NOT WARN THAT THE CAR IS CLOSE TO ANOTHER VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED. SINCE IT DOES NOT PROVIDE AN AUDIBLE, HOW CAN ONE BE SURE THAT THE PCS WILL STOP THE VEHICLE BEFORE A COLLISION.

TOYOTA HAS INSTALLED A DECORATIVE SILVER TRIM ON THE 2016 RAV4 DASHBOARD FACING THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THIS TRIM REFLECTS SUNLIGHT INTO THE DRIVER'S EYES AT CERTAIN ANGLES OF BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. THIS REFLECTION CAN APPEAR SUDDENLY WHEN MAKING A TURN OR EMERGING FROM A SHADOW. THIS REFLECTION CAN DISTRACT OR PARTIALLY BLIND A DRIVER, AND OVER TIME FATIGUE A DRIVER. ACCORDINGLY, I BELIEVE THIS DECORATIVE SILVER TRIM IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS DISTRACTED, FATIGUED DRIVERS CAUSE ACCIDENTS. I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD OFFER TO REPLACE THIS TRIM WITH A NON-REFLECTING MATERIAL. OTHER TOYOTA RAV4 OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS FEATURE ON THE INTERNET (SEE RAV4WORLD.COM). I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS DESIGN FEATURE DIRECTLY TO TOYOTA CORPORATE. THEIR TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVES LOOKED AT MY VEHICLE ON 27 JULY. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER'S REPRESENTATIVE THAT TOYOTA CONCLUDED THIS IS THEIR STANDARD PART FOR 2016 RAV4 AND AS SUCH IS NOT DEFECTIVE. TOYOTA TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVES WOULD NOT MEET WITH ME OR ALLOW ME TO SEE HOW THEY EVALUATED THE SUN REFLECTION - IT WAS A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY. THE DEALER SAID TOYOTA WOULD NOT PROVIDE THEIR WRITTEN EVALUATION DISCREDITING MY COMPLIANT. IN MY OPINION, TOYOTA TOOK THE EASY WAY OUT AS REPLACING THIS DECORATIVE TRIM IS INCONVENIENT FOR THEM. YOU CAN EVALUATE THIS ISSUE ON ANY 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP, APPARENTLY AGREEING WITH ME ABOUT THE PROBLEM, HAS OFFERED TO DO AN UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATION TO THE VEHICLE AND HAVE THE REFLECTIVE STRIP REMOVED, REPAINTED BLACK AND REINSTALLED. THIS IS A LESS THAN IDEAL SOLUTION SINCE THE PAINT WILL NOT BOND WELL TO THE PLASTIC REFLECTIVE STRIP AND WILL WEAR OVER TIME. IN ADDITION, THIS DOES NOT FIX THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER RAV4S ON THE ROAD OR REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR AVOIDABLE ACCIDENTS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND THE GEAR SHIFTER STICK WAS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY MOVED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO AN UNOCCUPIED PARKED VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 900.

WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED, WHETHER IT IS WARMED UP OR RIGHT AFTER STARTING TO DRIVE THERE IS AN INTERMITTENT BRAKE FAILURE. THE BRAKE PETAL WILL GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO SLOWING OR STOPPING OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENS IN ROUTINE TRAFFIC AND ALSO WITH A SUDDEN STOP.