2018 TOYOTA RAV4 Complaints

I HIT A DEER TRAVELING AT 60MPH+ WHILE TRAVELING ON I-470. THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, I DID SEE AN ERROR ON THE STATUS DISPLAY OF A SAFETY SYSTEM FAILURE. THE REPAIR SHOP FOUND THE FRONT SENSOR WAS CRUSHED IN THE COLLISION AND AMAZED THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I AM CONCERNED THIS IS A FUNCTIONAL FLAW WITH THE VEHICLE AND COULD RISK THE SAFETY OF OCCUPANTS. I HAVE PHOTOS OF THE VEHICLE IF NEEDED.

GAS NEEDLE SHOWS EMPTY WHEN GAS TANK IS HALF FULL. THIS OCCURS WHEN AUTO IS STATIONARY, AND IN MOTION.

LANE DEPARTURE WARNING, SEAT BELT WARNING, PEDESTRIAN WARNING AND OTHER AUDITORY SAFETY FEATURE WARNINGS ARE NOT ADJUSTABLE AND THEREFORE MAY BE INADEQUATE IN PROVIDING THE INTENDED SAFETY FUNCTION. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD RETROFIT A CONTROL THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ADJUST THE SAFETY FUNCTION TO THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF THE DRIVER.

I PURCHASED MY 2018 RAV4 IN NOVEMBER 2019. I HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS WHEN I DROVE TO WORK, THE CAR ACTED SLUGGISH, WAS PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL BUT WASN'T GOING FASTER. THEN I HAD TO GO TO BANK, MY CAR WOULDN'T MOVE THE RPMS WENT UP TO 5 BUT CAR DIDNT MOVE, FINALLY CAR JUMPED SO I PRESSED ON GAS AN IT TRIED TO STALL SO I LET OFF, THEN CAR ACTED LIKE IT HAD POWER AGAIN THE CAR DID THIS ALL THE WAY TO BANK. IT SAT IDEAL WHILE I WAS AT THE BANK I NOTICED THE CAR SMELLED GASSY, THEN IT DID THE SAME ALL THE WAY BACK TO WORK. WHEN I GOT BACK TO WORK I CALL THE DEALERSHIP IN ENID WHERE I GOT IT AND HE EVEN SAID I MAY BE MY FUEL PUMP. LATER THAT DAY MY CAR SEEMED FINE. NOW IT FEELS LIKE IT WILL JUMP, SLUGGISH, OR STALLS LIKE IT DOESN'T GET GAS WHEN I HAVE A FULL TANK. I HAD GREAT GAS MILEAGE NOW IT TAKES 20 BUCK FOR 20 MILES NO JOKE. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN AMARILLO TX 4 DAYS AGO ABOUT CHANGING MY PUMP, SO SHOWS I HAD ISSUES LONG BEFORE I GOT SENT THE RECALL MESSAGE FROM A FRIEND. I CALL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN ENID OK WHERE I GOT THE CAR AND HAVE PLANS TO TAKE IT IN ON THE 19TH TO BE LOOKED AT.

THE VIEW OUT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD BECOMES OBSCURED WHEN THE SUN SHINES DIRECTLY TOWARD WINDOW BECAUSE THE FRONT OF THE DASH AREA BECOMES REFLECTED BACK IN THE WINDOW AND YOU CAN NO LONGER SEE DUE OUT THE WINDOW TO THE GLARE. I'VE NEARLY HIT PEDESTRIANS BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE THEM WALKING IN FRONT OF MY CAR WHEN THIS IS HAPPENING.

I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ANOTHER REASON BUT I HAPPENED TO TELL THE SALESPERSON THAT I WAS VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE FUEL SAVINGS. MY IN-TOWN AVERAGE IS 18.3 AND THE INTERSTATE FUEL ECONOMY IS 22.4 MPG. HE TOLD ME I SHOULD BE GETTING 30 MILES PER GALLON. NOT HAPPENING!!! I BOUGHT THIS SUV FOR TRAVELING. THAT'S NOT AN OPTION WITH THIS FUEL MILEAGE!

NEXT DAY AFTER I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE, I BROUGHT THE SUV BACK TO THE DEALER (CENTENNIAL TOYOTA OF LAS VEGAS ) WITH PROBLEM ON THE GATE OPENER. DEALER REPLACED THE CONTROL MODULE IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR BUT THE PROBLEM DID NOT GET RESOLVED. BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND THE TECHNICIAN CAME WITH ME TO REPROGRAM THE CONTROL BUT CANT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO BUY A REMOTE CONTROL FOR THE GATE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SUV CONTROL SYSTEMS. WE HAVE TWO GATES WHICH MEANS T I HAVE TO BUY THE CONTROLS. I TRIED TO RETURN THE VEHICLE BUT THE NEXT DAY I FOUND THE VEHICLE IN MY DRIVE WAY, WITH A NOTE SAYING THE PROBLEM WAS ON THE GATE. STILL FURTHER MADE THE COMPLAIN TO THE MAIN TOYOTA MANUFACTURERS OFFICE TO NO AVAIL, STILL INSISTING THAT THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE GATE CONTROL. HOWEVER THE CONTROL BUTTON FOR THE GARAGE WORK PROPERLY. STILL THE PROBLEM IS UNRESOLVED AT THIS MOMENT.

AT AROUND 1:30 PM, FEBRUARY 7, 2020, ON A SUNNY AND WINDY DAY, I WAS DRIVING ON MD RTE. 32 HEADING TOWARDS COLUMBIA JUST PAST I-95, TRAVELING ABOUT 60 MPH. I WAS DRIVING NEXT TO A LARGE TRUCK AND BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF WIND, AND THE TRUCK WAS BEING BLOWN BY THE WIND, I DECIDED TO DRIVE PASS IT. AFTER I HAD DRIVEN PAST THE TRUCK, I HEARD A VERY LOUD BANG RIGHT ABOVE MY HEAD AS IF SOMETHING EXPLODED. I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING AND THE CAR APPEARED TO BE OK, SO I KEPT DRIVING. BUT THEN I STARTED HEARING THE SOUND OF WHAT I THOUGHT WAS SOMETHING LIKE GRAVEL BOUNCING RIGHT ABOVE THE SLIDER THAT COVERS THE SUNROOF. BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED, I DECIDED TO HEAD HOME WHICH IS JUST A FEW MINUTES AWAY. WHEN I GOT HOME I SAW THAT THE SUNROOF GLASS WAS SHATTERED AND MOST OF THE GLASS WAS GONE. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE COMPANY THAT SOLD ME THE CAR ABOUT GETTING THE SUNROOF REPLACED AND THEY TOLD ME THAT EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WAS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND HAD A THREE YEAR WARRANTY, THAT I SHOULD CALL MY INSURANCE AGENT. I CONTACTED OUR INSURANCE AGENT AND SHE SAID TO CALL THE CLAIMS DEPARTMENT. SHE ALSO MENTIONED THAT SOMETHING MUST HAVE HIT THE SUNROOF. TO MY KNOWLEDGE NOTHING HIT THE SUNROOF TO CAUSE THE GLASS TO EXPLODE. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY PREVIOUS CRACKS OR OTHER DAMAGE TO THE SUNROOF THAT WOULD HAVE WEAKENED IT. I CALLED THE INSURANCE AGENT, AND WAS TRANSFERRED TO SUNROOF EXPRESS, THE COMPANY THAT HANDLES THE SUNROOF CLAIMS. I WAS REQUIRED TO PAY MY DEDUCTIBLE AND THEY SENT A NEW SUNROOF TO A REPAIR COMPANY NEAR ME AND THE SUNROOF WAS REPLACED. AT NO TIME DID ANY OF THESE COMPANIES ASK ME WHAT HAPPENED, WHICH ASTONISHED ME. NOR DID THEY SEEM SURPRISED AT THE OCCURRENCE. IT WAS LIKE THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND WE WANT TO BE EFFICIENT AND GET IT REPLACED FOR YOU AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR 18,000 MILES NOW AND I HAVE NOTICED SERIOUS ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES, I HAVE TO (ALMOST) COMPLETELY FLOOR THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO STOP. I HAD A 2015 HONDA CR-V FOR THREE YEARS AND IT NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES LIKE THAT. IN OTHER WORDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS TOO SOFT COMPARED TO SIMILAR VEHICLES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC FOR SHORTER DRIVERS (LIKE MY MOTHER) BECAUSE SHE HAS SMALL FEET AND SHE NEEDS TO LIFT HER ENTIRE FOOT TO TRANSITION BETWEEN THE GAS/BRAKE PEDALS, PUTTING HER AT A SLIGHT DISADVANTAGE. I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REGARDING THIS ISSUE, BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NORMAL AND COULDN'T DO ANYTHING MAJOR ABOUT IT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. I ALMOST RAN INTO A DEER ONE NIGHT ON A LOCAL ROAD BECAUSE I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR ON TIME. HIGHWAY BRAKING IS ALSO DIFFICULT, SO I HAVE TO MAINTAIN EXTRA DISTANCE. HOWEVER, WHEN USING DYNAMIC CRUISE CONTROL, THE CAR IS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY BRAKE IN ACCORDANCE TO THE VEHICLE TRAVELLING AHEAD OF ME.

THERE IS NOT PARTICULAR INCIDENT TO REPORT. THE HEADLIGHT BEAMS ARE TO LOW ON LOW-BEAM USE, WITH A HARD EDGE AT THE TOP SO IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE FAR DOWN THE ROAD. THE HIGH BEAM SETTING IT TOO HIGH, SO THE LIGHT GOES 30 FEET ABOVE THE ROADWAY, AND DOES NOT ILLUMINATE THE ROAD FURTHER AHEAD. THIS IS A FAULTY DESIGN. I WAS ABLE TO ADJUST THE BULB HOUSING TO LOWER THE HIGH BEAM SO IT ACTUALLY SHOWED MORE ROAD , AND THE PROBLEM OF DEER ON THE ROADWAY IN THE MOUNTAINS. THERE SHOULD BE SEPARATE ADJUSTMENTS FOR HIGH/LOW BEAMS, AND THE LOWER BEAM SHOULD SHOW MORE ROADWAY AHEAD.