2018 TOYOTA RAV4 Complaints

I PURCHASED MY RAV4 BRAND NEW MID/LATE YEAR 2018. IN DECEMBER AT APP. 10000 MILES I STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH THE GEARS. SHIFTING FROM PARK TO ANY GEAR I WOULD HEAR A LOUD BANGING TYPE NOISE AND THE ENTIRE CAR WOULD JERK. ALONG WITH THAT ISSUES I HAVE NOTICED A DELAYED ACCELERATION AT GREEN LIGHTS SOMETIMES TO THE POINT WHERE I GET A TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ONCE IT HAS KICKED IN OR EVEN JERKING WHILE FINDING THE CORRECT GEAR TO BE IN. ONCE I HAVE ACCELERATED AND LET OFF THE GAS, AND THEN RETURNED TO THE ACCELERATION PEDAL AFTER BRAKING OR JUST MOMENTARILY RESTING MY ANKLE WITH THE CAR AT SPEED, THE CAR WILL "FISH FOR GEARS" LIKE IT CANNOT DECIDE WHICH GEAR THE CAR SHOULD BE IN. WHEN GOING DOWNHILL AND LETTING OFF THE GAS IT WILL DOWNSHIFT, CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK. ALL THESE ISSUES HAPPEN OFTEN BUT COMPLETELY AT RANDOM. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER AND BROUGHT IT UP MULTIPLE TIMES DURING OIL CHANGES AND TIRE ROTATION, BUT THEY SAY THAT CANNOT DUPLICATE IT OR THAT IT IS JUST HOW THE CAR WORKS.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE TURNPIKE FROM FT. LAUDERDALE, FL TO OCALA, FL, WHEN I REACH THE KISSIMMEE AREA, THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OPENED BY ITSELF. I HELD THE DOOR WHILE CONTINUING TO DRIVE TO A SAVE AREA. THIS WAS A CONSTRUCTION AREA, SO I DROVE FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE OR 1-1/2 MILE AND ENTER BETWEEN THE CONSTRUCTION DRUMS TO PARK AND PROPERLY CLOSE AND LOCK THE DOOR. IT WAS A VERY FRIGHTENING AND TENSE MOMENT.

I WAS ALONE AROUND 630PM DRIVING STRAIGHT EAST ON I10 TWIN SPANS IN THE LEFT LANE GOING 70ISH MPH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP SOUND. OVERHEAD I COULD HEAR A LITTLE WHISTLING AND RATTLING COMING FROM THE SUNROOF SHADE THAT WAS CLOSED. I QUICKLY GOT INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND SLOWED TO ABOUT 50 MPH. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR THEM TO REVIEW THE VEHICLE. THEY CLAIM A ROCK HIT THE GLASS, HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO ONE IN FRONT OF ME TO THROW UP A ROCK. IT WAS NOT RAINING. IT WAS SLIGHTLY WINDY. THIS OCCURRED ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019.

SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH & NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND.THE DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT CLAIMS A ROCK CAUSED THE ISSUE AND WILL NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIR.

IN THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS SINCE PURCHASE JANUARY 16TH, 2018, THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL HAS LOST TRACK OF AN SUV IN FRONT OF ME AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. DRIVER HAD TO INTERVENE. FIRST INSTANCE WAS A BROWN PONTIAC AZTEC IN CLEAR WEATHER DAYTIME. SECOND OCCURRENCE WAS A BLUE CHEVY ENCORE IN CLEAR WEATHER DAYTIME. THIRD OCCURRENCE WAS A BLACK ESCALADE IN CLEAR WEATHER AT NIGHT. VEHICLE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET TO 70-80 MPH WITH THE CLOSEST DISTANCE SETTING.

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO COMPLAINT # 11279255 FILED ON 11/10/2019. CAR STALLED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING WITH "CHARGING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" APPEARING ON THE DASH NEXT TO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. AFTER TAKING CAR TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER IN CONSHOHOCKEN PA, THEY KEPT THE CAR ASKED QUESTIONS AND FINALLY FOUND A FAULTY VALVE IN THE GAS LINE THAT WAS FLOODING THE VAPOR CANISTER WITH GAS. TOYOTA STEPPED UP AND ALONG WITH THE PERSISTENCE OF THIS DEALERSHIP IN DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM, IT WAS RESOLVED. THIS ISSUE WAS A THREAT TO LIFE AS IF IT HAD HAPPENED 10 MINUTES LATER WHEN THE CAR WAS ON AN INTERSTATE, SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED.

THE LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM WORKS INTERMITTENTLY AT NIGHT ON A WET ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS ON A FOUR LANE ROAD WITH TWO LANES IN EACH DIRECTION. SPEED WAS AROUND 45MPH. LANE DEPARTURE WARNING WORKS ABOVE APPROXIMATELY 32MPH. THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE WHITE SHOULDER LINE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE VEHICLE OR THE DOTTED WHITE LINE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE LANE. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAD HAPPENED TO ME. THE OTHER TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY A MONTH AGO.

WHEN I'M DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS THE ENGINE FEELS LIKE IT STALLED OR DOWNSHIFTED AND THE DISPLAY GETS DARK BUT CAR IS STILL 'ON', HOWEVER, IT WILL NO LONGER ACCELERATE. THE STEERING SEEMS TO BE AFFECTED TOO. UNFORTUNATELY, IT ONLY RESOLVED BY TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, CAUSING TRAFFIC TO STOP OR SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING ME 3X THE PAST 2 WEEKS.

THE VEHICLE JERKS AND MAKES LOUD NOISE WHEN THE EV MODE TURNS ON MOMENTARILY AT 60 MILES PER HOUR. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN GOING DOWN HILL AND PRESSING ACCELERATOR AFTER RELEASED FOR A FEW MINUTES. THIS DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN BUT WHEN IT DOES, FEELS LIKE THE REAR TIRE HAS BUSTED AND THE CAR IS BEING FORCED TO MOVE. IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES NOW AND I HAVE REPORTED IT TO TOYOTA BUT THE DEALER CANNOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. IT HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 8 TIMES SO FAR SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN SEPTEMBER 2018.

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR SHUTTERED THEN STOPPED WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND CHARGING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED. I COASTED OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD. RESTARTED CAR TO GET HOME AND THIS SAME THING HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES UNTIL I GOT HOME AND PARKED IT. WE RAN THE CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES. SINCE IT IS SUNDAY AFTERNOON WILL HAVE TO CALL TOYOTA ON MONDAY. AFTER READING ONLINE ABOUT SIMILAR ISSUES...I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN. IT SEEMS TOYOTA HAS NO FIX OR HAS ACKNOWLEDGED IT AS A PROBLEM.