2018 TOYOTA RAV4 Complaints

HAZARDS OF THE PUSHBUTTON START: THE ENGINE CAN BE TURNED OFF WHILE CAR IS STILL IN GEAR.....MINE WAS IN REVERSE, (I THOUGHT IT WAS IN P AS THERE IS NOT AN ALIGNMENT (R IS UP & TO THE RIGHT).....FIRST DAY I DROVE IT, JUMPED OUT, WAS KNOCKED DOWN, FRONT L TIRE ROLLED OVER MY LEG....NO WARNING, NO SAFEGUARD AGAINST THIS.......

TAMARA RECALL. VEHICLE CONSTANTLY DRIFTS TO THE RIGHT SIDE. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS OF FIXING THE ISSUE HAVE BEEN MADE BY THE DEALERSHIP AND VEHICLE STILL CONTINUES TO PULL TO THE RIGHT. AT THIS POINT THE DEALERSHIPS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THE ISSUE. NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN SUSTAINED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM.

MY RAV4 CAUGHT FIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHILE PARKED ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. IT HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 12+ HOURS. AFTER BURNING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, IT EXPLODED WITH A FORCE SO GREAT THAT IT LIFTED THE CAR ONTO THE CURB, KNOCKED OVER A FIREFIGHTER, AND DAMAGED OUR BOAT PARKED 10 FEET ACROSS THE STREET. THE INSPECTOR FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THE INITIAL FIRE WAS FROM FAULTY ELECTRICAL WIRING BUT SAID HE HAD NEVER SEEN A CAR EXPLODE IN HIS 25 YEARS ON THE FORCE. TOYOTA CONDUCTED THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION AND AGREED IT WAS ELECTRICAL BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE FAULT DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE DAMAGE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND MADE AN ABNORMAL GRINDING NOISE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (HALEY TOYOTA OF RICHMOND, 3600 LONAS PKWY, MIDLOTHIAN, VA 23112, (804) 545-7411) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT AN ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1808171087, BUT NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,500.

DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT DUE TO PROJECTOR HEADLIGHTS BEAM PATTERN CUTOFF. WHILE DRIVING WITH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON AT NIGHT, TOP PART OF LIGHT BEAM PATTERN IS A STRAIGHT LINE LEFT TO RIGHT ACROSS FIELD OF VISION WITH ZERO LIIGHT ABOVE MIDPOINT FIELD OF VISION BOTTOM (ROAD) TO TOP (SKY). ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN DECENDING HILLS IN DARK AND ROAD AHEAD IS FLAT (OR HORIZONTAL) AS WELL AS DECENDING A DIP WHICH CLIMBS BACK UP. NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH LIGHT ABOVE MID FIELD OF VISION. REQUIRES HIGHBEAMS SELECTED WHICH CANNOT ALWAYS BE SELECTED DUE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC OR FOLLOWING SOMEONE WHERE IT WOULD BLIND THEM. HIGHER MODEL RAV4 TRIM LEVELS HAVE LED HEADLIGHTS WHICH TOYOA SHOULD RETROFIT ONTO XLE, LE, AND ANY OTHER MODELS AFFECTED. WORRIED ABOUT WIFE DRIVING WITH KIDS. 6 MONTHS INTO A 3YR LEASE.

THE AIR CONDITIONER / HEATER / VENTILATION SYSTEM IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE DRIVER TAKING THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD. THE RADIO IS VERY DIFFICULT TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE DRIVER TAKING THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE REQUIRES DISTRACTED DRIVING. THE HORN CANNOT BE SOUNDED BY PRESSING THE STEERING WHEEL SPOKES; THE DRIVER MUST TAKE A HAND OFF THE STEERING WHEEL AND PRESS THE CENTER HORN "BUTTON". IF THERE IS A COLLISION AT THAT TIME, THE AIRBAG WILL EXPLOSIVELY FORCE THE DRIVER'S HAND INTO THEIR FACE. THE SPEEDOMETER IS VERY SMALL AND IS HARD TO READ IN THE DAYTIME BECAUSE IT IS RECESSED, SHADED AND VERY DIMLY BACKLIGHTED. THE FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS ARE MUCH BRIGHTER AND EASY TO READ IN THE DAYTIME. THE NUMBERS ON THE SPEEDOMETER ARE MUCH TOO SMALL TO BE EASILY READ, AND SINCE THEY ARE SET UP AT 20-MPH INTERVALS THE EXACT SPEED IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE. THE RIGHT-HAND OUTSIDE MIRROR CREATES AN UNUSUALLY LARGE BLIND SPOT, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE WHAT IS TO THE RIGHT OF THE CAR. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN MAKING RIGHT TURNS ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS AND IN PARKING LOTS. IT IS SHOCKING HOW DIFFICULT THIS CAR'S INSTRUMENT PANEL AND CONTROLS ARE TO USE, COMPARED TO VEHICLES MADE BETWEEN 1970 - 2013.

ON 7/30/2018 I PICKED UP MY NEW 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID FROM THE DEALERSHIP OF PURCHASE AND FOUND THAT I DID NOT HAVE A DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER AS I WAS DRIVING HOME. A DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER IN MY BELIEF IS NOT JUST A MERE CONVENIENCE IN MOST VEHICLE BUT SHOULD BE A SAFETY STANDARD EQUIPMENT IN ALL VEHICLES IN THE 21ST CENTURY. LOOKING DOWN TO AN ANALOG SPEEDOMETER TO TRY AND GUESS WHAT SPEED I MAYBE TRAVELING AT IS WASTING PRECIOUS SECONDS THAT COULD BE USED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD AHEAD OF ME. IT IS MUCH MORE SAFE TO SEE A LARGE DIGITAL DISPLAY OF THE SPEED AT WHICH MY TRAVELING AT RATHER THAN TRYING TO GUESS MY SPEED TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M TRAVELING AT A SPEED SAFE FOR THE ROAD I"M ON. I BROUGHT MY CONCERNS TO TOYOTA ON 7/31/18 BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A SATISFACTORY REPLY. I WANTED TO BRING MY CONCERN TO THE NHSTA AND REGISTER A SAFETY COMPLAINT AND BRING THIS ISSUE TO THE FOREFRONT AND HAVE SOMEONE LOOK INTO IT. THANK YOU.

HEADLAMP PROVIDES DANGEROUSLY INSUFFICIENT ILLUMINATION WHILE DRIVING IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS: DARK, CURVED, OR HILLY ROADS (SUCH AS US HIGHWAY 1 IN MARIN COUNTY, SKYLINE BLVD IN OAKLAND, CA). 1. VERY LITTLE PERIPHERAL ILLUMINATION ON CURVES 2. SHARP HORIZONTAL CUT-OFF RESULTS IN SHORT BEAM PROJECTION WHEN ASCENDING OR DESCENDING HILLS. BOTH OF THESE OCCUR SIMULTANEOUSLY AND IS FRIGHTENINGLY DANGEROUS WHEN ASCENDING/DESCENDING ON CURVES. THE NHTSA FORM ASKS FOR A DATE THIS OCCURRED. PLS NOTE THIS IS ONGOING UNLESS A DEALER CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATIONS TO THE BEAM SPREAD. (THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM OF COURSE ON BRIGHTLY LIT ROADS.)

THE LANE DEPARTURE ALARM ON THE 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID IS VIRTUALLY INAUDIBLE AND REPRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD.

DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 84 IN CALIFORNIA AND A CRACK DEVELOPED IN MY WINDSHIELD. I DID NOT FIND A CHIP WHERE THE CRACK DEVELOPED. SO NO ROCK HIT MY WINDOW. THE CRACK STARTED ON THE VERY TOP OF THE GLASS UNDER THE RUBBER SEAL. I HAVE LESS THAN 2000 MILES ON THE SUV.