This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My 2007 6 cyl Rav4 has under 30K miles on it. Was fine and after sitting un-driven in my garage for 3 weeks, now the check engine light, vsc, and 4 wheel drive lights stay on. The transmission no longer shifts into overdrive (stays in 4th gear) at highway speeds. Random delayed acceleration when making slow speed turns (usually at intersections or passing in slow moving rush-hour traffic) resulting in sudden acceleration. No accident - yet. Have appointment to have the dealer look at it.
May 5, 2010 accident. Toyota Rav4 2007 accelerated. At time of acceleration I had already begun braking to make a right turn. Engine began loud racing and car accelerated. With very little room to maneuver I turned car hard right to avoid cars and ran into a large tree with car still accelerating stopping only when hitting tree and bounced off. When car came to a stop engine was still racing and very loud. The accident was on private property so police were not called. Witness observed slow down and turn signals and then seeing car begin accelerating very quickly. 2nd witness that heard the noise of the crash came out of house and was alarmed at the loud racing still coming from the engine after car had come to a stop. Engine racing did not stop until I was able to turn the ignition off. Accident happened in a matter of less than a minute after acceleration began and I was not able to take hands off of wheel to attempt putting into neutral or turn engine off. Car estimate was $14,000 which did not include the new engine and transmission that would be required so it was totaled. Injuries sustained by me include severe bruising, soreness and burn like abrasions across neck and right arm from seat belt. A concussion due to head and neck being thrown back ward and forward on impact. Remaining symptoms include dizziness, nausea, headaches, cognitive issues. This was 2nd experience of acceleration problem. First incident 2 weeks prior, lasted less than 30 seconds with no accident and car resumed previous speed before acceleration. Car has had full maintenance with dealer since purchase as a new car. No previous accidents. Car has never required any repair other than a tire and all maintenance was properly maintained.
The accelerator stuck and raced while driving into newport nh in a line of traffic. I was fortunate that there was an empty parking lot to turn into or I would have hit the car in front of me. The car is a Toyota rav 4 bought new in June of 2007 and this was the first time this happened, and it was before the news of the Toyota problems surfacing.. since then it has repeated this 8 times through April of 2010, completely randomly. It has been to two nh dealerships (about 20 hours of inspections/ diagnoses) and they have not been able to replicate the problem. In fact Toyota has told me that there is nothing further they can do and if the car is indeed dangerous or an accident waiting to happen that is my problem. At this point I am not sure they believe me but I can assure you that the defect is very real and the last time it occurred on April 5 there were two people in the car who saw it firsthand as it happened twice that day. Additionally I don't know what to do with the car as I can't sell it with this kind of defect and my wife will no longer drive it. Loaning the car to anyone else becomes a liability and driving with young children or elderly folks is out of the question. Frankly I have been highly disappointed in Toyota's response which has been slow or non responsive until recently when they informed me that everything is working properly and that arbitration is my only recourse. The car has 22000 and is still under warranty.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. While driving at 2 mph with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle abnormally accelerated without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 16,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle abnormally accelerated, resulting in a crash. One of the vehicle occupants was injured however, the police did not arrive to the scene. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for an assessment of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 47,000.
- Matteson, IL, USA
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The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that three people who regularly drove the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while driving. After approaching a stop sign, the vehicle suddenly accelerated after she took her foot off of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle slowed down when the brake pedal was engaged. The failure occurred five times between the contact and the other three drivers. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who could not duplicate the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. The current mileage was approximately 37,000.
-the contact owns a 2007 Toyota rav 4. while traveling 25 mph the contact applied pressure to the brakes and the vehicle suddenly surged forward. The vehicle continued to accelerate until the gear was shifted into neutral and the engine turned off. The vehicle restarted and operated normally. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or serviced at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were 23,000.
2007 Toyota rav 4 sport had an unintentional acceleration while driving home from work, the car sped out of control, I was unable to stop the vehicle because both the brake and gas pedals were compressed. Finally crashed into a brick wall to stop the car.
I turned on the ignition of my 2007 Toyota rav 4 and began to drive into my garage and the vehicle suddenly accelerated and did not slow down upon application of the brake pedal. I pumped the brake fiercely several times to the floor board over the approximately 12-15 feet of garage depth and the Rav4 stopped just as it pushed the wheelbarrel into the wall.. aside from damage to the wall of the garage, the vehicle's bumper was dented and slightly cracked. Airbags did not deploy and there was no bodily trauma or personal injury.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. While driving approximately 5 mph and attempting to slow down at a stop sign, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal with force to avoid a crash. The vehicle had not been inspected when the complaint was filed. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 16,400.
2007 Toyota Rav4 V6, defective rear wheel speed control sensor causes erratic ABS, skid control and braking. Sensor failed at under 40,000 miles. Almost $600 to fix and other three could fail too as a result of corrossion from water and salt. Toyota has redesigned the part so that the new one will not be as susceptible to failure, but meanwhile there seems to be a safety issue with the failure of these speed control sensors that should be a recall covered by Toyota rather than an expense born by the owners. It is a design flaw and a safety issue, especially in bad weather when the sudden loss of AWD, ABS, vsc can have serious consequences. Having searched on the internet through various Toyota forums, this seems to be an all to common problem.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while sitting idle with the gear in the drive position, the vehicle accelerated while releasing his foot from the brake pedal. He depressed the brake pedal, shifted the vehicle into neutral gear and was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing; however, the contact was advised that they did not have the proper equipment to adequately diagnose the failure. The contact was concerned that the electrical system malfunctioned. The approximate failure mileage was 26,723 and the current mileage was 27,750.
I own a 2007 Rav4. In fall 2008, my husband and I pulled up to a red light behind a pickup truck and stopped the vehicle. My husband had his foot on the brake but, just as he stopped, the car suddenly accelerated. Even though he immediately put both feet on the brake, we ended up hitting the truck in front of us. The accident caused about $1,500 damage to the front end of our car. The truck in front sustained no visible damage, and the driver said don't worry about it and we did not file a police report. After the accident, the vehicle was thoroughly inspected by dowling Toyota of litchfield ct. They did not find anything mechanically or electronically wrong with the car that would cause the unexpected and unstoppable acceleration. They did find some acorns under the hood, and given the lack of any other identifiable cause, they suggested that the sudden acceleration might have been due to the ingestion of a nut into the engine which held the accelerator open. At the time I reluctantly accepted this explanation because our accident was an isolated incident. However, in light of recent events concerning Toyota vehicles, I can't help but wonder if our experience with our Rav4 was part of a larger problem. My experience with our 2007 vehicle was eerily similar to those of the affected models that have been recalled. I am hearing on the news that it has taken several years for Toyota to acknowledge the accelerator problem, and I can't help but wonder if our accident was related to a similar problem. Please add my vehicle to the list of consumer complaints about accidents involving sudden acceleration.
I own a 2007 Toyota Rav4 sport. Since it was new we have had this problem. Toyota says it's normal and is the nature of the beast. Upon accelerating from a stop or accelerating to pass another auto, the throttle does not respond until it suddenly will accelerate hard. Leaving a stop it can be very frightening as we just don't know how hard it will accelerate when it does. Passing is equally frightening, if not more so. When we pull out to pass and step on the accelerator the car does not respond according to pressure on the gas pedal. We've come very close to head-on a couple of times. I kind of gave up on the issue after being turned away by the Toyota dealership where we bought the car until hearing about other Toyota having accelerator problems. Our 2007 is a throttle by wire setup also. I have spoken to other Rav4 owners who have experienced this problem. This can be pretty scary, especially for my wife. The incidents have been ongoing since the rig was new so I don't have a definitive date. I'll put in todays date for record. I would really appreciate a response to this problem. I know you're probably pretty tied up with Toyota problems.
2007 Toyota Rav4 when using cruise control on a slight incline the car will start shifting in and out of gears, bucking and jumping and I turn the cruise off immediately. It sounds like the engines going to blow. There are hundreds of people on blog sites complaining about this same problem with their ravs: www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php"T=199996 and townhall-talk.edmunds.com/webx/.F142eee"displayrecent&mktcat=enabler&aid=10364102&pid=3193631&kw=N&synpartner=edmunds&mktid=CJ260233.
In March of 2008 I had two occurrences of unintended acceleration with my 2007 six cylinder Toyota Rav4. The first was very frightening as I was stopped at a red light. The car suddenly accelerated and pulled me through the intersection while my foot was on the brake. If there had been a car in front of me or one coming through the intersection I would have crashed. Shortly after that incident a milder less powerful acceleration event happened. I brought the car to the dealer on March 26 08 and they could not duplicate the problem or give a reason for it. The told me to bring it back if the problem recurred. It did not happen again until 2/19/2010. As in the first two incidents, the event happened while stopped at a red light with my foot off the gas pedal. In this case I quickly shut off the motor, or I would have hit the car in front of me. As in the other cases after I restarted the car the problem was over. Our other car is a Camry and I have never have never had this problem with that car or any other car. I brought the car back to the dealer and again no reason for the event was found and there was no remedy offered except possibly a gas pedal over ride if one becomes available. After the long gap in time between the first two events I thought maybe they were a fluke. Now I worry that I may be in an accident or hit a pedestrian. I am no mechanic but I really think that it is some sort of electronic problem. The car was stopped and my foot was off the gas pedal each time the sudden acceleration happened.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. He stated that while driving at 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated on its own. He was able to apply a lot pressure on the brakes to stop the vehicle. The contact had experienced this about 6 times. The vehicle had not been diagnosed and there had been no repairs done to the vehicle at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 2530 and current mileage was 17500.
When driving there is a delayed throttle response which has led to a sudden acceleration when not expecting it. This happened on different occasions intermittently almost leading to an accident. I called my Toyota dealer on August 22/07, Sept 2007 and then called Toyota on November 1, 2007. I was advised that this sudden delayed acceleration was normal for Toyota as it was because the computer system sends a delayed message and I had to adjust my driving to accommodate it. It has not happened nearly as often as the first few months but does occasionally. It is sudden and frightening when it happens.
My fiance drives a 2007 Toyota Rav4. This vehicle is currently not within the scope of the Toyota acceleration pedal recall. In December, I was driving her car (she was in the passenger seat), from Massachusetts back to our home in Connecticut. As I merged onto rt 128 in MA, I had to accelerate quickly to get onto the highway. After safely merging onto the highway, I let off the gas pedal as I always do, however noticed the pedal did not release and was stuck down to the floor. My first reaction was to pump the brake, however, that only slowed us down temporarily. I then tried kicking at the gas pedal to see if I could get it to release, however, that also did not work. I then tried pulling the gas pedal up with my hand and it would not budge. Finally, after continuing to pump the brake to slow down, the gas pedal released on its own. I would estimate that it was stuck for 20 seconds. Unfortunately, I did not report the incident right away, however, I called Toyota the day I found out of their recall. This past weekend, I brought the vehicle in for a courtesy inspection, however, Toyota service team said there were no issues. I have called the Toyota hotline multiple times and was only able to get through to someone once. I reported the incident and the Toyota rep on the phone said they would report the incident up the chain... have not heard back from them. I contacted the better business bureau, however, have not made any progress there. My fiance drives the car daily, but we can't trust that this will never happen again. Our only option is to trade-in the vehicle, and we may do so soon, however, this car should not be resold in the market. I am very doubtful that Toyota has solutioned the 'real' issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Blue Bell, PA, USA