I was driving my Rav4 going 45 miles per hour. I heard this loud noise, it was overwhelming. I pulled over as soon as I started hearing the sound. I see insulation all over the road behind where I had driven. I looked under my Rav4 and discovered that the muffler shield had fallen off while I was driving. The shield was almost wedged between the body and the right rear tire. The small tack welds let go, that is all that was holding it on. Glad I was not on the freeway, there could have been a lot of accidents due to the insulation. I have reported this to the NHTSA and the ODI. I have searched the internet and this seems to be a Toyota wide problem. If everyone it happens to reports it, maybe a recall can be issued.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I was driving my Rav4 going 45 miles per hour. I heard this loud noise, it was overwhelming. I pulled over as soon as I started hearing the sound. I see insulation all over the road behind where I had driven. I looked under my Rav4 and discovered that the muffler shield had fallen off while I was driving. The shield was almost wedged between the body and the right rear tire. The small tack welds let go, that is all that was holding it on. Glad I was not on the freeway, there could have been a lot of accidents due to the insulation. I have reported this to the NHTSA and the ODI. I have searched the internet and this seems to be a Toyota wide problem. If everyone it happens to reports it, maybe a recall can be issued.
- Ernest E., Graham, WA, US