Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 01/30/2013 | 220000 | 1 | |
| While slowing down for a stoplight, i pulled into the open left hand lane so as not to be behind a tanker truck, and with my foot on the brakes tried to stop the car at the light, when suddenly the engine revved as if the car was in neutral and rather than coming to a full stop at the light, i slid through a busy intersection. had i not been in a lane without traffic and had there not been oncoming traffic, i would have caused a serious accident. once through the intersection i pulled off the road and came to a full stop. then i drove to a nearby gas station and drove around their parking lot to test the brakes and they seemed fine. i also checked to see if the gas pedal was free from the carpet and it was. *tr | |||
| 01/30/2013 | 220000 | ||
| While slowing down for a stoplight, i pulled into the open left hand lane so as not to be behind a tanker truck, and with my foot on the brakes tried to stop the car at the light, when suddenly the engine revved as if the car was in neutral and rather than coming to a full stop at the light, i slid through a busy intersection. had i not been in a lane without traffic and had there not been oncoming traffic, i would have caused a serious accident. once through the intersection i pulled off the road and came to a full stop. then i drove to a nearby gas station and drove around their parking lot to test the brakes and they seemed fine. i also checked to see if the gas pedal was free from the carpet and it was. | |||
| 12/07/2009 | 17000 | 1 | |
| Slipping brakes, requiring frequent checkups and replacement popping noise in the steering wheel ( which after two years of complaining, i was informed is a defective steering shaft ) sudden acceleration increasing noise from under the vehicle jumping when the vehicle is place in reverse. *tr | |||
| 12/07/2009 | 17000 | ||
| Slipping brakes, requiring frequent checkups and replacement popping noise in the steering wheel ( which after two years of complaining, i was informed is a defective steering shaft ) sudden acceleration increasing noise from under the vehicle jumping when the vehicle is place in reverse | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 63000 | ||
| My 2008 toyota rav4 accelerated when the brake was applied on two separate occasions recently. one instance took place on or about june 30, 2011, the second time happened on or about monday, august 1, 2011. the first time, toyota claimed that the non-braking/unexpected acceleration problem was caused by floor mats i put in the car. i bought these for the car because i felt the ones toyota originally provided were not safe (heels on my shoes, though flat, kept getting caught in the deep ridges of their mats, making it difficult to maneuver). after speaking with the toyota 's mechanics, i threw out my mats and replaced them with new toyota mats recommended by the dealership. about one month later the same thing happened again. when i applied my foot to the brake, instead of this action stopping the car, the car accelerated and moved forward. the first time this happened, my car was approaching a stop sign at the bottom of a hill leading to my complex's exit. as i neared the stop sign in front of a very busy roadway, i started applying my brakes. the car did not slow down. although i pushed down harder & harder on the brake in a desperate effort to stop the car, it continued to move forward. my rav4 went onto the roadway, narrowly missing a truck in oncoming traffic. the second time i was in a parking lot. i think there is something significantly wrong with this car and do not believe it to be safe. the mechanic at toyota, before even examining the car, claimed it was human error. i have driven many cars in my lifetime and have never had this happen to me before. it is my sincere hope that the nhtsa & dot will look into this and other related matters. it appears there are many people having brake problems with these cars. i truly believe people's lives are in danger. i'm afraid to have my granddaughters travel in my car! | |||
| 12/21/2010 | 10000 | ||
| Brakes were reported as rusted out and were replaced during a 10000 mile standard service. cost was nearly $1000. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 03/19/2008 | 5000 | ||
| I own a toyota rav 4 from 2008. my brake pedal goes all the way to the floor while applying brakes. it have the pump the brakes several times before the vehicle comes to a stop. i have been constantly complaining it to the dealerships about the issue but they have not fixed it yet. all the time the dealership keeps telling that we will get back to you or report it to the representative of toyota. i and my wife have been scared to drive this car with our two children on board. we bought this suv as a family car but not able to drive it with peace of mind. we need some help to get this issue fixed. some of the dealers get back to me saying this issue has been there either sell it or we cannot do anything. make : toyotayear:2008 model : rav 4 | |||
| 02/04/2011 | 23045 | ||
| My toyota rav 4, 2008 model accelerated while i pressed on the brake pedal. the harder i went down on the brakes the more the engine revved. | |||
| 02/12/2010 | 15 | 1 | |
| Continuous brake and acceleration problems on my 2008 rav4 that is not being addressed. i've had several near misses and i | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 1 | 03/01/2008 | |
| Letter to the administrator from re brake pedal on his 2008 rg4 toyota *tgw the consumer stated shortly after purchasing the vehicle, he noticed the brake pedal was extremely close to the accelerator pedal. also the braking did not become effective, until the brake pedal was pressed down to about the same level as the accelerator pedal. the dealer informed the consumer they could not adjust the distance between the two pedals. | |||
| 11/23/2011 | 78511 | ||
| As i was braking my foot pressed the accelerator at the same time i was breaking. i noticed the engine speeding up. i moved the gear shift to neutral to slow the vehicle. i was then able to move my foot to only the brake pedal to stop. there was no accident. | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 63000 | ||
| My 2008 toyota rav4 accelerated when the brake was applied on two separate occasions recently. one instance took place on or about june 30, 2011, the second time happened on or about monday, august 1, 2011. the first time, toyota claimed that the non-braking/unexpected acceleration problem was caused by floor mats i put in the car. i bought these for the car because i felt the ones toyota originally provided were not safe (heels on my shoes, though flat, kept getting caught in the deep ridges of their mats, making it difficult to maneuver). after speaking with the toyota 's mechanics, i threw out my mats and replaced them with new toyota mats recommended by the dealership. about one month later the same thing happened again. when i applied my foot to the brake, instead of this action stopping the car, the car accelerated and moved forward. the first time this happened, my car was approaching a stop sign at the bottom of a hill leading to my complex's exit. as i neared the stop sign in front of a very busy roadway, i started applying my brakes. the car did not slow down. although i pushed down harder & harder on the brake in a desperate effort to stop the car, it continued to move forward. my rav4 went onto the roadway, narrowly missing a truck in oncoming traffic. the second time i was in a parking lot. i think there is something significantly wrong with this car and do not believe it to be safe. the mechanic at toyota, before even examining the car, claimed it was human error. i have driven many cars in my lifetime and have never had this happen to me before. it is my sincere hope that the nhtsa & dot will look into this and other related matters. it appears there are many people having brake problems with these cars. i truly believe people's lives are in danger. i'm afraid to have my granddaughters travel in my car! | |||
| 12/21/2010 | 24700 | ||
| Pulled into parking space at work doing about 5-10 mph. slowed to turn into space, giving car just enough gas , when car launched forward hitting a chain link fence. i did not have any brakes, so i tried pumping brakes before impact . brake pedal was completely to the floor, so i used emergency brake to stop car before it caused further damage to car and fence. i did not report incident, but took car to lacey collision, and they estimated damage at $1500. this is not the first time this has happened, i have reported this to two different toyota dealerships..nothing was ever done. they only admitted that yes, my brakes were a bit 'soft'. but car was not on their recall list. | |||
| 03/22/2010 | 19700 | 1 | |
| Driving 2008 toyota rav4 (19k mi) in rain on ny state hwy at 30 mph. driver in front slowed. applied brakes which softened then went to floor. pumping did not return pressure. hand brake slowed vehicle to below 15 mph. crashed into other vehicle at @ 12 mph. car burst into flames beneath and consumed vehicle within 12-14 minutes; *cn | |||
| 01/29/2010 | 9500 | 1 | |
| On friday, january 29th, 2010, my wife was driving our 2008 toyota rav 4 when the brakes were ineffective at slowing the vehicle as she approached a stop light. although she stood on the brakes she left no skid marks before stopping in the intersection as she collided with a vehicle who had the right of way. the car had slowed sufficiently that there was no release of the air bags. she has operated a car for 40 years with out a moving violation, the weather was bright and sunny and the roads were clear and dry. it was a familiar intersection and she had stopped at the light one block away. earlier in the day she had practiced putting the car in neutral, but it was not sufficient to help her in this situation. *tr | |||
| 02/16/2010 | 18561 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. the contact stated that when trying to stop at a stop sign, the brake pedal would not move down as he tried to depress it and he could not steer the vehicle. he continued moving forward until the vehicle collided with a guardrail. the contact was slightly injured and a police report was taken. he contacted the dealership and was told that no one could inspect the vehicle until it was repaired at the body shop. the vehicle was at the body shop at the time of the complaint. the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. the current and failure mileages were 18,561. | |||
| 01/02/2010 | 17000 | 2 | |
| I was driving in a snow storm at approximately 20miles/hr.the road had not been plowed recently, so there was some snow that had accumulated, but it was certainly passable and i was driving a 4 wheel,toyota, rav 4, 2008, in excellent upkeep. all of a sudden the car started drifting to the right, when i tried to slowly correct the direction of the vehicle, the steering would not work. i could not move the wheel, the brakse did not work, everything in the car froze. i was helpless and had to watch as the car slowly drove itself off the side of the road into a deep ditch. half way through this harrowing time span a beeping noise came on(the vehicle stability control system?), but only after the car was incapacitated for what seemed like minutes. i was on a straight away and there were no hills at this location. the vehicle traveled approximately 300+ feet, as evidenced by the track marks left in the snow. luckily the ditch was filled with snow, so i did not crash into a tree or roll over. the snowpack stopped the car and it ended up tilted on its right side, buried almost to the top of the passenger window. when i tried to open the right window to crawl out, it was inoperable. i was towed out of the ditch and because of the soft snow cover there was no damage to the car. i have also had 1 other steering problem with the car when it did not respond as expected(although the steering wheel was not frozen) and i subsequently side swiped a car i was passing while driving in a parking garage. i am an excellent new england driver with a stellar driving record. this car has been a disaster the infrequent times i it. it usually sits in the garage, since i prefer my 109,000 mile, reliable, 2001, mercury mountaineer; after experiencing the first steering event with the rav4, which i know was not my fault. i drove the rav 4 during the second incident because i thought it would be safer, being a new car! ha *tr | |||
| 05/14/2009 | 2000 | 2 | |
| I purchased my 2008 toyota rav4 new. it has needed brakes to be replaced twice in under 3,000 miles. one accident resulted because of this. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 100 | 1 | |
| Brake pedal on my 2008 toyota rav4 releases on it's own when stopped at a traffic light or in stop-and-go-traffic. it's more noticeable when the air conditioner is on, but happens once in awhile in winter. if i have to stop for any reason, with my foot resting on the brake pedal, it releases on its own and goes all the way down to the floor. i usually have to start pumping the brake so that it doesn't start rolling into the vehicle ahead of me. i have taken the car to two different toyota dealerships and they tell me there is nothing wrong with my brakes. (a salesperson admitted to me that her camry did the same thing and that she got rid of the car.) i want my car repaired and safe to drive, otherwise i will have to get rid of it and i cannot afford that at the moment. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2009 | 34000 | 1 | |
| 2008 rav 4 awd v6. when slowing for a stop lost all brakes. was towed to local dealer and was found that the brake booster had failed. *tr | |||
| 11/24/2008 | 11945 | 1 | |
| Lost braking power and there was a crunching sound, had both feet on breaking pedal & truck wouldn't stop. it was still accelerating and abs/anti skid light came on. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 1 | 03/01/2008 | |
| Letter to the administrator from re brake pedal on his 2008 rg4 toyota *tgw the consumer stated shortly after purchasing the vehicle, he noticed the brake pedal was extremely close to the accelerator pedal. also the braking did not become effective, until the brake pedal was pressed down to about the same level as the accelerator pedal. the dealer informed the consumer they could not adjust the distance between the two pedals. | |||