Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 07/13/2012 | 45936 | ||
| Late model toyota rav4's from my research seem to have an ongoing problem with the evap charcoal canister requiring replacement (see nhtsb 10033407). my car (although not a 2009) has the same exact obd diagnostic codes listed in the bulletin above yet 2011 rav4's haven't been listed with this problem. toyota warrants them for 3 years, 36k miles but most seem to fail just after the warranty ends. my 2011 rav4, 4 cyl. with 51k miles experienced this problem 19 months (and 46k miles) after manufacture (9/10) and toyota has refused to correct the problem. the solution is a $1000+ repair. all other emissons equipment on my car is warranted for up to 80k miles or 8 yrs and is in good working order. | |||
| 04/09/2012 | 15300 | ||
| First incident i was sitting at a dead stop at a fast food restaurant with my foot on the brake and the car accelerated to a high speed, resulting in momentary of ?burning rubber?. second incident happened about a week later when my husband was leaving an establishment and the car accelerated to high speed and he had to slam on the brakes. | |||
| 11/03/2011 | 1000 | ||
| The car accelerated by itself for about 20 seconds, i put the car in park. it sounded/roared like gas pedal was pushed to the floor. sudden acceleration incidents have happened 6 different times: 11/03/2011 with 1000 miles, 11/05/2011 with 1110 miles, 01/04/2012 with 2650 miles, 02/26/2011 with 4606 miles, 03/06/2012 with 4692 miles, and 03/19.2012 with 4932 miles. | |||
| 11/23/2011 | 565 | ||
| My recently purchased rav4 2011 rolled backwards while in drive and my passenger door mirror caught the edge of my garage and shattered. i had no idea that this car rolled backwards while in drive. i was not told by the salesman, the manual also does not state it. the replacment of my mirror will cost me $360.00 but more importantly it could have rolled back into my wife and she is not replaceable. this car is not safe. it is not expected to happen with an automatic transmission and if no one is mentioning it to you, how are you suppose to know? someone is going to get hurt eventually. it was almost my wife. it will soon be someone else. | |||
| 06/30/2011 | |||
| This complaint relates to the vehicle i lease, but i suspect it applies to all toyota rav4 models of this same design vintage, and may also apply to other toyota models. the basic problem, as shown in the annotated photo available at http://jrgspace.homestead.com/rav4_engineering_design_fail__1.jpg is the inadequate spacing between the accelerator and brake pedals, which allows even relatively small shoes to simultaneously depress both pedals during urgent, or even normal braking situations. the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the point (or plane) at which effective braking is achieved is at least 1/2 below or beyond the plane of the accelerator pedal, almost guaranteeing the application of power during braking. this is an incredible engineering design failure and will almost assuredly lead to accidents if it has not already done so, as i have narrowly avoided several accidents myself already where this interference was a factor. i consider this an extremely hazardous condition and should be addressed by the nhtsa as a top priority. | |||
| 11/03/2011 | 700 | ||
| While driving about 30 mph, the car suddenly increased speed on its own, i applied brakes, the braking did not slow the car, the car continued to increase in speed, i then shifted the gear into neutral, the engine noise roared loudly, and i pressed the brake hard, the car stopped, while the engine continued to roar loudly for another 30 seconds. | |||
| 06/30/2011 | |||
| This complaint relates to the vehicle i lease, but i suspect it applies to all toyota rav4 models of this same design vintage, and may also apply to other toyota models. the basic problem, as shown in the annotated photo available at http://jrgspace.homestead.com/rav4_engineering_design_fail__1.jpg is the inadequate spacing between the accelerator and brake pedals, which allows even relatively small shoes to simultaneously depress both pedals during urgent, or even normal braking situations. the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the point (or plane) at which effective braking is achieved is at least 1/2 below or beyond the plane of the accelerator pedal, almost guaranteeing the application of power during braking. this is an incredible engineering design failure and will almost assuredly lead to accidents if it has not already done so, as i have narrowly avoided several accidents myself already where this interference was a factor. i consider this an extremely hazardous condition and should be addressed by the nhtsa as a top priority. | |||
| 11/03/2011 | 700 | ||
| While driving about 30 mph, the car suddenly increased speed on its own, i applied brakes, the braking did not slow the car, the car continued to increase in speed, i then shifted the gear into neutral, the engine noise roared loudly, and i pressed the brake hard, the car stopped, while the engine continued to roar loudly for another 30 seconds. | |||
| 09/08/2011 | 7500 | ||
| Vehicle has exhaust smell in the cabin when being driven. the car was taken to the dealership and the complaint was dismissed. technicians say they test drove and didn't smell anything. the smell persists. | |||