10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,691 miles

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problem #14

Feb 162012

RAV4 4-cyl

  • miles
A car pulled out of driveway and I touched the brake pedal and my engine increased acceleration when it should have slowed acceleration and I pushed my car into neutral and I pulled cruise control lever towards me and the engine slowed down-my car had been set to cruise at 52 mph. After the incident I shut the cruise control off as I was heading into town. I then pulled into big scoop(canton, il business) parking lot going less than 5 mph-a lady walked in front of my car and I touched the brake and again I experienced unwanted acceleration and again I was quick in shoving car into neutral preventing a serious injury. I went home and called fort Toyota in pekin, il and I took car in Feb, 17, 2012 at noon. They had their top mechanic check it out-he said he could find nothing wrong. They called Toyota's headquarters and they told them it was a floormat issue. They told me that and I told them it had nothing to do with the floormats but rather after touching the brake pedal is when I received unwanted acceleration in both incidents. They asked me several questions about that and they gave me Toyota's headquarters number and gave me a rental car to use. When I called their headquarters they said it was a floormat issue and that was their final statement on the matter. I told them it was a brake issue but they stuck to floormats as the cause and that is why I'm reporting this matter to you as I feel for the safety of all drivers; this issue needs to be resolved by any automaker with unwanted acceleration problems. A first step is to admit that they have the problem then good(safe) things will result. Thank you for hearing me out. It is appreciated very much, [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Canton, IL, USA

problem #13

Dec 062011

RAV4 4-cyl Diesel

  • miles
I have had my Rav4 since Oct. 2007, bought it new and 2 1/2 years after owning it I had to replace the front brakes in June 2010. I just purchased new tires for my Rav4 and had them put on in Nov. 2011 and I was told that I need brakes again. Now from June 2010 to Nov. 2011 I should still have a lot of brake left instead of having to replace them. If this is going to be an ongoing problem with my Rav4 I will trade it in and buy a Nissan SUV instead. I don't have money to change my brakes every 1 1/2 years on my vehicle. If I had known this was going to be a problem I wouldn't have purchased this vehicle. I would've bought something different. Don't get me wrong I love my car but I feel that I should get more wear and tear from my brakes than a 1 1/2 years. Maybe the Toyota company should check the material the brakes was made from to make sure that it's not defective.

- Waterbury, CT, USA

problem #12

Dec 012011

RAV4

  • miles
2007 rav 4 had 3 lights turned on (check engine light, stability control light and 4 wheel drive light), shortly after the lights came on, the brakes failed. Rav4 was taken to Toyota delearship for repair and after the technicians being confused by the lights, they determined that the brake booster had failed. This issue is similar to the recent highlinder recall and I feel people's safety is at stake with the brakes failing.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #11

Feb 112011

RAV4 4-cyl

  • 85,164 miles
Brake booster broke down and repair will cost about $1,120 dollars. My car is 2007. I need to do the monthly payments for the car, and I can not pay, at the same time, I cannot afford to be without car, I will lost my job. I need help. Right now the car is been repair at wonders Toyota dealer alhambra ca.

- San Gabriel, CA, USA

problem #10

Jan 132011

RAV4

  • 87,110 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota rav 4. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the brakes failed as the brake pedal extended to the floorboard. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that there was a leak in the brake booster and gasket. The manufacturer was contacted but they did not respond to any voice mail. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 87,110 and current mileage was 87,400.

- Chula Vista , CA, USA

problem #9

Oct 312010

RAV4

  • 22,300 miles
Last night, my Rav4 battery died due presumably to the rear door light getting accidentally turned on. Upon jump starting the car, everything seemed fine. I drove it home without incident. Then, this morning, the battery was not quite up high enough to start the car, so I jump started it again. It started, but a few hundred feet away, I lost power steering and power brake assist. It required every ounce of force I could muster to turn the vehicle around and get it back to my house. Thankfully, this happened on city streets near my house and not on the highway last night or the chp would have been scraping me off a bridge post. The Rav4 cannot realistically be steered by an average person without the power steering assist because of the gearing ratio, making this a very serious design defect. If a vehicle cannot safely operate, the vehicle should not operate. The problem is that, because the battery plays an integral role in power smoothing, and because the power steering and power brake pumps are electrically operated, a low battery can result in failure of the power steering and brake pumps while the engine is still functional. This can easily result in an uncontrollable vehicle barreling down the highway at 80 mph. I believe that fixing this problem requires a fundamental redesign of the electrically operated pumps to add additional capacitors so that the battery is not playing such a crucial role in smoothing out the pulsating DC from the alternator along with the addition of sensor hardware to detect a low battery condition and activate an indicator light until the vehicle is safe to drive. Ideally, the steering gearbox should also be redesigned with a lower gear ratio so that it does not become undriveable. Without these fixes, the 2007 Rav4 is fundamentally unsafe. This design flaw probably also affects most other late models of Toyota.

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

problem #8

Sep 082010

RAV4

  • 47,000 miles
I bought a new 2007 Toyota Rav4 at the end of the model year. I had problems with the brakes and the car shook and made noises. I took it to the dealer who replaced the front brakes and said it scored the drum and they had to be turned at 33,000 approx miles, under warranty as it was defective parts. But the rear brakes were suppose to be fine. This is a little over a year later and at 47,000 miles and I have had the brakes inspected at the dealership with every 5000 mile oil change and told they were good. Last week I was going down a steep grade and the brakes were a major problem and I could hardly stop my car, the brakes grabbed, the car shook and was hard to steer and I had to pump the brakes, etc.. I took it to the dealer and they said the rear brakes are not only bad but scored the drums and had to be replaced. I am having to pay over $200 for defective parts and I could have been killed, plus I had a passenger and it was scary. I have had special driver training so I was able to control the car and there were no other vehicles around, thank god, but the car was unsafe and the dealer has so far taken no responsibility. Toyota is waiting for a reply"?"from the dealer. I feel this should all be reported for safety and consumer awareness reasons.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #7

Dec 292009

RAV4

  • miles
Have had two accidents with Toyota Rav4 2007 before recall. In both incidents thought I was pressing brake with no response.

- Lafayette Hill, PA, USA

problem #6

Feb 152007

RAV4

  • 2,105 miles
Hit garage with 2007 Toyota rav 4 while moving it in driveway at low speed. Incident happened after a large snow storm and vehicle was being moved to clear area after snow was removed. It seemed like the gas pedal stuck or the brakes failed. No injuries just a dent in the front bumper. The failure has not occurred again. The vehicle was brought to Toyota dealer (lia Toyota in schenectady NY) and concern about possible brake failure was expressed. The dealer checked the brakes and did a diagnostic computer check. They told me " that the diagnostic indicated everything was fine" and gave me a $700 estimate to repair the front bumper damage. I drove the vehicle home and had the dent repaired at a local body shop.

- Albany, NY, USA

problem #5

Aug 052008

RAV4

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota rav 4. the contact stated her brakes locks whenever the road was slippery. While driving various speeds to include 20 mph, she lightly tapped the brake pedal and the brake pedal extended to the floor. On several occasions when the brake pedal was engaged it responded as if there was no pedal. The dealer previously stated several times that there was nothing wrong with the brakes. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Dornsife, PA, USA

problem #4

Dec 102009

RAV4 4-cyl

  • 240,000 miles
We have a 2007 rav 4 Toyota. We could have been killed when we had a booster blow out while we were driving 100 miles from home. This booster is needed to operate the brakes. We did make it back to the service center using the emergency brake but it was dangerous driving without brakes. When the computer put a warning that the brakes were out, all we got was a swerve line...nothing that warned that the booster had gone.

- Haines City , FL, USA

problem #3

Mar 152008

RAV4

  • miles
I own a 2007 Toyota rav 4. I purchased it new, and shortly after purchasing it I experienced two incidents where I pulled up to a stop sign, pressed the brake and the engine started revving and lurching forward. I took the vehicle to the dealer, they checked it over and looked at me like I was nuts. The had no explanation for the problem. I still own that vehicle and have had at least two more incidents where the engine has accelerated after moving my foot from the gas pedal to the brake. You need to expand the investigation.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #2

Dec 202009

RAV4

  • 66,000 miles
I have a 2007 Toyota rav 4. it has not been recalled, but twice since November 2009 my gas pedal has been acting as it was depressed when it was not. The last time my foot was on the brake and my engine was revving like a race car. Who do I notify?

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #1

Jul 062008

RAV4

  • 10,000 miles
Bracket assembly holding charcoal canister and hose and filter came off the vehicle causing the ck engine, vsc light, and the lsd lights all to come on. Brake system malfunctioning.

- Kaplan, LA, USA