Problems with 2007 Toyota RAV4 VISIBILITY

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. while driving 50 mph, the sun roof detached from the vehicle without warning. the local dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was notified of the issue and opened case number: 1710231754. no further assistance was offered. the failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Driver's side sun visor failure to work properly causing a safety issue and possible bodily injury or death. the sun visor is not staying in the stowed position which is flat against the interior roof of the car due to a known failed mechanism within the sun visor such as the spring loaded mechanism which is failing. instead, the sun visor is dropping down at a 45 degree angle. this has caused my head to hit it several times while entering the vehicle. and, if involved in a head on collision, this could cause the sun visor to slice through my neck because it is at a 45 degree angle going across my neck since it will not stay up due to the failed spring mechanism within the sun visor. again, this could result in death or bodily injury if it is not taken care of. after research of my own, i have found and been told by reliable sources in the toyota industry that this is a known problem and that i am not the only one having this problem with the failure of the driver's side sun visor and possibly the passenger side as well over time. i have been told by a toyota representative at toyota headquarters that this part is only covered by a 3 1/2 year warranty instead of the same warranty as the car. this tells me that toyota may know that this part will fail over time. all other vehicles i have owned with manual sun visors have never failed for the life of the car since they do not have internal parts like the toyota model has. i have been told by my local toyota dealership that i have to pay about $85 to have it replaced when this is a safety issue and it should not fail. it's not a moving part within the engine. *tr

2007 toyota rav 4. consumer writes in regards to problems with recall notices for rear suspension and power window switch. *smd the consumer stated did not believe the recall was performed, as he is still experiencing problems with the power window switch. also, the water pump was replaced. the consumer stated there were still problems with the suspension, after the dealer it was fixed. due to the ongoing suspension problems, it was affecting the steering shaft, rack and pinion and tie rod. updated 03/12/13

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the passenger side window exhibited an abnormal noise for and the power switch ailed intermittently. the contact stated that there was a burning smell throughout the vehicle whenever contact used the power switch for the windows. the vehicle was taken to dealer who inspected vehicle and determined that the motor for the power switch passenger window needed to be replaced. the motor was not replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure and current mileage was 42,000.

I was driving when suddenly i saw smoke coming out of the power window switch on the driver's-side door. when i stop to check i saw fire inside the door. i immediate ask for assistance. when he uncover the switch it has a nickel side hole. there is no major damage to my vehicle other than the switch not working or my windows. i really think i was lucky that i was near my brothers home when this happen. if i was somewhere (like the freeway) i really taught my whole car would of caught on fire and lucky my child was not in the vehicle with me. *tr

Drivers side window visor loose and does not stay in position. falls down into drivers view obstructing vision and distracting driver. *tr

My 2007 rav4 driver side rear window wont go up and down. the driver side control switch for the rear driver side window does not move. the switch for the rear driver side window on the back door does not work all the time. when it does work just one tap and the rear window (driver side) goes down all the way by its self. the other three switches for the windows and the other three windows seem to work and respond how they should. only problem is with the rear window and the switch on both the driver door and the rear window door (driver side). also while driving to work driving aprox 10 mph my rear passenger side wheel bent in toward the wheel well. the tie rod was broke and the tie rod was very rusted . the dealer said it was a freak occurrence and fixed it while under warranty. problem is that the other side of the rear suspension (driver side) is also rusted but they did not fix it at the same time. this happened june 14th at about 6:10 am i was not told of the recall of this tie rod issue at the time of it getting fixed . they played it off as it were a freak occurrence.. toyota/scion dealer of berlin city toyota. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle passenger front window failed. as a result, the window could not be opened and caused smoke to release from the driver air vent. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the drivers door master switch was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 250,000 and the current mileage was 307,643.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav-4. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, smoke was emitted from the driver side window power switch and the door panel. the contact was able to extinguish the fire. the fire department was not contacted and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 80,000.

Master window switch burned and emitted smoke with high concentration of irritating fumes throughout the suv while enroute in maryland. *tr

The driver side visor falls down and will not stay up. it keeps falling down obstructing my view. *tr

When i turned the car on a smell emanated and smoke came from the window switch area of the front driver door. the passenger side window would no longer work. the smell lingered but the smoke stopped. *tr

Passenger side visor flap not staying in upward position (for months now). it is hanging down halfway and faces forward. yesterday, when breaking, it struck my forehead close to the eyes straight on with its small side. this is a safety issue. *kb

After driving for approximately 15 minutes, i saw a small amount of smoke coming from the drivers door panel and it smelled like an electrical fire. afterwards, the drivers side power window switch and the passenger side power window switch was not functional. the passenger window would only let down (very slowly) but wouldn't go back up. i took the vehicle to a toyota service center and they showed me that the main power window switch on the drivers side had a hole burned into it the size of a dime. the service manager said he had never seen anything like this before. prior to this the passenger window switch was replaced twice between september 2010 and november 2010. however, the replacements still never took care of the problem of the passenger window switch intermittently working. in fact, a couple months ago i was just at the dealership complaining that i was still have the problem with the window switch on the passenger side intermittently working. i never guessed that my car could catch on fire! now i'm a little worried about driving my vehicle! updated 11/17/11 *bf updated 06/06/12 *js

Drivers side sun visor on 2007 rav4 will not stay in the up position. it stays in a semi-down position where it blocks forward vision and also represents a hazard to the head and eyes when getting into/out of the vehicle. *tr

Just like many other owners of 2007 rav4 i began experiencing a distinctive klunking noise around 35,000 miles. took it to the dealer and they said it was normal noise when you turn the wheel all the way to the side..... my problem was that it was making cracking noise all the time, when turning or especially parking the car.... also a problem with my driver visor flap not staying in upward position it was hanging down halfway and faces forward. i had to pay 75 dollars to replace it, warranty would not cover it. since so many 2007 toyota rav4 owner are having the same problems it should be elevated to a recall status!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. while driving 10 mph, the contact noticed that the cabin started smoking then the drivers side door caught fire. the contact was able to extinguish the fire and exit the vehicle without injury. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was informed that the window master cylinder switch failed. the dealer repaired the window switch. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the current mileage was 69,000 and the failure mileage was 57,000.

2007 toyota rav 4. consumer writes in regards to the power window master switch assembly recall notice issues. *smd the consumer stated the window would roll up. *jb

The driver door's window/lock control panel spontaneously caught fire while i was operating the vehicle. i was not using the controls at the time. i could hear the sound of burning and feel heat behind the panel, however no actual flames came outside of the panel. copious amounts of smoke began to billow from the openings in the control panel. i stopped the car and turned off the ignition. after several seconds the sound of burning ceased. the smoke continued to billow from the openings in the control panel for a couple of minutes. i called the toyota dealer where i purchased the car and was told by the service department to come in. i restarted the car and drove about one mile to the dealership. while i was driving small amounts of smoke continued to come out through the openings in the control panel. at the dealership they placed some kind of "lock" on the driver's side control for the front passenger window. i have since seen the actual control mechanism. a portion of the electrical component is charred, and where this char is there is a hole burned through the plastic enclosure. *tr

The sun visor on the driver' side in my 2007 toyota rav4 is drooping down and causing serious visibility problems. this is the second visor, as i had to replace it once about a couple of years after buying the vehicle, and as i remember it was not cheap to replace. now the replacement is at the same condition and will not stay up. i have been made aware by other toyota owners that this is a very common problem with the rav4 and other toyota vehicles, and i don't understand why toyota would allow this type of defect to continue in their otherwise reputable vehicles. *tr

Back glass broken on toyota rav 4 on three separate occasions. large hole in the middle of the glass. no signs of vandalism or "outside influences". two of the incidents occurred after thunderstorms. toyota refuses to pay for any repairs. entire back glass had to be replaced each time. *tr

While driving down the road in my 2007 toyota rav4 the left side passanger window imploded causing the back seat to fill with thousands of pieces of glass for no apparent reason. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. while attempting to open the sunroof, the contact noticed that the sunroof would not slide backwards and would only move in the upper tilt position. the contact also noticed a burning smell when attempting to use the sunroof. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the case housing needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 43,000. the current mileage was approximately 52,000.

An intense squeak initiated the visit to the auto dealer. we were informed that the windshield was rubbing on the vehicle frame and to fix the problem they would have to replace the entire windshield. the windshield was replaced which solved the problem for now. *tr

I purchased a new 2007 rav4 from toyota of braintree in 2007. 1. in 2009 i could hear wind in the driver's window; i took the vehicle to be checked, toyota service department said i was hearing things. 2.the driver's door caught fire (i had the keys with me) i had to spend $606.01 to fix it, toyota said there was water intrusion (i thought, it probably was, because of the air leak previously reported in 2009) 3. the steering wheel felt strange when i drove, i took it back for service, the diagnosis was steering shaft internal failure which needed to be replaced; i fought to get that fixed out of warranty. 5. on november 25, 2011 i was driving, the window fell in on me and on november 26, 2011, i had to have the driver's side window regulator replaced for $338.30 7. now, oil is leaking into the muffler. (i purchase oil frequently) this vehicle is only 4.5 years old and should not have any of these major problems, when i purchased this rav4, it was going to be my last vehicle purchase because toyota advertises longevity of their products. i also know people who drive 1990 and 1995 toyota products who have never had any of these problems. i was also treated very poorly during some of my repair visits. after the door caught on fire, i had a meeting with the owner of toyota of braintree, [xxx] but his resolution was giving me $13,000.00 for my vehicle (which i own) and me purchasing a brand new vehicle, which meant i would have a monthly payment. i did contact toyota headquarters in california and filed a complaint and never received any resolution. since then i received a letter from the national center for dispute settlement stating they can't help me. thank you for any assistance, sincerely, toyota rav4 owner. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*tr

I was driving on a rural interstate (i-16) in georgia when i heard a loud explosion. i initially thought i had a blown tire. i pulled over to find my moon roof had a hole located in the middle of the glass. the rest of the glass was shattered in tiny pieces, but still holding together. i was the only one on the highway and was nowhere near an overpass. when i reached atlanta, i went to marietta toyota for assistance. the inspector said that the hole was caused by a rock bouncing up off of the highway. i was traveling at a rate of 65 mph. i have a wind deflector at the front of the moonroof. the glass around the hole was pushed up as if pressure had caused the explosion. the scenerio he described would be impossible. the cover was closed on the interior, so thankfully, no one was hurt. toyota has refused to repair the moon roof. the cost is $585.00 plus labor. *tr