I am the owner of a 2008 rav4. i was traveling with cruise control at 50 mph as i approached a down grade toward a traffic light i manually took the car out of cruise control expecting to slow some. i realized that i needed to slow more and applied the brake pedal. however, i could feel the car fighting the brakes. i put the car into neutral and was able to stop for the lights. when i did this the engine was racing while stopped. when the light changed i put the racing engine into drive. i jerked forward and has been ok since. i reported this to the dealer. i was told that another owner of the same year and model reported a similar event that day. this is different than the runaway cars reported in the news, as the car did not accelerate to max speed. toyota seems not to be responding to cars made before 2009. i think this is a computer problem where the cruise control did not turn off and the stepping on the brakes did not take it out of cruise control either. on feb 19 i reported this to the toyota dealer and was told that another person had reported this same type of thing that same day. they look for error codes but found none. *tr
On feb. 13th 2010 i experienced a near accident due to an unintended sudden acceleration on a 2008 toyota rav4. i initially released brake and hit it again and vehicle stopped just short of a toll booth barricade. i later investigated and upon related search on internet came across the sudden unintended acceleration problem. in my case i was paying a toll when car accelerated, i believe i hit the accelerator pedal and brake at same time. i am very concerned that the nhtsa has not mandated a brake override for all small vehicles where pedal error can easily occur. i believe the majority of sua incidents i have looked at that serious (sudden), that pedal error is being under reported as most drivers deny it. i am not. but is serious human factors issue in all small cars driven by large americans. *tr
Continuous brake and acceleration problems on my 2008 rav4 that is not being addressed. i've had several near misses and i'm afraid to drive passengers in my vehicle. *tr
While driving into my garage with foot on the brake the rav4 started racing very badly, at that point i shut off the engine. i started the engine again and the car acted normal. we took the car to the toyota dealer, they claim that my car is not on the recall list, and that they can not duplicate the problem. at this point i am terribly afraid to drive the car. what can i do? *tr
Was parking the car in a small congested commercial parking area. i turned a corner and saw a space, but had to back up to pull in straight. as i proceeded very slowly, i was only a few feet from the parked car facing my car. suddenly, as i was about to stop my car, the engine raced and my car jumped forward into the front of the other car. as i was only a very short distance from the car, my car did not have time to accelerate to any great speed.
Dated: march 10, 2010 i own a 2008 rav 4wd. on three separate occasions when driving the car engine began to accelerate badly, we took the car for service to the interstate toyota, in monsey, ny on two separate occasions, first on february 17th and then on february 23rd, 2010. interstate toyota claims that they can not duplicate the problem, therefore they do not know how to fix our racing situation. the dealer informed us that they obtained a case number for us and that we should contact the manufacturer at 1 800 331 4331. our complaint is that in as much as we called the manufacturer we could not get thru to any one. the dealer will not make any repairs unless they are ordered by the manufacturer. what should we do? in anticipation for your assistance, we thank you. *tr
Acceleration incident parking. driving into a parking space in chelsea mi, doing a little under 5 mph the car suddenly surged forward. i applied the brake even harder and the abs engaged. fortunately i missed the bmw parked in front. been driving this car for 19 months and nothing like it occurred before. toyota dealership i had just been to for a lube change said that my model was not part of the recall but to bring it in if it recurred. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 60 mph, he tried to apply the brakes and the vehicle began to slide. the brakes did not respond when he tried to slow down which caused him to crash into the rocks opposite side of the road. at that point, the rpms began to increase and he turned the ignition off. the air bags did not deploy; therefore, the contact experienced minor injuries. a police report is was taken. he called the manufacturer but he was offered no assistance. the vehicle was currently being repaired for the damages. the vehicle identification number was not available. the current and failure mileages were approximately 50,000.
In december of 2009, my husband was driving our leased toyota rav4 ('08) and it accelerated on him unexpectedly. the same thing happened in jan of 2010 when i was driving the same vehicle and i almost crashed. the car was taken to the dealership where it was checked and nothing was found. this car is not part of the recent toyota recall but it should be! i am now in a lease driving an unsafe car and i want to either trade this car in for a safe car or i want out of my lease! *cn
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav 4. while driving 40 mph and attempting to engage the brake pedal, the vehicle did not respond. the brake pedal was engaged with excessive pressure and the rpms increased rapidly. the vehicle came to complete stop after pressing her foot firmly on the brake pedal and shifting gears into the park position. the dealer was contacted and stated that they never heard of the malfunction and that this would not happen again. this has only occurred one time. the failure mileage was 25500. the current mileage was 25738. updated 03/01/10. *lj the dealer was unable to find anything wrong with the vehicle. updated 06/14/10. *jb
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav 4. while the contact was driving 25 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated, after applying the brake pedal the acceleration stopped. the vehicle was taken to the dealer informed the contact that the failure could not be reproduced. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 14000.
Sudden acceleration of a toyota rav 4 engine. when the vehicle was stopped at a red traffic light with the brake pedal depressed, no foot on the accelerator and the gear shift in drive - the engine increased speed rapidly. the car lurched forward. the operator slammed both feet on the brake pedal. when the car was stopped, the operator put the gear shift in neutral. the engine continued at high speed for about a while, then went to idle. after the engine returned to idle, the operator kept both feet on the brake pedal and cautiously shifted the gear shift to drive, parked the car and turned the engine off. the operator got out of the car. everything seemed normal. after meditation on the problem, the operator turned the engine on and drove off. there have been no problems since then. *tr
I have a 2008 toyota rav4. i had an incident in the fall of 2009 where, as i was braking and slowing down, my engine revved up without my touching the gas pedal, and i stepped on the brake and put my car in neutral. didn't understand what had just happened but thought it was maybe my fault somehow. in early dec. i pulled into a parking space, front end forward, and there was another parked car opposite my car, facing mine. as i was slowing down and braking, the engine revved and i had to slam my foot on the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of me. i called my dealership immediately from my cell phone, right there in my car, and told them what happened. they asked me if i was wearing "heels", did i step on the accelerator by mistake, did the floor mat get caught?...and i said no to all of that. i went in the next day to service, and they spent several hours looking at my car, checking things out. when they were finished, they said they "couldn't make my car do what i told them it did". could not find a problem. asked again about shoes, wrong pedal, etc. since then, i had one more experience with acceleration at the top of a hill where took my foot off the gas and the motor continued to accelerate. right about that time the news of the toyota problems was beginning. i called my dealership and asked why i had not received a letter about a recall. i was told that my toyota had been built in japan and therefore it does not have the accelerator problem and is not on the recall list. what do i do now?? *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 35 mph when the accelerator pedal was engaged the speed failed to increase; however, the vehicle hesitated and lunged forward. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the failure occurred on several occasions. the failure mileage was 1,100. the current mileage was 1,500.
Mother was driving home from work when her 2008 toyota rav4 suddenly veered left and accelerated head on into a tree. witness statement that she was driving normally previous to accident. no health issues to explain events. *tr updated 9/21/2011*cw
When coming to a stop at the end of a highway exit ramp, i was braking at approximately 5 - 10 mph. as i approached the car in front of me i noticed the car was not responding as it normally does to a slight depression of the brake pedal. my car seemed to keep moving and not slow down in it's normal braking characteristic. i depressed the brake pedal much firmer and the car slowed but the engine began to increase in rpms (as noted by the engine sound and visually by tachometer indication). my foot was off the accelerator at this time. i pushed the break pedal down a hard as i could and the car still moved forward. finally, i put the transmission (automatic) in neutral and the engine raced away. i finally placed the transmission in reverse and the engine slowed down to normal and then the car stalled. after restarting the engine everything worked as it should. i drove it the two miles to work with no further problem and after being parked for 10 hours drove it 7 miles to my home with no further problem. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav 4. occasionally after brake application, the cruise control switch will not disengage. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership. the current and failure mileages were 38000.
On 10/21/09 i was stopped at an intersection in my 2008 rav4 while waiting for two cars to go by. my foot was fully planted on the brake. suddenly the engine revved uncontrollably and the car lurched forward. i pressed as hard as i could on the brake. this happened twice. i barely managed to keep the car out of the intersection. there were no warning lights. i was able to drive home without another incident. the floor mats were firmly clipped into place causing no interference with the accelerator. i had the repair shop at my dealer check it over. they could not find any problem with it and no repairs were made. i wrote a letter to my dealer documenting my safety concerns. the dealer then brought a toyota field specialist in to look at it. he too was unable to find any problem. since then toyota has announced two recalls associated with floor mat interference and faulty gas pedals. i've found out that my rav4 was built in japan and, therefore, not subject to the faulty gas pedals. this leads me to believe that the problem is due to an electronic glitch most likely associated with the computerized electronic throttle system. i believe toyota needs to roll-out a "brake override system" to truly resolve this problem. fortunately, i have not had another "sudden acceleration" event since 10/21/09. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately between 55-65 mph. there was a sudden increase in acceleration. the vehicle failed to slow down when the brake pedal was engaged. the ignition key was turned to the auxiliary position and the vehicle came to a complete stop. the engine was restarted after two seconds; the vehicle was able to resume normal operation. the identical failures occurred on a separate occasion. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. the failure mileage was unknown.
I have a toyota 2008 rav 4. in october of 2009 i had the first of several intermittent sudden acceleration incidents, almost taking out a parking garage gate. after accelerating, then removing my foot from the gas, the car will occasionally have a burst of sudden acceleration and lurch forward. i contacted the dealer in october of 2009- they said it must be user error or the floor mats. i removed floor mats, still had the problem. the dealer said there is no problem, but adjusted the electronics. problem continues intermittently. i contacted the dealer again in january and february 2010, they said they acknowledge the problem but it isn't covered under the recall- they won't do anything to fix it. i received the same answer from the toyota hotline. *tr
Date is approximate, but this has happened numerous times, not always under the same conditions. it has happened after being driven in light rain & heavy rain & after vehicle being parked & restarted all of the lights would illuminate. initially while driving in moderate rain, multiple vehicle warning lights illuminated, cruise control failed on freeway @ set speed of approx 60 mph due to rainfall. while continuing to function, the vehicle started to feel like it was rolling on marbles & the feel was a little unnerving, but you are able to maintain control of the vehicle. diagnostics revealed multiple codes, but once reset all lights were out & the vehicle performed normally again, until driven in rainy conditions. independent garage said to take it to toyota when the rain induced the warning lights again & i'm headed to a toyota dealer this morning after a light rain on saturday morning all lights illuminated again & the cruise will no longer engage. don't know if this has been reported by any other rav 4 owners, but independent garage so far has said "we can't find a failure just a lot of codes & once we clear the codes it is okay." if i understand the premise of the warning lights they are there to indicate something requires attention - so my faith in "there's nothing wrong or we can't find anything" is a little shaken. i spoke with toyota & they deny that this has ever been reported by any rav 4 owners & i would have to bring it to them when the failure & warning lights come on - they will see them this morning. thank you for your time. *tr
Last august i experienced a stuck accelerator on my 2008 toyota rav4. it happened only once and hasn't repeated. it was while approaching an intersection red light fortunately with no cars in front of me. i was able to overcome the acceleration by standing on the brake and shifting into neutral. when toyota came out with the recall for floor mats my car was not one of the models with those typr of floor mats and the mats in the car are fastened down. toyota's current recall does not include this model and a check of the accelerator pedal confirms that this is not one of the current pedal replacements. my vehicle was produce in japan not the usa. i suspect that this was more of an electronic problem than a pedal problem. i'm concerned that it could happen again. since my year and model is not on the recall how can i get help before i or my wife experience it again? *cn
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal stuck when she depressed it on two occasions. she depressed the brake pedal which seemed to release the accelerator pedal. she took the vehicle to the dealership and the dealer modified the floor mat. she had no problems with the vehicle since that failure. she called the manufacturer and was told that they could do nothing to assist her. the current mileage was approximately 26,000. the failure mileage was 17,510.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that while driving at 25 mph when she accelerated to get on to another lane the accelerator petal became stuck. she put her foot on the brake and it slowed the vehicle down a bit, then she put it in neutral. she then proceeded to drive and the petal came back up. this failure had occurred 2 times at the time of the complaint.the vehicle was taken in to the dealer where they could not duplicate the failure. there had been no repairs done to the vehicle to date. the failure mileage was 40000 and current mileage was 46628.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav 4. while driving 10 mph the vehicle began to accelerate without intention. the brake pedal was depressed to the floor, but the vehicle would not decelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions, but they could not identify the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 5,200. updated 1/11/09 *cn updated 01/13/10.*jb
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. the contact stated that her vehicle had unintended acceleration which occurred intermittently. the contact was driving approximately 30 mph. when the failure occurred, the contact had to put the vehicle in neutral in order to slow it down and the rpms increased rapidly. the vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer three times and they were unable to diagnose of duplicate the failure. the toyota manufacturer was also called and a claim was filed. the vin on her vehicle begins with a "j" and they have stated that since it was made in japan; therefore, the failure should not have occurred. the failure mileage was 35,000.
Fax fwd ltr fm re sudden unintended acceleration in a 2008 toyota rav4, reply to utica, ny ofc. *tgw each time the consumer experienced sudden acceleration, she was approaching an intersection with several cars stopped at a red light. the consumer stated the only way to stop the vehicle, was by turning it off. *jb
I own a 2008 toyota rav 4 which i purchased new. on several occasions i have had the accelerator pedal become stuck fully open when accelerating to merge onto an interstate highway. i was told several months ago that an aftermarket floor mat was slipping forward and trapping the pedal. recently when this event happened i stopped and looked at the mat myself. it was at least 4 to 6 inches from contacting the accelerator pedal or any part of the drive by wire switch. i feel like the dealership is just trying to get around actually investigating my complaint. this has happened on several occasions over the last 6 to 9 months. i finally decided to file this complaint after it happened to me this morning (12/22/2009). *tr
Hello, on jun 26, 2009 my wife and i purchase a certified toyota rav4. we have had nothing but problems. electrical problems: abs light, brake, and egf light remain lite. repairs are: brake switch replacement, igy relay replacment. in addition the cruise control would not function and sometimes the transmission would be stuck in reverse. unable to shift out of this gear position. a local mechanic found the problem in that the connections in the wiring harness are filled with water. he was unable to determine how the water got there. a few days later, the same problem returned.. i am writing to share with you my concern of the electronic problems with the 2008 rav4 from toyota. town toyota service manager, wenatchee, wa told us not to worry aboutit as it is still safe to drivewith abs, brake, and egf lights illuminated. i did contact toyota (via emai) but no response. i question the validity of that statement in light of recent recall news and thought you should know. *tr
I was driving my 2007 toyota rav 4 and i was stopped at a traffic light. when the light turned green, i turned left and the car started to race and accelerated to 40 mph and stuck there. i tried pressing on the brake pedal and nothing happened. i swerved to miss two cars and the car kept going. i tried putting it into neutral and nothing happened again. i then called my father who is familiar with cars and told him the story and he told me to try the emergency brake and that didn't work either. he instructed me to try it again and this time the car jolted forward and slowed down. i pulled over and turned the ignition ff and was very shaken and quite upset. i had the car towed to lia northampton toyota and informed them i would not be driving this leased car again unless they looked at it thoroughly and repaired it. the tech verified a high idle . the tech found a throttle plate was mechanically sticking. they replaced the throttle body. i also had them document it and give me paperwork. i did contact them when the recall was announced and they told me that 2007 was not part and they would not look at my car again. *tr
2008 toyota rav-4 surges. since purchasing the vehicle in november 2008, my vehicle has sporadically surged when coming to a stop and also when driving with foot on accelerator. i will have my foot on the brake and the car will surge as if i am pressing on the accelerator. when i am driving, it surges as if i am pressing the gas pedal up and down, although my foot remains steady. i complained about this the first time that i took my vehicle in and each time i have an oil change. i have been told that there is not a problem. i think that there must be more to the toyota recall because my vehicle that is not subject to the recall appears to be having similar issues. i complained about this long before this recall was announced. *tr
During normal driving, my wife and father-in-law have experienced multiple incidents of unintended acceleration or surging on our 2008 rav4 (awd, 6-cylinder). this is typically occurring at highway speeds or light acceleration above ~25mph. this has been occurring since right after we purchased the vehicle in october 2008. dealer could not verify problem and no error codes were found. the anti-skid control comes on randomly and applied the brakes also, usually while vehicle is stopped. when foot is removed from brake, vehicle stays stopped until accelerator is push and then system releases the brakes and anti-skid light goes out. dealer could not find any error codes for this either. this is a vehicle with a vin number beginning with j, which has been excluded from recent recalls. *tr
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
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. the contact started the ingition. the vehicle was positioned into the selected gear, followed by an unexpected increase of acceleration. the contact was able to stop the vehicle. the identical failure occurred on three separate occasions. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. the failure mileage was 6,963. the current mileage was 29,000.
Was going through a drive through carwash, auto in neutral. reached the end, put foot on brake, put auto into drive. the vehicle accelerated on it's own, going straight out of the end of the carwash. had the brakes on but they didn't stop the vehicle. turned the car to miss a telephone pole and went out into 4-lane hwy., crashing into another vehicle, stopping my vehicle finally. vehicle would not stop at all. the vehicle was towed to our ins. co. repair/estimate shop. do not have a cause for the problem as yet, still under investigation. *tr
Tl* the contact owns 2008 toyota rav 4. the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle came to a halt. suddenly, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and crashed into a preceding vehicle. the vehicle did not halt and proceeded to crash into the preceding vehicle 2 additional times. the brake pedal was depressed with such force in an attempt to stop the accelerating vehicle that the actual brake pedal fractured. the police and ambulance arrived to the scene and occupants from the foregoing vehicle suffered unknown injuries. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where they could not duplicate the failure. the dealer advised the cause of the crash was due to floor mat interference. all repairs were covered by her insurance company. the manufacturer was contacted and currently, she was awaiting a response. a police report was available. the approximate failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 14,500.
I was attempting to pass a semi on an uphill in my new 2008 rav4 when the accelerator became stuck. i had floored the gas pedal since i was going uphill and passing, but when i eased my foot off the pedal remained pressed to the floor. i had entered a single lane construction zone and was accelerating rapidly. i stomped on the accelerator hoping to spring it loose and tried the brakes, to no avail. as i was reaching speeds well into the 90's and within seconds of plowing into the traffic ahead of me i reached down and grabbed the gas pedal and pulled up on it. it did come up then and i was able to slow the car down in time to avoid crashing. i was terrified and thought i would die. i took it to the dealer we had purchased it from and they insisted it was caused by my floor mat and that it was my fault since it was not a toyota floor mat. i told them there was nothing obstructing the pedal when i reached down for it, it was simply stuck. they continue to blame the floor mat, my car has not been put on the recall list and it scares me every day to drive it. i never, ever floor it and now know to put it in neutral should it happen again---although i have heard some people crashed because they could not get the car in neutral. i am very upset that toyota blameshifts and dodges the issue by blaming the mats and refuses to do anything about it. their recall hotline told me it is my problem since my car is not on the recall list. i did buy their mat after the incident, only to be told later that i should remove it since it could cause accelerator entrapment. my dealer still blames the whole problem on my non compliant mat even though they recalled their own mats, too. it is very disturbing to find out that this has been happening to so many others and going on for a long time. so many deaths and accidents, and i easily could have been one. we have bought 5 toyotas from this dealer and have had no support and have been ...
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. while driving 5 mph in reverse up a hill the vehicle began to idle excessively and the rpms increased between 1,500 to 2,000. when the cruise control was activated, the over drive engaged without warning or assistance. she took the vehicle to the dealer for the failures several times. the dealer was able to recreate the failure. the dealer told her not to use the cruise control and that whenever she drove in reverse, the normal rpm should be between 700 and 900. the dealer also stated that since there was no software created to correct the failure they were unable to repair the vehicle. the failure mileage was 943 and the current mileage was 24,000.
My 2008 rav4 suv suddenly goes to full throttle on its own. i have to put both feet on brake pedal while trying to get the car out of gear. this has happened intermittently since purchasing this suv new. i have been back to the dealership several times and they can't find a problem. they said that they need to see the car while it is racing up, but i don't know when it will happen and i can't make it happen on will. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. whenever he drove the vehicle at various speeds and removed his foot from the accelerator pedal, the speed and the rpm's would not decrease for 10 seconds. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 19,754.
I purchased a new toyota rav4 (2008 ls) in the summer of 2008. i quickly realized that there seemed to be a problem with acceleration. i reported it then and the first several times it went in for scheduled maintenance. the response has been the same - that's just what toyotas do. the problem - when accelerating from a stop when the car has been idling, the car hesitates. there is a second or 2 during which there is no power. then, the power kicks in and the car jumps forward, not because the pedal is sticking but because the car suddenly "catches up" with the gas pedal. the explanation given by two dealers is this: in the toyota, there is a delay between when the pedal is pressed down and when the car's computer sends the information to the carburetor, or whatever passes for it in new engines. that causes the sequence - press the gas pedal, hesitation, then surge. this is most dangerous when trying to merge into heavy, fast moving traffic. openings in the traffic are usually small but adequate if the car responds. however, when the car hesitates, then surges, the opening can be missed and the car and driver are at risk for a significant accident. the problem is also intermittent so that the driver can be caught off guard, even when experienced with the car. i'm filing this because i see that your department has gone past the sticking pedal to look at possible problems with the electronics and computer systems in the cars. so i thought this might be helpful. ps-i have been fortunate that the problem has not caused an accident. however, there have been situations where a little luck and a quick foot to the brake pedal was all that prevented one. psps-i will gladly provide the vin # but i do not have it available now. *tr