Problems with 2011 Toyota RAV4 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that when stopping, his foot would haphazardly depress the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the nothing could be done to repair the flaw in the vehicle design. the current and the failure mileages were 5,000. updated 05/11/12*lj the consumer stated while driving 65 mph, he had to immediately apply the emergency brake to prevent a collision, as the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. updated 05/15/12

I rented this car from hertz in chicago. illinois. hertz vehicle number 02298/5188636, rented from 7/21 to 7/26, 2011. there were three incidents on 7/25/2011 that the car accelerated while i had my foot on the brake. in each incident i was stopped at a traffic light with my right foot on the brake pedal. while my foot was on the brake, the engine speed up and i had to apply extreme pressure on the brake to prevent the car from moving forward. in one incident i could only stop the car from moving forward by shifting into neutral and watching the tachometer red line. the car operated normally after the light turned to green and i was able to through the car into drive and press down on the accelerator pedal. i reported it to hertz, but i don't know that they did anything.

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. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav4. while the vehicle was parked the contact depressed the brake pedal while turning the ignition on after running at normal rpms for about 1-1/1/2. the engine rpms suddenly began to increase. the contact looked down at the floor mat and noticed the floor mat was not in the way of the accelerator pedal and the pedal had not moved when the contact shut the vehicle off and the vehicle shook. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 3,200. updated 07/08/11*lj according to the dealer, they were unable to duplicate the problem. however, they found an after market floor mat on top of the factory floor mat. the dealer removed the after market floor mat and placed it in the rear of the vehicle and properly installed factory clips to the floor mat. updated 07/22/11

Tl*the contact own a 2011 toyota rav4. while sitting idle at a traffic light with the brakes depressed, the engine rpms increased as the vehicle accelerated abnormally and crashed into the vehicle ahead of him. there were no injuries. the contact stated that the failure was previously experienced in a school parking lot while the brakes were depressed, the vehicle crashed against a curb. the manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. the contact was advised that an investigator would further inspect the vehicle failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 7,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who only offered to file a report and referred the contact to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 2,346 and current mileage was 2,380. updated 06/13/11 *bf updated 12/23/11

Tl*the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav4. while the vehicle was parked the contact shifted the vehicle into reverse. slight pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal and the vehicle surged backwards until crashing. the vehicle was stopped and shifted into drive. upon applying slight pressure to the accelerator pedal the vehicle surged forward until it crashed again. the vehicle was then shut off. a police report was not filed but the driver suffered injuries. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 2,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav-4. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph and depressing the brakes to make a right turn, the vehicle continued to accelerate. after abruptly applying the brakes and shifting into neutral, the vehicle began to decelerate with the engine exhibiting an extremely loud noise. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that they were unable to diagnose the failure and to have an investigator further inspect the vehicle. the vehicle was taken for a test drive by the investigator who ended up involved in a crash and destroyed the vehicle, preventing a thorough investigation of the failure. the manufacturer was contacted and they replaced the contact's vehicle with a new one. the failure mileage was approximately 150. the vin was unavailable.

On dec. 11, 2010, i purchased my 2011 rav4. since that time, i have had to contact toyota and the dealer and take my rav4 to the dealer service dept. multiple times due to unintended acceleration. each time i was told nothing was wrong with the vehicle. this unintended acceleration occurs randomly when i apply the brakes and is more powerful with each episode. when i depress the brake pedal, the engine revs very loudly and the vehicle feels as though it will speed in whatever gear i am in (i.e., drive or reverse). in order to keep the vehicle under control, i have to keep the brake depressed, engage the emergency brake, shift into park and turn off the engine. on the last occurrence - jan. 2, 2011 - the engine revved so strongly the front end shook violently and we could smell the engine overheating. on jan. 2nd, the rav4 had to be towed on a flatbed to the dealer where it remained for 2 weeks awaiting toyota tech's. when the toyota tech's finally made it to the dealer, they downloaded the onboard data and took it to their lab to analyze. once i again, i was told, 'nothing is wrong with this rav4; it does not have a problem'. it is clear to me either toyota does not have the technology in place to record and diagnose this real and dangerous problem or they refuse to admit their vehicles have a problem. i cannot continue to drive this vehicle, putting my life and the safety of the public in danger. this rav4 needs to be returned to toyota so they can identify and correct this defect.

Tl*the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav4. the contact stated that whenever he applied the brakes, his foot made contact with the accelerator pedal, causing the vehicle to surge forward. the dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer who stated that the design coincided with nhtsa standards and offered no assistance. the contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 3,500.