Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2004 Toyota RAV4.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
I was driving on a highway, there was a red light and I pressed on the brakes. The car kept going forward, the brakes became resistant to any pressure and the car continued to roll forward. There were no warning lights when the car was started or during the incident. I kept trying to brake the car, but the car kept moving forward and was about to hit the car in front of me. The cars around me started honking, trying to move out of the way; luckily the light turned red and the car in front of me was able to move out of the way. I could not press on the gas or the break, I decided to turn the ignition off and the car was able to turn off. I re-started the car and then was able to go again. Had this been on the highway and I was moving at a faster speed, I probably wouldn't be typing this right now and would be in the er with potentially others. This is the second time an issue like this happened. The first time the car was in reverse and it wouldn't brake and I almost slammed into the car behind me. The brakes and gas were not responsive. I took it to a mechanic right away, got new brakes, rotors, engine and transmission was checked. A couple months later this happened again.
10 days ago transmission on 2004 rav started to act funny. Slow/jerky to engage in lower gears. Check engine lights came on. Checked out by mechanic who said it looked like a transmission problem and should have it looked at by transmission specialist who said it was not safe to drive as is since it could simply die at any time, and it needed a new transmission. When replacing trans, the trans man found the ecm had to be replaced. He said this often happened with 2003 thru 2005 Rav4s. On looking through your site, discovered others had similar issues with their 2004 ravs. I also found out that the electronic control module for these vehicles is defective and must be repaired to correct the transmission issues. What did Toyota have to say when you looked into this, or do you not think it’s a safety issue?.
When accelerating from stopped position the car hesitates, moves very slowly, then with added pressure on gas pedal jerks as it shifts into second gear, after that it seems to run fine. Check engine light and vsc trac lights are on. This is very dangerous when entering a busy road or in heavy traffic.
The driver's side visor will not stay up. Comes down and blocks view.
This 10 year old car had been garaged its entire life. It was driven 4 or 5 times a week in northern new hampshire. The front cross member which supports the engine and the transmission and holds the wheels on rusted to the point where there were large holes in the frame. Toyota of butte montana and Toyota of wenatchee washington both required that I sign a statement that I understood the car was unsafe to drive because the frame member was too rusted. Toyota of wenatchee did not want anyone even standing under it. Toyota of wenatchee offered $1000 towards $2900 in repairs but required that all the repairs be done through them. I had the cross member replaced and the other repairs done elsewhere for $1200. Toyota corporate refused any assistance and sees no need of a recall. I believe there should be a recall of these vehicles in high salt areas (like northern new hampshire). I have pictures of the cross member.
I entered my car in the home garage while coasting and the car suddenly accelerated as I approached about 5 feet within my parking spot. After the car suddenly accelerated, it was a matter of seconds before the car crashed into a floor cabinet and refrigrator that rests against our garage wall stopping the car's forward movement and allowing me put the car in the drive gear and turn off the engine. The air bags did not deploy and fortunately I was not injured. The crash caused extensive damages to the front of the car, both front side fenders, driver and passenger doors, the garage wall, floor cabinet and refrigrator. There may be additional internal damage under the hood but at this point that has not been determined. The car damages are so extensive that it may be a total loss. Obviously, I'm very dissapointed by this incident and will not trust the car in the future. I promply reported this to my insurance CO. And filed an incident with Toyota and requested that they perform a root cause analysis.