Tailgate problems of the 2009 Toyota RAV4

I bought a Toyota rav-4 sport in January 2009. It is a v-6 with the run flat tires. In July, I purchased a new, very expensive computerized sewing machine--one that I had hoped to be able to buy for a long, long time. It was just over $1400. 00. I placed it in the back of my rav and drove home. I swung open the tailgate, not thinking I had to peak inside first. The sewing machine fell right out of the car unto the cement garage floor. I was devastated. Then I thought how lucky I was that my foot or my small dog was not injured. A toddler or an infant in an infant seat would have been seriously injured. I remain concerned about the computer in my sewing machine. My husband, knowing how upset I was, and seeing that there was a serious problem, cut a 2x4 and wedged it in along the edge, thus preventing my groceries and everything else from falling right out of the car as I opened the door. The other concern I have about this car is that there are no run-flat snow tires available and we live in an area that is hilly, with a lot of snow. The so-called, "all-weather," do not have enough tread for our terrain.