Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2011 Toyota RAV4.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
Everything working.
I was driving down the road, and the engine quit. At that time smoke started pouring out of the hood and into the car, through the vents. I pulled over, the power breaks no longer worked but I was able to stop. I got out of the car quickly to avoidmore smoke inhalation. Flames were already starting to come out. Within a few minutes the entire car was engulfed in fire. Possibly the fuel line had a problem. Car was a total loss. Police were present. There were no warning lights or symptoms before hand. It was the best car I ever had and was working perfectly.
I was stopped at a red light with the brake fully engaged when runaway acceleration tried to take over the vehicle and make it inch forward into oncoming traffic on hwy 90. Due to my quick actions of continuing to press brake, I put vehicle in neutral then park, then I shut off the engine and turned on flashers. A policeman immediately drove onto highway and stopped traffic in order to escort me to my church parking lot about a block away. We then took it to a relatives home nearby. It could be the electronic throttle, throttle position on pedal, throttle body motor, computer programming issue etc.
The complaint specified does not seem to happen frequently or consistently, has happened randomly 2 times in a 6 week period. Specifically, car was engaged in the drive gear on auto transmission and was stopped at the moment, once at the parking spot at local walmart, brought to complete halt with foot on the brake, and ready to shift lever to park, before I could do that, brake went soft and car moved/surged forward, hitting the safety pole in the parking spot. The safety pole saved from head on hitting the car already parked in the opposite parking spot. The picture of the front of the car against the safety post is attached. Another time, was stopped with foot on the brake, waiting to merge into traffic, at the local hyvee store, suddenly braking was gone, engine surged withpower and the car jumped into the middle of intersection. Fortunately I was able to avoid the collision with other cars on the road. Both times the car was at standstill, in drive gear, foot on the brake. In forty or more years of driving I have never have this happened before I did file a claim with stae farm, because there was damage to the front bumper. A picture is attached. I have not yet driven this car, after it was repaired by the body shop, due to profound fear that this incidence can happen again. Toyota company says they have found nothing wrong, just like they have denied for similar issues with their other cars in the past. Please help.
The vehicle has a chronic issue with the O2 sensor which will prompt a engine light. The engine light will cause the vehicle to automatically shut off the 4wd and stability control and will happen at any triggering of the engine light. This is concerning especially in winter environments.
The tire press monitoring system (tpms ) has failed due to exhausted battery life in the tire sensors. . The pressure failure light comes on but all 5 tires have the correct tire pressure. The failure light now can't be turned off without spending $900 + for a set of new monitors. Needless to say the dealers cost is so prohibitive that that they will not be replaced so what good is this system ? I believe as this is a safety item that the auto manufactures should fix / replace !!.
Up until last Sunday, my mother had driven a 2011 rav 4. On Sunday, as she was driving, the car rapidly accelerated on its own. She was unable to stop the car using the brake, or by trying to put the car in neutral. She was on a 2 lane road, with traffic in both directions. In order not to injure anyone else, she drove off the road and subsequently struck a tree. She suffered severe injuries ry, and the car was totaled.
2011 Toyota rav 4. Consumer writes in regards to car hacking issue.
I received a recall about the windshield wipers about a year ago - local dealership says that there is no resolution?????.
This rav 4 has had two separate instances of sudden acceleration. One time while approaching a stop light, and the brake was applied, the engine started to rev, and the vehicle had "extended stopping distance". Luckily, there was no car in front of us, otherwise there would have been an accident. It occurred a second time while pulling into a parking spot at work. Again, luckily, there was a snow bank in front of the space (and not another car!). The car is a 4cyl. , and cert. Pre-owned. It's scary to think there is this unpredictable problem with the car. Dealer claims they know nothing about it. I will be showing them the 56 or so complaints from this NHTSA site for merely the 2011 Rav4. I haven't even looked at the other years yet! more than 50% of the complaints in here are for this very same problem! isn't it about time for a recall on this dangerous "feature"? how many more lives need to be at risk? or is the govt. Trying to preserve "Toyota quality"? it could be as simple as replacing the brake pedal -- space it further away from the accel. Pedal and make it "taller" so that there can be no iteration between the two. Or, simply allow the brake light signal to interact with the ecm to inhibit any "throttle increase" command to the engine.
I had 3 incidents of unintended acceleration (ua) with my 2011 Rav4 within 3 weeks of each other in Mar/Apr 2014, 1 resulting in a minor accident. A complaint was made with nhsta at that time. I went thru Toyota's complaint procedure, including inspection by their field technician. They found nothing wrong with the vehicle. On Dec 4 & 12th, 2014, I experienced 2 more ua incidents. Each time I was coming to a stop at an intersection & I stepped on the brake, but my vehicle kept moving forward, and I could hear the motor revving up very loudly. I had learned from the previous 3 experiences last spring to keep a distance behind vehicles whenever possible when coming to a stop, so as to avoid ramming into the vehicles in front of me by veering to either side of the vehicle if possible. I should not have to be afraid every time I drive my Rav4, but I am. My Rav4 has only 20500 miles on it and is like new. It makes me livid that Toyota can just ignore/deny that there is a problem, especially after seeing all of the other similar complaints regarding ua on the nhsta site. . . Kind of like general motors covering up their little ignition problem for 10 years, while so many people were injured or died.
The 5th (back of vehicle) door latch completely failed and would not hold door closed. There was no accident or any other damage to the door. The latch inside simply failed. I had to tie the door closed to get it to a dealer for repair.
While driving on the high way at 63 mph my car started shaking to the point it caused me to become dizzy and nauseous. My mechanic found nothing wrong with the tie rodes etc. The tires were rounded and evenly worn. We rotated the tires and car still shook like crazy but felt like it was in the back. Brought car to tire shop had tires balanced they said 2 where way off. Went on the highway again and at 65 the vehicle still had a shake to it.
While driving at speed the vehicle's stability, antilock brakes and traction control functions stop functioning and the indicator light for all turn on. The cruise control disengages which caused the car to decelerate rapidly. I was in traffic and was able to accelerate to avoid an accident. The accelerator and braking appear to work properly but I am unable to reengage the cruise control. This is exactly the same symptoms in the recall of the 2012 Rav4 but the 2011 is not included.
The driver's side visor no longer stays up securely. It will sometimes remain propped up until it falls down just going over a slightly uneven road service. It startles the driver and sometimes blocks the driver's vision depending upon the grade of the roadway. Toyota charges a ridiculous amount to repair it.
Loud bang which sounds like a hammer hitting the bottom of the vehicle. Problem first noticed around 1000 miles and happens frequently. It happens typically when passengers are in the middle and or 3rd row seats at speeds usually above 25 miles per hour. This is an ongoing problem with my 4 wheel drive, 3rd row seat Rav4 now at 73k miles. It can happen within a few miles of each incident or go hundreds of miles before it happens again. Very alarming. I have taken it into the dealer several times yet every time their technicians take the vehicle for test drive, they can not replicate the problem.