Table 1 shows one common exterior lighting related problems of the 2021 Toyota RAV4.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems |
While parked in a commercial lot on [xxx] around [xxx], I noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle while sitting inside. There was a strong burning rubber smell. I exited and saw flames coming from beneath the front left bumper, directly under the fog light area. I had arrived at the location about 30 minutes earlier. I opened the hood from inside the vehicle, stepped back, and called 911. The fire rapidly engulfed the front of the vehicle. Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes and extinguished the fire. Police responded and created a report. Three nearby vehicles also sustained fire damage. The vehicle had previous front-end repairs (driver side bumper and fog light) and was well maintained. The vehicle had not shown any warning lights or messages prior to the fire. I believe the fire originated from an electrical or engine component and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Geico insurance has been contacted and a claim has been opened. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Rear right light got water in it after washing the car and the electrical wires shot out and car went on fire. Firefighters came and investigated and came to this conclusion. Car was totaled and insurance company took pictures and wrote report. Car will be towed by insurance company today. Car was in driveway next to house, we saw smoke from window and fire was extinguished quickly but it was fortunate that we were home and saw it in time so it did not spread anywhere else. Car had not been driven for 2 days and was not on, no warning lights in past. No accidents in past, all maintenance done by Toyota dealer.
I was parked at a store, engine off. Was in there 3 minutes and another customer ran inside and said a car was on fire, the employee asked if it was mine. I ran outside and it was indeed mine. The rear tail light was all melted and on fire, billowing smoke was coming out the sides of the hatch so I opened it quickly to get the fire out. The store employee put the fire out with his fire extinguisher. No prior warning lights were present when driving it before this occurred. The car is at Toyota dealer presently while they determine the cause.
1. For two different occasions the high beams wouldn't turn on at night on a dark road and rainy day. Took the vehicle to Toyota but mechanic reported that he couldn't reproduce event. I had to drive very slowly with normal lights as I could. 2. For two different occasions the vehicle wouldn't start I almost had the vehicle towed but using the Toyota app and the key fob was able to remote start and then start the vehicle. I can't imagine what would have happened if the car turned off in the middle of an intersection and wouldn't turn on. 3. The adaptive cruise control has a glitch that I have told Toyota. If you're going over 30 mph and the vehicle in front of you has been in a complete stop for a while, the car may not stop you have to manually stop or crash. This could be extremely dangerous.
Led headlights do not emit heat and allow ice to cover entire headlight group, blocking illumination. Problem is exacerbated with road grime in the ice. Led headlights, also, do not provide enough light spectrum to identify objects in the dark—nearly all other lights provide better/friendlier illumination to the human eye at night. Led headlights are a safety issue in the dark… made worse in icy conditions.
When driving the car and stopping at a stop sign or stop light, the engine will shut off. The automatic restart occurs and with the headlights on the climate temp control display flickers while all the other dashlights remain bright. Many people are disabling the system. Since there is a switch you can press, defeating the system. Toyota sent a technical specialist who inspected the system. And since he couldn't find how to fix it, declared it normal. Apparently Toyota designed the car to do this for some unknown reason. He stated that lights will dim when the car restarts. It is not dimming as if a current draw, it flickers every time. This of course, affects the fuel economy of the car, defeating the system, which many people do and creates a concern of why that one component flickers. Toyota installs a heavy 605a battery to operate this system since there are so many restarts. Will this create a car fire at some point? I would imagine that it makes a difference in the cafe reporting since so many people disable the system.