Car Accelerates On Its Own Problems of Toyota RAV4 - part 2

Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while slow moving in a crowded parking lot. Wheels continued to spin and accelerate even after car had collided with other (parked) cars, and continued to accelerate with no response from the brakes. It collided in quick succession with four cars until it finally stopped (car was turned off). Luckily no one was injured, there were dozens of pedestrians returning to their vehicles after a classic concert. I asked for an investigation by the car maker. Investigation was conducted on 6 July (cdr/edr record recovered from srs module). In September I received a letter from Toyota saying no mechanical defect was found. However, I believe it is not a mechanical defect but a software defect that caused the acceleration. I've owned Toyotas for over 15 years - which I had always considered a very reliable company - have been a driver for over 30 years and never had a single accident. The experience was so terrifying in spite of Toyota reassurance I felt the car was unsafe and transferred the lease to a dealer (bearing some monetary loss, unfortunately). I file this complaint so that future owners can be made aware, and in order to assist accuracy of statistics and studies on sudden unintended acceleration events.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. While driving approximately 3 mph and making a right turn, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly and crashed into a wooded area. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,000.

New Rav4 purchased 2/2013;bought extended platnum warranty. 5 separate incidents of sudden acceleration 2/14/2015-5/25/2015-had passenger in car each time. 1st- traveling s I-79 warrendale PA 60 mph speed drops to 50 mph car in front hit brakes to slow I applied my brakes to slow Rav4 started to accelerate engine started to rev loudly passenger said shift to neutral then I hit brake again to slow. 2nd-local traffic 30 mph applied brake to slow instead car accelerated put into neutral to slow engine revving. 3rd-driving from oakland-north hills PA in traffic 30 mph hit brake to slow for traffic light instead rav accelerated engine revving loudly put in neutral to stop. 4th-traveling 20 mph at local park 3/7/15 approaching stop sign car in front applied brakes, hit my brakes & car accelerated put car into neutral engine revving loudly then applied brakes to stop-drove directly to Toyota dealership advisor checked floor mats stated were properly placed. I made appt at dealership on 3/10. Toyota's conclusion-nothing wrong stated "possible pedal misapplication", suggested I buy flat Toyota floor mats had weathertechs, I purchased new driver's mat & Toyota installed. 5th-5/25/15 leaving grocery store 10 mph went to stop before exiting lot rav would not stop engine loud threw into neutral finally stopped. 5/25/15 emailed ceo of Toyota n America received call back & made appt for 5/29/15 to have rav looked over again at dealership for sudden acceleration issues. Received call back on 5/29/15 from nicki @ Toyota executive office-stated that Toyota stands by their March 2015 assessment that there is nothing wrong with my rav & if I have it towed to dealership by aaa, I would be responsible for all costs to have my vehicle serviced at dealership, would not be covered under any warranties. I have been driving for 40+ year & possible pedal misapplication 5 x's is a bunch of bull.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Rav4. While driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to lose control and crash into a traffic light pole. During the crash, the vehicle shook and wobbled from side to side and could not be stopped when depressing the brake pedal. The driver sustained a fractured rib and upper torso contusions. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,500.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. While stopped, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning and crashed into a fence. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained neck injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 88,000.

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2005 Toyota rav 4. Consumer writes in regards to first unintended acceleration dealership examination reported no defects, second unintended acceleration caused accident with several vehicles. The vehicle was totaled. The first incident occurred, when the consumers wife was driving. After she shifted to drive, after backing out of a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward with incredible speed and spun out of control, went into circles and collided with a nearby unoccupied vehicle. A police report was not filed. The second incident occurred, while the consumer was driving, the vehicle suddenly surged forward with the engine racing. He tried to stop, but to no avail. The consumer collided with the rear of another vehicle. His vehicle bounced off and to the left, and then hit several other vehicle.

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The contact owns a 2002 Toyota rav 4. The contact stated the vehicle suddendly accelerated independently and immediately the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician made the contact aware of an unknown manufacturer recall related to the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 84,329.

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I was stopped at a red light with ~1 car length between me and one car in front of me. When the light turned green and the car ahead began to move, I took my foot off the brake and moved it to the accelerator as usual. At that point, my car rapidly accelerated out of control and hit the car in front. My brakes wouldn't engage and my car continued to accelerate rapidly. I had to swerve around the car I'd hit while my car continued at high speed through 2 stop signs in a residential neighborhood. During this time, I had to swerve to avoid hitting oncoming cars. All the while I was trying to apply brakes, but they wouldn't engage and my speed didn't decrease. After approximately 1/2 mile, the brakes finally engaged and I was able to bring the car to a stop. My airbags didn't deploy after the initial impact, perhaps because of the initial low speed.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

2008 Toyota rav 4. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration. The consumer stated 2 service recalls were performed. After the services were performed, the consumer stated a friend pickup up the vehicle, and experienced the following events: when the vehicle was started, the engine began to idle very rough with considerable vibration, as if the vehicle was running on 3 cylinders. The dealer claimed with a little driving the software update would work itself out and no longer be an issue. The service representative said the rough idle would sometime happens after the recall software update. Over the next 3 weeks, the consumer drove the vehicle daily and it continued to run rough. As she approached a red light, she took her foot off the accelerator and placed her foot on the brake pedal to stop. However, the vehicle instead accelerated, and she began quickly pumping the brake pedal. Eventually, the vehicle did come to a stop with the engine running at a lower rate, but still running rough.

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The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving in reverse at approximately 5 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated to 55 mph. The brake pedal was engaged numerous times however, the vehicle continued to accelerate. The vehicle then crashed into a nearby parking sign and a tree. The contact sustained no injuries. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

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I was traveling down city street behind several cars & we were approaching a traffic light at intersection, my foot off the gas pedal letting car slow naturally. I heard the motor start revving up quickly, suddenly accelerating by itself. I pushed on the brakes, but car continued to rev up & lurched forward hitting the car in front of me. I pushed harder on the brakes, even trying to pump them but my car hit the car in front of me again & then my car finally stopped & I turned off the motor. What a scary situation!! thank god no one was injured only damage to both vehicles! we filed a police report & I had the rav towed to the Toyota dealer where it remains parked. I will not drive it again because I am scared to death of what could of or what might happen. A claim was filed with Toyota headquarters, claim # [xxx]. A third party, engineer, came out to dealer's to inspect, check black box, etc. Of course, with an 18 page report & extensive checking he could not recreate problem, found nothing on black box, etc. & claims he feels safe to drive it. I am waiting to hear from Toyota headquarters for their official word, which I doubt will be any different than the inspector's. Besides I could not get a copy of the report because he was hired by Toyota! not sure where to turn now. This was not the first time, the unintended sudden acceleration had occurred. On 3 or 4 other occasions, my rav did the same thing & luckily did not cause an accident. One time I threw the car into park as to stop it. The gas pedal & the brake were working fine, no sticking or no me putting my foot on the wrong pedal! the floor mats were original to vehicle & firmly attached to hooks. I had reported it to concord Toyota on one occasion when I had an oil change, but they could not simulate the problem, so they stated there was no problem!! obviously, there is a problem!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

On 2/17/14 I had an "unintended acceleration" event and hit a car. No one was hurt. I took my car to Toyota and filed a report. On 2/22/14 Toyota retrieved data from the vehicle chip and emailed me a copy. Data shows that I was braking during the entire 4. 7 sec prior to collision. Upon braking, the motor rpm dropped to 800, then suddenly increased to 2000 while I continued braking, and stayed at 2000 until collision. A Toyota case manager said that Toyota had 30 days to respond. That has passed and I have received no response. My car may be unsafe. I cannot drive it for fear of harm to myself or others since nothing has been to correct the problem. My car is idle, causing me significant financial difficulty.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be replicated. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

After completing a 5 block downhill drive in second gear with little use of either the accelerator or the brake, I then braked as I turned into my garage in order to park my vehicle. As I entered my garage and while still braking and at slowing speed the vehicle's engine suddenly accelerated and the vehicle lurched forward violently. I immediately applied heavy brake pressure and up shifted in an attempt to take the vehicle out of gear. My braking may have slowed, but did not stop, the vehicle's forward acceleration. When I put the vehicle into park, the wheels locked, forward progress stopped (just in front of the back wall of my garage), and I shut the engine off using the ignition switch. I did not think of trying to turn off the ignition switch first and I did not have time for different options; I had only a few seconds to get the vehicle under control or it would have hit the back wall of my garage. Once the engine was stopped, I waited a few seconds, restarted the vehicle (which started normally), and then backed into my parking space. I have not used the vehicle since. The consumer stated he experienced sudden acceleration twice in 4 years. Updated 04/08/14.

My cars check engine and vsc trac lights came on at the same time when I started the car. I then put it in drive and pressed on the gas pedal and nothing happened, but sometimes the car suddenly accelerates. My husband had to drive my car and I had to follow him home b/c the car was so unpredictable. He would have to push down hard on the gas pedal and it would hesitate but then all of a sudden it would then jerk forward. He was terrified that he would get stuck in the middle of an intersection! I found an article online about how Toyota provided extended warrantys to 2001-2003 Rav4 vehicle owners for this exact issue. . Read more...

Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Toyota Rav4. The contact indicated that while traveling at any rate of speed, the vehicle exhibited an unintended acceleration which caused the contact to have to apply force to the brake pedal to slow the vehicle down. The failure was progressing and happening intermittently. The safety concern was reported to the authorized dealer and the manufacturer who were not able to replicate nor diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was not available. Dyd.

Approaching stop sign with foot on brake, sudden acceleration , towards oncoming intersection , with cross traffic, vehicle still lunged and vibrated further, able to stop vehicle by turning the ignition off!.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle erroneously accelerated and crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact stated that he attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the failure recurred and the contact crashed into the vehicle a second time. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle exhibited a recurring rapid acceleration failure. The contact had been involved in three separate crashes as a result of the failure. Most recently, the contact was traveling at an unknown speed when the vehicle rapidly accelerated and crashed into the rear of another vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was contacted, who determined that they would provide an extensive inspection of the vehicle. The manufacturer later advised the contact that they were unable to duplicate the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,400. The VIN was not available. Updated 04/30/lj.

2010 Toyota rav 4. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration. A couple of months after purchasing the vehicle, the consumer noticed when the brake was applied to slow down, there was a sudden pick up of speed. The consumer crashed into a concrete post, due to the sudden acceleration. Updated 12/16/13.

I was turning around in a parking lot (360 degree turn) when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. . . I hit the brake, the engine continued to race and I tried to put the engine in neutral. I was heading toward a parked vehicle (I would have t-boned it but I swerved), foot depressing the brake to the floor, nothing on the accelerator, engine continued to race and while I tried to put the vehicle in neutral I overshot, threw it into reverse (engine still racing), then park. Engine racing, I shut off the car. Nothing was on the accelerator and the original floor mat replaced by a different style. I had the original recall issue fixed so the accelerator is the new, shortened version. Apparentley that fix did not correct the problem. So now what do I do? I can no longer trust this vehicle to operate safely. Nothing should override the brake!!.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota rav 4. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning while driving 1 mph. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer stated the sudden acceleration was a normal occurrence. The failure mileage was 10,000.

I have just experienced sudden acceleration while pulling into a parking spot. I slammed on the brake and it didn't want to stop. I ended up bumping the car in front of me as I continued to brake. The engine was still surging and wouldn't go into reverse. I called mountain states Toyota here in denver and explained the problems to the service manager. He told me that he had never heard of such a thing. There are numerous complaints with the same issue on the internet. The service manager, of course, is telling me that if they cannot reproduce it and it is not showing error codes(which it isn't) there isn't anything they can do. I told him I wanted the acceleration system thoroughly inspected. . . Which he wants to charge me for unless they do find an issue. By what I have seen on the internet, it is useless to take it in as Toyota is ignoring the issue, thinking they fixed it with the floor mats. I had the floor mats replaced on that recall well before this issue came up. I have also had many experiences with the engine surging and hesitating with the tach showing the surge. It is intermittent and cannot be reproduced, but it is getting worse over time. I now believe that this is related to the acceleration issue I described above. I am afraid to drive it now as it could happen on a busy street and really hurt someone and me.

2011 Toyota rav 4. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle unintended acceleration. The consumer stated she experienced sudden acceleration on August 15, 2013. She stated there was a car in front of her at a light, and she attempted to brake, but due to the unintended acceleration, she hit the vehicle in front of her. She suffered a fractured pelvis. Repairs to the vehicle exceeded $8,000 and thousands more in medical care. On Feb 2, 2014, her husband attempted to park the vehicle, but when he applied the brake, the vehicle instead accelerated, and he crashed into a building. There were no injuries, but costly damage to the building and $2,000 damage to the vehicle. The consumer went to the dealer for help, and the service manager replicated the acceleration problem four separate times in the parking lot. He stated there was a software program called "Smart stop" available for the 2006-2010 models and the same software was on the 2012-2014 models. An inspector was sent to examine the vehicle, and he stated there was nothing wrong with the vehicle, and the accidents, were simply their fault.

Tl- the contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The conatct stated that they were trying to reverse and the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact tried to stop the vehicle but braked ceased. As a result, the vehicle jumped the curb and crashed into three trucks and a tree. The failure occured without warning. The airbags did not deploy. There was no police report filed. There were no injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The failure milage was 379 miles. Akp.

Tl- the contact owns a 1999 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while sitting at a stop with the brakes applied, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 107,579. Kmj.

See all problems of the 1999 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I drive a Toyota Rav4 v6 ltd, 2012 purchased on Jan 2, 2013. Prior to that we had a Toyota camry 1999 with more 200k miles on it. On July 24th, 2013, I was driving at a speed of 10 mph inside the apartment complex and was turning right to park. I was almost parked when all of a sudden the car surged and zoomed over parking stopper, breaking overhead storage bin, zoomed ahead and banged into the building stairs. I kept pumping the brake all through, but the car didnt stop until it hit on to the stairs of apartment. The wheels were still rolling but it couldnt go ahead because of the heavy stairs and finally after continuously stepping on the brake it stopped. My right foot was all along on the brake as it always is when I'm parking. Body of the car was severely damaged with glass pieces all over me. Luckily my 3 year old was safer at back in her car seat. The airbags did not deploy on impact. I'm having more than 10 years of driving experience and it was the first time that I was involved in an accident. Since I'm a woman everyone was quick to conclude that, I had stepped on the gas pedal instead of brake. But I know my foot was all along on the brake, until the car finally stopped. This has caused a lot of damage, although I had insurance to cover the car, the value is zilch now. The car was not totalled and repairs was worth more than 20k. Driving the car now, doesn't feel the same as the collision center did a crappy repair job. Now the car makes sounds while driving, as though it will come apart. We are left with no options other than just to drive the same car because we can't afford another car. After notifying Toyota and after numerous calls they collected the edr and sent us a report stating that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. It was our fault that we didn't realise Toyota had issues related to unintended acceleration prior to buying the Rav4.

I was driving approximately 20 mph. When tried to stop at the traffic signal and pressed the brake then instead of stopping the car was going forward. It almost hit the car at front of me. There was a sudden acceleration and rpm went upto 9000. I pressed the brake pedal multiple number of times then the car engine stopped. Once the vehicle was restarted, it resumed as normal. It was really scary.

2 separate episodes of unintended acceleration in a brand new car dealer unable to verify defect.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The contact was able to stop the vehicle by turning off the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was not available. Updated 5/9/13 updated 05/24/2013.

2012 Rav4, second incident, 1st was dismissed. Was driving approx 20 mph in a 35mph business district on 4 lane street. Pressed brake with right foot to decelerate for stop light & car in front of me, car suddenly surged forward with engine revving. I depressed brake further with more strength and took left foot and place on top of right foot. Had the feeling the accelerator pedal was moving as well but wasn't touching it. Car continued to jerk forward, engine revving, with brakes partially engaged for approx. 20 feet. Then engine shut off completely and brakes fully engaged stopping the car. Was inches from car in front. Restarted car and finished drive home. Checked car mats but still in place on brackets. Had car towed to Toyota dealership. They found no unintended acceleration but did find that both brake and accelerator pedals had been depressed. Suggested I must have stepped on both accidentally. Not a chance. Was well aware of foot/feet placement. Service mgr showed me what to do "should this happen again. " excuse me?! told to shift into neutral for brakes to engage or another gear to stall the engine and stop the car. 1 wk later, regional inspector spent day w/car and reported nothing wrong. Did show both pedals depressed at same time long enough to trip sensor but nothing was wrong. Dealer suggested I report to Toyota. Reported incident to Toyota customer experience center. Not happy. 2 incidents, other reports online, and it's a 2012 that wasn't supposed to do this. Feel lucky I didn't rear end someone, especially as the car didn't slow very much until it died. Scared silly for next time. Do not want my rav. Am being told car is perfectly safe but no one at dealership would sign statement saying I was safe and this wouldn't happen again. Hmmm. Want them to take car back! purchased new in oct. 2012 w/less than 10 miles on it.

Unintended acceleration. My husband was driving our 2007 Toyota rav 4 out of a tollbooth area and accelerating normally, when the car started rapidly accelerating on its own. He stepped hard on the brakes but could not get the car below 40 mph. He shifted into neutral and gradually the car slowed and he moved to the breakdown lane. He removed the keys from the ignition, and the vehicle finally stopped. The entire incident from start to finish happened over the course of about 3 miles of highway. He gave a full account of this to our local Toyota dealer. They did not identify the cause of the problem, but acknowledged that it was not due to floor mats. The car's brakes--both pads and rotors--were destroyed during the incident. We were not comfortable driving it again. The dealership brought back the car back from us at kelly blue book value.

My car had the check engine and vsc trac lights came on at the same time. If I start the car, put it in drive and press on the gas pedal sometime nothing happens, sometimes the car suddenly accelerate. I took the car back to Toyota dealer next. They said it was a accelerator pedal error (p2121 error) and card was not safe for driving. The car is still at Toyota dealer for further trouble shooting.

Tl-the contact owns a 2012 Toyota Rav4. While driving approximately 10 mph, the brake pedal was engaged and the vehicle unexpectedly increased acceleration. The engine began to rev rapidly. The brake pedal was depressed repeatedly; however the vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into the proceeding vehicle. A police report was field of the incident. There were no personal injuries. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the unintended acceleration and they planned to inspect the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000. Js.

2011 Toyota rav 4. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration and disabled throttle. The consumer stated he began having problems with the vehicle in Jan 2013, which resulted in two accidents. One of the accidents resulted in $2200. 00 worth of damage, when the vehicle accelerated and lurched forward. The vehicle would disable the throttle over 5 mph when the brake was applied. However, the sudden acceleration also occurred under 5 mph.