Cruise Control Problems of Toyota RAV4 - part 2

I am the owner of a 2008 Rav4. I was traveling with cruise control at 50 mph as I approached a down grade toward a traffic light I manually took the car out of cruise control expecting to slow some. I realized that I needed to slow more and applied the brake pedal. However, I could feel the car fighting the brakes. I put the car into neutral and was able to stop for the lights. When I did this the engine was racing while stopped. When the light changed I put the racing engine into drive. I jerked forward and has been ok since. I reported this to the dealer. I was told that another owner of the same year and model reported a similar event that day. This is different than the runaway cars reported in the news, as the car did not accelerate to max speed. Toyota seems not to be responding to cars made before 2009. I think this is a computer problem where the cruise control did not turn off and the stepping on the brakes did not take it out of cruise control either. On Feb 19 I reported this to the Toyota dealer and was told that another person had reported this same type of thing that same day. They look for error codes but found none.

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The contact owns a 2010 Toyota rav 4. While driving 60 mph with the cruise control engaged the vehicle accelerated up to 85 mph. The contact applied the brakes to disengage the cruise control. The contact has not notified the manufacturer regarding the failure. The contact stated that the acceleration was very sudden and could have caused a crash. The failure mileage was 6,000.

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While using the cruise control it has a tendency to accelerate rapidly and sometimes past the set speed when using "resume. " hitting the brakes or turning off cruise control has always stopped it. This has happened many times over the last three years. Usually the car is going over 60 mph when this happens. Recently the car has accelerated once when not using the cruise control. When hitting the brakes the acceleration stopped. This has happened only once. I have never taken it in because it will be hard to trace and the warranty is out. Without changing out all of the components one could never be sure the problem was corrected. I noted that you have now gone down to 2009 rav's. I believe that there could be a problem with earlier years too.

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2007 Toyota Rav4 when using cruise control on a slight incline the car will start shifting in and out of gears, bucking and jumping and I turn the cruise off immediately. It sounds like the engines going to blow. . Read more...

First issue-while backing up slowly, attempted to stop before hitting telephone pole, instead of stopping rav-4 lurched backward hitting pole causing $4,000 worth of damage. Cost us $500 deductible, plus over $1000 next several years for losing no-claim credit. Second issue; cruise control while climbing a hill will, the vehicle will accelerate wildly, then cut out, then lurch back and forth until you hit the brake to shut it off. No injuries from this yet, but dangerous if other vehicles present. Updated 02/17/10.

While driving on interstate with cruise control set @ 70mph. And entering a reduced speed area, I disable cruise by tapping brakes. After traveling a few miles the car would accelerate at a fast rate on its own. I would then either tap the brakes again or turn off the cruise to stop the acceleration. This has happened at least 6 to 8 separate occasions. Last use of cruise was in November.

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The contact owns a 2008 Toyota rav 4. Occasionally after brake application, the cruise control switch will not disengage. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership. The current and failure mileages were 38000.

Date is approximate, but this has happened numerous times, not always under the same conditions. It has happened after being driven in light rain & heavy rain & after vehicle being parked & restarted all of the lights would be illuminated. Initially while driving in moderate rain multiple vehicle warning lights illuminated, cruise control failed on freeway @ set speed of approx 60mph due to rainfall. While continuing to function the vehicle started to feel like it was rolling on marbles & the feel is a little unnerving, but you are able to maintain control of the vehicle. Diagnostics reveal multiple codes, but once reset all lights are out & the vehicle drives normally again until driven in rainy conditions. Independent garage said to take it to Toyota when the rain induced the warning lights again & I'm headed to a Toyota dealer this morning after a light rain on Saturday morning all lights illuminated again & the cruise will no longer engage. Don't know if this has been reported by any other rav 4 owners, but independent garage so far has said "we can't find a failure just a lot of codes & once we clear the codes it is okay. " if I understand the premise of the warning lights they are there to indicate something requires attention - so my faith in "there's nothing wrong or we can't find anything" is a little shaken. I spoke with Toyota & they deny that this has ever been reported by any rav 4 owners & I would have to bring it to them when the failure & warning lights come on - they will see them this morning. Thank you for your time.

This is a possible expansion of the present Toyota "sudden acceleration" investigation. It involves one momentary incident of uncommanded acceleration on a 2007 Toyota Rav4 vehicle in sept. 2009. It has not recurred nor was it reported to Toyota nor the NHTSA. While traveling on an open highway, with the vehicle under cruise control, I attempted to resume my normal cruising speed after an apparently successful "brake shutdown" of the system. On applying the "resume speed command", the engine went to an apparent full throttle position with the transmission downshifting into "passing gear". This continued for a short time, estimated to be less than 2 seconds, followed by a sharp deceleration and a second full acceleration (again of a momentary length of time). After the second incident, the vehicle resumed normal operation with continued cruise control. At no time did I apply manual brakes or shift out of "drive". The incident has never repeated. The report is strictly to inform you that the apparent problem under investigation should not be limited to 2009 model year Toyota's but should go back further into their fleet with "electronic throttle control".

Driving on highway and had a runaway gas pedal acceleration of Toyota Rav4. The failure happened once and after braking and working with the cruise control lever, I was able to get it slowed down. I went from 70 mph to 87 mph in a split second as a result of the acceleration problem. I have called the local dealer and the dealer that we bought the Toyota from and they are not offering concern or a solution. One dealer suggested we call the national headquarters of Toyota, but after doing so, I had no way to leave a message. It was all preprogrammed to deal only with Toyota's that were on the recall list. We don't feel real safe with our family car and felt the need to let someone know. We also want to let others beware of the problem with the 2003 model of Toyota Rav4. We now have a car that we do not trust is safe and nobody will do anything about it.

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The contact owns a 2007 Toyota rav 4 . The contact stated that while driving at 55 mph when braking with his foot on the brake petal the engine did not slow down ,it kept going the same speed. The contact was able to slow the vehicle down and it stopped. This has occurred 2 times where the vehicle accelerates on its own. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they told him that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. This issue has occurred when using the cruise control . There have been no repairs done to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 15000 and current mileage was 48000.

Hello, on Jun 26, 2009 my wife and I purchase a certified Toyota Rav4. We have had nothing but problems. Electrical problems: abs light, brake, and egf light remain lite. Repairs are: brake switch replacement, igy relay replacment. In addition the cruise control would not function and sometimes the transmission would be stuck in reverse. Unable to shift out of this gear position. A local mechanic found the problem in that the connections in the wiring harness are filled with water. He was unable to determine how the water got there. A few days later, the same problem returned. . I am writing to share with you my concern of the electronic problems with the 2008 Rav4 from Toyota. Town Toyota service manager, wenatchee, wa told us not to worry aboutit as it is still safe to drivewith abs, brake, and egf lights illuminated. I did contact Toyota (via emai) but no response. I question the validity of that statement in light of recent recall news and thought you should know.

In the fall of 2008, the factory installed cruise control on my 2002 Toyota rav 4 functions intermittently. It will work for a short period on any long trip then will cause vehicle to decelerate. Sometimes cannot get it to work again. Light will flash on and off on the dashboard. Have taken it in to local Toyota dealership who cannot get it to duplicate. The mechanic states everything is fine. Due to semi-functional cruise, the mileage on a long distance trip has decreased from 30-32 mpg to 24-26mpg. Reported this to Toyota in 2009 and given a case # which I have misplaced. They did not appear to be concerned or admit they had a problem. Extended warranty (to 100,000 miles) will not cover the repair. There is indeed an electrical issue going on, but no one seems to solve the problem or care. In searching I have found other people who have posted comments regarding the same issue without resolution.

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I have a 2002 Toyota rave 4, I have even complained to the dealership where I bought the vehicle. I complained about it speeding out of control when I used the cruise control and it still does and I can reproduce it every time on the same road. I also had complained about steping on the breakes and the car not wanting to stop. Dealership told me "it was in my head, and that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. " I was actually in a car accident on my way into the dealership to have them check the same problem again. I reported it several times to them an I have had the car since 2005.

2/25/08 instance #1: I have had three instances of emissions components on my 2006 2wd Rav4 v6 being damaged in the 65000 miles I have driven it. The first instance manifested itself when the vehicle stability control, traction control and cruise control systems shut-off and lights in the instrument cluster came on. A damaged "charcoal canister" was replaced at the dealer under my extended warranty on 2/25/08. (this occurred a second time on 3/19/09 after an evaporation filter was damaged on 3/3/09 after driving a mile in less than an inch of wet snow. Each event shut off the vehicle stability control, traction control and cruise control systems and the associated system lights in the instrument cluster came on. The dealer felt the damage was due to my operation of the vehicle and at first denied submitting it to my extended warranty. I insisted the part was defective to fail in these circumstances and they eventually covered all repairs. ).

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The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Rav4. While driving 5 mph in reverse up a hill the vehicle began to idle excessively and the rpms increased between 1,500 to 2,000. When the cruise control was activated, the over drive engaged without warning or assistance. She took the vehicle to the dealer for the failures several times. The dealer was able to recreate the failure. The dealer told her not to use the cruise control and that whenever she drove in reverse, the normal rpm should be between 700 and 900. The dealer also stated that since there was no software created to correct the failure they were unable to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was 943 and the current mileage was 24,000.

Check engine light and vehicle stability light are on, I have on and off smelled the sulfur smell. Also, have a problem with the cruise control going out of control, around sharp corners where I have to slam on brakes to disengage to control the vehicle as it will not stop acceleration, it increases acceleration.

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Racing rpm's when using cruise control; raced way up to 5-6 and then back down.

All 2007 Rav4 v6 engines like mine purchased new have a whistling/whining noise at idle, especially when cold out due to more air intake needed, from the brakes vacuum booster lines very noticeable when at idle at initial cold startup when applying brakes off and on. I have even heard this same loud whistling noise coming from in front of the instrument panel when accelerating from a stop sign in very cold (below 32 degrees) weather which is all due to the vacuum lines/check valve in the brakes vacuum system. Dealer is aware of the problem and have no resolution except to file a complaint with Toyota rep. To address this issue. All new 07 Rav4 v6 owners need to complain to their dealers about this issue for they will not repair this annoying loud whistling noise in the brakes vacuum booster lines without 100's of complaints. Also, I have read several complaints about the cruise control flooring the engine up even a slight hill and shifting in and out of gears repeatedly like it does not know what gear the engine should be in. Even with my 268 hp v6, it will do this and is not only annoying, but is a distraction and possible safety issue in slippery winter driving since the cruise control floors the engine up a hill and can cause swerving on icy roads. Speak up consumers, and let Toyota know they have issues which I am 100% correct on!.

When using the vehicle's cruise control it will down shift back and forth from 2nd and 3rd gear numerous times before finally achieving the original speed and returning to 4th gear. This occurs predominately on hills where the vehicle speed will drop forcing the down shift. This down shifting to 2nd gear at speeds as high as 55 mph is hard on the engine. In addition, the ability to concentrate on other traffic and road conditions is impaired. The whole advantage of cruise control is negated causing a more hazardous condition.

2007 Toyota rav 4 cruise control changes gears violently when going up a minimum hill and continues to change gears when on the straight away. Feels like it is changing between three gears. I have read multiple complaints in forums about this problem. Dealer denies problem and will not fix. Car only has 5k miles on it.

When using the cruise control (with the automatic transmission) the vehicle will shift rapidly between 2nd and 3rd gears when climbing small inclines and even sometimes on flat ground. This action starts when the transmission downshifts to maintain current speed. This was first noted when the vehicle had just over 8,000 miles. It now has over 17,000 and the problem still exists. It has been in to the dealership twice for repairs. The first time I was told there was no problem. The second time I was told it was a computer problem and could not be repaired at this time. I was advised by the servicing dealer that in order to make a repair Toyota would have to create a computer program for the technicians to install. After talking with Toyota I have been told this is not a problem but a "characteristic" of the vehicle and no efforts were being made for any type of repair. This condition makes for an unstable and dangerous driving condition when the cruise is utilized because you do not know how the vehicle will react during the drive. Currently I am aware of 12 case numbers that have been created with the Toyota customer support center addressing this situation. Some of these cases even involve 2006 models.

When driving for longs periods, and some short periods including coming home from the dealer when the vehicle was brand new, the check engine, stability control, and 4wd lights come on in the cluster. The cruise control, 4wd, and stability control do not function when this happens. The dealer claims they could not find any codes and cannot fix it. This has been going on since March of 2007, and the warranty has expired. I feel this is a huge safety concern, as I have heard of other Toyota vehicles doing the same thing, and stability control is a safety feature.

There is a problem with the cruise control on this vehicle. It shifts erratically, and bucks, and shifts in to the wrong gears, causing the engine to operate at very high rpms.

I bought a new 2007 rav 4 in 07 and have had a problem with the cruise control revving up and down several times in a row while going uphill. I took it to 2 different Toyota dealerships and they said nothing was wrong. Then I called Toyota directly and they said they would make a note of it. First instance almost caused me to hit someone in front of me but I hit the brakes turning off the cruise. Second instance caused a cop to pull me over because he thought I was challenging the car beside me to race when he heard my engine and seen my SUV lunge forward. A detailed description> cruise engaged at 65 mph and rpm at 2500 performs fine until headed uphill then it will increase rpm to 4000 for about 2 seconds then back down to 2500 then back up then back down and so on till it gets over the hill. When I called Toyota they said they don't recommend to have the cruise engaged while going uphill. That's funny I have a Honda and it works fine going uphill. My mother has an 07 camry and her cruise works fine.

I have a 1999 Rav4. Yesterday I'm driving home from work. I heard a loud noise, I thought a rock hit my car. I stopped at the store and I go to get my keys out of ignition and the cruise control switch is broke. The back of the switch was just hanging. That was the laud noise I heard. The back popped off. Can you tell me if there is a recall for this? thank you.

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While driving at 70mph consumer deactivated cruise control rpms stayed speeded up. It will be hard for consumer to slow down. Dealer notified.

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Upon start up of engine, brakes and steering wheel "locked up" as putting car into gear. Turned out engine was stalling out. Car also would take off on its own after restarting engine and put into drive. Dealer diagnosed it as idle control valve problem and replaced part.

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Cruise control kicks out while going up hill, but only when you are going west not east. Go figure.

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Ntermittent problem with cruise control malfunctioning. Whenever cruise control is engaged it causes rpm to go down rapidly for a second and the overdrive to kick out. Dealer notified, and problem reoccurring.

Cruise control.

The poorly designed cruise control does not turn off when the driver brakes gently to slow down gradually. Instead of slowing gradually the cruise control resumes and the vehicle surges froward increasing the potential for accidents. Nlm.

Consumer stated the vehicle that he purchased did not come equipped with cruise control, so the dealer offered to add it, it was soon discovered that the cruise control was faulty, when the cruise control is actuated to maintain a certain speed , in order to stay with the flow of traffic the vehicle accelerates 3-4 mph above the desired speed then drops back 3-4 mph below the desired speed, then slowly moves up to the desired speed, the second cruise control was installed and acted exactly as the first, in the end the consumer was informed that the universal cruise control was not compatible with the consumer's vehicle and if a unit became available the dealer would install the new unit.

When using cruise control it would not disengage when touching the brakes lightly. Dealer was notified about the problem. Problem has been corrected.

Consumer set the cruise control at 35 mph, at the next block the vehicle began speeding at 60mph and was climbing, consumer shifted into neutral while the rpms went to 6000, consumer then shut off the ignition, dealer found that the cruise control actuator was at fault.

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