Mid/rear Seats Assembly Problems of Toyota RAV4

On March 29, 2016, I was driving to work in the far left lane when a gentleman driving a green pickup truck come rushing up beside me. He was waving at me pointing down at the right front side of my Toyota. I thought that maybe I was driving on a flat tire and didn't realize it so I rolled down the window. He yelled as he was still pointing down at the front of my Toyota "your car is on fire". He got ahead of me and I pulled over to the right shoulder of the freeway. He got out of his truck and ran back to my 2007 Toyota Rav4 and said "MA'am, you better get your purse and things and get out, your car is on fire". At that time, smoke was pouring out somewhere up front on the passenger side by the tire. I got my things and we moved to the back of my Toyota when at that time, it went up in flames. I took care of that vehicle because I can not afford another. My last oil change was in November 2015 with only 50035 miles on the vehicle. When it was last inspected, everything was fine. So I am not understanding how this happened. Tires were about a year old as well. Car just don't catch on fire driving down the freeway. On April 4, 2016 a friend and I took a drive to my burnt vehicle and she could not believe that was my Toyota. And I could not believe I had walked away without any injuries. There is no engine, no dashboard, no steering wheel, no front seats, and no back seats. All burned! how could this happen?.

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The rear seat shakes over any rough surface. In watching the headrest for the rear seat in the rear view mirror while driving there is about a 2-inch sideways travel. Have tried the seat in various positions and the problem remains. By rough I don't mean potholes. . . Things like changing lanes over reflector buttons, freeways with rain grooves, things like that. My 12 year old Jeep grand cherokee's rear seat doesn't shake at all in these conditions, but this Rav4 rear seat most certainly does. The shaking is so bad sometimes that it rattles. I am very concerned about an infant car seat strapped into this back seat as the infant my be exposed to excessive shaking or vibration. I took it to the dealership (Toyota carlsbad, carlsbad CA) on October 7th 2013 and they verified the issue. Rather than take steps to correct it they tested another Rav4 in the same way and found that it too had the same condition as mine. Based on this they tell me that it is a 'normal condition'. I believe it is a design flaw. Never have I seen a car with a seat shake such as this. In testing further I find that if someone sits in the front passenger seat the rear seat shaking seems to reduce. If someone sits in the rear seat and they weigh 150 pounds or so there is a minor vibration felt and the shaking is almost non-existent. However, if only the driver is in the car the shaking resumes or any less-than-perfect road condition. I feel as though Toyota needs to address this issue primarily for the risk of injury to infants strapped in the seat as well as cockpit noise (rattle). It is a flaw in the design of the vehicle to be sure.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I got my new Toyota Rav4 2013 early in 2013. On the second day I owned it I noticed that the three tall and broad rear seat head rests obscured at least one-third of my view out the rear window. I took them out and have kept them out so I can have clear vision to the rear. It never occurred to me that the tall and broad head rest on the passenger seat also obscured my view out to the right. I side-swiped another car early in August, afterward telling the insurance adjuster that I did not see the car at all, had no idea of where it had come from. It wasn't until several weeks later that I realized that I had not seen the other car because the passenger seat head rest obscured my 'over the shoulder view' to the right. I realize that these head rests are presumed to prevent neck whiplash injuries. As it happens I am a physician and fully understand the danger of whiplash injury. But head rests such as these, at least in the Toyota rav 4 2013, are very dangerous as they obscure the driver's vision both to the rear and to the right.

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The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the rear seats became worn, frayed and damaged. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who inspected the vehicle and replaced the damaged rear seats at no expense to the contact. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

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