2012 Toyota RAV4

I PULLED INTO A LEFT TURN LANE TO MAKE A TURN. AS I WAS WAITING FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC TO CLEAR THE CAR SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. THAT STOPPED THE CAR. FORTUNATELY THERE WASN'T A CAR IN FRONT OF ME, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. I WAS RIDING WITH MY COUSIN AND WE WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR ON A BUSY STREET. THE CAR SURGED, MY COUSIN ASKED IF I HAD STEPPED ON THE GAS, I HADN'T. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. I TOLD THE TECH WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE SAID THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. TOOK THE CAR FOR A SHORT DRIVE AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN PERIODICALLY. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THIS WEEK THAT THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO LUG DOWN WHEN IT SHIFTS. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF THIS CAR, NOT TO MENTION THE DEFECT IN THE PARALYZED WHITE PAINT. ONE TRIP THROUGH THE CAR WASH WITH NORMAL DIRT AND THE TOP LAYER OF PAINT CAME OFF IN ONE AREA. THE DEALERSHIP IS TO CALL ME WHEN THE REP COMES IN TO LOOK AT THE PAINT THAT WAS WEEKS AGO AND NO ONE HAS CALLED. *TR

I OPENED THE VEHICLE TRUNK TO PLACE A SMALL BOX INSIDE. WHEN I SHUT THE TRUNK DOOR, THE GLASS ON THE PASSENGER-SIDE, REAR QUARTER PANEL SHATTERED. THE LOCATION WAS PARTICULARLY TROUBLING BECAUSE THE WINDOW WAS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEHIND MY INFANT'S CAR SEAT. THERE WERE NO PRIOR SCRATCHES OR CRACKS ON THE PANE. ALSO, THERE WAS NOTHING ON OR NEAR THE GLASS THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT. *TR

THIS IS A LEASED CAR. THIS DATE WAS THE FIRST EPISODE OF A RECURRING PROBLEM. EACH TIME IT TOOK PLACE ON A LOCAL STREET. EACH TIME AS THE DRIVER ( MY WIFE OR MYSELF ) WAS STEPPING ON THE BRAKE TO BRING THE CAR TO A FULL STOP THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED TO ACCELERATE. THIS FIRST INCIDENT WAS NOTEWORTHY BUT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE NEWNESS OF THE VEHICLE. THE THREE INCIDENTS THAT FOLLOWED WERE CONSIDERABLY WORSE. WE CONTACTED THE DEALER FROM WHOM THE CAR IS LEASED AND WERE TOLD TO BRING THE CAR IN . WE BROUGHT THE CAR IN ON AUGUST 23 AND PICKED IT UP ON AUGUST 30. AT THAT TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN TESTED AND NOTHING WA WRONG WITH IT. IN OTHER WORDS, TOYOTA HAS NO EXPLANATION OF WHY THESE FOUR INCIDENTS TOOK PLACE. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED SO THAT WE COULD SAFELY TRANSPORT OUR GRANDCHILDREN.THE LACK OF RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM LEAVES US WITH AN UNSAFE VEHICLE THAT WE WOULD NEVER USE FOR THE ORIGINAL INTENDED PURPOSE.THE AUGUST 29, 2012, WALL STREET JOURNAL COLUMN 'ME AND MY CAR' HAS A LETTER DESCRIBING A VERY SIMILAR PROBLEM ON A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER THAT WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALER TWICE. EACH TIME THE LETTER WRITER WAS TOLD WHAT SEEMS TO BE TOYOTA'S STOCK ANSWER, "NOTHING IS WRONG'. THE WSJ COLUMNIST RESPONDS THAT ' COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC SPEEDCONTROL SYSTEMS ON TOYOTA (AND OTHER BRANDS )ARE FREQUENT'. HE GOES ON TO SUGGEST THAT FIGURING THE CAUSE WILL TAKE SEVERAL VISITS TO TOYOTA. NO ADDITIONAL VISITS WERE SCHEDULED OR EVEN SUGGESTED BY TOYOTA. *TR

MY REAR SUSPENSION PERIODICALLY THUMPS A FEW MINUTES AFTER I START DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND IS MOST NOTICEABLE ON A DIRT ROADS. IT SOUNDS LIKE A ROCK IS HITTING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR, BUT I KNOW IT IS NOT A ROCK! IT ONLY DOES IT ONCE. IT'S LIKE THE SUSPENSION IS BINDING AND THEN RELEASES AFTER A CERTAIN DISTANCE DOWN THE ROAD. *TR

MY 2012 HAS DONE THIS VIRTUALLY FROM DAY 1. WHEN BRAKING, THERE IS A SUDDEN ACCELERATION FOR 1/4 TO 1/2 SECOND AT THE TIME THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS. I ALSO NOTICE IT WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND BRAKING. IT IS MORE DANGEROUS AT SLOWER SPEEDS ESPECIALLY WHEN BRAKING AT A LIGHT WITH SOMEONE IN FRONT OF YOU. IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE PRESSING BOTH THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR AT THE SAME TIME. IT DOES NOT DO THIS ALL THE TIME. MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE A DAY. I THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH HOW HARD YOU BRAKE AND WHAT SPEED YOU ARE GOING. IT IS MOST NOTICEABLE JUST BEFORE YOU COME TO A STOP. IT ALWAYS HAPPENS JUST AS THE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICALLY DOWNSHIFTS AND MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN IT DOWNSHIFTS TO SECOND OR FIRST. I NOTICE IT WHEN BRAKING SAY FROM 65 TO 55 MPH AS WELL, BUT THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION AT THAT SPEED HAS NO OR MINIMAL AFFECT AND IS NOT THAT NOTICEABLE. *TR

THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY WITH THE DOORS LOCKED AND THE WINDOWS ROLLED UP. SOMETIME BETWEEN 10PM AND 5:30AM THERE WAS A FIRE THAT CREATED ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT THE COATING ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AND BLOW OUT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, MELT THE CENTER OF THE DASH AND THE AREA BETWEEN THE VISORS WHERE THE CONTROLS FOR THE SUNROOF AND INTERIOR LIGHTS WERE. IT ALSO CAUSED A SHORT IN THE WIRING THAT RESULTED IN TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS EVEN THOUGH THE SWITCH WAS OFF. WE HAD TO DISCONNECT THE CAR BATTERY TO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS. TOYOTA DID AN INVESTIGATION AND DECIDED THAT THE AURORA BE ANY BABY ON THE DASH SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT CAUSING THE FIRE AND DAMAGE. SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF OTHER TOYOTAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ELECTRICAL I THOUGHT YOU WOULD WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS CASE. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA RAV-4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE IN REVERSE OUT OF A PARKING SPACE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASH INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED BRUISES TO HER LEG. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THEY WOULD CONTACT HER AT A LATER DATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 4,620. UPDATED 07/25/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE CHANGED GEARS ON ITS OWN, AND THE GAS PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR ON ITS OWN AS WELL. UPDATED 08/08/12

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON SHIFTING INTO DRIVE, THERE WAS A RAPID INCREASE IN THE ENGINE RPMS AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SURGE FORWARD. THE CONTACT APPLIED EXCESSIVE PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV. ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL OPENED THE DOORS AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,009.