2020 Toyota RAV4

ON FEBRUARY 6, 2021 IN ATLANTA GA, THE VEHICLE, WHILE IN MOTION AT AROUND 30MPH, DISPLAYED A 'HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION' WARNING AND BEGAN BEEPING AND TREMBLING. THE WARNING SAID THAT THE CAR MUST BE STOPPED WITHIN 0.9 MILES BUT LASTED FAR LESS THAN THAT, FULLY LOSING ANY EFFECT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MID-TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE COASTED INTO A PARKING LOT ON MOMENTUM AND WAS STOPPED WITH A FINAL WARNING THAT BRAKING POWER WAS REDUCED. HAD THIS VERY SITUATION OCCURRED ON AN INTERSTATE, IT EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL TO MY WIFE, WHO WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME, AND TO OUR UNBORN CHILD. THE VEHICLE IS 9 MONTHS OLD, WAS PURCHASED NEW, AND HAS AROUND 15,000 MILES.

A FEW MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED MY 2020 RAV4 XLE HYBRID, I NOTICED THAT MY BRAKES SQUEAKS WHENEVER I MAKE A QUICK STOP, OR AFTER I RELEASE THE BRAKES AFTER STOPPING OR WHEN I AM BACKING UP. IT DOESN'T MATTER ON THE KIND OF ROAD THAT I AM ON. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR A HYBRID TO SQUEAKS DUE TO THE BREAK ACTUATOR. I KNOW PEOPLE WITH TOYOTA HYBRIDS AND THEY DO NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE THIS COULD BE A DANGEROUS ISSUE. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU

WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL ON THE FREEWAY. IF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME GOES TO EXIT AND SLOWS DOWN. MY CAR BRAKES EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT EXITING. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT BY TWO SEMIS ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS BECAUSE OF THIS. I HAVE ALSO ALMOST BEEN HIT BY A COUPLE OF CARS AS MY CAR UNEXPECTEDLY BRAKED ON REGULAR ROADS WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME PULLED INTO A RIGHT HAND TURN LANE AND SLOWED DOWN NEXT TO ME.

ON JULY 3, 2020 AT 2:30PM I WAS PARKING THE CAR INTO A PARKING SPACE IN A STRIP MALL WHEN I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR BUT THE CAR IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE PARKED CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE, I PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE, WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED AGAIN AND JERKED BACKWARDS, WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE, I PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE PARKED CAR IN FRONT ON ME AGAIN FOR THE 2ND TIME. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAITED FOR THE OWNER OF THE PARKED VEHICLE, THE POLICE ARRIVED ON SITE AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. *LN CONSUMER STATED BOTH THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED.*JB

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE (NEW) ON 6/03/2020. ON 6/16/2020, WARNING LIGHTS AND BUZZERS WENT ON AS I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE WARNINGS TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH MY BRAKES, AND THAT I SHOULD PULL OVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I DROVE TO A NEARBY PARKING LOT. THE BRAKES CONTINUED TO WORK. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT, THINKING IT MIGHT BE A COMPUTER GLITCH IN WHAT WAS A BRAND NEW CAR. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR, I BACKED OUT OF MY PARKING SPOT TO "TEST" THE BRAKES. THE CAR STOPPED, BUT THE BRAKES SEEMED WEAKER. ULTIMATELY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER'S SERVICE REP CONTACTED ME TO TELL ME THAT THE BRAKE ASSIST ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED. I ASKED IF THIS WAS SOMETHING THEY HAD SEEN BEFORE AND HE SAID NO. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, I DETERMINED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM AND THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL WITH CERTAIN 2019 AND 2020 TOYOTA VEHICLES, INCLUDING THE 2019 RAV4 HYBRID. IN ADDITION, THIS DEFECT AFFECTS NOT ONLY THE BRAKE SYSTEM, BUT THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM. I SUSPECT THE PROBLEM WITH MY CAR IS A CONTINUATION OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE 2019 MODEL YEAR. I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE EITHER CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM OR CHECKED THE 2020 CARS SUFFICIENTLY TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE SAFE TO DRIVE AND THAT THE BRAKE ASSIST ASSEMBLY WAS NOT DEFECTIVE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 5 MPH THE BRAKES FAILED. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKES 3-4 TIMES AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO PARKED VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE CRASH A WITNESS SAID THE BRAKES MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE DAUGHTER ALSO HEARD A NOISE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE DID CRASH INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CRASH OCCURRED FEB 3, 2020. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1300. *DT*JB *BF*JB