2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Dec 18, 2025 · Electrical · GA

Vehicle: 2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-In Hybrid Component/System: Digital instrument cluster / dashboard display Description of the problem: The digital instrument cluster intermittently and unpredictably goes completely blank while the vehicle is being driven. When this occurs, all dashboard information is lost, including vehicle speed, fuel and battery level, warning indicators, cruise control status, and tire pressure information. The screen remains entirely black and provides no information to the driver. Safety risk: This failure makes the vehicle unsafe to operate. The driver cannot see speed or critical warning information, and multiple safety features become functionally disabled due to the lack of display feedback. The screen has gone black while driving, which significantly increases the risk of an accident and poses a serious safety hazard to the driver, passengers, and others on the road. Timeline and progression: The issue first occurred in October 2024. Initially, it happened infrequently (about once per month) but has progressively worsened and now occurs nearly every other drive. Restarting the vehicle does not reliably restore the display. Cold weather may be a contributing factor, but the failure also occurs under normal conditions. Reproduction and inspection: The problem has occurred repeatedly and with multiple drivers. The vehicle has been taken to a Toyota dealership twice for this issue. No repair was performed, and the concern was dismissed. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Warnings or alerts: There are no warning lights, messages, or alerts prior to the failure. The display turns completely black without warning.

Filed Jun 13, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA · crash · 1 injury

On the night of [XXX] at approximately [XXX] PM, I was driving from Tracy, California to Lancaster, California via the [XXX]. The freeway had no traffic at the time, and I set my cruise control to maintain a speed of 75 mph for a safer ride. While driving in the left lane near Santa Nella, my car suddenly deployed the ABS brakes. The steering wheel locked, and the car began to slip—its tires locked as if on a roller coaster going downhill. The driver’s side then rolled over and crashed. Fortunately, the road was empty, and I did not hit anyone during the accident. I thought I was going to die, but I am lucky to be alive. suddenly Abs brakes deployed steering wheel lock right side this reason I have very accident. I believe the car has manufacturer defects. First, the door handle on the driver’s side is positioned too close to the driver’s left arm. Second, the center console on the right side—intended for resting the driver’s arm or storing extra items—repeatedly hit my ribs during the accident. During the crash, the driver-side door handle struck my left arm multiple times. Orthopedic surgeons reviewed my X-ray and found that my forearm was fractured in three places. They recommended surgery. The center console also struck my right ribs repeatedly, causing swelling and pain. Fortunately, my ribs were not broken. My chest & ribs swelling and pain right side shoulder I have pain my head & neck pain My car was declared a total loss. I respectfully request that these issues be investigated, as I believe another driver could sustain similar injuries in a future accident involving this vehicle model. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 30, 2025 · Brakes · CA · crash

On [XXX], I was pulling into a parking spot in a parking lot [XXX] in San Francisco. When I engaged the brakes, the vehicle did not stop and continued moving forward. The vehicle accelerated a bit and climbed over the parking lot barrier, onto the pedestrian sidewalk, and into the street despite continued brake depression. The right side of the vehicle made contact with the parking meter on the sidewalk for street parking. The brakes were depressed and engaged the entire duration of the incident, and the vehicle did not stop until impact with the parking meter. Standard safety features were enabled (ie. pre-collision system, road sign assist). Dynamic radar cruise control is disabled. I reported this incident to the Toyota dealership, whom sent a vehicle safety inspector, and I emphasized my concern for the safety of the vehicle. Per Toyota’s investigation report, Toyota concluded the vehicle was mechanically functioning properly at the time of the incident and the vehicle is overall safe to drive. (Written by [XXX] on behalf of my mom, [XXX] ) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 16, 2025 · Electrical · ID

The primary instrument display started to go out when it was cold, below 50'F. This could be mitigated by running the engine or running the defrost for a period of time to warm up the area around the display. When it was too cold this winter, that was no longer effective and the display would not come on at all. The car would drive and all of the instruments displayed on the screen would work (cruise control, etc.), but there was no way to know how fast I was going and if there were any warning lights illuminated. Running the car long enough without the display until the environment warmed, the display would come on, showing the animated start up sequence, then showing whatever speed and other car conditions were current. It took three tries for the dealership to finally see this issue, because they would put the car in the warm garage before working on it, and the display would come on. The dealership now has the car, and is seeking a replacement display, saying it is an electronic issue.

Filed Aug 3, 2023 · Acceleration, Brakes · NY · crash

Driver was parking the car in a parking lot at a very slow speed. The car suddenly shot forward at a very high rate of speed, requiring evasive steering from trees and a fence, until the car crashed head-on into another vehicle. The driver is very certain the brakes only were applied during the entire time the car shot forward. Airbags were not deployed. Bystanders were within six feet of the car at one point during the acceleration, prior to the crash. There were no injuries. Earlier, on the day of the crash, the car had a sudden, strong, yet brief acceleration of the vehicle during normal braking while approaching a rotary, unlike normal ABS. ABS itself seemed unneeded (the approach to the rotary was well within the speed limit, on dry condition roads). This issue occurred twice in the two months prior to the accident. There were no known warning messages in the car or the phone app for the car in any of these cases or at the time of the crash. The manufacturer has been notified of the crash, a product liability case has been opened, and an engineer was sent to look at the car. A data download from the airbag event data recorder (Bosch CDR) was done, a report was generated, and the report was provided to the car owner. No data in the formatted report is provided regarding Vehicle Speed, Accelerator Pedal, Cruise Control Status, Brake Torque, etc. Unformatted hexadecimal data is included in the report, without a data schema to decipher the data. It is not known if any other analysis or information about the car was reported by the engineer, beyond the Bosch CDR report. The owner is not aware that the problem has been reproduced or confirmed by anyone involved, or of any other inspections than the one described here. Manufacturer has not yet provided the owner with a report response. The car is currently at an auto repair shop and no repairs have begun. The shop is awaiting an appraisal by the insurance company before doing the repairs.