2007 Toyota RAV4: sudden unintended acceleration

Filed Nov 10, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 173,000 miles · OH · crash

I have owned a 2007 toyota rav 4 for 10 years. I was leaving a delaware, ohio, hospital parking lot, backing out slowly, my foot on the brake, while turning the wheel to the left. Suddenly the engine roared and I shot backward, smashing into the car parked behind where my car had been. The car I hit was somewhat damaged in the rear driver's side fender. The impact shoved it out of its space and almost into a small truck to the right. My car's rear windshield shattered and the right back bumper and side were crumpled. This was the second time this happened to me. The first time, I again was backing from a tight spot, this time turning the wheel to the right, when the engine roared and the car lurched backward. That time, I hit nothing. It happened another time when my husband was backing, again from a tight spot while turning the wheel. Back at the hospital lot. I informed the front desk employee, who informed the ohiohealth hospital police. Two officers reported, took my information and began searching for the other car's owner. I also called the city police; an officer came but left after conferring with ohiohealth's police. I then took the car directly to my local insurance agent, who connected me with a claims adjuster. At first I theorized that my foot on the brake must have pivoted slightly as I turned in my seat to ensure I could back safely. My foot must have pressed the gas pedal. Pressed with considerable power, given the car's backward leap. Nov. 8 I tested this theory on my driveway, and saw immediately it was impossible. I would have had to lift my foot from the brake deliberately to press the gas firmly. This car's regular maintenance has been done at the local toyota dealer. My car was not among those recalled for sudden acceleration problems, but I believe it should have been. The car is registered in my husband's name, (xxxxx). Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Apr 25, 2016 · Engine · 80 miles · MD

Unintended acceleration after the car hit a pot hole on I-270 southbound. With both brake and emergency brake fully engaged the car still went with a speed faster than most of the cars on the road. I was forced to drive the car in the grass intermediate area for ~10 seconds till the car rolled over and the engine finally came to a stop. This rav4 was recalled by toyota and had its "stuck gas pedal" problem fixed a few years ago. Toyota also fixed the excessive engine oil consumption problem last year and I have been pleased with toyota's service and how the performance of the car in general till this life threatening event occurred yesterday.

Filed Oct 1, 2014 · Acceleration, Airbags · 88,000 miles · NY · crash · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. While stopped, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning and crashed into a fence. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained neck injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 88,000.

Filed Apr 28, 2014 · Acceleration · 45,990 miles · PA

The accelerator stuck while braking causing vehicle to surge forward.

Filed Apr 10, 2014 · Transmission · 99,000 miles · RI

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward while in second gear. The failure recurred continuously over a period of nine months. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who could not diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000. Updated 05/28/14 ma

Filed Feb 27, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 89,400 miles · WI

After the check engine, vehicle stability control & 4wd warning lights displayed on my 2007 toyota rav4 with 89,400 miles, I went to my local toyota dealer for a diagnosis of the problem. Upon inspection and testing, their service advisor stated, "the emissions system has malfunctioned since water has leaked into the emission system & its charcoal canister". The source of the water occurred since the fuel filler tube housing no longer was properly attached/secured to the vehicle. This allowed rwater coming down the side of the vehicle to enter through the fuel filler door by the fuel cap into the charcoal canister. To remedy the problem, the fuel filler assembly along with gaskets, some electronic and the charcoal canister required replacement for the emission system to properly function and to be in compliance with epa standards. The total cost of the repair $1,400 which toyota would not cover since it was not under recall, nor would they consider paying under my extended 6 yr 100,000 mile warranty since that expired july 5, 2013. I find it incredible that toyota would not pay for these repairs since they involve emissions as well as a safety issues. Based on my review of various blogs covering rav4's, this is a common problem and toyota admits no fault. As with all issues with toyota they deny they have design/safety issues with any of their vehicles - sudden acceleration, steering suspension & braking. It took me repeated service visits to get them to replace the front steering rack under my extended warranty. I feel my fuel filler assembly and charcoal canister repair is a safety issue since gasoline could easily leak out down the tube on gasoline overfill and cause a fire if it reached the exhaust system. 20 yrs ago I had a similar issue with a honda which was repaired under a recall at no charge. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you

Filed Aug 19, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 71,700 miles · CO · crash

I have just experienced sudden acceleration while pulling into a parking spot. I slammed on the brake and it didn't want to stop. I ended up bumping the car in front of me as I continued to brake. The engine was still surging and wouldn't go into reverse. I called mountain states toyota here in denver and explained the problems to the service manager. He told me that he had never heard of such a thing. There are numerous complaints with the same issue on the internet. The service manager, of course, is telling me that if they cannot reproduce it and it is not showing error codes(which it isn't) there isn't anything they can do. I told him I wanted the acceleration system thoroughly inspected...which he wants to charge me for unless they do find an issue. By what I have seen on the internet, it is useless to take it in as toyota is ignoring the issue, thinking they fixed it with the floor mats. I had the floor mats replaced on that recall well before this issue came up. I have also had many experiences with the engine surging and hesitating with the tach showing the surge. It is intermittent and cannot be reproduced, but it is getting worse over time. I now believe that this is related to the acceleration issue I described above. I am afraid to drive it now as it could happen on a busy street and really hurt someone and me.

Filed Aug 5, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · NH

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH the fwd, engine and stability control warning indicators illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis and the oxygen sensor was replaced. On a separate occasion while driving in reverse the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated and the rpms increased. The gear lever was shifted into park and the engine was turned off. The vehicle was previously repaired under a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 11v113000 (vehicle speed control). The problem existed before the recall and persisted after the recall remedy repair was performed. The vehicle was repaired five times due to the unintended acceleration. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The failure mileage and VIN were unavailable.

Filed Mar 24, 2013 · Acceleration · 45,000 miles · MA

Unintended acceleration. My husband was driving our 2007 toyota rav 4 out of a tollbooth area and accelerating normally, when the car started rapidly accelerating on its own. He stepped hard on the brakes but could not get the car below 40 MPH. He shifted into neutral and gradually the car slowed and he moved to the breakdown lane. He removed the keys from the ignition, and the vehicle finally stopped. The entire incident from start to finish happened over the course of about 3 miles of highway. He gave a full account of this to our local toyota dealer. They did not identify the cause of the problem, but acknowledged that it was not due to floor mats. The car's brakes--both pads and rotors--were destroyed during the incident. We were not comfortable driving it again. The dealership brought back the car back from us at kelly blue book value.

Filed Oct 11, 2012 · Acceleration · 80,000 miles · CT · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle with the brakes engaged, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The vehicle crashed into a wall. The contact mentioned that the brakes did not fail and there were extensive damages to the front of the vehicle. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The police was not notified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who sent a representative to inspect the vehicle. The engineer was unable to diagnose the failure and stated that the vehicle was working as design. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Oct 10, 2012 · Acceleration · 60,000 miles · AZ

After coming to a complete stop, engine accelerated on its own without pushing on the gas pedal. This was after the recall for the floor mats. The acceleration had enough "g" force to pin the occupants back in their seats. Driver was fortunate that no traffic was ahead. Rapid acceleration appeared to stop after pushing on the gas pedal. Toyota appears to attribute all these incidents to the floor mats. An acceleration that pins you back in the seat --floor mat does not have enough density to accomplish this. This has happened numerous times in the 2 years we have owned this vehicle. Most occurrences have been more subtle than the one described here.

Filed Oct 7, 2012 · Brakes · 52,500 miles · CA

I was traveling at approximately 45 MPH and applied the brakes. A hissing sound could be heard and there was a significant loss of stopping power. I had to apply an excessive amount of pressure to the pedal to stop the vehicle. And it also took an excessive distance to get it stopped.. The check engine light illuminated along with the stability control and other dashboard warning lights. I continued to drive cautiously to get home. The lights then went away. And the car performed somewhat normally. They came back on, a day later. And so did the symptoms, but only sporadically. The brake booster has a leak. There are many others with the same problem all over the internet. Specifically, here: http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-4-3-mechanical/91243-what-causes-brake-booster-failure.html I think given the history of sudden acceleration and other issues with this model of vehicle a recall should be done. This is a $900+ repair, and for a car with a little over 50k miles is unacceptable and above all, dangerous.