What 266 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 Hv

DRIVER SIDE REAR QUARTER PANEL STARTED ON FIRE. THIS OCCURRED AFTER AN APPROXIMATELY 4 MILE DRIVE. I BELIEVE THE FIRE STARTED ON THE DRIVE. I PARKED THE VEHICLE IN A PARKING LOT WITH ONLY ONE OTHER VEHICLE. WHEN I WAS WALKING INTO THE STORE I SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC BUT DID NOT RELATE IT TO MY CAR BURNING. I WAS IN THE STORE ABOUT 5 MINUTES. WHEN I WALKED OUT I SAW THE FIRE. THERE WAS NO OUTSIDE INFLUENCE TO THE FIRE AND NOTHING INSIDE THE VEHICLE VEHICLE. THE ONLY THING IN THAT AREA OF THE VEHICLE IS WIRING.

NHTSA ODI 10958384

ON OCTOBER 17 SHORTLY BEFORE 2 PM PST IN CLEAR WEATHER, I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AT ABOUT 2 TO 3 MPH. I TURNED THE VEHICLE INTO THE SPOT AND APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THE CAR SURGED OVER THE CURB, HIT A TREE, WENT OVER AN EMBANKMENT AND CRASHED ONTO A PARKED CAR. (THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES.) THE IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN OFF AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS. FINALLY I DEPRESSED THE IGNITION BUTTON FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS AND IT TURNED OFF. JUST 5 DAYS EARLIER, THE CAR HAD UNDERGONE A SAFETY RECALL REPAIR TO THE ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY. TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A SAFETY RECALL DUE TO A SOFTWARE DEFECT WHICH AFFECTED "COMPONENTS IN THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRACTION MOTOR ASSEMBLY." WE INFORMED TOYOTA THIS APPEARED TO BE AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION INCIDENT. THEY PROMISED TO ASSIGN AN ENGINEER TO THOROUGHLY INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND DOWNLOAD INFORMATION FROM THE EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR). THE ENGINEER INSPECTED THE CAR AND PREPARED A 22 PAGE REPORT. HOWEVER HE WAS UNABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE EDR INFORMATION DUE TO A DATA COMMUNICATION ERROR. TOYOTA CLAIMED IT WAS DUE TO A LOW BATTERY. THE ENGINEER CONFIRMED TO ME THAT IT WAS A DATA COMMUNICATION ERROR AND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS HALF CHARGED WHEN HE DROVE IT. TOYOTA REFUSED TO SHARE THE ENGINEER'S REPORT. THEY STATED IN SIX SHORT SENTENCES THAT THE ACCELERATION AND BRAKE PEDALS BOTH WORKED. THEY DID NOT ADDRESS THE RECALL, THE INCIDENT WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH, OR THE DATA COMMUNICATION ERROR, ALL OF WHICH SIGNAL POSSIBLE PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRIC CIRCUITRY/SOFTWARE. WHEN WE WROTE THEM A DETAILED LETTER WITH ALL THE ATTACHMENTS TO DOCUMENT THE RECALL, THEY SIMPLY RESPONDED THAT THE ACCELERATION PEDAL AND BRAKE PEDAL WORKED.

NHTSA ODI 10811744

I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING PLACE AT OUR CHURCH. WHEN I TURNED INTO THE PARKING PLACE THE CAR TOOK OFF AND IT JUMPED AN 8 INCH CURBING AND RAN INTO THE PARISH CENTER WALL. IT TRIED TO CLIMB THE WALL. I PUSH THE ACCELERATOR TO TURN INTO THE PARKING SPACE AND THE CAR TOOK OFF! IT WAS NOT DRIVER ERROR! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10650934

I DRIVE A TOYOTA RAV4 V6 LTD, 2012 PURCHASED ON JAN 2, 2013. PRIOR TO THAT WE HAD A TOYOTA CAMRY 1999 WITH MORE 200K MILES ON IT. ON JULY 24TH, 2013, I WAS DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 10 MPH INSIDE THE APARTMENT COMPLEX AND WAS TURNING RIGHT TO PARK. I WAS ALMOST PARKED WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR SURGED AND ZOOMED OVER PARKING STOPPER, BREAKING OVERHEAD STORAGE BIN, ZOOMED AHEAD AND BANGED INTO THE BUILDING STAIRS. I KEPT PUMPING THE BRAKE ALL THROUGH, BUT THE CAR DIDNT STOP UNTIL IT HIT ON TO THE STAIRS OF APARTMENT. THE WHEELS WERE STILL ROLLING BUT IT COULDN'T GO AHEAD BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY STAIRS AND FINALLY AFTER CONTINUOUSLY STEPPING ON THE BRAKE IT STOPPED. MY RIGHT FOOT WAS ALL ALONG ON THE BRAKE AS IT ALWAYS IS WHEN I'M PARKING. BODY OF THE CAR WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED WITH GLASS PIECES ALL OVER ME. LUCKILY MY 3 YEAR OLD WAS SAFER AT BACK IN HER CAR SEAT. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ON IMPACT. I'M HAVING MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. SINCE I'M A WOMAN EVERYONE WAS QUICK TO CONCLUDE THAT, I HAD STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL INSTEAD OF BRAKE. BUT I KNOW MY FOOT WAS ALL ALONG ON THE BRAKE, UNTIL THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED. THIS HAS CAUSED A LOT OF DAMAGE, ALTHOUGH I HAD INSURANCE TO COVER THE CAR, THE VALUE IS ZILCH NOW. THE CAR WAS NOT TOTALED AND REPAIRS WAS WORTH MORE THAN 20K. DRIVING THE CAR NOW, DOESN'T FEEL THE SAME AS THE COLLISION CENTER DID A CRAPPY REPAIR JOB. NOW THE CAR MAKES SOUNDS WHILE DRIVING, AS THOUGH IT WILL COME APART. WE ARE LEFT WITH NO OPTIONS OTHER THAN JUST TO DRIVE THE SAME CAR BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER CAR. AFTER NOTIFYING TOYOTA AND AFTER NUMEROUS CALLS THEY COLLECTED THE EDR AND SENT US A REPORT STATING THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. IT WAS OUR FAULT THAT WE DIDN'T REALIZE TOYOTA HAD ISSUES RELATED TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PRIOR TO BUYING THE RAV4. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10574209

BRAKES FAILED TO WORK. WOULD NOT STOP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10542823

I WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND ON I-70 AROUND MP 129. THIS IS JUST BEFORE GLENWOOD CANYON. THERE WAS A FLASHING ICY ROAD SIGN AT WHICH TIME, I SIGNALED MY INTENTION TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT LANE WHICH I DID. I SLOWED DOWN AND PUT MY CAR IN 3RD. THIS WAS JUST BEFORE A CURVE TO THE RIGHT WHERE THE ROAD AND VISIBILITY NARROW. THE RIGHT LANE WAS COMPLETELY ICED OVER AS I REALIZED WHEN I GOT AROUND THE CURVE. IN FRONT OF ME, I SAW A PILEUP, BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC WERE BLOCKED. I TAPPED MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN BUT BECAUSE OF THE ICE, I DID NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN. I WENT AROUND ONE CAR STOPPED IN MY LANE TO AVOID HITTING IT FROM BEHIND. I WENT AROUND ON THE SHOULDER. I CONTINUED TO PUMP THE BRAKE. IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF ME WAS A SIERRA 4X 4 THAT WAS PERPENDICULAR TO THE LANE OF TRAFFIC AND IT WAS ALSO BLOCKING THE SHOULDER. I PLOWED INTO IT ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRUCK AT A RATE OF ANYWHERE OF 25 - 30 MPH. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MY DOG AND I WERE BOTH RESTRAINED AND WE SUFFERED NO INJURIES. MY CAR IS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD TOTALED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10490026