What 266 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A TUES NITE IN NOV2012 AT 930EST. I HAD BEEN PLAYING BRIDGE AT A CLUB HOUSE . I ATTEMPTED TO START CAR(THIS IS A KEYLESS IGNITION SYSTEM)BY NORMAL PROCEDURE. PRESS BRAKE, THEN PRESS START BUTTON.NOTHING HAPPENED!I WAITED A FEW SECONDS, TRIED AGAIN,NO JOY. I GOT OUT TO MAYBE HITCH A RIDE, BUT ALL OTHERS HAD LEFT. I OPENED AND CLOSED ALL DOORS PLUS THETAILGATE. I GOT BACK IN AT THE CAR STARTED OK. ABOUT 5 MONTHS LATER AFTER ATTENDING A PIZZA PARTY AT WALMART PARKING LOT 3PM HOT DAY, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. I SLAMMED ALL DOORS AGAIN AND THE CAR STARTED.I DON'T KNOW IF SLAMMING DOORS IS ELECTRICALLY INVOLVED, MAYBE A TIME DELAY IS THE ANSWER.THE NEXT TIME WAS ON JULY 18 2013. IHAD BEEN PLAYING BRIDGE AT THE CLUBHOUSE AT 1PM, I FINISHED AT4PM (ANOTHER HOT DAY) THE CAR WOULD NOT START I NOTICED THEWINDOWS WOULD NOT WORK, IN FACTNOTHING ELECTRICAL WOULD WORK. ICALLED MY ROAD SERVICE AND THEY VERIFIED BAT WAS LOW, THEY CHARGED FOR JUST A FEW MINUTES AND CAR STARTED.I DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. THEY COULD NOT MAKE THE PROBLEM REAPPEAR.THEY KEPT THE CAR OVERNITE AND SUPPOSEDLY WENT OVERTHE CIRCUITS.BY THE WAY THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR WAS 3947 MILES AND CAR WAS 14 MONTHS OLD!THEY TOLD ME TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THEM THE NEXT TIME BUT THAT'S NO ALWAYS CONVENIENT. MY 2 YR WARRANTY EXPIRED IN MAY OF 2014 AND I HAVE HAD 2 ADDITIONAL OCCURRENCES ,ONE IN JUNE 2014 AND ONEIN JULY2014. IM AFRAID TO GO ON ANY TRPS OUT OF TOWN FOR FEAR IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I WOULD LIKE FOR TOYOTA TO FURNISH ME A SCHEMATIC OFTHE CIRCUITRY INVOLVED OR PROVIDE A BYPASS SWITCH SO THAT THE RF CIRCUITRY CAN BE DISABLED AND THE CAR COULD BE STARTED LIKE A NORMAL CAR! BY THE WAY,THIS FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 6 TIMES,4 TIMES WHILE IN WARRANTY! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10617477

TRYING TO USE THE 'HANDS FREE' FEATURE OF THE BLUETOOTH FEATURE IN THE RAV4 TOYOTA, I RAN INTO A CURB TRYING TO FIND A TELEPHONE NUMBER IN THE PHONE BOOK. I HAD TO PURCHASE A NEW TIRE FOR OVER $200. AND I JUST HAD THE CAR FOR APPROX 2 OR 3 DAYS. I CAN'T BELIEVE TOYOTA WOULD EVEN HAVE A BLUETOOTH FEATURE THAT REQUIRES YOU TO USE THE ROTARY TUNER TO FIND A TELEPHONE NUMBER. THE SALESPERSON TOLD ME TO GET A SMART PHONE AND IT MAY HELP, BUT IT DID NOT. THE BLUETOOTH IN MY RAV4 IS ALMOST USELESS! WHO WOULD DESIGN OR PUT INTO A CAR A FEATURE THAT WOULD ALMOST INSURE ACCIDENTS IF USED AS DESIGNED? I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING A BLUETOOTH THAT WOULD ALLOW VOICE COMMANDS. AS IT IS, I CAN ONLY USE VOICE COMMANDS USING MY PHONE AND ONLY TALK USING BLUETOOTH. -- SOME HANDS FREE FEATURE!!! MY 1999 CAMRY HAD A BETTER INTERFACE WITH MY FLIP PHONE THAN MY 2012 RAV4. I FEEL THE FEATURE WAS MIS-REPRESENTED. I HAVE SPENT THE LAST TWO YEARS TRYING TO GET MY SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 TO WORK WITH THE RAV4 BLUETOOTH. IT IS USELESS. I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD UPDATE THE SOFTWARE OR WHATEVER IS NEEDED IN MY RADIO TO GET THE HANDS-FREE FEATURE MORE USABLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10596877

AT FIRST 3 WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON WHERE I WAS DRIVING AT SPEED AROUND 10MPH: CHECK, 4WD, TRAC OFF. THEN SUDDENLY I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL EASILY, AND I REALIZED I WAS LOOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I MADE A DECISION TO MOVE OUT OF THE BUSY ROAD AND TURN INTO A SMALL STREET. THIS I DID, BUT ONLY WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. AS THERE WERE NO CAR DRIVING ON THE STREET, I DID NOT CRASH MY CAR. AFTER THE CAR WAS STOPPED, I NOTICED THAT AN ADDITIONAL WARNING WAS ON: ELECTRIC POWERING STEERING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10586314

I DROVE VEHICLE IN THE MORNING, NO INDICATIONS OF ANY STEERING PROBLEMS. DURING MY DRIVE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST STOPPED WORKING. I WAS STOPPED AT A LEFT TURN LANE AND HEARD A FAINT "CLICK" SOUND FROM BELOW THE STEERING WHEEL AREA AT AROUND KNEE LEVEL. THIS SOUND WAS NOT THAT OF A "TURN SIGNAL SWITCH" CLICK, IT WAS JUST A "CLICK". THE ENGINE STAYED RUNNING, THE EPS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY HARD TO TURN (I HAVE CARPEL TUNNEL IN MY RIGHT HAND), WITH ASSISTANCE FROM MY PASSENGER WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN. WE DROVE VEHICLE HOME WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND PARKED IT. MY BROTHER-IN-LAW CAME THAT EVENING TO INSPECT FOR FAILURE. VEHICLE STARTED UP AND POWER STEERING WORKED WITHOUT PROBLEMS. SINCE NO EPS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, HE VOLUNTEERED TO TAKE VEHICLE HOME TO TEST DRIVE UNTIL PROBLEM RECURRED. THE DEALER TOLD HIM TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THEM TO HAVE PROBLEM EVALUATED. HE HAS PUT 500 MILES ON THE ODOMETER SO FAR AND PROBLEM HAS NOT RECURRED. HE SAID THE DEALER WILL JUST GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND IF NO "HARD CODE" IS SET AND CONDITION OF NO" POWER ASSIST" IS PRESENT. I AM AFRAID OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE NOW BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10565516

ABRUPT SPEED CHANGES IN NORMAL SPEED AND CRUISE CONTROL, RADIO AND CLOCK FLASHING OCCASIONALLY, LOW TIRE PRESSURE CONSTANTLY, DAMAGE IN AIR CONDITIONING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10493030

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

NHTSA ODI 10462327