What 302 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid

My friend was leaving church and cranked my vehicle engine. My friend proceeded to exit the church parking lot onto a main road. Prior to exiting the parking lot, she heard the engine "rev", where my vehicle began moving forward without her control. She was consistently pressing the brake pedal; to no avail. where my vehicle was only stopped by careening into a nearby yard. She could hear my vehicle's engine continue rev until she turned it off.

NHTSA ODI 11566083

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that there was fuel leaking from the vehicle. While opening the fuel cap, fuel was flowing out of the filler neck. The contact detected fuel leaking on the driveway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Honda dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the EVAP canister needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel system and EVAP canister needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer again who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11519862

My vehicle has a problem with torque converter shudder that has gotten worse over time. At first it was shuddering and now vehicle bulks and momentarily slows down at the speed of 20mph thus creating an unsafe situation. Toyota has a Torque Converter Shudder Warranty Enhancement Program (ZH1) for vehicles of my age and mileage, but my specific VIN number does not fall under this warranty enhancement. I spoke to Toyota Brand Engagement Center senior adviser Drew and explained to him that it is a safety issue due to my vehicle unexpectedly slowing down in traffic. But he refused to do anything to mitigate this safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11466414

A. Mileage indicator: Full thank gives any where from 325-365 miles. But indicator goes down precipitously. If it indicates 20 miles, it will go down to 0 or 8 miles after only a 5 miles drive. B: The only safety I feel is put at risk is where it can leave me when my anticipated mileage suddenly goes below what was indicated. C: Have reported to dealer a couple of times but always informed nothing defective could be detected D: Never received any warning signals. Just happens.

NHTSA ODI 11421998

ONGOING ISSUES WITH MY FUEL SYSTEM. CAR WILL DISPLAY ONE OF THESE MANY SYMPTOMS: -MISFIRE, HARD START, STALL OR SHUTOFF. OTHER SYMPTOMS INCLUDE CAR STUTTERING AND STALLING OUT WHILE DRIVING. THIS LAST SYMPTOM IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT OFTEN COMES WITH NO WARNING. WHEN THE CAR STALLS OUT, THE CAR IS DRIVING UP STRAIGHT UP A MEDIUM GRADE HILL. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT DATES AND TIMES ALONG W 24TH ST. AUSTIN, TX NEAR 1106 W 24TH ST. THIS WILL HAPPEN IF I'M EITHER STOPPING AT A LIGHT OR WHILE IN MOTION. I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT MPH I AM DRIVING, BUT IT WOULD BE AROUND 20 - 40 MPH WHEN THIS OCCURS. IVE TAKEN THE CARE TO BOTH ROUND ROCK TOYOTA AND CHRISTIAN AUTO BROTHERS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. SO FAR, NEITHER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. ON 5/22/20, CHRISTIAN AUTO BROTHERS REPLACED THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS SYSTEM LEAK DETECTION UNIT R&R, THE FUEL EVAPORATIVE CANISTER R&R, THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS SYSTEM LEAK DETECTION PUMP, AND THE VAPOR CANISTER PURGE SOLENOID. THIS DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. CURRENT CODES: P0441, P0455, P1604, P1605, P0171. WHILE NO DIAGNOSTIC PROOF HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED, IT IS HYPOTHESIZED BY THE MECHANICS THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH EITHER THE FUEL PUMP OR THE FUEL LINE. AFTER READING ABOUT THE 2020 TOYOTA FUEL PUMP RECALL, I BELIEVE MY 2015 RAV4 HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING SIMILAR ISSUES. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. THEREFORE I AM SUBMITTING THIS INCIDENT INFO TO DOCUMENT THE CURRENT SITUATION. IF I LEARN MORE, I WILL TRY TO UPDATE.

NHTSA ODI 11415574

CAR WILL NOT START ON 1ST TRY. IT MAY START 2ND OR 3RD TIME WHILE HOLDING GAS PEDDLE TO THE FLOOR. LOUD POPPING SOUND FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR. SOUNDS LIKE CHANGING GEARS ON A MANUAL. CAR HAS LESS THAN 50K MILES

NHTSA ODI 11321859

HI, I HAVE A 2015 RAV 4 PURCHASED 9/2015, NEW AND ONLY OWNER...OUT OF NOWHERE JAN. 2017...THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY...ON HWY AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 60-70MPH AND WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS NOTHING...HAD TO REMOVE FOOT AND PRESS THE GAS AGAIN FOR THE CAR TO ENGAGE AND STAY AT ITS PROPER SPEED. TOYOTA DEALER COULD NOT FIND AN ISSUE. JAN. 14TH....THE ISSUE STARTED AGAIN AND I RETURNED IT TO DEALER 1/21 AND STATED ISSUE WAS NOT FIXED...NOW HAPPENING BETWEEN 20-40MPH TOO. DOES NOT OCCUR ALL OF THE TIME AND YET CONSIST ENOUGH THAT IT IS SCARY TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 10946948

POOR FUEL ECONOMY GETTING 17MPG

NHTSA ODI 10895323

ON JUNE 13, 2016, I NOTICED MY GAS TANK WAS FULL, AFTER IT WAS TANK THE DAY BEFORE. SO, I THOUGHT MY HUSBAND HAD FILLED IT UP BEFORE HE LEFT FOR HIS BUSINESS TRIP THAT MORNING. TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK, I NOTICED THE TANK WAS STILL FULL, SO I KNEW SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT. SPOKE TO MY HUSBAND WHO HAD THEN CONFIRMED THAT HE DID NOT FILL UP THE TANK BEFORE HE LEFT. WENT TO THE GAS STATION AND IT COST ME $34.00 DOLLARS TO FILL IT UP, I ALMOST RAN OUT OF GAS! I COULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO A BAD ACCIDENT IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY! TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD BE EITHER THE FLOATER OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN RODENTS NIBBLING AT THE WIRES, BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD HAD THAT EXPERIENCE ALREADY. ANYWAY, OF COURSE IT ENDS OF BEING THE RODENTS. SO, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET TO GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND A LOAD OF INFORMATION. APPARENTLY, THIS IS CONTRIBUTED TO TOYOTA'S MOVE TO ECO-FRIENDLY ORGANIC WIRING INSULATOR COMPOUNDS THAT ATTRACT RODENTS AS A FOOD SOURCE! THIS IS CAUSING A PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA CAR OWNERS. I HAVE A RAV4 2010 WHICH IS KEPT INSIDE AND THIS SITUATION HAS NEVER HAPPENED. THIS 2015 RAV4, WHICH IS GARAGE KEPT, RODENTS SEEM TO ENJOY. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED WIRING DAMAGE BY MUNCHING RODENTS, WHICH IS NOT COVERED UNDER TOYOTA WARRANTY - A VERY EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION. NOT TO MENTION A SAFETY HAZARD, HAD I RAN OUT OF GAS ON THE HIGHWAY! LAST WEEK, IT COST ME $611.51, HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ME THE NEXT TIME WHEN THEY MUNCH ON ANOTHER PART OF THE CAR?

NHTSA ODI 10885439

PURCHASED THIS CAR DEALER CERTIFIED AFTER BEING LEASED FOR 9 MONTHS BY SOMEONE ELSE, FROM NEW ROCHELLE TOYOTA. HAD 5700 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. SINCE PURCHASE IT DOES NOT ALWAYS START THE FIRST TIME, SOMETIMES TAKING 3-4 TIMES TO START, AND MAKING STRANGE NOISES, IT SOUNDS LIKE ITS GOING TO START AND THEN DIES. HAS BEEN TO THE SHOP 3 TIMES AND GOING IN FOR THE 4TH TIME TODAY, ON 12/4 A NEW FUEL PUMP RELAY WAS INSTALLED, STARTS BETTER BUT STILL UNKNOWN REASON WHY IT AT TIMES IT STILL TAKES 3-4 TIMES TO START IT. IS A MYSTERY , NOTHING SHOWS UP ON THE TECH COMPUTERS AFTER IT HAPPENS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. HAVE OWNED TOYOTAS FOR OVER 17 YEARS NEVER EXPECTED AN ISSUE LIKE THIS. ALSO LIGHTS FLICKER AND THERE ARE STRANGE NOISES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START AND UNSUCCESSFUL. NO RHYME OR REASON TO THIS ISSUE.TOOK POSSESSION OF THE CAR 10-13-15 I THINK IT IS A LEMON. I HAVE A VIDEO OF WHAT HAPPENS DONT THINK I CAN UPLOAD TO THIS WEBSITE.

NHTSA ODI 10809611

AFTER FUELING, GAS SPLATTERED ALL OVER ME AND RUINED MY CLOTHING. THIS IS A RENTAL CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10808539

AFTER GASSING UP IN A STATION (FULL TANK) AND THE GAS NOZZLE CLICKED TO A STOP, SOON AS EXTRACTING THE NOZZLE FROM THE RAV4, FUEL SPRAYS WITH A FORCE OF PRESSURE FROM THE GAS TANK TOWARDS THE PERSON HOLDING THE NOZZLE. AFTER THIS EVENT HAPPENED THE THIRD TIME, WE BROUGHT THE RAV4 BACK TO TOYOTA TO BE CHECKED. WAS RETURNED TO US THE NEXT DAY WITH AN OK RESULT. BUT THE NEXT 2 TO 5 WEEKS THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED, SO WE REQUESTED THAT A REPLACEMENT RAV4 BE GIVEN US - BUT TOYOTA REFUSED STATING THAT WITH THE WARRANTY, THEY WILL NOW PERFORM A RIGID TEST - THE RESULTS OF WHICH CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM OF GAS SPRAYS. WE JUST GOT BACK THE RAV4, AND TOYOTA SAID THEY REPLACED THE GAS TANK WITH A NEW ONE AND SAYING THAT THE OLD ONE HAD "A FACTORY DEFECT WHEREIN THE TANK FLAPPER WAS NOT CLOSING PROPERLY. I AM PUTTING THIS ON RECORD ON THIS REPORT, FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF NHTSA FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHER OWNERS.

NHTSA ODI 10761730

DRIVING ON SLIGHT GRADE AT APPROX. 55 MPH. ATTEMPTED TO PASS CAR IN FRONT OF ME. CHECKED LEFT LANE, SEMI ABOUT 50-75 YARDS BACK. PRESSED DOWN GAS PEDAL AND NOTHING. IT WAS LIKE THE CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL. MEANWHILE SEMI IS APPROACHING. PUMPED PEDAL A FEW TIMES NOTHING SEMI HAS TO SLOW DOWN BECAUSE I AM SLOWING DOWN INSTEAD OF ACCELERATING. FINALLY PEDAL CATCHES AND CAR ACCELERATES. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 5 TIMES SINCE I GOT THIS CAR NEW IN JANUARY, TOYOTA DEALER SERVICE PERSON SAYS THIS IS NORMAL AS EVERYTHING IS DONE BY COMPUTER NOW, NOT HARDWIRE. COMPUTERS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY FAST SO I DON'T BUY IT. HE DID ADMIT THAT ANOTHER RAV4 DRIVER HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME THING I DID. HE ADVISED ME TO HOLD THE PEDAL DOWN AND THE ACCELERATION WILL KICK IT. TRIED IT. DID NOT DO ANYTHING. VERY WORRIED. PLUS SEMI DRIVER MUST THINK I'M AN IDIOT.

NHTSA ODI 10748002