NHTSA Complaint #10298351 — 2007 TOYOTA RAV4

AT LOW RPM THE ACCELERATOR AND/OR THE TRANSMISSION HAS A NOTICEABLE LAG. THIS OCCURS APPROX 50 % OF THE TIME. SEVERAL TIMES IT HAS PUT ME INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN TRYING TO BLEND INTO TRAFFIC. MOST RECENTLY I WAS TAKING MY SON TO COLLEGE AND WAS ALMOST HIT BY A TRUCK ON THE PENN TURNPIKE. I HAVE BROUGHT IT IN TWICE TO THE DEALER ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT A ROAD TEST SHOWED "NORMAL OPERATION OF THE ACCELERATOR". I RECENTLY DID A WEB SEARCH AND FOUND THAT TOYOTA HAS STOPPED SELLING RAV 4 WITH V6 ENGINES IN AUSTRALIA FOR JUST THIS PROBLEM. IN JUNE , WHILE ALSO DRIVING MY SON TO COLLEGE I HAD THE AIR CONDITIONER ON FOR ABOUT 4 HOURS OF A 11 HOUR DRIVE. THE DRIVER SIDE FLOOR, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR, FLOODED. UPON MY ARRIVAL I DRIED IT OUT THE BEST I COULD USING HOTEL TOWELS. A MUSTY SMELL LASTED ABOUT A DAY OR TWO THEN SUBSIDED. DRIVING BACK HOME SEVERAL DAYS LATER IT RAINED FOR MOST OF THE TRIP AND AGAIN THE CAR FLOODED . I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER SINCE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THEY TOLD ME THAT WEEP VENTS UNDER THE VEHICLE FOR THE AIR CONDITIONER AND MOON ROOF WERE CLOGGED THEREBY DIRECTING THE WATER INTO THE VEHICLE. THE CLEANED IT UP AS BEST THEY COULD BUT THAT THE MUSTY SMELL WAS STRONGER NOW. TO GET RID OF THAT WOULD REQUIRE PULLING THE SEATS AND RUGS TO PROPERLY CLEAN THE VEHICLE AND THAT WOULD COST APPROX $250. I OPTED NOT TO DO THAT AND DROVE FOR THE NEXT WEEK WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER ON TO DEHUMIDIFY THE CAR. I CHECKED TO OWNERS MANUAL AND FOUND NO MENTION OF CLEANING THESE WEEP HOLES/VENTS, AND IT IS NOT PART OF THE DEALERS MAINTENANCE POLICY TO CLEAN THEM. THE OWNERS MANUAL DID MENTION THAT IF THE FLOOR WAS TO GET WET THEN THERE WAS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE SIDE AIRBAG AND CURTAIN SHIELD AIRBAG ACTIVATING CORRECTLY (PAGE 379 OF OWNERS MANUAL). WATER MAY ALSO GET INTO AUDIO COMPONENTS OR OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ABOVE OR UNDER THE FLOOR CARPET AND CAUSE MALFUNCTION AND IT MAY CAUSE BODY CORROSION. *TR