NHTSA Complaint #10310470 — 2007 TOYOTA RAV4

COMPLAINT:SECOND COMPLAINT I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA RAV 4 2007 IN OCTOBER OF 2007. A FEW MONTHS AFTER I HAD THE CAR I STARTED NOTICING THAT THE CAR, FOR NO REASON WOULD HESITATE, LEAVING ME AT TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF CROSSINGS AN INTERSECTIONS WITH NO POWER. AFTER OTHERS BEGAN MAKING COMMENTS THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG I BROUGHT IT INTO LEITH TOYOTA. THE FIRST TIME WAS APRIL 24TH 2008. I EXPLAINED TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR I WAS HAVING INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. I TOLD HIM I WOULD START ACROSS AN INTERSECTION (4 LANES) AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR HESITATED, THERE WAS NO POWER. I WOULD PRESS THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND APPROXIMATELY 10-15 SECONDS LATER THE CAR WOULD LUNGE FORWARD. I TOLD THEM IT CONCERNED AND SCARED ME. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. APRIL 28TH 2008 I RETURNED AGAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP ADVISING THEM THERE WAS A PROBLEM, I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR AND WANTED IT FIXED. I AGAIN WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOT ANY PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. THIS TIME I REFUSED TO LEAVE UNTIL THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. THEY FINALLY BROUGHT THE CAR BACK IN AND TOLD ME THE MODELS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE ECM SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD THEY REFLASHED THE ECM SYSTEM WITH AN UPDATE SENT BY CORPORATE AND THINGS SHOULD BE FINE. YESTERDAY I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I TOLD THEM THE CAR WAS OK FOR A NUMBER OF MONTHS BUT AGAIN THIS WEEK I WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE CAR HAD STARTED TO HESITATE AGAIN, AND I AM LEFT IN THE INTERSECTION WITHOUT POWER AND ON-COMING TRAFFIC. THEY TOOK THE CAR OUT AND OF COURSE THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT SO THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING ABNORMAL. THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD CHECK TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMPUTER UPDATES FOR THE PROBLEM. THE CAR ALSO LOOSES POWER ON HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH, SHUTS DOWN AFTER A WHILE. THEY ADVISED ME THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL UPDATES. I TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM IS PUTTING ME IN DANGER OF HAVING AN ACCIDENT. THEY TOLD ME TOYOTA DOES NOT FEEL THIS IS A PROBLEM. *TR UPDATED IVOQ 07/15/10.*JB