NHTSA Complaint #10328464 — 2008 TOYOTA RAV4

MY FIANCEE AND I WERE DRIVING, 2008 RAV4/LIMITED/V6/4WD. WE WERE AT A STOP LIGHT. I WAS DRIVING, I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS WAITING FOR LIGHT TO TURN GREEN. IT WAS A BUSY INTERSECTION HERE IN DENVER AND THERE WAS A CAR IN FRONT OF US. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ACCELERATOR TOOK OFF AND I COULD FEEL THE CAR TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD. LUCKILY, I ALREADY HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND I PRESSED DOWN EVEN HARDER ON THE BRAKE AS I IMMEDIATELY PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. WHEN I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL THE ACCELERATOR CONTINUED TO REV HIGHER THAN IT WAS BEFORE. I SLAMMED THE GEAR SHIFT INTO PARK AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY SHAKEN FROM THIS AND JUST SAT THERE FOR A MINUTE AS WE REALIZED WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. MY FIANCEE WANTED TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND CALL A TOW TRUCK. I WANTED TO TRY AND START THE CAR AGAIN BUT LEAVE IT IN PARK AND TEST IT OUT. I STARTED THE CAR WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BRAKE AND IT DID IT AGAIN. EVERY LIGHT ON THE DASH BOARD LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE. WE WERE IN PARK SO THE CAR COULD NOT MOVE BUT THE RPM'S WERE ON THE WAY TO REDLINING AND I TURNED OFF THE CAR AGAIN. THE LIGHTS AROUND THE SPEEDOMETER HAD NEVER LIT UP LIKE THAT BEFORE. SERIOUSLY EVERY DUMMY LIGHT ON THE CAR WAS LIT AND FLASHING. WE WERE COMPLETELY SCARED AT THIS POINT AND WE JUST TURNED ON THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND JUST SAT THERE IN SHOCK. WE SAT THERE FOR TEN MINUTES AT THIS BUSY INTERSECTION TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO. I DECIDED TO TRY IT AGAIN AND THIS TIME THE CAR STARTED NORMALLY. MY FIANCEE WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT BUT I ASSURED HER IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN I COULD JUST PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND WE COULD PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE DROVE DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP. WE EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY SAID THE WOULD CHECK IT OUT. THEY CALLED LATER THAT DAY AND SAID ALL THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTS WERE NORMAL. THEY TOLD ME IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE FLOOR MATS. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE SINCE THE FLOOR MATS WEREN'T EVEN TOUCHING ACCELERATOR. UPDATED 05/12/10 *BF UPDATED 07/16/10.*JB *TR