NHTSA Complaint #10344969 — 2010 TOYOTA RAV4

AT APPROXIMATELY 5:00 PM ON JULY 19TH, 2010, OUR TOYOTA RAV 4 (MODEL YEAR 2010 MILEAGE 6450) EXPERIENCED AN INCIDENT OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. DRIVING HOME WITH 4 MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY, WE APPROACHED AN INTERSECTION AND THE DRIVER BEGAN TO APPLY THE BRAKE. THE ROADWAY WAS CROWDED, SO OUR SPEED WAS FORTUNATELY MINIMAL (APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH). WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO REV AT A HIGH RATE, THE DRIVER SAID THE CAR WAS NOT RESPONDING WELL TO THE BRAKE AND WE MAY NOT STOP IN TIME AS WE APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION. INSTINCTIVELY, I LOOKED AT THE DRIVER'S FOOT TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOME PROBLEM WITH HIM HITTING THE GAS PEDAL, BUT COULD CLEARLY SEE BOTH FEET AND ONLY THE BRAKE BEING APPLIED. THE DRIVER PUMPED THE BRAKE, LIFTING HIS FOOT FROM THE BRAKE AND REAPPLYING; WE JOLTED FORWARD HE LIFTED HIS FOOT FROM THE BRAKE OF THE REVVING CAR AND THEN REAPPLIED THE BRAKE. THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SLOWED AND RETURNED TO A NORMAL IDLE AND WE WERE ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE. WE DID NOT FILE A POLICE REPORT, BUT CONTACTED THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR INSPECTION THE FOLLOWING DAY. NOT SURPRISINGLY, AS THEY APPEAR INCAPABLE OF DETECTING THE PROBLEM WITH THEIR DIAGNOSTICS, NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND AND WE WERE ASKED TO RECLAIM THE CAR A FEW DAYS LATER. WE TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT WE CONSIDER THIS LEASED CAR TO BE UNSAFE AND DO NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CAR AND WISHED TO RETURN IT AS IT IS CLEARLY DEFECTIVE. 4 MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY WITNESSED THE EVENT AND NO ONE IS GETTING IN THE CAR AGAIN. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP'S CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THEY ARE ONLY DEALER, THEY ARE NOT THE MANUFACTURERS AND WE HAD TO ADDRESS ANY CONCERNS REGARDING A RETURN TO THE MANUFACTURER, IN THEIR OPINION IT CHECKED OUT FINE. THE CAR HAD ALREADY BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALER SEVERAL MONTHS PRIOR, TO ADDRESS THE RAV 4 RECALL FOR THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEM. CLEARLY IN OUR CASE THEIR FIX DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR