NHTSA Complaint #10354084 — 2010 TOYOTA RAV4

ON SEPTEMBER 1 I WAS DRIVING IN A CONGESTED AREA APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WITH STOPPED TRAFFIC. AS I WAS APPLYING MY BRAKES I SUDDENLY FELT MY 2010 TOYOTA RAV4 LURCH FORWARD - AT FIRST I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND, BUT A QUICK GLANCE IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR INDICATED THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS STILL AT A SAFE DISTANCE. I QUICKLY TURNED OFF MY RADIO TO HEAR MY ENGINE ROARING AS I WAS CONTINUING TO APPLY THE BRAKES. I THEN PUT THE RAV4 IN NEUTRAL WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ROAR. ONCE IN NEUTRAL, THE RAV4 CAME TO A STOP. I THEN DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR SEVERAL TIMES AND THE ENGINE SETTLED DOWN. AS I APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION I WAS TRAVELING AT A SLOW RATE OF SPEED. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE RAV 4 WAS SLOWLY COMING TO A STOP UNTIL I FELT THE CAR LURCH FORWARD. ONCE I BEGAN APPLYING THE BRAKES I DID NOT TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL, NOR DID I APPLY ANY PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR. IN ADDITION, MY CARPET MAT WAS SEVERAL INCHES AWAY FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT ALL TIMES. IN MY MIND, THIS IS CLEARLY AN ACCELERATION ISSUE THAT EASILY COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT IF I HAD NOT PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL. I ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA. THE TOYOTA CASE NUMBER IS [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR