NHTSA Complaint #10417087 — 2010 TOYOTA RAV4

ON AUGUST 3, 2011 EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. I STOPPED FOR FUEL. I THEN STARTED THE ENGINE AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. THE ENGINE BEGAN RACING AND MAKING LOUD STRANGE NOISES. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SHAKING IN MY HANDS. I IMMEDIATELY SHIFTED BACK INTO PARK AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. ON AUGUST 4, 2011, I TOOK THE RAV4 TO QUALITY IMPORTS, A DEALER IN FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA. THE DEALER WANTED ME TO SEE TOYOTA'S SIDE OF THE STORY. WITH CONSIDERABLE EFFORT ON HIS PART, HE UNINSTALLED THE VERY HEAVY SEMI RIGID AFTERMARKET RUBBER MAT AND REINSTALLED IT TO REST ON THE ACCELERATOR. HE THEN SAID, "THIS IS PROBABLY WHAT HAPPENED." THIS VERY HEAVY SEMI RIGID FLOOR MAT IS PRECISELY CONTOURED TO SNUGLY FIT IN THE EXACT CONTOURS OF THE FLOOR BOARD. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THIS MAT TO MOVE, BECAUSE IT FITS SO SNUGLY WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE MOLDED CONTOURS. THE RUBBER MAT HAS NEVER MOVED IN OVER 6,000 MILES OF DRIVING. I HAVE A CLEAR SOFT VINYL MAT ON TOP OF THE HEAVY SEMI RIGID MAT; THE VINYL MAT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN ANY TROUBLE. ALSO, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HANGS ABOVE THE FLOOR MAT THUS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A MAT TO SLIDE ON TOP OF THE PEDAL. THE DEALER THEN INSTRUCTED ME LEAVE AND OBTAIN INSTRUCTIONS BY CALLING THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER. I CALLED 800 331 4331; I WAS GIVEN CASE NUMBER 1108040789. THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE ASKED ME HOW FAST I WAS GOING. I TOLD HIM I WAS STANDING STILL WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE; HE RESPONDED, "I GUESS YOU DON'T KNOW HOW FAST YOU WERE GOING." HE INSTRUCTED ME TO WAIT FOR A CASE WORKER TO CONTACT ME. *TR