NHTSA Complaint #10441571 — 2010 TOYOTA RAV4

AT APPROXIMATELY 18:30 ON DECEMBER 27, 2011, I EXPERIENCED AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION EVENT IN MY 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. I WAS STOPPING FOR A RED LIGHT ON PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY IN SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA AT THE CORNER OF FIRST STREET WHEN I NOTICED IT WAS DIFFICULT TO APPLY THE BRAKE, AND THE CAR DID NOT APPEAR TO WANT TO STOP. I APPLIED THE BRAKE MORE FORCEFULLY AND WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO STOP IN THE LEFT HAND TURN LANE, HOWEVER THE CAR KEPT LURCHING FORWARD AS IF IT WANTED TO BREAK FREE OF THE BRAKE. HAVING HEARD THE WIDESPREAD PUBLICITY REGARDING THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEM IN TOYOTA VEHICLES, AND HAVING PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM ON ONE OCCASION OVER A YEAR EARLIER, I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE THE ISSUE. I PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY REVVED UP TO AN ALARMING RATE. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION IN PANIC BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO LOOK AT THE TACHOMETER. HOWEVER, JUDGING BY THE SOUND AND LATER EXPERIMENTATION WITH REVVING WHILE PARKED, I BELIEVE THE RPM MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE 4000-5000 RANGE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I WAS PARTICULARLY SHAKEN BY THIS EVENT BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY HAD THE RECALL SERVICE PERFORMED THAT WAS SUPPOSEDLY INTENDED TO ADDRESS THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ISSUE. THIS RECALL SERVICE WAS PERFORMED MAY 10, 2011 AT DESERT TOYOTA IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. I HAD EXPERIENCE THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ISSUE ONCE BEFORE, BUT IT WAS NOT NEARLY AS DRAMATIC. I DO NOT RECALL THE DETAILS, BUT IT WAS IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA IN EARLY 2011 AND MY MEMORY IS THAT TAPPING THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS RESTORED THE CAR'S OPERATION TO NORMAL FAIRLY QUICKLY. I WAS LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT IT HAPPENING AGAIN SINCE THE RECALL SERVICE HAD BEEN PERFORMED. *TR