NHTSA Complaint #10543808 — 2002 TOYOTA RAV4

ORIGINAL OWNER OF 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 AWD. WAS DRIVING HOME FROM A FRIEND'S HOUSE AND STOPPED OFF NEAR MY HOME FOR AN ERRAND. LEFT THE STORE, (CAR WAS RUNNING, FAMILY INSIDE) AND PROCEED TO DRIVE TOWARDS MY HOUSE. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THE CAR WAS BARELY MOVING. THE TACH WAS AT 4,000 AND I WAS BARELY GOING 5 MPH. SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR RACED FORWARD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES TO AVOID A REAR-END COLLISION. AFTER IT WAS SAFE TO MOVE, I STEPPED ON THE GAS AGAIN AND THE CAR SLUGGISHLY MOVED AT ABOUT 5MPH AGAIN. THE WHOLE RIDE HOME (LESS THAN 5 MINUTES) THE CAR WAS EITHER SLOW OR FAST WITHOUT MUCH PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR. UPON ARRIVING AT HOME AND TRYING TO PARALLEL PARK THE CAR, I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLUGGISH AND MADE LOUD NOISE WHEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. THIS WASN'T NORMAL AND IT TROUBLED ME. I LOOKED UP ONLINE THE SYMPTOMS AND SAW THE TSB AND THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST TOYOTA. I NEVER RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION ON THIS. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HEARING ABOUT THIS. OK 10 YEARS/150,000 MILES FROM 1ST DRIVE. HERE'S MY PROBLEM - I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 11/2001 - I AM OVER THE YEARS AND UNDER THE MILEAGE, SO I DON'T QUALIFY? THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS SETTLED IN JAN/FEB 2012. TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PEOPLE WHO PURCHASED THEIR CAR BEFORE JAN/FEN 2002 - ARE THE OUT OF LUCK? I AM NO LONGER DRIVING THIS CAR TILL THIS IS FIXED AND SAFE. PLEASE NHTSA - MAKE IT A MANDATORY RECALL - OVER 250,000 SUV'S ARE AFFECTED. MAKE IT RIGHT - MAKE IT SAFE!! *TR