NHTSA Complaint #10547492 — 2007 TOYOTA RAV4

9/30/2013 I BACKED OUT MY CAR OUT OF A PARKING SPOT, AFTER PUTTING IT IN DRIVE AND STARTED DRIVING WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR LEAPED FORWARD, TOO FAST FOR THE INTENDED SPEED AND THEN CAME TO A GRINDING HALT, I COULD NOT PUT IT IN REVERSE AND I SHUT IT OFF. I RESTARTED THE CAR BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION I COULD NOT STAY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT A BLOCK TO ONE OF MY CLIENTS. AFTER AN HOUR I STARTED THE CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE AWAY, CAR DID NOT WANT TO SHIFT GEARS WHEN PICKING UP SPEED AND I FELT THE CARE WAS UNSAFE AS WELL AS UNABLE TO DRIVE ON A FREEWAY. AAA WAS CALLED AND TOWED TO TOYOTA.10/1/2013 THE CAUSE FOR SURGE AND NO REVERSE WAS SUSPECTED TO BE CAUSED BY LOW FLUID LEVEL IN TRANSMISSION. THE BEAVERTON TOYOTA SERVICE REP ([XXX]) TOLD ME THAT LOW LEVELS OF FLUID WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO EVENTUALLY STOP AND UNABLE TO SHIFT. ONE QUART OF TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS ADDED, NO LEAKS WERE DETECTED AND MY CAR WAS TAKEN ON A ROAD TEST AND RETURN CAR WAS RECOMMENDED BY TAS, WHATEVER THAT MEANS. I FELT THAT THE CAR DID DRIVE DIFFERENT, THE SOUND OF THE GEAR SHIFTING AND THE WAY THE CAR REACTED WAS DIFFERENT, HOWEVER IF THE PROFESSIONALS FROM BEAVERTON TOYOTA DID A TEST DRIVE THEY WOULD HAVE NOTICED TOO, IT?S THEIR JOB. ON10/6/2013 LATE AFTERNOON, MY CAR CAME TO A GRINDING HALT RIGHT IN THE DRIVING LANE I WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 30 MPH. IT FELT I HIT A WALL HOW THE CAR STOPPED ABRUPTLY AND SOUND OF LOTS OF GRINDING METAL. I CALLED AAA AND HAD IT TOWED BACK TO TOYOTA AGAIN.10/9/2013 RECEIVED NOTICE THAT TRANSMISSION IS OUT, I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS TOTALLY SHREDDED. IF THIS LAST SUDDEN STOP HAD HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY OR CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION, MYSELF AND OTHERS COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR