NHTSA Complaint #10614616 — 2011 TOYOTA RAV4

WHILE APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION ON A BUSY THOROUGHFARE, THE LIGHT TURNED YELLOW AND AT THE LAST MINUTE I DECIDED AGAINST RUNNING THE YELLOW LIGHT AND APPLIED MY BRAKES VERY HARD. THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN BUT AS I APPROACHED THE STOP LINE MY VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLOWLY MOVE FORWARD NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. AT FIRST I THOUGHT MY BRAKES HAD FAILED, BUT THEN I HEARD THE WHINE OF THE ENGINE AND I REALIZED THAT I WAS FIGHTING AGAINST AN ACCELERATING ENGINE. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL WHICH I THOUGHT WOULD KICK THE ACCELERATOR BACK TO NORMAL BUT THE ENGINE WAS STILL REVVING QUITE HIGH, BUT I WAS NO LONGER MOVING FORWARD. I THEN SHIFTED TO REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO BACK UP EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE. AT THAT POINT I PLACED THE VEHICLE BACK INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS, I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND IT PERFORMED NORMALLY. I DROVE 6 BLOCKS TO MY DESTINATION, PARKED THE CAR, CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED THERE. I DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AS I THOUGHT TOYOTA HAD SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF UNATTENDED ACCELERATION. OBVIOUSLY NOT. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP AND I AM WAITING TO HEAR FROM THEM AS TO WHAT THEY FIND. FROM THE REPORTS I HAVE READ, I'M NOT HOLDING MY BREATH. THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO CALL FOR AN INDEPENDENT ENGINEER TO ASSESS THE VEHICLE, AND THAT MIGHT TAKE UP TO A WEEK. I HAVE NO GRUDGE AGAINST TOYOTA, AS I ALSO OWN A 2002 CAMRY WHICH HAS BEEN A FANTASTIC CAR WITH NO PROBLEMS. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE THAT ALL THE REPORTS OUT THERE ARE BECAUSE OF LOOSE FLOOR MATS, STICKY ACCELERATORS OR CON ARTIST TRYING TO GET MONEY OUT OF A BIG CORPORATION. PLEASE LOOK INTO THE ELECTRONICS OF THESE CARS AS SOMETHING IS NOT COMMUNICATING RIGHT. THANK YOU. *TR