2005 TOYOTA RAV4 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

Electronic door locking mechanism on front passenger side has failed and cannot be controlled by the key fob like the other doors. Therefore, it is necessary for the driver to reach across the front seat to lock and unlock this door. The locking mechanism’s failure could be considered an inconvenience. However, there wss an incident where a friend and I were taking the train to the city, leaving the vehicle unattended in a railroad station parking lot for 10-12 hours. I used the key fob to lock all of the working doors, but my friend forgot to manually lock the front passenger door. Unfortunately, this oversight created the risk of theft. This could also pose a safety hazard to the front seat passenger in an emergency situation where he or she must quickly evacuate the vehicle in case of fire, for example. The critical issue lies in the fact that, in an emergency, the driver can press the key fob to quickly unlock all exit doors EXCEPT for the front passenger side, leaving that seat’s occupant struggling to locate the unlock button as smoke from the fire quickly fills the vehicle. First responders would have to pry the door open in this crisis situation when every second counts. A licensed auto mechanic has checked the vehicle and advised me that it would be necessary to dismantle and rebuild the car door at a cost of $300-$400 in order to correct this situation, which is an expense I cannot afford on my limited income. My vehicle is available for inspection as necessary. Thank you for any assistance you are able to provide.

The recall repair was completed 7/15/25. It never updated in anyone’s system. I have been fighting between Toyota corp and the dealership for weeks more like a month just to get them to do the repair. After it was done I got my car damaged. A whole separate issue. I need to get inspection done on the car; can’t get it registered and my insurance is hassling me. It’s been weeks of this nightmare. It still shows my car on the recall list. DMV says they didn’t receive updates, Toyota sends me to the dealership and the dealership does nothing. All this over a car problem that wasn’t my fault in the first place. How do I proceed please

Very often, while driving at normal speeds around curving and hilly roads, the traction control light comes on. It even locks the speed until the light goes off. And sometimes the VSC (Vehicle stability control) light comes on and takes control of the car. When the warning lights go off, the car returns to normal. I took the car to Kauai Toyota Service Department. They said that they cannot troubleshoot the problem until one of the lights stay on continuously. It is a little disconcerting when this happens while driving. I love this car and what to keep it. But I want to get to the problem and fix it. Is it possible for a repair facility to use a computer to back track the alarms and pinpoint the problem? Thanks for your time and response.

On 10/1/2022 in Berwick, PA while pulling into the Dollar Tree parking lot, smoke appeared in the passenger cabin and the vehicle accelerated on it's own. The brakes were applied and the vehicle continue to accelerate. The vehicle went down through a yard, across a road through another parking lot and crashed into a high curb before stalling out. The airbags deployed. My mother was transported to the hospital and is still in ICU with broken ribs, cuts and bruises. She was able to steer the vehicle away from a parked car, a person on a bicycle and missed a rose bush, no one else was injured in the incident. A police report has been completed, the vehicle is still in the custody of the towing company and has not been released to the insurance company.

On 10/1/2022 in Berwick, PA while pulling into the Dollar Tree parking lot, smoke appeared in the passenger cabin and the vehicle accelerated on it's own. The brakes were applied and the vehicle continue to accelerate. The vehicle went down through a yard, across a road through another parking lot and crashed into a high curb before stalling out. The airbags deployed. My mother was transported to the hospital and is still in ICU with broken ribs, cuts and bruises. She was able to steer the vehicle away from a parked car, a person on a bicycle and missed a rose bush, no one else was injured in the incident. A police report has been completed, the vehicle is still in the custody of the towing company and has not been released to the insurance company.