2002 Toyota RAV4

WAS IN EIGHT CAR CHAIN REACTION COLLISION, WHERE I WAS THE 7TH OF 8 CARS. THEREFORE, I HAD SEVERE FRONT-END DAMAGE AND EVEN WORSE REAR-END DAMAGE. I ACTUALLY HIT THE CAR IN FRONT WITH MY OWN FORCE (2 ON SCALE OF 1-10) AND THEN AGAIN WHEN THE CAR BEHIND HIT ME. THE SECOND HIT WAS 10 ON A SCALE OF 1-10. THE CARS WHERE GOING OVER 20 MPH (ESTIMATED) AT TIME OF ACCIDENT.*AK FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ACCORDING TO THE TOYOTA MANUAL THEY SHOULD DEPLOY AT 15MPH OR MORE, FORCE IS GREAT ENOUGH, OR WHEN VEHICLE INSIDE PRESSURE CHANGE IS GREAT ENOUGH. (NOTE: WHEN THE CAR WAS HIT IN THE REAR, THE ENTIRE REAR WINDOW SCHATTERED, THEREBY, CAUSING GREAT PRESSURE CHANGE.) ACCORDING TO THE BODY SHOP WHICH GAVE ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED ACCORDING TO THE FRONT-END DAMAGE ALONE. (WE HAVE DIGITAL PICTURES OF THE VEHICLE AND CAN SEND THEM.)

WHEN SHIFTING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND VICE VERSA A CLANGING SOUND IS HEARD FROM THE FRONT. I TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD FRONT BRAKE PADS NEED REPLACING AND ROTORS NEED TO BE RESURFACED AT A COST OF $250.00.+ TAX. CAR HAD ONLY 10,250 MILES. THE PROBLEM IS STILL PRESENT. I WAS FINALLY TOLD THIS IS NORMAL. PROBLEM WAS NOT THERE UNTIL THE CAR REACHED 7500 AND THE FIRST TIRE ROTATION WAS PERFORMED BY THE TOYOTA DEALER. *JB

ON FEBRUARY 19, 2004, I TOOK MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A PROBLEM THAT INVOLVED THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY SURGING FORWARD. AND FAILING TO SHIFT GEARS. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SPEED SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE WAS RELEASED TO ME. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED THAT DAY AND I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP ON FEBRUARY 20, 2004. I WAS TOLD THAT A PART HAD TO BE ORDERED AND THAT THEY WOULD CALL ME WHEN THE PART WAS IN. I WAS TOLD THAT IN THE MEANTIME, THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. ON FEBRUARY 23, 2004, MY HUSBAND DROVE THE VEHICLE AND WAS STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD INTO THE INTERSECTION. WE IMMEDIATELY PHONED TOYOTA, TELLING THEM THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND REQUESTED THAT THEY TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE FEBRUARY 23, 2004. PRINCIPLE COMPLAINT: MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY SURGES OR ACCELERATES AND FAILS TO SHIFT GEARS. *AK

I DRIVE A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I WENT BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE WOMAN IN FRONT OF ME (2000 DODGE NEON) DIDN'T SO I REAR-ENDED HER. HER CAR WAS UNSCRATCHED, MY FRONT BUMPER PLATE WAS SMUSHED. AS A RESULT OF THIS COLLISION...I WAS, MAYBE, GOING 10 MPH...MY CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS. APPARENTLY THERE ARE WEAK SEALS AND CONNECTIONS IN THE RAV, CAUSING TRANSMISSION FLUID AND OIL LEAKAGE (AS YOU CAN GUESS, 3 HOURS AFTER THE FENDER BENDER, WHEN I WENT OUT TO LUNCH, THE CAR WAS SMOKING LIKE CRAZY!). I DON'T THINK A 10 MPH ACCIDENT SHOULD CAUSE THAT MUCH DAMAGE. I CAN GUARANTEE YOU I WON'T BUY A RAV4 AGAIN...WHAT IF IT HAD BEEN A REAL ACCIDENT? WOULD I BE DEAD?

THE REAR LUGGAGE COVER DOES NOT STAY UP AND NUMEROUS TIMES IT HAS SLIPPED AND HIT ME OR ONE OF MY FAMILY ON THE HEAD. THIS WEEKEND, IT SLIPPED AGAIN AND CAUSED A CUT ON MY HEAD. I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT A FIX FOR THIS AND HE STATED NONE NOTED AND THEY HAVE HAD SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BUT NO TSB OR RECALLS ISSUED. THIS LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT COVER IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE RE-DESIGNED. *LA

ON JULY 7, 2003 I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK WHEN THE BATTERY DISCHARGE LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD NO STEERING CAPABILITY. I WAS TRAVELLING ABOUT SIXTY MILES PER HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE. I ALMOST HIT THE MEDIAN DIVIDER BEFORE I COULD STEER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I CALLED THE DEARLERSHIP AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY TOLD ME TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED IN, THEY DIDN'T EVEN OFFER TO HAVE IT TOWED. INCIDENTALLY THIS IS A NEW VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 1100 MILES ON IT AND I HAD ONLY DRIVEN THE VEHICLE ABOUT ONE WEEK BEFORE THE ABOVE HAPPENED. THE DEALERSHIP KEPT MY VEHICLE FOR TWO DAYS AND I WENT TO GET MY RAV4 AND ASKED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THE DRIVE BELT PULLEYS HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED ON MY NEW RAV4 AND THAT CAUSED THE DRIVE BELT TO COME OFF OF THE PULLEYS AND BROKE THE TENSIONER AND THE HOUSING GUIDE. I TOOK THE CAR HOME AND THE NEXT MORNING, THE NEW RAV4 WOULD NOT START. I JUMPED SRTARTED THE RAV4 FROM MY WIFES VEHICLE AND LET IT RUN FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES THINKING THAT THE BATTERY JUST NEEDED A CHARGE. MY WIFE WAS GOING TO USE THE NEEW RAV4 VEHICLE THAT DAY TO SHOP. SHE CALLED ME ABOUT MID-MORNING AND INFORMED ME THAT THE NEW RAV4 VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AS SHE HAD GONE TO THE MALL. THAT EVENING MY WIFE AND I WENT TO THE MALL AND JUM STARTED THE VEHICLE AGIN AND I FINALLY GOT IT HOME AND IT IS NOW IN MY GARAGE, IT JUST WILL NOT START. I CALLED AND TALAKED TO THE SERVICE DIRECTOR ABOUT ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I WAS HAVING WITH MY NEW RAV4 SUV. HE EQUATED MY BREAK-DOWNS TO GOING TO THE STORE AND BUYING A BOX OF FOUR LIGHT BULBS AND TAKING THE LIGHT BULBS HOME AND PUTTING A NEW LIGHT BULB IN A LAMP THAT HAD A BURNED OUT LIGHT BULB AND WHEN THE LAMP IS TURNED ON THEN THE NEW LIGHT BULB BURNS OUT. THIS REALLY MADE ME ANGRY. I TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS BIG DIFFERENCE IN A FIFTY CENT LIGHT BULB AND A $25,000.00 NEW VEHICLE WITH ONLY 1100 MILES ON IT. *AK