2018 Toyota RAV4

1. It is not clear what component or system failed. While driving at around 70 mph, after 2-3 hours of driving, there is an audible "clunk" sound from below the car. Typically this is followed by a shuddering of the engine/transmission/power train. The car momentarily looses acceleration/speed. There are typically one or two "clunks" alternating with one to four "shudders." There is no action when depressing the accellerator. At this point I typically pull over to a rest stop or side of the highway to let the vehicle rest, and then re-start the vehicle, which causes the issue to not re-occur when the vehicle is driven again. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. My safety and others' safety was put at risk by the vehicle not being able to accelerate when the accelerator is depressed. 3. The vehicle has been inspected by multiple Toyota dealers, including Watertown Toyota, Wellesley Toyota, and Wesboro Toyota (all in MA). The dealers all say they cannot duplicate the issue during test-driving an so they therefore cannot fix the issue. 4. No other warning lamps, messages, or symptoms appear prior to the failure. The most recent date this incident occurred was November 12, 2023. However this issue has been occurring a few times a year since approximately 35,000 miles. At approximately 55,000 miles I tried to get Wellesley Toyota to address the issue prior to the powertrain coming out of warranty at 60,000 miles. I reported this issue to Toyota recalls on Monday November 13, 2023. Toyota's case number for this issue is 231113002026.

Approximately mid May 2023, 5:15 PM +/_, while stopped at a red light while leaving the work parking structure, the engine revved up and wanted to move forward. Forcing the driver to apply heavy pressure on the brakes to avoid being forced into the intersection. An opening presented itself, the brakes were released and the car entered the intersection. Once moving forward the "unintended acceleration" stopped and the car performed as normal.There were no check engine, need service lights or indicators on the dash. With none of the above present we didn't expect a dealership to take our word of the incident. Then, on Oct 19th, app 5:30 PM the unintended acceleration happened again. While in town driving and stopped at a red light the engine revved up and the unintended acceleration was trying to force the car forward. Excessive pressure was needed on the brakes to hold the car in place and the transmission was put into park. Once in park the revving stopped. With a foot on the brake the car was put into drive and it performed normally. The driver was upset with a high level of anxiety of not knowing if or when it could happen again. The potential of hitting a pedestrian, another vehicle or being T-boned was very high in both incidents. An appointment was made at the dealership t next day and couldn't get it in until 10-31-23, 7:20 PM. Before taking it to the dealership we tried to replicate the unintended acceleration. After 8 miles and 30 minutes we were not successful. The dealership could not reproduce the event but acknowledged with documentation that this is a known problem. I am in possession of a Toyota Dealer UA Process Flow chart specific to these events. After the dealer went into the vehicle history they are saying there is nothing wrong with the car and the cause is driver error. The dealer can not give me a specific date of the event they claim was driver error. We have driven the car for almost 4 years, majority driven by one person with no incident.

I have a similar complaint as NHTSA ID Number: 11210210. On several trips over the past few years, while traveling at speeds of 70 mph, my vehicle would have a loud bang and then start bucking and jerking when I briefly let off the accelerator. About 2 weeks ago, I was looking at my speedometer at the time when the bucking started happening. The EV light came on for a brief second and the needle on the charging gage briefly dropped down into the charging status. It seems that the EV motor was trying to engage at speeds causing the bucking. This seems like to be a major concern when traveling at highway speeds. The engagement of the EV motor at highway speeds is like unintended engine braking that possibly lockup the engine and loss of control.

The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal odor of smoke detected from the vents. The contact pulled over and the vehicle caught fire. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries or air bag deployments. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

We purchased a 2018 RAV 4 from a DCH Toyota Dealership in Freehold on March 16,2023. In the beginning of June 2023, we saw a message on the dashboard indicating TRAC off and AWD malfunction 2wd mode. the mechanic that we took it too to do a diagnostic to let us know what this message means says there is a transmission problem. In the end, the dealership gave us a junk of a car that was on its last leg and this is misleading your customers. We should not be facing this type of issues 3 months in driving a car.

On the morning of November 4, 2021, at 6:15 a.m., driver was driving to her job as a shuttle driver. She made no stops on her way to work. At approximately 6:30 a.m, drive exited South Padre Island Drive off of Nile Road in her silver 2018 Toyota RAV-4. As she exited the freeway, her car’s console screen went blank, all electricity to the car cut out, and the engine shut off. The car restarted once, cut out again, and then restarted again as she pulled into her employer's driveway. The car cut out once more, and coasted into the parking lot in front of employer. Driver smelled electrical burning and shortly thereafter saw black smoke coming out of the hood. She quickly got out of the car and called 911 after moving safely away from the vehicle and inside the building. A police patroller arrived first and was unable to put out the fire, and at about 6:45 a.m. the Fire Department came and put the fire out.

Bought brand new 04/02/2018. First battery died July 2018. First cooling system needed replaced December 2019 due to overheating issues. There has been 7 battery replacements, about two each year, the two most recent was July 2022 and October 31, 2022. Second cooling system replaced December 2022 due to overheating issue. Damaged engine and needed to replace engine. Other issues have been stalling while driving in traffic; stalling while turning and at traffic lights. Was told by Toyota technician that it was due to extremely low oil. I asked why no low oil light came on and he stated it must be damaged but too expensive to repair. My wife and I had our safety at risk due to stalling in traffic and being stranded due to dead batteries. One night we had to sleep in a grocery store parking lot as a tow truck wasn’t available that night. Toyota states they test the batteries and find nothing wrong even after at least two of them exploded and leaked acid. This could have created a fire and/or engine damage. They just keep replacing them over and over. I have estimate from independent repair shop of possible diagnosis for battery issue. I can not have an independent repair shop even move a bolt or warranties will be voided. During the second overheating was told by Geico insurance inspector no codes were found despite overheating had occurred and severe enough to cause engine damage. Never receive any warning lights for any problems that occurred; the problems happen with no warnings. The second overheating issue left us almost freezing to death as we could not make it back home and had to pull over; tow truck was unavailable that night. Have all service records; too many to upload here; files too big. Please contact via email overtherainbow0126@gmail.com.

My husband and I were driving down the road when we had warning lights and signals going off in the car and the electric was trying to reset in the car. The car was sputtering and stalled out. we managed to pull the car over as white smoke came from under the hood of the car and we jumped out and grabbed our dog as flames started to shoot from under the hood. We have never had any incident happen prior to this to indicate there would be any problems. The car is available for inspection if requested. The insurance company has not inspected the vehicle yet and is transporting it to a salvage yard for inspection.

The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving approximately at 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shut down completely. Prior to the shutdown, the instrument panel continuously was flashing. The contact drove safely to the side of the highway. The contact noticed smoke and fire being exhausted from under the driver side of the engine. The contact notified 911, and the fire department arrived on the scene. The fire department extinguished the fire with water and a fire extinguisher. There was a fire department report filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The fire department and towing company informed the contact the vehicle was completely lost. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000

The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH and making a turn into a parking lot, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering and electrical power twice. The contact continued to drive and as she drove over a speed bump, the vehicle stalled and lost electrical power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that she saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact quickly exited the vehicle and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of the fire department. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The Chevrolet dealer who sold the vehicle to the contact was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.