2020 Toyota RAV4

FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT REFLECT THE TRUE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE FUEL TANK. IT SEEMS TO BE SHOWING LESS FUEL FOR EXAMPLE THE RAV4 HYBRID HAS A CAPACITY OF 14.7 GALS OF FUEL. FILLING UP WHEN THE INDICATOR SHOWING ABOUT 18 MILES AND ABOUT 1/4 TANK. RE-FUELING ONLY 9.8 GALLONS WAS PUT INTO THE TANK. THE 2020 RAV4 HYBRID WILL ACHIEVE GOOD GAS MILEAGE AND AT 1/4 TANK SHOULD BE ABOUT 3.7 GAL. IN THIS CASE IT SHOULD HAVE 4.5 GALLONS. I WOULD ASSUME THAT A RESERVE WOULD BE 2 GALLONS WHICH WOULD GIVE ME 60+ MILES UNTIL COMPLETELY EMPTY. NOW IT IS BETTER TO HAVE MORE FUEL INSTEAD OF THE OPPOSITE OF LESS FUEL. BUT DEFINITELY THE 2020 RAV4 HYBRID HAS A FUEL INDICATOR ISSUE. WHICH FROM MY RESEARCH HAS THE SAME ISSUE STARTING FROM THE REDESIGNED 2019 RAV4. IT WOULD ALSO SEEM THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT BEEN INCLINED TO PROVIDE A FIX FOR THE ISSUE, SINCE THIS IS OCCURRING IN TWO MODEL YEARS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE IN A TIMELY MANNER AND IN MY OPINION IT HAS NOT DONE FOR ITS CUSTOMERS. I ASK THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE TO PROVIDE REDRESS TO THE OWNERS OF THE RAV4 STARTING WITH THE REDESIGN 2019 MODEL YEAR. YOUTUBE HAS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FOR THIS ISSUE. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA SUPPORT BY PHONE AND THEY SAY ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUE I REPORTED BUT HAVE NO TRUE FIX OR WHY IT IS OCCURRING. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2017 RAV4 HYBRID AND THIS ISSUE WAS NOT REFLECTED IN THIS MODEL YEAR. WHEN FILLING AT ABOUT 1/4 TANK I WOULD BE PUMPING ABOUT 12-12.5 GALLONS. THANK YOU [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TOYOTA TELLS ME THAT THE LANE DEPARTURE SYSTEM (LDA) AND THE LANE TRACING SYSTEM (LTA) ARE INDEPENDENT BY DESIGN. THIS CREATES AN UNSAFE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE ACCIDENTS. I HAVE ABOUT 4700 MILES ON MY CAR AND MANY MILES OF DRIVING WITH THE LDA & LTA ENGAGED. I HAD POSITIVE CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL TIMES IN THE INCIDENTS DESCRIBED BELOW. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE LTA CONSTANTLY MAKES CORRECTIONS TO THE RELATIVE POSITION OF THE CAR IN THE TRAFFIC LANE. IT REGULARLY TRIES TO STEER YOU OUT OF YOUR LANE. USUALLY, WHEN THE LTA IS STEERING THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE LANE, THE LDA SIGNALS. THE LTA DOES NOT MAKE A CORRECTION DESPITE THE LDA SOUNDING. IF THE LTA/LDA COMMUNICATED, RATHER THAN BEING SEPARATE MODULES, THE LDA WOULD TELL THE LTA IT WAS ABOUT TO STEER THE CAR OUT OF THE LANE AND MAKE THE CORRECTION. INSTEAD, THE LTA STEERS THE CAR OUT OF THE LANE AND THE LDA TELLS YOU THAT YOU LEFT THE LANE OR WILL LEAVE THE LANE. WHEN I DROVE 40 PLUS MILES TO THE DEALER, I TOLD HIM THAT I FELT AS IF I HAD WRESTLED THE VEHICLE THE ENTIRE WAY. THE SERVICE MANAGER DROVE THE VEHICLE AND EXPERIENCED THE CONDITIONS I AM DESCRIBING. HE TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA TOLD HIM THE VEHICLE WAS FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. I ALSO CALLED TOYOTA USA AND WAS TOLD THE SYSTEMS ARE INDEPENDENT AND FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. I TOLD THE DEALER AND TOYOTA USA THAT THE SYSTEMS ARE A SAFETY HAZARD. AS AN INDEPENDENT SYSTEM THE LTA CREATES A HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITION. IT IS TRYING TO STEER YOU OUT OF YOUR LANE, AND IF YOU DON'T MAINTAIN STRONG PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, YOU WILL LEAVE YOUR LANE. THAT IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF YOU IF DRIVE BY AN EXIT LANE. ON AN EXIT LANE TO THE RIGHT, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A LANE MARKING TO THE LEFT OF THE VEHICLE, IT MAKE A SHARP PULL TOWARD THE RIGHT,

I AM WRITING THIS LETTER REQUESTING YOUR ASSISTANCE IN RESOLVING A CONTINUING PROBLEM I HAVE EXPERIENCED REGARDING MY RECENTLY PURCHASED 2020 TOYOTA RAV 4. IT SEEMS MY CAR CANNOT STAY IN THE DRIVING LANE, EVEN FOR A SHORT DISTANCE, WITHOUT MY HAVING TO CONSTANTLY ADJUST THE STEERING. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR FOUR TIMES TO AUTHORIZED TOYOTA REPAIR SHOPS, BUT EACH TIME THEY WERE UNABLE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. IN FACT, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR, AND THIS IS HOW A TOYOTA RAV PERFORMS. I ALSO HAD A TIRE ALIGNMENT, THINKING THIS WAS THE PROBLEM, BUT TO NO AVAIL. GERMAINE TOYOTA ALLOWED ME TO TEST DRIVE A SIMILAR CAR, AND I NOTED IT STILL NEEDED CONTINUAL ATTENTION, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS MY CAR. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A DANGEROUS DEFECT IN THE CAR AND MAY LEAD TO MANY UNNECESSARY ACCIDENTS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WILL BE OF ASSISTANCE TO ME AND OTHERS WHO MAY BE IN THE SAME SITUATION. I ANXIOUSLY AWAIT HEARING FROM YOU.

I CANNOT FILL THE TANK FULL. I HAVE TRIED SEVERAL GAS STATION PUMPS AND FILLING SLOWLY AFTER THE PUMP CLICKS OFF. WITH TIME AND EFFORT, I CAN GET ANOTHER 2 GALLONS IN, BUT THE RANGE IS LESS THAN ADVERTISED. THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH EVERY FILL SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I INVESTIGATED ON-LINE AND WITH MY SERVICE DEPT AND SAW OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I ALSO SAW A CLASS ACTION SUIT. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA AS WELL.

THE FUEL TANK ACCEPTS BETWEEN 9.5 AND 10 GALLONS TOTAL FOR A REFILL, EVEN WHEN IT HAS THE LOW FUEL LIGHT LIT. AFTER ADDING 9.5 GALLONS TO AN EMPTY TANK, THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWS FULL. THE TANK SPECS CLAIM A 14.5 GALLON TANK. THE VEHICLE ESTIMATES THE DISTANCE YOU CAN TRAVEL APPARENTLY ASSUMING A 14.5 GALLON TANK. RELYING ON THE ESTIMATED DISTANCE YOU CAN DRIVE IS NOT A GOOD IDEA, YOU WILL END UP STRANDED. THE FUEL TANK NOT ACCEPTING A FULL 14.5 GALLONS IS A PROBLEM. THE SAFETY ISSUE COMES IN WHEN THE "DISTANCE TO EMPTY" IS SIGNIFICANTLY MISREPRESENTED, BEING OFF BY AS MUCH AS 140MILES RIGHT AFTER FILLING THE TANK AND DROPPING FASTER THAN WOULD MAKE SENSE GIVEN THE PROMINENTLY REPORTED MPG VALUE ON THE SCREEN.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN OUR BRAND NEW 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID WITH ONLY 5,000 MILES, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SUNROOF EXPLODED ABOVE US -- SHATTERING GLASS FRAGMENTS UPWARDS AND OUTWARDS. OF COURSE, SOME MINOR FRAGMENTS LANDED UPON MY WIFE AND I -- BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE GLASS SHOT UPWARDS AND AWAY. IT WAS AS THOUGH SOMEONE HAD FIRED OFF A LOUD SHOTGUN INSIDE THE CAR. AFTER REGAINING CONTROL OF THE CAR AND SEEING THE SUNROOF COMPLETELY SHATTERED I LOOKED BACK AND NOTICED THAT THERE WERE NO OVERPASSES AROUND FOR SOMEONE TO DROP A ROCK AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF OTHER VEHICLES TRAVELING TO THE RIGHT OF US GOING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. WE GOOGLED THE CLOSEST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND DROVE 5 MILES TO JOHN ELWAYS CROWN TOYOTA. THE SERVICE ADVISOR WHO LOOKED AT THE CAR JUST SHOOK HIS HEAD. WHEN ASKED IF ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE -- HE REPLIED, "NO." I THEN LEFT THE CAR WITH THE DEALERSHIP SINCE THE INCIDENT HAPPENED ON A LATE AFTERNOON SATURDAY AND RENTED A RENTAL CAR FROM THEM. THE SERVICE DEPT. FINALLY CONTACTED ME ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON TO INFORM ME THAT THE SUNROOF WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY -- AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO PAY THEM $1,700 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP. THIS IS A DEFINITE "QUALITY CONTROL" ISSUE OF TOYOTA'S -- AND FROM MY OWN RESEARCH HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVING THE SAME SUNROOF EXPLOSION ISSUES OCCUR. BY NO MEANS SHOULD THIS PRODUCT DESIGN FAILURE AND GLASS SAFETY ISSUE BE IGNORED OR SHOULD EVER HAPPEN. IT'S OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS. AFTER MORE THAN A WEEK OF ENDLESS CONVERSATIONS, PROVIDING IMAGES, ETC.WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE FOLKS AT JOHN ELWAY'S DEALERSHIP AND TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS (PLANO, TX) THEY REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY REPAIRS -- AND ULTIMATELY LEFT ME HOLDING THE BAG TO REPLACE THE OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE WINDOW MYSELF. THIS IS A 2020 RAV4 -- ONLY TWO MONTHS OLD. AGAIN, THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN.