ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 29TH, 2010, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2008 TOYOTA RAV 4 WHEN THE BRAKES WERE INEFFECTIVE AT SLOWING THE VEHICLE AS SHE APPROACHED A STOP LIGHT. ALTHOUGH SHE STOOD ON THE BRAKES SHE LEFT NO SKID MARKS BEFORE STOPPING IN THE INTERSECTION AS SHE COLLIDED WITH A VEHICLE WHO HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY. THE CAR HAD SLOWED SUFFICIENTLY THAT THERE WAS NO RELEASE OF THE AIR BAGS. SHE HAS OPERATED A CAR FOR 40 YEARS WITH OUT A MOVING VIOLATION, THE WEATHER WAS BRIGHT AND SUNNY AND THE ROADS WERE CLEAR AND DRY. IT WAS A FAMILIAR INTERSECTION AND SHE HAD STOPPED AT THE LIGHT ONE BLOCK AWAY. EARLIER IN THE DAY SHE HAD PRACTICED PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, BUT IT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO HELP HER IN THIS SITUATION. *TR
2012
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE WAS SLOWING DOWN FROM ORIGINAL SPEED OF 45MPH APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT. AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE STARTED TO REV UP AND ACCELERATE WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKE. THE HARDER THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED THE HIGHER THE RPMS AND FOOT WAS NOT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. AFTER A FEW SECONDS AND BRAKE PRESSED AS HARD AS POSSIBLE THE ENGINE QUIT RUNNING AND THE CAR WAS TOTALLY SHUT OFF AFTER JOLTING FORWARD. AFTER GETTING CAR RESTARTED IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH AT 45 MPH AND SHORT DISTANCE FROM HOME. THIS WAS A FRIDAY NIGHT. CALLED TOYOTA DEALER NEXT MORNING AND MADE APPOINTMENT FOR THEM TO CHECK IT OUT ON TUESDAY JUNE 4. HAD TO USE THE RAV ON SUNDAY JUNE 2 TO PICK UP A PART AT THE HARDWARE. RAN FINE FOR THE 4 MILES OR SO TO THE HARDWARE. UPON STARTING THE CAR, AFTER LEAVING THE HARDWARE, IT REVVED UP TO A VERY HIGH RPM THEN DROPPED BACK TO NORMAL. DRIVE BACK HOME WAS OK. ON THE WAY TO THE TOYOTA DEALER ON JUNE 4 I COULD WATCH RPMS FLUCTUATE IN AN ABNORMAL MANNER AFTER HITTING THE BRAKE FOR A STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHILE AT THE DEALER I FILED A CASE WITH TOYOTA. I SAT THERE FOR ABOUT 4 HOURS BEFORE THEY TOLD ME THEY DID NOT FIND ANYTHING. I SAID I WAS NOT GOING TO TAKE THE VEHICLE HOME IF THEY HAD NOT TRIED ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY PUT A CALL IN FOR THE LOCAL TOYOTA REP AND THEY ARE WAITING FOR A RESPONSE. *TR
