1999 Toyota RAV4Recalls, problems, MPG & safety

“I lost control of the vehicle and I overcorrected causing the car to go airborne. I hit head on into an embankment then continued to roll 3or 4 times before stopping. There were no indications or warnings to make me think these parts were going to malfunction. My airbags never deployed and the seatbelt did not lockup.”

“TODAY I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AND MY ENGINE SURGED. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BY BRAKING AS HARD AS POSSIBLE, AND EVEN THEN IT WAS DIFFICULT TO STOP. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT HAS SURGED WHILE BACKING UP. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS OVER THE YEARS THE ENGINE HAS SURGED WHEN THE CAR IS SLOWING DOWN AT A STOPLIGHT OR STOP SIGN, AND USUALLY WHEN I'M GOING UNDER 10 MILES AN HOUR. VERY SCARY! THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH MY FLOOR MAT, WHICH IS FASTENED SECURELY WELL BELOW THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS.ALSO, I'VE NEVER BEEN DISORIENTED AND UNABLE TO TELL WHERE MY FOOT IS. I DON'T DRINK OR SMOKE, AND HAVE A GOOD SAFETY RECORD WITH STATE FARM FOR OVER 40 YEARS. I'VE REPORTED THIS SURGING PROBLEM NUMEROUS TIMES TO TOYOTA AND THEY CAN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WHEN THEY TEST DRIVE. THAT'S BECAUSE THE SURGING PROBLEM OCCURS IRREGULARLY, ABOUT ONCE IN EVERY 50 TIMES I BRAKE. AT VARIOUS TIMES I'VE ASKED OTHER DRIVERS OF RAV 4 CARS IF THEY'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM, AND SEVERAL HAVE SAID YES. TOO BAD I NEVER TOOK DOWN THEIR NAMES. I'VE ALSO REPORTED THIS BEFORE TO THE NHTSA, AND NOTHING CAME OF IT. I HAVE FAITH THAT ONE DAY THE PROBLEM WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED. I'M A RETIRED FEDERAL…”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA RAV. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION IN THE EVENING, THE RADIO WAS ACTIVATED THE NEXT MORNING. ALSO, THE FAN IN THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND CAUSED THE BATTERY TO DRAIN. THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED ON SOME OCCASIONS, BUT THE FAILURES RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REMOVED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURES RECURRED AND RENDERED THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 98V278000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000.”