2018 Toyota RAV4 problems

“All warning lights came on and started flashing, steering wheel locked completely and total system failure. Car suddenly died and I had no control of it. Engine started smoking with black smoke. I got out of car and engine immediately caught fire starting at the bottom left driver side of engine and within a few minutes vehicle was completely engulfed with flames. It exploded and car was gone.”

“The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while at a stop at a traffic light, the vehicle independently accelerated and rear-ended another vehicle. The engine revved during the acceleration while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle continued to accelerate for 20 feet. No warning lights illuminated. No air bags deployed. No injuries were sustained, and medical attention was not sought. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred while at a stop, and the vehicle traveled approximately 20 feet before coming to a complete stop while forcefully depressing the brake pedal. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,368.”

“I tried breaking and was on a hill with a small incline stopping behind a car as a pedestrian was crossing. When I pushed on the breaks lightly the car didn't break. So I pushed harder as the car in front of me was a few feet. When I pressed harder on the breaks the car actually accelerated and hit the car in front of me. The car made a strange noise and the warning that I was close to another car flashed on but the breaks failed to work at all. I had my breaks checked about 2 months ago when I had the tires changes and they said they were fine for now and just to have them looked at next tire rotation to evaluate. I've nver had issues with my breaks and my car took some damage. It was pretty terrifying.”

“Malfunction: Mechanical failure of the Torque Converter Clutch. The vehicle exhibits a persistent transmission shudder during acceleration between 25–50 mph. Warning Signs: None. There were no dashboard warning lights or error messages prior to or during the failure. The only indicator was the physical shuddering of the vehicle. Safety Risk: The malfunction causes unpredictable hesitation when merging or changing lanes, creating a dangerous speed differential and risk of rear-end collision. Documentation: Comprehensive maintenance records are available to prove the vehicle was serviced according to the manufacturer’s schedule at a third-party facility.”

“While I am driving my Toyota RAV4, the car will suddenly shut off and I can restart it and keep driving as the month is going on. The incidents are happening more often and now the dashboard is going black. I’ve had a couple of warning signs on the dashboard. I brought the car to Toyota and Pep Boys. Both of them checked the electrical systems and everything looks good according to their testing.”

“I was driving my car through the mountains on a very hot day. The speed limits are 65-70mph. After driving for a couple of hours, a warning light/message appeared: Hybrid system overheated Reduced output power The car began to have trouble maintaining speed. At one point I had to pull over and wait a while because the car became unresponsive to the accelerator. After waiting a bit, I was able to continue, but only at speeds around 40mph. I put my blinkers on because I was afraid of being hit by the other vehicles/trucks going 70. I took the car to a dealer outside of Pittsburgh and they could find nothing wrong, and no indication in the car's computer that anything had happened. I took the car to my local dealer when I got back home to Maryland, and they could find nothing. If they can't find what's wrong, they can't fix it. I have been in contact with Toyota customer service and they have no answers other than "see if it happens again". I am concerned that the car is no longer safe to drive if the temperature outside is high, and I need to go up steep hills.”