2011 Toyota RAV4 Brakes Problems

For the past three months, in increasing frequency, whenever parking, firm pressure on brake pedal engages sudden burst of acceleration, with engine loudly revving at 1000 revs or higher (audibly beyond the cabin to passers by on the street), that lurches vehicle forward.Within close spaces of parking garage pillars or walls or while parallel parking this is a hazard and threatens sudden accident of 1 mph or less up to 5-10 mph and a 1-2 yard-long jerking lurch to try to recover from. This occurred, twice this week, and 4 times within past 3 months’ time, to where this is no longer a fluke or due to my immediate reactions. This is an increasing pattern that threatens myself and others. I am headed to local dealership, within the hour, to request diagnostics and to attempt to have technician repeat this issue.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle in front of her abruptly stopped for an animal that jumped onto the road, as a result, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the rear of a Toyota Prius. The brake pedal was continuously depressed. The "low tire" message was displayed. The driver sustained injuries to her knee, neck, and chest, and medical attention was provided. There was not a report of any fire, air bag deployment, or police report being filed. The vehicle was taken to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the collision center. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS & PUT IT ON THE BRAKE 2 SLOW DOWN BECAUSE I WAS APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT & THE BRAKE WOULD NOT WORK. I REPEATEDLY TRIED THE BRAKE WITH NO LUCK, I ENDED UP HITTING A UTILITY BOX ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE INTERSECTION.

DURING THE PAST SIX WEEKS MY 2011 RAV4 HAS ACCELERATED AFTER LIFTING MY FOOD OFF OF THE BRAKE. I DID NOT ENGAGE THE ACCELERATOR AT ALL WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I HAVE A MAJOR CONCERN BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY WHEN I STOPPED AT A CROSSWALK WITH PEOPLE CROSSING. SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME. THIS IS EITHER THE THIRD OR FOUR TIME THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAS HAPPENED, ONLY TODAY IT WAS MORE SEVERE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. THE CONTACT HAD TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH FORCE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED THREE TIMES. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

THE BRAKES FAILED WHEN HAVING TO BRAKE SUDDENLY DRIVING ON A STREET IN THE RAIN. TRAFFIC WAS GOING ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR AND I HAD ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN ME AND THE CAR IN FRONT TO BRAKE. THE ABS SYSTEM DID NOT WORK AND BRAKING HAD ZERO AFFECT ON SLOWING DOWN MY CAR WHICH MADE ME HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME.

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AT SLOW SPEED UNDER 20 MPH IN SNOW THERE IS NO BRAKING ACTION AND THE CAR ROLLS TO A STOP. THE BRAKES ACT AS IF THEY ARE NOT WORKING AT ALL. I AM A RETIRED POLICE OFFICER WITH MULTIPLE DRIVING SCHOOLS. EVEN WHEN YOU LET OFF THE BRAKES AND REAPPLY IT'S AS IF THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN DISABLED. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT MAKES FOR A DIFFICULT STOP IN SNOW. I KNOW HOW ANTI-LOCK BRAKES WORK THESE ARE NOT. ON DRY PAVEMENT I HAVE HAD NO ISSUES.

2011 TOYOTA RAV4 BRAKES HAVE NOT MUCH STOPPING POWER. BRAKE PEDAL HAS TO BE PRESSED VERY HARD. THE BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED WITH OTHER BRAND (WAGNER), BUT STILL THERE IS THE SAME ISSUE. THE BRAKING POWER OF RAV4 IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE OTHER CARS. IT FEELS THAT ONLY FRONT BRAKES DO THE WORK. BRAKE PERFORMANCE IS INCONSISTENT. COMPARE TO OTHER CARS, MY 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 FEELS LIKE HAVE NO BRAKES. BRAKE PERFORMANCE OF 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 IS POOR AND INCONSISTENT. WHEN CAR IS PARKED OUTSIDE FOR A WEEK, THERE IS SO MUCH RUST ACCUMULATED ON BRAKE ROTORS, THAT THE CAR IS SHAKING DURING BRAKING. SHAKING TYPICALLY DISAPPEARS AFTER TWO DAYS OF DRIVING, BUT THE ROTORS ARE STILL RUSTED AND PITTED.

ON 4/22/2015, I HAD BEEN DRIVING MY 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED EDITION AT HIGHWAY SPEED FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS. AFTER LEAVING THE INTERSTATE I WAS BRAKING AND COMPLETING A COUNTERCLOCKWISE U-TURN GOING ABOUT 10 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE UNCONTROLLABLY. BASED ON MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PROBLEM (THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED) I THREW THE SHIFTER INTO PARK WHILE CONTINUING TO BRAKE. THIS QUICKLY BROUGHT THE ENGINE SPEED DOWN TO IDLE. I HAD MY WIFE CONFIRM THAT I HAD MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL ONLY. THERE WAS NO ?PEDAL MISAPPLICATION.? THE FLOOR MATS WERE SECURELY IN PLACE AND THERE WERE NO LOOSE OBJECTS ON THE FLOOR. THE ROAD WAS DRY AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS PROBABLY IN THE 50S. THE ODOMETER WAS ABOUT 51,000 MILES. THIS WAS THE FIRST RECURRENCE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE 12/26/2014. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY TOYOTA DEALER. THEY COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AND SAID THEY WOULD CHARGE ME IF I BROUGHT THE CAR IN AGAIN FOR A RECURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO CHURCH IN MARYLAND. FROM NEWARK DELAWARE--I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR--I CAME TO A STOP SIGN ON A SMALL HILL INTERSECTING WITH ELKTON ROAD, MD. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES. THE CAR WAS STILL TRYING TO ACCELERATE FORWARD--THERE WAS A TRACTOR-TRAILER TRUCK COMING DOWN ELKTON ROAD--I STOOD ON THE BRAKES. AFTER IT PASSED I CAME OFF THE BRAKE IT JUMPED FORWARD. I CANNOT TRUST THIS CAR WITH MY WIFE KIDS OR GRANDKIDS --IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I JUST BOUGHT IN ON 3/9/15. *TR

AFTER DRIVING MY 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED EDITION FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO TURN LEFT. I TURNED LEFT AND ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 15 MPH. I THEN NOTICED PEDESTRIANS ENTERING A CROSSWALK SO I HIT THE BRAKES A BIT HARDER THAN NORMAL, BUT NOT IN A PANIC MODE. AS THE CAR DECELERATED, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE. I INCREASED MY PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WHEN THE SPEED WAS ALMOST ZERO SHIFTED FROM DRIVE TO PARK. THIS IMMEDIATELY CURED THE PROBLEM. THE DISTANCE FROM STOP TO STOP WAS LESS THAN 100 FEET. I BELIEVE THAT THE PAVEMENT WAS DAMP, BUT IT WAS NOT RAINING AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE 40S. I DRIVE WITH ONE FOOT, AND MY FOOT DEFINITELY WAS ON THE BRAKE, NOT THE ACCELERATOR. THE FLOORMAT WAS SECURELY IN PLACE AND THERE WERE NO LOOSE OBJECTS ON THE FLOOR. I BROUGHT MY SUV TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. THEY TESTED THE VEHICLE AND CONTACTED THE COMPANY. THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND ATTRIBUTED THE PROBLEM TO "PEDAL MISAPPLICATION" (TAS CASE#-143510469). AS IT IS GEOMETRICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS AT THE SAME TIME IN A RAV4, I CONCLUDE THAT TOYOTA CANNOT FIND THE SOFTWARE/HARDWARE BUG IN THEIR PRODUCT. I FEEL THAT I AM DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT COULD TURN ON ME AT ANY TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO SELL IT, BUT HOW CAN I PASS SUCH A SERIOUS DEFECT ON TO AN UNSUSPECTING BUYER? *TR

WHILE TOYOTA WAS HAPPY TO SELL ME A 2011 RAV 4 IN DEC OF 2014 WITH 18,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER 3 MONTHS LATER WHEN I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM THEY WERE NOT AS FRIENDLY. WHILE WAITING AT A SIGNAL OR A STOP SIGN THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD FADE TO THE FLOOR.THIS HAPPENED TIME AND TIME AGAIN. I CALLED THE LOCAL STEALER SHIP AND WAS TOLD BRAKES ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT SOMEWHERE IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM. I HAVE READ ON LINE OF NUMEROUS RAV4 OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.WHY DOES TOYOTA REFUSE TO FIX THIS. *TR

I HAD A BRAKE TO THE FLOOR EXPERIENCE THAT REQUIRED TAKING MY RAV4 BACK TO THE DEALER. THE ONLY WAY I COULD GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP WAS BY PUMPING THE BRAKES. THE DEALER HAD THE CAR ONE DAY AND WHEN I RETURNED THEY STATED THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES, QUESTION: IS THERE A COVER-UP ON A BRAKE PROBLEM WITH RAV4'S ? THERE IS NO WAY THAT MY BRAKES FIXED THEM SELF'S BEFORE TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER I HAD ANOTHER PERSON DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO CONFIRM THE PROBLEM. QUESTION: IS THIS VEHICLE SAFE TO DRIVE AFTER THE DEALERS CLAIM THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG, THEY DID NOTHING TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM & NOW THE BRAKES ARE WORKING PROPERLY? *TR

I WAS GOING ABOUT 15 MPH WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AT THE END OF MY STREET, NOTHING HAPPENED, MY FOOT WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF DOING WAS TO TURN THE VEH OFF AND COAST TO A STOP IT WORKED AFTER ABOUT 50 FEET, AFTER I STOPPED SHAKING I DROVE HOME EVEN SLOWER THAN BEFORE AND WHEN I TURNED INTO MY DRIVEWAY THE BRAKES AGAIN DID NOT STOP, BUT THE PEDAL DID NOT GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, I TURNED OFF THE KEY AGAIN AND COASTED TO A STOP. I HAD JUST HAD THE FRONT BRAKES FIXED AT THE TOYOTA DEALER BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME THEY NEEDED IT, THE VEH WAS ONLY A LITTLE OVER 2 YEARS OLD. I QUESTIONED WHEY THEY HAD GONE OUT SO FAST I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE WAY I DRIVE. IF THIS IS THE CASE I SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE BRAKES ON ALL MY VEH WITHIN 2 YEARS I NEVER HAVE, SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE RAV4. *TR

2011 TOYOTA RAV4 BRAKES HAVE NOT MUCH STOPPING POWER. BRAKE PEDAL HAS TO BE PRESSED VERY HARD. AT LOW SPEED AROUND 5-10 MPH, THE FRONT BRAKES MAKE GRINDING NOISE. CAR WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES, MECHANIC TEST DROVE CAR, HEARD THE NOISE AND SAID COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THE BRAKING POWER OF RAV4 IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE OTHER CARS. BRAKE FILLING AND PERFORMANCE IS INCONSISTENT. WHEN I DROVE 2015 TOYOTA COROLLA, 2014 HONDA CIVIC, 2012 HONDA CRV, 2014 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, 2014 NISSAN ALTIMA, 2013 MAZDA 3, 2014 CHEVY MALIBU, 2014 CHEVY MALIBU, 2014 HYUNDAI TUCSON, 2015 CHRYSLER 300 AND OTHER CARS, WHEN START DRIVING MY 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 I FEEL THIS CAR CANNOT STOP. BRAKE PERFORMANCE OF 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 IS POOR AND INCONSISTENT. AS A SEPARATE ISSUE WHEN I PARK A CAR FOR A WEEK AT THE AIRPORT, THERE IS SO MUCH RUST ACCUMULATED ON BRAKE ROTORS, THAT THE CAR IS SHAKING DURING BRAKING. SHAKING TYPICALLY DISAPPEARS AFTER TWO DAYS OF DRIVING, BUT THE ROTORS ARE STILL PITTED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL WHEN I AM SLOWING DOWN TO STOP, AT A STOP SIGN AND MY CAR DID NOT STOP I HAD TO APPLY MY EMERGENCY BRAKES OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILL BECAUSE THERE WAS CARS COMING FROM MY LEFT AND FROM MY RIGHT. IT WAS LIKE A T AVENUE. *TR

BRAKE PEDAL WILL DEPRESS ALMOST TO THE FLOOR ALLOWING THE POSSIBILITY OF ACCIDENTALLY PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP. THIS INCIDENT INVOLVED A SLOW SPEED CRASH ON AN ICY ROAD WHEN THE VEHICLE CONTINUED FORWARD NO MATTER HOW HARD THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS 26,000 HIGHWAY MILES AND I EXPERIENCED TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES, PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, WHILE DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS REVERSING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THERE WAS A LOUD THUMP WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES WERE RUSTED AND THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE DRIVEN MORE TO REMOVE THE RUST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 13,000. UPDATED 09/03/15*LJ UPDATED 10/19/2017*CN

I HAVE A SERIOUS CONCERN OVER THE DESIGN OF THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL WIDTH ON MY 2011 TOYOTA RAV. MY PROBLEM IS THAT MY DRESS SHOES AND RECREATION BOOTS ARE GETTING CAUGHT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN I SWIVEL FROM THE GAS TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, I CAME CLOSE TO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. I AVOIDED THE ACCIDENTS BY QUICKLY SLIDING MY RIGHT FOOT TO THE RIGHT AND COMPLETELY LIFTING MY FOOT UP AND OVER TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. DURING ONE OF THESE MANEUVERS, MOVING MY RIGHT FOOT QUICKLY TO THE RIGHT RESULTED IN THE LIP OF THE SOLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE HITTING THE GAS PEDAL AND CAUSING ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR WHEN I WEAR SNEAKERS, AS THE SOLE OF THE SNEAKER DOES NOT HAVE AN APPROXIMATE HALF-INCH LIP ON THE SIDES. ALSO AND MOST IMPORTANT, I DRIVE A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT HAPPEN. I ALSO DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH MY CAMRY, WHICH I TRADED IN FOR THE RAV. THE ABOVE VEHICLES HAS CLOSE TO A FIVE INCH WIDTH SEPARATION BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS. I'VE BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF MY TOYOTA DEALER AND THE MAINTENANCE MANAGER. THEY HAVE BEEN RESPONSIVE OF MY CONCERN, FORWARDING MY COMPLAINT TO THE AREA MAINTENANCE MANAGER. I MET WITH THE AREA MANAGER EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM. HE PROCEEDED TO TAKE PICTURES OF MY SHOES AND THE 3 INCH WIDTH BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS. THAT MEETING ENDED WITH THE AREA MANAGER OPENING A CASE AND THE PROMISE HE WOULD REFER MY PROBLEM TO HIS APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT. TO DATE, MY CASE IS STILL WITH TOYOTA. MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER MAINTENANCE MANAGER HAS CONTACTED ME ADVISING THAT THE CASE IS BEING HANDLED AT A HIGHER LEVEL. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING A RESIDENTIAL GARAGE, HIS FOOT SLIPPED OFF OF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND CAUSED HIM TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR ERRONEOUSLY. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A WORK BENCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT NO CAUSE FOR FAILURE WAS DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DISPATCHED AN ENGINEER TO INSPECT THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINEER DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PEDAL WOULD ONLY BECOME SLIPPERY IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 11,000.