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Sudden acceleration

42K views 40 replies 18 participants last post by  RTexasF 
#1 ·
I just had the sudden acceleration issue happen to me. I have a 2007 RAV4 and I was pulling into a parking space. All of the sudden the vehicle began to accelerate as if the accelerator was wide open. My foot was lightly on the brake at the time and I was just creeping forward and almost at a full stop. When this happened, I immediately stepped hard on the brake pedal, which kept the Rav4 from moving forward, but it was still full throttle. I panicked and put the car into neutral, but it was making an alarming sound. I can’t remember what it sounded like, maybe just the vehicle revving so high.

I finally turned off the ignition and of course the car shut off. This all took place in a matter of seconds. I thought the accelerator was stuck wide open, so when I started the car, I expected that I would need to turn it off immediately, but that didn’t happen. The vehicle ran fine after that. I have over 50,000 miles on the RAV4 and never had an issue before. I have over 100,000 miles on my 2007 Camry Hybrid and never had an issue with it.


When the “sudden acceleration” issue with Toyota vehicles was all over the news, I was not concerned because I assumed it was user error. I remember my boss saying to me, “you’re not afraid to drive your Camry?” I told my boss that it’s just a bunch of idiots who are stepping on the gas by mistake, or people trying to get money from Toyota. Now that I’ve had this happen, I realize what a fool I was! I was so proud of the Toyota vehicles I own that I wouldn’t even consider that such a problem exists.

Now when this happened, my foot was on the brake and not on the gas. I tried to see if I could reproduce this issue by pushing on the brake and gas at the same time and it’s not even physically possible. The gas pedal is lower than the brake pedal. Even with the brake pedal fully depressed, you can only barely touch the gas pedal. You would need some strangely shaped shoes to be able to have your foot on the brake and yet be fully pressing the gas pedal. Also, I am certain that my foot was directly on the brake and in no way close to the gas pedal.

I have been reading up on the sudden acceleration issue and I realize that either Toyota doesn’t believe it exists, or they want to cover it up because it will cost them a fortune! Now I’m stuck with what to do next. I can’t have my wife driving this vehicle because if anything ever happens to her and my daughter, I would never forgive myself! Given what I have read, I’m sure Toyota will claim that I must have hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. So where does this leave me? I have to trade-in or sell my RAV4, but it will be difficult to sell when I disclose this issue.

It’s a shame because I have been a loyal and happy Toyota customer! We have the RAV4 with the 3rd row seats and my wife and I both love it. I also love my Camry Hybrid... it’s an awesome car, but now I even worry about it suddenly accelerating. I’m sure there will be people in this forum who are going to slam my post and label me as an idiot, but I just hope you and your family never become injured in a sudden acceleration incident. Fortunately I was lucky enough that the incident didn’t cause an accident.
 
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#3 ·
Yes, it is up-to-date on all recalls. If you are referring to the gas pedal recall, yes it has been done, but this is not a problem with the gas pedal being stuck. I'm sure this is some type of electrical or computer related issue. The car was nearly at a complete stop and my foot was lightly on the brake pedal when the car engine began to race. It's a frightening situation because one second you are idling to a stop and the next second the engine is revving at extremely high RPMs.
 
#4 ·
Limited Service Campaign BST - Highlander, RAV4 Smart Stop Technology
This is a Limited Service Campaign. Please contact your authorized Toyota dealer and schedule an appointment to have this campaign completed before the expiration date.

On July 24, 2013, the settlement of claims for Economic Loss arising from allegations of unintended acceleration was approved. As part of this settlement, Toyota will install Smart Stop Technology on certain model and model year vehicles. This feature will cut engine power in case of simultaneous application of both the accelerator and brake pedal at certain speeds and in certain driving conditions.

http://www.toyotaelsettlement.com/

http://www.toyotaelsettlement.com/Home/FAQ#8d
 
#5 ·
You are the 5th forum member that has recently reported this problem. It happened to my 09 Base I4 while stopped at a stop sign and suddenly the engine reved up and lurched forward almost thrusting me into oncoming traffic.
Some forum members accused me of being a bad driver and should have my driver's license revoked but subsequently 4 other forum members including you have reported the same problem so I don't pay any attention to them any longer and neither should you. (where are you now rav4two?)
First of all, you should have the free Smart Stop Technology upgrade done at your Toyota dealer as soon as possible. However, I have read that this upgrade does not come into play under 5MPH but it won't hurt to have it installed anyway.
Secondly, please keep us updated as to any repeats of this serious problem.
Good luck and be safe.
 
#6 ·
Dude, you need to let it go. I don't get what is up with you, but maybe some professional psychological counseling will help you get over this. Sell your Rav, okay?

I've said what I've said. It has been backed up by skilled engineers (which which I am sure you are not) and in rulings by our government after significant investigation, which I provided you links for in the other thread.

All you have are snide remarks that frankly display your level of intelligence. I really suggest psychological counseling.
 
#7 ·
I just had the sudden acceleration issue happen to me. I have a 2007 RAV4 and I was pulling into a parking space. All of the sudden the vehicle began to accelerate as if the accelerator was wide open. My foot was lightly on the brake at the time and I was just creeping forward and almost at a full stop. When this happened, I immediately stepped hard on the brake pedal, which kept the Rav4 from moving forward, but it was still full throttle. I panicked and put the car into neutral, but it was making an alarming sound. I can’t remember what it sounded like, maybe just the vehicle revving so high.

I finally turned off the ignition and of course the car shut off. This all took place in a matter of seconds. I thought the accelerator was stuck wide open, so when I started the car, I expected that I would need to turn it off immediately, but that didn’t happen. The vehicle ran fine after that. I have over 50,000 miles on the RAV4 and never had an issue before. I have over 100,000 miles on my 2007 Camry Hybrid and never had an issue with it.


When the “sudden acceleration” issue with Toyota vehicles was all over the news, I was not concerned because I assumed it was user error. I remember my boss saying to me, “you’re not afraid to drive your Camry?” I told my boss that it’s just a bunch of idiots who are stepping on the gas by mistake, or people trying to get money from Toyota. Now that I’ve had this happen, I realize what a fool I was! I was so proud of the Toyota vehicles I own that I wouldn’t even consider that such a problem exists.

Now when this happened, my foot was on the brake and not on the gas. I tried to see if I could reproduce this issue by pushing on the brake and gas at the same time and it’s not even physically possible. The gas pedal is lower than the brake pedal. Even with the brake pedal fully depressed, you can only barely touch the gas pedal. You would need some strangely shaped shoes to be able to have your foot on the brake and yet be fully pressing the gas pedal. Also, I am certain that my foot was directly on the brake and in no way close to the gas pedal.

I have been reading up on the sudden acceleration issue and I realize that either Toyota doesn’t believe it exists, or they want to cover it up because it will cost them a fortune! Now I’m stuck with what to do next. I can’t have my wife driving this vehicle because if anything ever happens to her and my daughter, I would never forgive myself! Given what I have read, I’m sure Toyota will claim that I must have hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. So where does this leave me? I have to trade-in or sell my RAV4, but it will be difficult to sell when I disclose this issue.

It’s a shame because I have been a loyal and happy Toyota customer! We have the RAV4 with the 3rd row seats and my wife and I both love it. I also love my Camry Hybrid... it’s an awesome car, but now I even worry about it suddenly accelerating. I’m sure there will be people in this forum who are going to slam my post and label me as an idiot, but I just hope you and your family never become injured in a sudden acceleration incident. Fortunately I was lucky enough that the incident didn’t cause an accident.

Sort of speaks for itself just like all the test reports indicate. :cool:

Would be nice to have a camera mounted down by the foot pedals on these incidents......would be quite revealing.
 
#8 ·
Unless it's not true. The OP has never posted to R4W before, and may be someone who just wants to stir the pot.

It could be entirely true as well. As only a forum reader, it's impossible to say.

But one has to wonder about its authenticity, given that some people really do that sort of thing (stir the pot for "fun").

I thought all of the tests reported that they could NOT reproduce this problem. It would be interesting to read the documented tests that were done which showed this to be a problem.

.
 
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#10 ·
Ronto, it's sad, but we treat our cars like religion or politics. We believe what we are told and everything else is out of the realm of possibilities. The NHTSA hired NASA engineers to look into this problem and they can't be wrong... it's not like a space shuttle ever blew up!

The point is, some people can't even begin to accept that it is even possible that this is happening. We can't possible know what we are talking about, we are just nuts who need psychological help. The sad thing is, I used to be just like rav4two. I would accuse people like ronto of being crazy and say that they're just an idiot who stomped on the gas instead of the brake or stomped on both the gas and the brake.

When the sudden acceleration happened to me, I was positive that my foot was only on the brake. I am certain that my foot was not on both the brake and the gas. It's difficult to read the remarks when you are so certain. The fact that people will accuse you of having low intelligence or psychological problems is just disturbing. All I can say is it reveals the type of character the person has. I am a network engineer who got A's in all his calculus and physics classes and graduated summa cum laude, so I take great offense to these types of remarks. I am not nuts and I am not unintelligent.

I do love both my Toyota vehicles and I was once on the other side of the fence, but when it happens to you, then you realize that the problem does exist. I drove my Camry and RAV4 for thousands of miles before having this happen to my RAV4, so prior to this incident, I did not think it could possibly be true. Now I know differently! Toyota does have a problem with unintended acceleration.
 
#11 ·
Ronto, it's sad, but we treat our cars like religion or politics. We believe what we are told and everything else is out of the realm of possibilities. The NHTSA hired NASA engineers to look into this problem and they can't be wrong... it's not like a space shuttle ever blew up!

The point is, some people can't even begin to accept that it is even possible that this is happening. We can't possible know what we are talking about, we are just nuts who need psychological help. The sad thing is, I used to be just like rav4two. I would accuse people like ronto of being crazy and say that they're just an idiot who stomped on the gas instead of the brake or stomped on both the gas and the brake.

When the sudden acceleration happened to me, I was positive that my foot was only on the brake. I am certain that my foot was not on both the brake and the gas. It's difficult to read the remarks when you are so certain. The fact that people will accuse you of having low intelligence or psychological problems is just disturbing. All I can say is it reveals the type of character the person has. I am a network engineer who got A's in all his calculus and physics classes and graduated summa cum laude, so I take great offense to these types of remarks. I am not nuts and I am not unintelligent.

I do love both my Toyota vehicles and I was once on the other side of the fence, but when it happens to you, then you realize that the problem does exist. I drove my Camry and RAV4 for thousands of miles before having this happen to my RAV4, so prior to this incident, I did not think it could possibly be true. Now I know differently! Toyota does have a problem with unintended acceleration.
As I stated on my previous post, pay no attention to people who launch personal attacks in a vain attempt to prove their erroneous position. I have encountered these types for years in the corporate world and in the end they always destroy themselves.
In order to mitigate this problem ,I have been putting the transmission in neutral when at a stop sign, stop light, stopped in traffic, or stopped for any other reason with the engine running and my foot on the brake. Before I obtained the RAV4, I drove a 4 speed manual transmission and this routine is second nature to me and you may want to use this procedure to address your safety concerns. If applicable, I would not let your wife or kids drive this vehicle until this problem is seriously addressed and repaired.
In the meantime, have your Toyota dealer install the free Smart Stop Technology upgrade and communicate to your dealer your concerns regarding this problem.
Please keep the forum informed as to your experience with this issue.
Good luck and be safe,
ronto
 
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#12 ·
2012 Toyota Rav4 Sudden acceleration

Hello,
I am new to this forum and I joined to ask some questions to see if anyone has had any similar problems.
Here's the senario:We have a 2012 Toyota Rav4 base model two wheel drive, 4 cyl. automatic. The car belongs to my mother, I was driving it, my mother was in the front passenger seat. We had been driving for roughly 15 minutes, and had come to a red light and were completely stopped for approximately one minute when all of the sudden the engine started revving and then the car lurched forward (like a stick shift would do if you popped the clutch) and the tires spun and squeeled on the pavement. Once the acceleration stopped and revving let up and it returned to "normal" for being stopped, I put the car in park and pulled the emergency brake. In shock as to what had just happened, I looked at my mother and said "oh my god, what just happened?!!" I was in a total state of shock and pretty shook up. We took the car back to the house and I called AAA and had the Rav4 towed to our local Toyota dealership. The same day, the service advisor called me and said he needed to interview me to ask me some survey questions that Toyota needed for the inspection of the vehicle. I answered the questions, which some were similar to questions that would be asked if you were in a car accident (road conditions, weather condition, was the car moving or stopped, was the AC or heater on or off, etc). The following day, the service advisor called again (I missed his call, he left a voice mail) He stated that "[FONT=&quot]the Rav4 is all checked out, did all inspections, submitted with Toyota, and opened a case with Toyota on all the information that he had went over with me, and he submitted it, everything is checking out fine on the car, and they can't find anything that would cause this concern, everything is checking out good. It's all done, the case is closed with Toyota"

I disagree. The Rav4 is NOT okay, something IS definitely wrong, but they claim nothing is wrong with it. Furthermore, when I insisted something was wrong with the vehicle because I was the one behind the driver seat when it when it happened, and that the accelerator problems with Toyota were not top secret, the public knows about it, one of the service advisors told me [/FONT][FONT=&quot]"Nasa has proved that none of the sticking gas pedals in those instances ever happened" (???!) I told her I was not going down that path with her and she told me I could take it up with Toyota and she provided me with the case number.

My question to everyone is this: Has anyone out there had a similar issue with a 2012 RAV4 or know anyone that has? Does anyone know what the problem is? AND has anyone every been told what the service advisor told me about NASA? This sounds to me like Toyota is trying to brush a major serious problem under the carpet. We are terrified to drive this car!! We fear for our life! I won't drive it home from Toytoa, it's going to be towed back to our driveway. The car's only got 17,000 miles on it, new tires, new brakes, new battery and is paid off, we own it outright and basically we have a car that isn't safe to drive but Toyota won't admit a problem. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
[/FONT]
 
#13 ·
OMG, not again!!! :eek:

Hello,
I am new to this forum and I joined to ask some questions to see if anyone has had any similar problems.
Here's the senario:We have a 2012 Toyota Rav4 base model two wheel drive, 4 cyl. automatic. The car belongs to my mother, I was driving it, my mother was in the front passenger seat. We had been driving for roughly 15 minutes, and had come to a red light and were completely stopped for approximately one minute when all of the sudden the engine started revving and then the car lurched forward (like a stick shift would do if you popped the clutch) and the tires spun and squeeled on the pavement. Once the acceleration stopped and revving let up and it returned to "normal" for being stopped, I put the car in park and pulled the emergency brake. In shock as to what had just happened, I looked at my mother and said "oh my god, what just happened?!!" I was in a total state of shock and pretty shook up. We took the car back to the house and I called AAA and had the Rav4 towed to our local Toyota dealership. The same day, the service advisor called me and said he needed to interview me to ask me some survey questions that Toyota needed for the inspection of the vehicle. I answered the questions, which some were similar to questions that would be asked if you were in a car accident (road conditions, weather condition, was the car moving or stopped, was the AC or heater on or off, etc). The following day, the service advisor called again (I missed his call, he left a voice mail) He stated that "[FONT=&quot]the Rav4 is all checked out, did all inspections, submitted with Toyota, and opened a case with Toyota on all the information that he had went over with me, and he submitted it, everything is checking out fine on the car, and they can't find anything that would cause this concern, everything is checking out good. It's all done, the case is closed with Toyota"

I disagree. The Rav4 is NOT okay, something IS definitely wrong, but they claim nothing is wrong with it. Furthermore, when I insisted something was wrong with the vehicle because I was the one behind the driver seat when it when it happened, and that the accelerator problems with Toyota were not top secret, the public knows about it, one of the service advisors told me [/FONT][FONT=&quot]"Nasa has proved that none of the sticking gas pedals in those instances ever happened" (???!) I told her I was not going down that path with her and she told me I could take it up with Toyota and she provided me with the case number.

My question to everyone is this: Has anyone out there had a similar issue with a 2012 RAV4 or know anyone that has? Does anyone know what the problem is? AND has anyone every been told what the service advisor told me about NASA? This sounds to me like Toyota is trying to brush a major serious problem under the carpet. We are terrified to drive this car!! We fear for our life! I won't drive it home from Toytoa, it's going to be towed back to our driveway. The car's only got 17,000 miles on it, new tires, new brakes, new battery and is paid off, we own it outright and basically we have a car that isn't safe to drive but Toyota won't admit a problem. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
[/FONT]
This topic comes up periodically and does little more than start a religious war, "the believers vs. the unbelievers." It pretty much always degenerates into name-calling and other unpleasantries, often ultimately leading to the thread being closed, and in some cases deleted.

We've also had people, almost certainly lawyers (or people acting on behalf of lawyers), whose real underlying purpose is to deliberately go fishing for clients by telling stories pretty much exactly like this one, then looking for "anyone else that's had a similar experience."

One of the signs of that scenario we've seen in the past is that it's their first posting here. cd9963's post happens to fit the profile. I'm not saying I believe they are an attorney, or working on behalf of an/their attorney. I'm only saying the situation happens to be the same as we've observed before.

But perhaps most importantly, this topic NEVER does any good, and nothing EVER gets resolved. It's unproductive because there can be no resolution by definition, given that there is no 100% conclusive evidence either way.

All I've ever observed happening over the years is that whenever this topic comes up it does little more than generate bad feelings between members, and winds up doing more harm than good.

While I am an advocate of free speech, my preference in this case is that this thread be closed.

.
 
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#14 ·
Well written DVS. :thumbs_up: I'm in full agreement on all points.
 
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#17 ·
From DVS's post - "All I've ever observed happening over the years is that whenever this topic comes up it does little more than generate bad feelings between members, and winds up doing more harm than good."


Yep - sort of like the current U.S. presidential candidate debates.:frown
 
#19 ·
Yep, DVS is right! :egad: Here we go --- again!
I knew I shouldn't have looked. :wall
 
#24 ·
I wish I ran this server because I would do some IP tracing of the Sudden Acceleration posts. We can dive deep with net exploration and with good heuristics to possibly link these posters to possibly find they are a small group, perhaps the same persons pestering us with the same old **** leading to class action suit. I think they are lawyers.
.
 
#25 ·
Most of my cars have had modest horsepower, and my RAV4 is actually a nice step up from what I am used to. With that in mind, I would still think that the brakes would be stronger than the engine torque from a stop. Also, from a stop and engine idling, I think that the engine would have a hard time getting to enough RPM to make decent torque.

I have no doubts that some people have had bad experiences. My first suspicion would be maybe a malfunction in the cruise control, since it has the ability to open the throttle.

Old story: When I was still very young, my father had a GTO. One night, my parents went out and left me and my brother with the babysitter. For some reason, she had to take us somewhere and she drove the GTO. When my parents came back, she said something like the GTO was not really all that fast as everyone says it is. Then my dad found out that she had left the parking brake on.
 
#28 ·
I think this unintended acceleration happens for a couple reasons...the gas and brake seem to be pretty close together and many of the news reports that I have read involve older or elderly drivers...I myself had my rav take off from a stop once...while pulling up to an ATM I reached into my back pocket to get my wallet...I believe I twisted my right foot just enough to be over the gas and as I stretched out to grab my wallet I pushed down on the brake...as I pushed the brake down I also pushed the gas down and I accelerated unintentionally...I now pay better attention to foot placement LOL...
 
#29 ·
I'd love it if my 2015 LE could spin the tires. With AWD on dry pavement, it's just not going to happen, much less so with the brakes applied. I did have a 69 Charger and a 71 Grande Ville that broke the left motor mount and would pull the throttle cable full open. I could either ride it out, or switch the ignition off. I doubt that is even possible with modern systems. I bought new so I would never have those kinds of problems again.
Having said that, after working with computers since 1980, and as an aircraft mechanic, with auto throttle systems and such, it may have been a glitch. But if it is not repeatable, and has not happened to others, especially in the same car, then odds are it is operator error. If you have been fiddle farting with the wiring, say to enable the backup camera while driving or other modifications, then all bets are off. If that is the case, reverse the mods, alarm installations and give it a test run.
When I see errors, I look for the simple fix, and in this case, make sure the floor is clear of stuff that could touch the throttle. If you still feel this RAV4 is unsafe, I'd be interested in getting it for my son.
 
#30 ·
If you still feel this RAV4 is unsafe, I'd be interested in getting it for my son.
Hey hold on a minute! It must be faster than my V6 to spin the tires with the brakes on. I'll outbid you! And since it's likely an imaginary car I can do it with imaginary money. I start at $30,000i. :lol:
 
#35 ·
You wonder why? His first post on the forum with what he considered a problem whether or not it was his fault or not and be greeted with wise cracks and personal insults is "why".
I sent him a PM and he stands by what happened. He's been driving for 37 years with no tickets or accidents and has no agenda for his post and was simply seeking help which was obviously not provided...very sad scenario indeed. (DVS please take note)
 
#36 ·
I would not worry about this sudden acceleration thing much. The guy brought his rav to a dealership claiming a sadden acceleration. A technician verified there is no tempering with the car brake and gas pedal system, retrieved data from the car black box and sent it to Toyota HQ. The data was decoded and filed for future reference. Probably, all parameters like pressure in the brake system, throttle position, car speed, steering wheel position, car acceleration and other were in
compliance to car spec. And the customer received correct answer: everything is good with the car. In case of a lawsuit, Toyota will submit the technical data for defense. This, I think, what might had happened.
 
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