[buerkletucson]

In the case of high volume vehicles like the RAV4, you could argue these numbers aren't that spectacular.
.

Argue all you want.......
The 2013 RAV4 introduction is the best selling RAV4 of all time.
It will be the first model to be knocking on the door of 200K sales in one year.

Point is all this BS about the crash test isn't having much affect on sales.....if it did you'd of seen a huge dip when this news came out.

If you don't like the crash test rating don't buy.......pretty simple.

 

[woof99]

The 2014's are going into production about now. The question is whether or not they have made any changes to them to address this issue. If not then that would indicate they intend to tough this out through all of 2014 and then make the fix for Camry and RAV4 in a 2015 mid term upgrade. That seems a risky strategy unless they are very confident that this won't affect sales over the next year.

 

[JoeyRav]

We all purchase a vehicle regarding our own personal criteria. That being said everyone on the Forum is entitled to their own opinion. I believe the IIHS crash tests are very competent and speak for themselves. I`m not pleased that i`m driving a vehicle that performed so poorly. I hope Toyota engineers address this issue stead fast and with all due diligence.

 

[vanib]

Ignorance is bliss in my case. I feel that 4.3 is the very safe and will never know otherwise Same goes for all cars produced before this new test. Should people stop buying used cars altogether cuz they might be buyuing a death trap unknowingly? Surely not.

Should Toyota get their act together? You get. The competition is doing the same afterall.

 

[Blogson]

This crash test is at 40 mph. Why not at 65 mph - at highway speeds? Do most people drive at 40 mph? Where I am there are no 40 mph speed zones. Most of my driving is at 25 mph (town) and at 55 mph (area highways), occasionally 65-70 mph (Interstate and other divided highway). Point is, the test criteria are arbitrary. For example, according to the IIHS the test involves crashing the left front of the vehicle into a stationary barrier, as in a light post, supposedly to simulate a crash into a stationary barrier such as a lamp post or another vehicle. In reality such a crash into something like a lamp post would more likely involve the right side. If the crash is with an oncoming vehicle (left front), the effect would be magnified by the motion of that oncoming vehicle although the effect could be modified by that vehicle's frontal crush factor. If a small overlap crash occurs at highway speeds, probably the most likely instance, the arbitrary 40 mph test is meaningless.

I agree with buerkletucson - if one doesn't like the crash test results buy a vehicle which passes the test. There are choices . . . .

 

[vanib]

For those who missed this interesting thread: http://www.rav4world.com/forums/123-4-4-general-2013-model/124162-crash-tests-explained.html

 

[Blogson]

And this, from the thread cited by vanib:

"In summary, no crash test tells the whole story by itself. It also does not tell you much about how the car would behave in an accident against a vehicle in a different class / category (for example compact sedan vs. a large SUV). In general, bigger / heavier cars offer much more protection. You simply can’t cheat physics. In a car-to-car accident, a 3-star large SUV will still fare much better than a 5-star compact."

 

[yobyot]

We all purchase a vehicle regarding our own personal criteria. That being said everyone on the Forum is entitled to their own opinion. I believe the IIHS crash tests are very competent and speak for themselves. I`m not pleased that i`m driving a vehicle that performed so poorly. I hope Toyota engineers address this issue stead fast and with all due diligence.

You can be certain of that. Market forces are inexorable. And, unfortunately, you can also be sure that you won't get the engineering changes applied to your car (or mine).

Toyota made changes mid-year in April, which didn't help test results. People who bought cars made before then didn't get the changes retrofitted to their cars.

i bought the car in early October knowing full well it hadn't done well. And I also know full well Toyota has my money and isn't thinking about me any longer.

 

[Billy P.]

After watching the 3 videos numerous times (Rav4, CR-V, Forester), it seems to me that they set it up that the cars all hit the barrier at exactly the same speed in exactly the same spot. I'd be willing to bet if any of these cars hit the barrier an inch or 2 to either the left or right, or say at 3 MPH faster or slower we'd be looking at totally different results. Not for nothing, I still own a 36 year old Chevy Vega, supposedly one of the worst all-around cars ever made. I wonder how that would fare in a test such as this? I don't feel that this should be such a major determining factor in a purchase decision. It's not like any of us are going to be driving into the corner of a wall at 40 MPH any time soon..........

 

[Dr_Al]

This crash test is at 40 mph. Why not at 65 mph - at highway speeds? Do most people drive at 40 mph? Where I am there are no 40 mph speed zones. Most of my driving is at 25 mph (town) and at 55 mph (area highways), occasionally 65-70 mph (Interstate and other divided highway). Point is, the test criteria are arbitrary. For example, according to the IIHS the test involves crashing the left front of the vehicle into a stationary barrier, as in a light post, supposedly to simulate a crash into a stationary barrier such as a lamp post or another vehicle. In reality such a crash into something like a lamp post would more likely involve the right side. If the crash is with an oncoming vehicle (left front), the effect would be magnified by the motion of that oncoming vehicle although the effect could be modified by that vehicle's frontal crush factor. If a small overlap crash occurs at highway speeds, probably the most likely instance, the arbitrary 40 mph test is meaningless.

I agree with buerkletucson - if one doesn't like the crash test results buy a vehicle which passes the test. There are choices . . . .

In fact this test is designed to replicate an accident on a divided highway (like an interstate) where there's something on the left that can be struck. In reality there's not much to hit on the left side since federal standards don't allow for non energy absorbing structures (lights, barriers, guard rails). It's also why staying in your lane after the collision is critical. What good is it to bounce sideways in front of another car doing 60 mph.

A test to replicate an accident between two vehicles can't easily be made since no two models are the same. So in reality this is, like you said, an arbitrary test to give auto makers a new hoop to jump through.

 

[JayShahu]

We all purchase a vehicle regarding our own personal criteria. That being said everyone on the Forum is entitled to their own opinion. I believe the IIHS crash tests are very competent and speak for themselves. I`m not pleased that i`m driving a vehicle that performed so poorly. I hope Toyota engineers address this issue stead fast and with all due diligence.

I have to agree. Its my wife and 2 small kids who use the car. I can't put them in a car knowing that it had a faired poorly in a particular crash test and more so knowing that there are cars that fared better in the test in the same segment. I was looking at 2014 RAV4, if they don't fix it I will be giving the subaru a real close look. To each his own.

 

[woof99]

We all purchase a vehicle regarding our own personal criteria. That being said everyone on the Forum is entitled to their own opinion. I believe the IIHS crash tests are very competent and speak for themselves. I`m not pleased that i`m driving a vehicle that performed so poorly. I hope Toyota engineers address this issue stead fast and with all due diligence.

You do realize of course that Toyota will not be going back and making any changes to cars they have already sold.

I am somewhat surprised that they seem to be passing on any opportunity to make changes to the 2014 model. Looks like they plan to tough it out until 2015.

 

[silverboy]

I have to agree. Its my wife and 2 small kids who use the car. I can't put them in a car knowing that it had a faired poorly in a particular crash test and more so knowing that there are cars that fared better in the test in the same segment. I was looking at 2014 RAV4, if they don't fix it I will be giving the subaru a real close look. To each his own.

X2 Sir.
The thing that gets to me is, people that own the Rav4 trying to tell you that the IIHS test doesn't matter. They've been driving for 100 years and never got into an accident.
IMO, I'm like you with the wife and the little ones, I want the safest car for them and I got the money so I don't care if I had to take a hit on the trade. I got an 2014 Forester XT and love the beast (turbo) but missed the power of the 2011 Rav4 V6 (the best).

This is not about the reliability of Toyota being in question, BUT the safety of the RAV4, Camry, Prius and others.
I live in Colorado and Subarus outnumber Rav4's almost 10 to 1 or higher (not making that up). Go to a Costco parking lot and all you see is Subarus everywhere. Then you go to NY and all you see is CRV's.

Bottom line, it is your money, your family. IMO, Toyota failed big time but going backwards and ignoring safety.

 

[JayShahu]

^^ +1

I too was surprised by the response of some folks on the forum. Safety cannot be an after thought. I only have one life and I want to be there for my family and they for me when we need each other.

 

[Lemon]

As mentioned before in other threads, for those truly interested in safety, you need to by the largest vehicle you can. This is just a matter of basic physics.

-d

 

[Blogson]

As mentioned before in other threads, for those truly interested in safety, you need to by the largest vehicle you can. This is just a matter of basic physics.

-d

Or buy a surplus armored personnel carrier or a battle tank . . .

 

[silverboy]

Or buy a surplus armored personnel carrier or a battle tank . . .

Nope, for now I'll take my Safety’s Top Safety Pick + on categories, including moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength, and rear crash tests.

Meaning, my 2014 Forester XT will do for now.:thumbs_up:

 

[Retired Rav4 Man]

Nope, for now I'll take my Safety’s Top Safety Pick + on categories, including moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength, and rear crash tests.

Meaning, my 2014 Forester XT will do for now.:thumbs_up:

Silverboy, don't take this the wrong way, but if I no longer had a Rav4, the last place I'd hang out is a Rav4 forum. I'd be on the Subaru forums. Just sayin...

 

[Einstein14]

One thing I can say, this forum has been a very good source of information, but finally decided to NOT buy a RAV4 (neither another crv).

Thanks to everyone for the good information. Toyota are good cars, and the forum also helped me in the decision that it wasn't for me and our life style at home. Anyway, there are plenty of good vehicles on the market now.

- First, the fact that they lowered it down, worries me a lot for what I do (lower than my current CRV)
- Second, I do not like the softex, and I do not want fabric.
- Third, Navigation is crap and glare is pretty bad
- Not impress with the sound system (JBL or not), a friend just had problem with the bluetooth as well.
- Still have hard time with the interior design
- Sunroof too small, I want something bigger this time
- Looks more fragile than my 2008 crv, which I roughed out quit a bit. New Rav4 is for ROAD only now.
(my crv has a good round tube cross bar under the bumper, which saved me big repairs last winter)
- Dealer near home is a bit arrogant (there is nothing better than Toyota on heart) - had same problem with my Honda dealer :wall.

I am going to order my new ride in a couple of weeks, just need to sort out some stuff first with my current one.
Enjoy your RAV4s, the most important thing is that you, not the others, like your vehicle.

PS. We buy things for some reasons, and don't buy other things for other reasons.

 

[fhb]

One thing I can say, this forum has been a very good source of information, but finally decided to NOT buy a RAV4 (neither another crv).

....

I am going to order my new ride in a couple of weeks, just need to sort out some stuff first with my current one.
Enjoy your RAV4s, the most important thing is that you, not the others, like your vehicle.

PS. We buy things for some reasons, and don't buy other things for other reasons.

So are you gonna let the suspense build more or will you disclose what your new ride is that beats the RAV4 in all those things mentioned above?:shrug: