[Joey Allain]

I am a happy owner or was a happy owner of a 21 RAV4 prime SE. May 29 22 I picked my dog up from the veterinarian after night surgery. We stopped after an hour and a half of driving to let the dog poop. The dog tried and tried but was constipated possibly from his procedure. After 20 minutes the car was parked at the top of the hill and I had slowly inclined to this spot while I was looking for a good place to walk the dog. When I stopped I noticed the hill holder control and electronic brake engage automatically. I thought I was bothering neighbors with my car radio being on so I opened the door reached in and press the power button Off. This caused an immediate rollback of the car down the incline while making a loud click noise. I was jammed in the door crease near the hinges I let my dog go and prayed for the best as my car rolled into a four-lane highway. I was "Softly" struck pinning my right leg against my hyperextended driver door. The impact from the other vehicle was limited to my person. It effectively used my leg to cushion it's force against my car. Due to the front left driver's door being hyperextended and stuck open nobody could shift the vehicle out of park. There is a safety mechanism that requires you to close the driver's door before you attempt to change gears gears even to neutral. I almost lost my leg. I also almost lost my foot and suffered for 20++++ minutes while first responders attempted to remove the 21 RAV4 PRIME OFF my ankle and foot. It could not be moved due to the mechanism requiring the door closed. Stuck in park. A silver lining would be that witnesses recall a loud click (as do I) which intensified in loudness and amount. This drew neighbors from their homes and they were able to attend to small dog who want frantic.

Please post here or contact me via Conversations if you have any advice. I'm currently still in the hospital getting painful skin grafts.

Joseph Allain

 

[longman2458]

So the car was not in Park when you pressed the power button?

 

[Storm_Trooper]

I am a happy owner or was a happy owner of a 21 RAV4 prime SE. May 29 22 I picked my dog up from the veterinarian after night surgery. We stopped after an hour and a half of driving to let the dog poop. The dog tried and tried but was constipated possibly from his procedure. After 20 minutes the car was parked at the top of the hill and I had slowly inclined to this spot while I was looking for a good place to walk the dog. When I stopped I noticed the hill holder control and electronic brake engage automatically. I thought I was bothering neighbors with my car radio being on so I opened the door reached in and press the power button Off. This caused an immediate rollback of the car down the incline while making a loud click noise. I was jammed in the door crease near the hinges I let my dog go and prayed for the best as my car rolled into a four-lane highway. I was "Softly" struck pinning my right leg against my hyperextended driver door. The impact from the other vehicle was limited to my person. It effectively used my leg to cushion it's force against my car. Due to the front left driver's door being hyperextended and stuck open nobody could shift the vehicle out of park. There is a safety mechanism that requires you to close the driver's door before you attempt to change gears gears even to neutral. I almost lost my leg. I also almost lost my foot and suffered for 20++++ minutes while first responders attempted to remove the 21 RAV4 PRIME OFF my ankle and foot. It could not be moved due to the mechanism requiring the door closed. Stuck in park. A silver lining would be that witnesses recall a loud click (as do I) which intensified in loudness and amount. This drew neighbors from their homes and they were able to attend to small dog who want frantic.

Please post here or contact me via Conversations if you have any advice. I'm currently still in the hospital getting painful skin grafts.

Joseph Allain

Was the car in Drive when you stepped out of it? If in Park when you stepped out, then perhaps the hill was so steep that when the parking brake released, the transmission Park pawl kept skipping notches, and couldn't drop in to one.

 

[tbird2252]

Very sorry and hope you have a full recovery!!! Will be following for updates! God Bless!

 

[Storm_Trooper]

I am a happy owner or was a happy owner of a 21 RAV4 prime SE. May 29 22 I picked my dog up from the veterinarian after night surgery. We stopped after an hour and a half of driving to let the dog poop. The dog tried and tried but was constipated possibly from his procedure. After 20 minutes the car was parked at the top of the hill and I had slowly inclined to this spot while I was looking for a good place to walk the dog. When I stopped I noticed the hill holder control and electronic brake engage automatically. I thought I was bothering neighbors with my car radio being on so I opened the door reached in and press the power button Off. This caused an immediate rollback of the car down the incline while making a loud click noise. I was jammed in the door crease near the hinges I let my dog go and prayed for the best as my car rolled into a four-lane highway. I was "Softly" struck pinning my right leg against my hyperextended driver door. The impact from the other vehicle was limited to my person. It effectively used my leg to cushion it's force against my car. Due to the front left driver's door being hyperextended and stuck open nobody could shift the vehicle out of park. There is a safety mechanism that requires you to close the driver's door before you attempt to change gears gears even to neutral. I almost lost my leg. I also almost lost my foot and suffered for 20++++ minutes while first responders attempted to remove the 21 RAV4 PRIME OFF my ankle and foot. It could not be moved due to the mechanism requiring the door closed. Stuck in park. A silver lining would be that witnesses recall a loud click (as do I) which intensified in loudness and amount. This drew neighbors from their homes and they were able to attend to small dog who want frantic.

Please post here or contact me via Conversations if you have any advice. I'm currently still in the hospital getting painful skin grafts.

Joseph Allain

Here's a video that shows what probably happened:

 

[NoelinColorado]

I'm currently still in the hospital getting painful skin grafts.
Joseph Allain

That's a terrible story Joe I hope you heal fast. You might submit a report to NHTSA, but OTOH I guess you/we learned a lesson not to operate anything in the car w/o being in the car, especially on a slope, etc.

 

[hoops5624]

I'm sorry to hear about this incident and I hope your recovery goes well. When you have a chance it would be great to have a little clarification on this since it's a little confusing. Are you saying that you parked the car on an incline, put the transmission in park, and set the electronic park brake? You mentioned that hill hold control was activated when you got out, that is something that only functions when you are stopped but the car is in gear (same thing with the "hold" button) so I'm wondering if you exited the car while it was still in drive, or neutral, and once you turned off the ignition, the car stopped it's hill hold assist function which allowed it to roll.

 

[thefranchise713]

All the best on your recovery.

It does sound like the parking prawl couldn't snap in to stop the car, but I'm not understanding what happened with the parking brake that it wasn't already engaged before the car was turned off. If the auto park brake feature isn't disabled--and mind you, it can be--it should have had the car held long before the prawl needed to fail for the rollback event itself.

 

[SueM]

Wow how terrifying. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[old timer]

I am assuming a few things here. I think the car was in "Drive" with the "brake hold" on. When he pushed the button and turned off the car, it was still in drive and "brake Hold" was then cancelled.
I sincerely hope that the OP recovers completely. Let it be a lesson to all new owners. Get to know your vehicle. With all the bells and whistles on these cars, it is absolutely, IMHO, mandatory to take the time and read the manual and get to understand your new machine. The forum is an excellent place to start. If one reads and then trys the various options, that will reduce the chance of other injuries or worse. Get well soon.

 

[jazhanel]

I am assuming a few things here. I think the car was in "Drive" with the "brake hold" on. When he pushed the button and turned off the car, it was still in drive and "brake Hold" was then cancelled.
I sincerely hope that the OP recovers completely. Let it be a lesson to all new owners. Get to know your vehicle. With all the bells and whistles on these cars, it is absolutely, IMHO, mandatory to take the time and read the manual and get to understand your new machine. The forum is an excellent place to start. If one reads and then trys the various options, that will reduce the chance of other injuries or worse. Get well soon.

I thought so too then I read the first responders could not get it our of Park. I am still a little confused.

Unless OP slapped it into Park as car started to roll and the pawl could not engage because vehicle is already in motion? This would explain the loud clicking noise.

Hopefully he comes back with a clearer sequence of events.

 

[iTim314]

I am assuming a few things here. I think the car was in "Drive" with the "brake hold" on. When he pushed the button and turned off the car, it was still in drive and "brake Hold" was then cancelled.
I sincerely hope that the OP recovers completely. Let it be a lesson to all new owners. Get to know your vehicle. With all the bells and whistles on these cars, it is absolutely, IMHO, mandatory to take the time and read the manual and get to understand your new machine. The forum is an excellent place to start. If one reads and then trys the various options, that will reduce the chance of other injuries or worse. Get well soon.

This is the way I interpreted OP's post as well, though there is some confusing or conflicting details. (I don't blame OP for the confusing post… he's literally in the hospital right now). I really hope he recovers.

I hate to bring up the owner's manual at this time, but it's worth pointing out that the manual explicitly warns not to turn off the vehicle when Brake Hold is active.

 

[NoelinColorado]

With all the bells and whistles on these cars, it is absolutely, IMHO, mandatory to take the time and read the manual and get to understand your new machine.

Sage advice, though there is so much to learn it's a bit overwhelming, all 670 pages of it! I got fooled by the rear seatbelt alarm and that could have turned out very badly for me and the 4 pax in the car at the time. Perhaps a bulleted list of the top safetly considerations might be especially useful.

 

[hoops5624]

This is the way I interpreted OP's post as well, though there is some confusing or conflicting details. (I don't blame OP for the confusing post… he's literally in the hospital right now). I really hope he recovers.

I hate to bring up the owner's manual at this time, but it's worth pointing out that the manual explicitly warns not to turn off the vehicle when Brake Hold is active.

View attachment 183551

Based on the description of the accident this sounds pretty likely + Jazhanel's idea about it being placed into park when it was already rolling. Either way watch for Toyota to do an update removing the brake hold feature as a result of this lawsuit.

 

[JFox562]

Regardless of the vehicle you're driving, before you get out of a car, put the car in neutral with your foot on the brake pedal. Set the parking brake and if on an incline, slowly release the foot brake to make sure the "parking brake" (not emergency brake) is holding the car. Then put the shift lever into Park. This process every time should have prevented this injury.

 

[old timer]

Another way. Put the car in "P" and look down at the "park brake" switch. When the light comes on, the brake is set . Turn off the car and you are good to go.

 

[JFox562]

Another way. Put the car in "P" and look down at the "park brake" switch. When the light comes on, the brake is set . Turn off the car and you are good to go.

I don't trust a light to tell me that the weight of the vehicle will be resting on the parking pawl. I prefer to feel the parking brake holding the car before putting it in park. The old cable actuated parking brakes IMHO were better for real steep hills since the car could still rolled/creep a bit, you could just pull a bit harder. Not sure what happens with the electric version.

 

[iTim314]

I don't trust a light to tell me that the weight of the vehicle will be resting on the parking pawl. I prefer to feel the parking brake holding the car before putting it in park. The old cable actuated parking brakes IMHO were better for real steep hills since the car could still rolled/creep a bit, you could just pull a bit harder. Not sure what happens with the electric version.

The electronic parking brake squeezes the rear friction brakes onto the rotor.

 

[old timer]

I live in hilly country. If parking on a hill, I put the car in park. Wait the 2 seconds for the park brake light to indicate. Take my foot off the brake, and if the car moves, I redo. Unless I'm too fast with the foot, it never does. Practice until it becomes automatic is what I'm saying.

 

[jazhanel]

I live in hilly country. If parking on a hill, I put the car in park. Wait the 2 seconds for the park brake light to indicate. Take my foot off the brake, and if the car moves, I redo. Unless I'm to fast with the foot, it never does. Practice until it becomes automatic is what I'm saying.

I do the same. Old habit from driving a manual: Set PB, leave in first, engine off, release clutch, and check before leaving.