TOYOTA RAV4 PRIME

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:DC/DC CONVERTER

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2022 RAV4 Prime and 2022 Lexus NX450h+ plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles. The electric current rectifying module contained within the DC-DC converter may have been damaged during production, which can result in an electrical short-circuit.

Risk: A short circuit can cause the DC-DC converter to overheat, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:HYBRID MANAGEMENT:POWER CONTROL UNIT/MODULE (HPCU)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021 RAV4 Prime Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. During certain cold weather driving conditions, while driving in EV Mode, the hybrid vehicle control engine control unit (HEV ECU) software may cause the hybrid system to shut down if the accelerator is rapidly pressed to further accelerate the vehicle, resulting in a stall.

Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Rav4, Rav4 Hybrid, and Rav4 Prime vehicles. The front passenger seat may have been assembled with interference between internal parts that may cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor to incorrectly detect the occupant. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: Incorrect detection of an occupant may result in improper air bag deployment during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

SERVICE BRAKES

The car has a grinding sound and a brake slipping feeling that occurs while traveling and braking over rough pavement. It does not happen consistently, but it does happen fairly regularly (every 2-4 weeks). Note, the grinding sound can range from subtle to quite loud, depending on bump/timing of braking. This has been happening since I purchased the car and continues to happen, which is why I put today's date as the incident date, and I have been bringing it up with the Toyota maintenance department at most maintenance appointments. Their shop manager has driven it and thought I was mistaking it for the ABS activating. I have driven it with him, ABS has activated, and when he pointed it out to me, I have let him know that what is happening is definitely something different than the ABS activating. I have tried to find a location to show them to replicate it with the service center, but it happens randomly on rough patches. For example, it happened on a spot near the dealership that I thought I could use to show them, but when I drove over the same area again and braked, nothing happened. So, I have not been able to replicate this with the service center, but it is most certainly happening. I have notified Toyota through their consumer contact system that this issue is going on and they said Toyota tracks issues like this. However, no resolution has been offered. Other Toyota Rav4 Prime owners of the same year have experienced this (see [XXX] and [XXX] ). Although the maintenance manager was stumped, he said at a recent visit that another Prime owner voiced the same type of thing happening. Toyota needs to investigate to determine what the issue is and remedy the issue. I am concerned this could lead to a larger issue and is a safety recall issue that warrants immediate attention. It does not seem that Toyota is taking this seriously. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact became aware that the instrument panel was displaying a black screen. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On July 24th, I experienced sudden unexpected acceleration with my 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime XSE (41,600 miles) while driving in the electric mode. I was lining myself up to reverse into my garage and as I paused to switch gears to reverse, the car suddenly accelerated full-speed towards my neighbor's house. I slammed the brakes but that had little effect. The car slammed into the house, through the garage door and my car was only stopped when hitting an SUV parked in the garage, pushing it forward about 2 feet. No air bags were deployed, the collision detection system on the vehicle did not seem to work and tire marks from my braking were visible from the middle of the road. I have found a number of very similar incidents with Toyota cars described online. Cars were often turning into parking spaces at slow speeds and ended up accelerating into lamp posts or buildings. If there hadn't been a car parked in the garage, I can't imagine what might have happened as the car was probably going 35 mph+ upon impact. There were no warning lights and the collision shop informed me that there were no diagnostic codes when they downloaded the computer.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

The driver was pulling into a friend's carport. After crossing a small curb her foot was taken off the gas and was moving to the brake. The car was going slightly uphill as slow as a car can go with no gas pedal depressed. The car then accelerated as if someone pressed the gas to the floor. In a matter of 8 feet it gained enough speed and momentum that when it hit our friend's parked car the 4 door SUV was pushed forward 4 feet. The gas pedal was never pushed by the driver. No failed component was ever identified by multiple inspections by the Toyota dealership, the insurance company, the body shop and the 3rd party company hired by Toyota to download the ACM data and the Vehicle Control History. We had filed a complaint with the Toyota Brand Engagement center hoping Toyota would make a proper investigation. A police report was made also. No one was injured but the homeowner was standing a few feet away. It could have been much worse. There were no warning messages, the emergency braking did not engage, and the airbags did not deploy. Earlier in the day the car's proximity sensors were beeping with no indication of what was setting them off. It took 3 cycles of park to drive to stop the beeps. The driver even walked around the car to try to identify what was setting it off. After the crash the passenger side rear window went down by itself and the rear liftgate went up. It took 7 weeks for Toyota Corp Legal to respond saying they found nothing wrong. To this day they have not shared the Vehicle Control History raw data with us. Their response made no mention of them looking into a failure of the ADAS system with regard to the Cruise Control or any other sensors that send signals to the throttle. I am attaching their response and various other inspects and reports. Also a ring video of the crash poorly converted to a gif. No option to attach a video is in the instructions.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The driver was pulling into a friend's carport. After crossing a small curb her foot was taken off the gas and was moving to the brake. The car was going slightly uphill as slow as a car can go with no gas pedal depressed. The car then accelerated as if someone pressed the gas to the floor. In a matter of 8 feet it gained enough speed and momentum that when it hit our friend's parked car the 4 door SUV was pushed forward 4 feet. The gas pedal was never pushed by the driver. No failed component was ever identified by multiple inspections by the Toyota dealership, the insurance company, the body shop and the 3rd party company hired by Toyota to download the ACM data and the Vehicle Control History. We had filed a complaint with the Toyota Brand Engagement center hoping Toyota would make a proper investigation. A police report was made also. No one was injured but the homeowner was standing a few feet away. It could have been much worse. There were no warning messages, the emergency braking did not engage, and the airbags did not deploy. Earlier in the day the car's proximity sensors were beeping with no indication of what was setting them off. It took 3 cycles of park to drive to stop the beeps. The driver even walked around the car to try to identify what was setting it off. After the crash the passenger side rear window went down by itself and the rear liftgate went up. It took 7 weeks for Toyota Corp Legal to respond saying they found nothing wrong. To this day they have not shared the Vehicle Control History raw data with us. Their response made no mention of them looking into a failure of the ADAS system with regard to the Cruise Control or any other sensors that send signals to the throttle. I am attaching their response and various other inspects and reports. Also a ring video of the crash poorly converted to a gif. No option to attach a video is in the instructions.

POWER TRAIN

While driving at no more than 5 mph, looking for a parking space, the car suddenly accelerated dramatically. I vigorously applied pressure to the brake but the car continued to go forward, sideswiping a parked pickup truck and crashing through a metal fence and coming up against a rock wall. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians walking through the parking lot and no one was injured. I don’t know if the problem has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has been inspected by an inspector hired by the manufacturer and also inspected by my auto insurance representative. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptons of this sudden unintended acceleration prior to the failure.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving at no more than 5 mph, looking for a parking space, the car suddenly accelerated dramatically. I vigorously applied pressure to the brake but the car continued to go forward, sideswiping a parked pickup truck and crashing through a metal fence and coming up against a rock wall. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians walking through the parking lot and no one was injured. I don’t know if the problem has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has been inspected by an inspector hired by the manufacturer and also inspected by my auto insurance representative. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptons of this sudden unintended acceleration prior to the failure.

SERVICE BRAKES

While driving at no more than 5 mph, looking for a parking space, the car suddenly accelerated dramatically. I vigorously applied pressure to the brake but the car continued to go forward, sideswiping a parked pickup truck and crashing through a metal fence and coming up against a rock wall. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians walking through the parking lot and no one was injured. I don’t know if the problem has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has been inspected by an inspector hired by the manufacturer and also inspected by my auto insurance representative. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptons of this sudden unintended acceleration prior to the failure.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The digital dashboard (instrument cluster)on my 2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime, suddenly went completely black. This included the speedometer, warning lights, fuel gauge, and all other driver information. I was unable to monitor my speed, vehicle status, or receive safety alerts — a serious risk while operating the vehicle. I have not authorized repairs yet. I brought the issue to Toyota’s attention, but since the vehicle is out of warranty and over the mileage limit, the dealership is requiring a $200 diagnostic fee just to evaluate the problem. There has been no formal decision from Toyota yet on whether they will cover the cost. After researching online, I discovered that numerous other owners of 2023 RAV4 Prime vehicles are experiencing this same dashboard blackout issue, suggesting a broader defect. This is not a result of wear and tear, and it directly impacts safe operation of the vehicle. I am submitting this complaint because this is a safety-critical system failure that should not occur in a new vehicle. If this is a common defect, it warrants investigation and potentially a recall. Toyota should not place the burden of diagnosis or repair on consumers for what appears to be a growing, safety-related manufacturing issue.