My 2010 RAV4 is not on the recall VIN number list but it has been surging occasionally since I got it in May. Dlr says No report of that. 2 days ago as I was braking from 20 mph to stop, the engine suddenly reved up fast and roared, I had to stand on the brake, fought it hard, acceleration ceased and I avoided rearending car ahead. Dlr & Toyota in a quandary, can’t find problem, they still have vehicle, I have loaner. I’m afraid to drive it. VIN starts with T. Any suggestions before I kill or get killed?
Wow, scary. You said you were braking from 20 mph when the engine suddenly “revved fast and roared.” That sounds a lot worse than just a “gas pedal sticking,” as your post is titled. A “sticking” gas pedal just sticks in the same place when you remove your foot, and won’t return to idle. But in your case it sounds like the gas pedal floored ITSELF, or acted as though a phantom “foot” stomped on the gas pedal. Is that a correct interpretation of what you’re saying?
By the way, here’s a quote from another RAV4 owner on rav4world.com:
“I’ve got a 2010 RAV4 Base (automatic) that we bought two months ago. Great little vehicle for the most part. I have had the occasion to place my foot on the accelerator and the brake at both the same time on a number of occasions which has resulted in the engine racing, but the vehicle brakes holding to prevent some disaster from happening. I’m a mechanic and have never ever seen this on another vehicle I have owned in my 38 years of driving. What I am starting to realize is that the depressed brake pedal is on the same plane as the gas pedal and therefore the duplicate control inputs are possible. My other vehicle is a '07 Caravan and the ample room in the foot well area allows me to confirm my foot placement on the required pedal. So what I’m starting to do is make damn sure that I have got my foot on the right pedal before I do anything else when I drive this vehicle. Anybody else observe this phenomena?”
Is it possible you had the same experience as this other RAV4 owner where your foot was unintentionally on the gas and the brake pedal at the same time?
Also, I’m assuming you have an automatic transmission, correct?
If it makes you feel any better, here are some complaints similar to yours:
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/22800823/detail.html
Maybe one of those will help pin down your car’s problem.
And if you follow this link and drill down by entering your year/make/model, you’ll get a complete listing of all (108) 2010 RAV4 complaints submitted to NHTSA, several of which are similar to yours:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/results.cfm
Click on the “Search selected type” box at lower right first, then you can enter the relevant info.
If I were you, I’d print out all the other complaints that sound closest to yours, and then try to find out how Toyota dealt with those other complaints. To my knowledge, their only remedy has been to replace certain “sticking” pedal assemblies. In other cases, Toyota has contended that the driver was mistakenly pressing the gas pedal, similar to what the other owner I quoted above reported.
It’s conceivable, too, that your RAV4 has one of the “sticking” pedal assemblies, and that Toyota left your VIN off the recall in error. As we’ve seen, people do make mistakes. You could try insisting that Toyota replace your pedal assembly and see if that gets you anywhere.
Yes, it floored itself!! And sounded/felt like a demon was pressing the gas pedal as I depressed the brake. I was on a residential street and was not stopping suddenly. The earlier incident had happened a few days after I got the RAV in May and I think the sole of my boot did depress the gas as I was braking and now I too am extra careful that I pick up my foot and actually move it over to the brake. It is an automatic. It also does little mini surges as I am driving in traffic and changing speeds. I had driven a small car for yrs so with a “truck” as the RAV is listed, I thought it was just me but now I wonder if there may be a computer glitch. I also had a seatbelt alert that went off (computer under seat problem) and a fuel door that didn’t always open when released (new part inst’d). Both problems no other owner had ever reported so I am getting leery of my RAV. Thanks I will look into your leads.