2007 Toyota RAV4 Brakes Problems

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that after shifting into reverse, the brake pedal was fully depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed and remained reversing slowly. The contact frantically turned off the vehicle to avoid crashing into the vehicle behind. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ID

11646524

Incident

Dec 25, 2024

Mileage

93,000 mi

WHILE GETTING MY EMERGENCY BRAKE REPAIRED BECAUSE IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE HOLDING PROPERLY AT FIRESTONE THE TECHNICIAN PULLED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LEVER AND THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. AFTER TAKING SUV TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THEY STATED THAT THE INDIVIDUAL PULLED THE HANDLE UP TO FAR CAUSING A SHORT IN THE AIR BAG MODULE DEPLOYING THE AIR BAG WHILE INDIVIDUAL WAS IN THE DRIVERS SEAT. I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS BUT TOYOTA CLAIMS THEY HAVE NO RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM AND WANT ME TO PAY $2,780.00 FOR THE REPAIR. THE VBEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN THIS OCCURRED.

NHTSA ID

11194072

Incident

Mar 29, 2019

I HAVE OWNED A 2007 TOYOTA RAV 4 FOR 10 YEARS. I WAS LEAVING A DELAWARE, OHIO, HOSPITAL PARKING LOT, BACKING OUT SLOWLY, MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, WHILE TURNING THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT. SUDDENLY THE ENGINE ROARED AND I SHOT BACKWARD, SMASHING INTO THE CAR PARKED BEHIND WHERE MY CAR HAD BEEN. THE CAR I HIT WAS SOMEWHAT DAMAGED IN THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE FENDER. THE IMPACT SHOVED IT OUT OF ITS SPACE AND ALMOST INTO A SMALL TRUCK TO THE RIGHT. MY CAR'S REAR WINDSHIELD SHATTERED AND THE RIGHT BACK BUMPER AND SIDE WERE CRUMPLED. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED TO ME. THE FIRST TIME, I AGAIN WAS BACKING FROM A TIGHT SPOT, THIS TIME TURNING THE WHEEL TO THE RIGHT, WHEN THE ENGINE ROARED AND THE CAR LURCHED BACKWARD. THAT TIME, I HIT NOTHING. IT HAPPENED ANOTHER TIME WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS BACKING, AGAIN FROM A TIGHT SPOT WHILE TURNING THE WHEEL. BACK AT THE HOSPITAL LOT. I INFORMED THE FRONT DESK EMPLOYEE, WHO INFORMED THE OHIOHEALTH HOSPITAL POLICE. TWO OFFICERS REPORTED, TOOK MY INFORMATION AND BEGAN SEARCHING FOR THE OTHER CAR'S OWNER. I ALSO CALLED THE CITY POLICE; AN OFFICER CAME BUT LEFT AFTER CONFERRING WITH OHIOHEALTH'S POLICE. I THEN TOOK THE CAR DIRECTLY TO MY LOCAL INSURANCE AGENT, WHO CONNECTED ME WITH A CLAIMS ADJUSTER. AT FIRST I THEORIZED THAT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE MUST HAVE PIVOTED SLIGHTLY AS I TURNED IN MY SEAT TO ENSURE I COULD BACK SAFELY. MY FOOT MUST HAVE PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL. PRESSED WITH CONSIDERABLE POWER, GIVEN THE CAR'S BACKWARD LEAP. NOV. 8 I TESTED THIS THEORY ON MY DRIVEWAY, AND SAW IMMEDIATELY IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. I WOULD HAVE HAD TO LIFT MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE DELIBERATELY TO PRESS THE GAS FIRMLY. THIS CAR'S REGULAR MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN DONE AT THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. MY CAR WAS NOT AMONG THOSE RECALLED FOR SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEMS, BUT I BELIEVE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THE CAR IS REGISTERED IN MY HUSBAND'S NAME, (XXXXX). PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11150693

Incident

Nov 8, 2018

Mileage

173,000 mi

ENGINE OIL LEAKS & VIBRATION COME FROM THE ENGINE WHEN YOU BRAKE

NHTSA ID

11096806

Incident

Jan 2, 2016

Mileage

60,000 mi

MASTER CYLINDER FAILS PREMATURELY AT 71000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11020623

Incident

Aug 20, 2017

Mileage

71,000 mi

BRAKE BOOSTER FAILURE AT 70000 MILES

NHTSA ID

11020385

Incident

Aug 1, 2017

Mileage

70,000 mi

I WAS TURNING MY 2007 TOYOTA RAV4 SOUTH ONTO INTERSTATE 182 TO HEAD EAST, THE CAR SUDDEN OUT OF MY CONTROL AND WENT OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER AT 5:49 PM AT 5/8/17. TWO PASSENGERS WERE HURT.

NHTSA ID

10984880

Incident

May 8, 2017

Mileage

70,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON AN EXPRESSWAY I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW MY VEHICLE. THE BRAKES BEGAN TO ENGAGE BUT THEN I FELT THE CAR ACCELERATE AND THE CAR "STUTTERED". IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE BRAKE ASSIST KICKING IN. IT ACCELERATED. AFTER A FEW SECONDS, THE BRAKES FINALLY ENGAGED. ABOUT 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD, THE SAME THING HAPPENED EXCEPT THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE UNTIL A FEW SECONDS LATER AND I REAR-ENDED SOMEONE. THANKFULLY THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

NHTSA ID

10935921

Incident

Dec 16, 2016

Mileage

151,000 mi

OIL INDICATOR LIT UP. I CHECKED THE DIP STICK AND OIL WAS WELL BELOW MINIMUM LEVEL. I ADDED 2 QUARTS OF OIL. MY RAV4 HAS MORE THAN 1000 MILES LEFT BEFORE THE SCHEDULED 5K OIL CHANGE AND NEITHER HAS IT BEEN 6MOS YET. BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. CAR MILEAGE WAS 87000. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK AFTER 1000MILES AS INSTRUCTED TO DO SO. THE TEST TURNED OUT NEGATIVE. COUDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE AS THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I LOOKED ONLINE AND THERE WERE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS BUT NO ASSOCIATED RECALLS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. ANOTHER PROBLEM IN MY RAV4 IS WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKES, IT ACCELERATES FIRST BEFORE STOPPING. AGAIN THERE WERE NO RECALLS ABOUT IT.

NHTSA ID

10929603

Incident

Jan 2, 2016

Mileage

87,000 mi

MY BRAKES DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT YESTERDAY, 7/17/16 WHEN I APPLIED THEM AT A STOP SIGN, I ROLLED ON OUT INTO THE INTERSECTION BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. THAT PROBLEM CONTINUED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE I WAS OUT AND ABOUT, IT WASN'T CONSTANT. THIS MORNING WHEN I GOT TO THE END OF MY DRIVEWAY MY CAR CONTINUED INTO THE ROADWAY BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. IF THERE HAD BEEN A CAR COMING I WOULD HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN KILLED OR POSSIBLY KILLED SOMEONE. ONCE I ARRIVED AT WORK I CALLED MY HUSBAND AND TOLD HIM I COULD HEAR A HISSING SOUND WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, THIS NOISE JUST STARTED TODAY, AND I ALSO TOLD HIM ABOUT NOT STOPPING AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY. I ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION ONCE I SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKE PEDAL PUSHES AGAINST MY FOOT. THIS IS A NEW SYMPTOM AS WELL. WHILE I WAS AT THE BANK DRIVE THRU AFTER WORK MY CAR DIDN'T WANT TO STOP WHEN I PULLED UP TO THE DRIVE THRU. MY HUSBAND TOOK MY VEHICLE TO AUTOZONE TO PRICE A BRAKE BOOSTER AS THIS IS WHAT HE THOUGHT MAY BE THE PROBLEM, (VERY EXPENSIVE AND IT'S A REBUILT PART, NOT EVEN NEW!). WHEN HE ARRIVED HOME WITH MY CAR HE INFORMED ME I CANNOT DRIVE MY CAR UNTIL WE CAN GET IT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE PRACTICALLY NOT WORKING AT ALL NOW. I JUST CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER CARE 800# AND INQUIRED TO SEE IF THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL ON 2007 RAV 4'S FOR BRAKE TROUBLES. I WAS TOLD NO BUT AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE I SEE CONSTANT COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER PEOPLE CONCERNING THEIR BRAKE BOOSTER ON THEIR 2007 RAV 4. I WANT IT DOCUMENTED THAT I AM HAVING A SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH MY BRAKES AND IT LOOKS LIKE OTHER PEOPLE ARE AS WELL AND I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR A REPAIR THAT APPEARS IS FAULTY ON THE MANUFACTURERS PART.

NHTSA ID

10885712

Incident

Jul 17, 2016

Mileage

136,000 mi

JUST GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREETS.STARTED HEARING SOME CREAKING NOISE, AND THEN A FEW CLUNKS AND A BANG/POP AS I WAS GOING AROUND A CORNER AT ABOUT 3-5MPH I PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY IN FRONT OF ME. I SEE MY RIGHT REAR TIRE HAS CAVED IN AND IS RUBBING AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL WELL. AFTER JACKING UP THE CAR AND TAKING THE TIRE OFF I SEE THE ENTIRE BRAKE ASSEMBLY IS ROTATED IN, AND THE BOLTS HOLDING IT TO THE REAR SUSPENSION ARE BENT OUT OF PLACE. PERHAPS THIS IS THE RESULT OF THE BAND-AID EPOXY FIX FOR THE TOYOTA REAR SUSPENSION RECALL. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE!

NHTSA ID

10734997

Incident

Jul 17, 2015

Mileage

106,000 mi

POWER BRAKE BOOSTER LEAKS AND LEAVES BRAKES VERY HARD TO OPERATE. MY WIFE ALMOST RAN INTO A BUILDING WHILE AT PARKING LOT SPEED.

NHTSA ID

10734893

Incident

Jul 9, 2015

Mileage

80,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE COMING TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES, YET THE VEHICLE KEPT ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE AND BRAKE SYSTEM WERE FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10693612

Incident

Nov 1, 2008

Mileage

2,000 mi

THE DEALER SAID THAT THE SENSORS BEHIND MY BREAKS WERE DEFECTIVE. MY ABS AND CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR. CAN YOU HELP. THE DEAL SAID IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I CAN USE MY BRAKES THE OLD FASHION WAY BY PUMPING THEM. ABS DOES NOT WORK. WHAT CAN I DO. TOYOTA SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE RAVE4. *TR

NHTSA ID

10680886

Incident

Feb 1, 2015

Mileage

130 mi

FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM ON 11/10/2014 WHEN APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT. THE RAV4 TOOK LONGER THAN NORMAL TO COME TO A STOP WITH GREATER FORCE REQUIRED TO STOP. ONCE FULLY STOPPED, THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING WITH LOW RPM'S (~500) AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON ALONG WITH VSC AND TRAC LIGHTS. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME, BUT EXPERIENCED THE SAME SYMPTOMS AT EVERY STOP LIGHT / STOP SIGN. CONTACTED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN TUCSON IMMEDIATELY AND SCHEDULED EMERGENCY SERVICE FOR THE NEXT MORNING. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM WITH TWO ERROR CODES (P0171 AND P0174 - LEAN AIR/FUEL MIX). WAS TOLD THEY SUSPECTED A BAD TANK OF GAS. TOYOTA ADDRESSED ONE OPEN RECALL (SERVICE CAMPAIGN BST - REFLASH BRAKE CONTROL COMPUTER) ON MY VEHICLE BUT DID NOT INVESTIGATE THE ERROR CODES, ONLY CLEARED THEM. THE FOLLOWING DAY WHILE DRIVING HOME, THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED. ALMOST NO BRAKE PRESSURE AND BARELY ABLE TO STOP. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, VSC, AND TRAC LIGHTS ALL ILLUMINATED AGAIN. LOW IDLE SPEED AS WELL. CONTACTED A DIFFERENT LOCAL MECHANIC FOR A SECOND OPINION. WAS INFORMED THE BRAKE BOOSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO DAMAGE IN THE DIAPHRAGM CAUSING LOSS OF VACUUM PRESSURE (WHICH HELPED EXPLAIN THE TWO ERROR CODES RELATED TO LEAN AIR/FUEL MIX). TOTAL REPAIR BILL OVER $1000. JUST LUCKY NOBODY WAS INJURED DUE TO FAILING BRAKE SYSTEM ON TOYOTA'S PART. *TR

NHTSA ID

10660548

Incident

Nov 10, 2014

Mileage

73,700 mi

THE BRAKE MAKES HISSING NOISES AND THE DRIVER IS REQUIRED TO PRESS IT DOWN VERY HARD FOR IT TO WORK, THEREFORE THE CAR HAS TO GO INTO PARK MODE AT THE STOP LIGHT IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO REMAIN AT A COMPLETE STOP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10610060

Incident

Jul 9, 2014

Mileage

120,000 mi

THE GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE CAN EASILY BE STEPPED ON AT THE SAME TIME WITH ONE FOOT. I HAVE DONE THIS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, IT'S JUST BEEN LUCK THAT HAS PREVENTED ME FROM CAUSING INJURY DAMAGE TO MYSELF OR OTHERS. IT DOES GIVE ME A GOOD SCARE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10596399

Incident

Feb 15, 2013

ON MARCH 21ST THE ABS, VSC, TRACTION AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH IN DRY WEATHER CONDITION. WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE ON, THE ABS SYSTEM WAS TRIGGERED MAKING DIFFICULT TO BRAKE TO STOP. SINCE THEN THE WARNING LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ON AND OFF AND SO I'VE BEEN HAVING DIFFICULTIES WHEN SLOWING DOWN AT A HIGHER SPEED RATE 60 MPH, SLOW SPEED 20 MPH, AND EVEN STOPPING. ON TUESDAY, APRIL 8 I BROUGHT THE RAV4 TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AND THAT THE BREAKS WERE OK. DEALER SAID: IT IS JUST THE A REAR SENSOR THAT NEEDS TO BE RESET. SO DEALER TECHNICIAN RESET THE SENSOR THE SAME DAY. ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014 AROUND 6:00 PM WHEN TURNING LEFT AT A CORNER I HEARD A TICKING NOISE THEN FOUR WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED AGAIN AND THE BREAKS STARTED TO MALFUNCTION AGAIN. I'LL BRING THE RAV4 TO THE DEALER ON APRIL 12, 2014 AND SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. THE CODES THE DEALER HAVE INITIALLY WERE C0210 AND C1223. MY SPOUSE AND I DON'T WANT TO DRIVE THE RAV4 WITHOUT KNOWING THAT THE SENSOR THAT THE DEALER TALKS ABOUT IS EITHER FIXED OR REPLACED. I DON'T WANT TO BE EXPOSED NOR EXPOSE MY FAMILY TO ANY POSSIBLE ACCIDENT DUE TO THE SENSOR/BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10578937

Incident

Apr 21, 2013

Mileage

50,000 mi

THE CAR UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AS I WAS APPROACHING A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN WHEN THE CAR'S ENGINE REVVED UP AND THE CAR KEPT MOVING FORWARD WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS FAR AS IT COULD GO. THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED ABOUT 6 FEET INTO THE INTERSECTION. THE NEXT MORNING THE CAR REPEATED THE UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION WHILE I WAS TRYING TO SLOW DOWN PRIOR TO STOPPING FOR A STOP SIGN. THE DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR MAT WAS REMOVED TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO AND WAS NOT PRESENT THAT EVENING OR THE NEXT MORNING. I REPORTED THIS EPISODE TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND I TOLD HIM I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT IF I WANTED HAVE TO CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, HE WOULD HAVE TO TECHNICIANS CHECK IT FOR HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE EPISODE. I WAS ALSO TOLD I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR TOWING CHARGES AND THE COST OF THE DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS. THE COMPUTERIZED DIAGNOSTIC CHECK SHOWED NOTHING HAD HAPPENED AND NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. I TOLD THE DEALER THE I WAS NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST DEVICE, AS THE ACCELERATION DID HAPPEN AND THE TEST SET WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT CHECKING THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE TELEPHONE NUMBER IS TORRANCE CALIFORNIA, TOLD THEM MY STORY AND ASKED IF TOYOTA HAD RECEIVED ANY OTHER SUCH COMPLAINTS. I WAS TOLD THAT TOYOTA COULD NOT RELEASE THAT INFORMATION. I ASKED WHAT TOYOTA DID WITH MY REPORT OF THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD IT WENT INTO A TOYOTA DATA BASE. I ASKED FOR A COPY OF RAV4 EPISODES IN THE DATA BASE. I WAS TOLD TOYOTA COULD NOT FURNISH THAT TO ME. I THEN ASKED FOR A COPY OF MY REPORT THAT TOYOTA ENTERED INTO THE DATA BASE. TOYOTA TOLD ME IT COULD NOT FURNISH THAT TO ME. TOYOTA SEEMS TO DISCREDIT REPORTS OF THIS ACCELERATION/SAFETY ISSUE AS IF IT COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAPPEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10578321

Incident

Apr 5, 2014

Mileage

30,000 mi

2007 TOYOTA RAV4 REAR SPEED SENSORS CAN ABRUPTLY FAIL DURING POOR CLIMATE, CAUSING FAILURE TO THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL, ABS, AND TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEMS. TOYOTA HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FAILURE OF THIS PART IS COMMON, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE POOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10568869

Incident

Apr 15, 2011

Mileage

10,567 mi

I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN HERE IN TOWN. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO EXPERIENCE A HIGH DEGREE OF ACCELERATION. MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY PLANTED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL ONLY. I COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE TILL I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE THEN STARTED TO REV ITSELF UP UNCONTROLLABLY, UNTIL I TURNED IT OFF WITH THE IGNITION KEY. I WAS A GOOD 15 FEET INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN I HAD STOPPED. I THEN STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. THIS WAS A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE CARS EXPECTATION TO REMAIN STATIONARY WHILE THE BRAKE IS APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING PRIOR TO THE ACCELERATION SURGE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10566731

Incident

Mar 3, 2014

Mileage

75,500 mi

WITH THE ENGINE ON, WHILE STOPPED AT TRAFFIC CONGESTION OR RED LIGHT, PEDAL BRAKES GOES ALMOST TO THE FLOOR. IT IS AT THE MECHANIC FOR A WEEK NOW, TRYING TO REPAIR IT. BRAKE PUMP WAS REPLACED, STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10536815

Incident

Aug 19, 2013

Mileage

91,000 mi

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, THE CHECK ENGINE, THE TRAC AND VSC LIGHTS ALL CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. I ALSO HEARD A HISSING NOISE WHEN I PRESSED DOWN ON THE BRAKES. I WENT TO A MECHANIC TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE, BUT IT WAS LATE IN THE DAY AND EVERYONE WAS CLOSING. HE TOLD ME IT SOUNDED LIKE A VACUUM LEAK IN THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND TO BRING IT BACK FIRST THING MONDAY (HE SEEMED TO THINK IT'D BE OKAY TO DRIVE OVER THE WEEKEND). ON THE DRIVE HOME THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WERE A FEW TIMES WHERE I WAS AFRAID I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO STOP THE CAR AT ALL. IT WAS QUITE SCARY! I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS I COULD AND THEN IT FINALLY GRABBED, THE CAR JERKED, AND THE SEAT BELTS TIGHTENED UP AROUND ME. I WORKED TODAY (SATURDAY) AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO AND FROM WORK, ONLY NOW I AM USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO SLOW THE CAR AND I PUT IT IN PARK AT STOP LIGHTS. MY NEXT TRIP WILL BE STRAIGHT TO A MECHANIC! IT SEEMS IT IS NOT COMMON FOR BRAKE BOOSTERS TO FAIL AND I AM LEARNING THAT OTHER TOYOTA RAV4 OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, SEVERAL ENDING IN ACCIDENTS. THIS SHOULD DEFINITELY BE ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA, AS IT IS A HUGE SAFELY ISSUE, AND POSSIBLY BE CAUSE FOR A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10533450

Incident

Aug 2, 2013

Mileage

47,608 mi

BRAKE BOOSTER FAILURE, REPLACE BY TOYOTA DEALER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10493087

Incident

Jan 15, 2013

Mileage

65,151 mi

I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND APPLIED THE BRAKES. A HISSING SOUND COULD BE HEARD AND THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF STOPPING POWER. I HAD TO APPLY AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE TO THE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. AND IT ALSO TOOK AN EXCESSIVE DISTANCE TO GET IT STOPPED.. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ALONG WITH THE STABILITY CONTROL AND OTHER DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE CAUTIOUSLY TO GET HOME. THE LIGHTS THEN WENT AWAY. AND THE CAR PERFORMED SOMEWHAT NORMALLY. THEY CAME BACK ON, A DAY LATER. AND SO DID THE SYMPTOMS, BUT ONLY SPORADICALLY. THE BRAKE BOOSTER HAS A LEAK. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ALL OVER THE INTERNET. SPECIFICALLY, HERE: HTTP://WWW.RAV4WORLD.COM/FORUMS/99-4-3-MECHANICAL/91243-WHAT-CAUSES-BRAKE-BOOSTER-FAILURE.HTML I THINK GIVEN THE HISTORY OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND OTHER ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL OF VEHICLE A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE. THIS IS A $900+ REPAIR, AND FOR A CAR WITH A LITTLE OVER 50K MILES IS UNACCEPTABLE AND ABOVE ALL, DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10478935

Incident

Sep 24, 2012

Mileage

52,500 mi