2018 Toyota RAV4 Brakes Problems

I tried breaking and was on a hill with a small incline stopping behind a car as a pedestrian was crossing. When I pushed on the breaks lightly the car didn't break. So I pushed harder as the car in front of me was a few feet. When I pressed harder on the breaks the car actually accelerated and hit the car in front of me. The car made a strange noise and the warning that I was close to another car flashed on but the breaks failed to work at all. I had my breaks checked about 2 months ago when I had the tires changes and they said they were fine for now and just to have them looked at next tire rotation to evaluate. I've nver had issues with my breaks and my car took some damage. It was pretty terrifying.

NHTSA ID

11589560

Incident

May 18, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, upon attempting to slow the vehicle, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the front of the vehicle, and the brake pedal required an excessive amount of force to slow the vehicle. The contact also stated that later, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost all motive power. She was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be jumpstarted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the braking system but did not provide a diagnosis in regards to the vehicle's loss of power. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ID

11554867

Incident

Oct 13, 2023

Mileage

40,000 mi

This is 2 times now my brakes give me trouble since i bought the vehicle, the 1st time the brakes died n i had to keep pumping for it to work, the 2nd time it stuck to the floor n i had to use my hand brakes on the freeway.

NHTSA ID

11542445

Incident

Sep 2, 2023

The front rotors 4 times and been placed due to overheating. I only have 49,540 miles when the fourth set was put on May 10, 2023. The problem is the rotors keep getting overheated and then they warp. I have replaced them 4 times in less than owning the car for 5 years. It appears to happen more frequently now about every 6 months. The problem is confirmed both at 2 different locations in Lees Summit, MO. See receipts below for repair shops.

NHTSA ID

11522332

Incident

Mar 1, 2021

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while attempting to depress the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that excessive pressure was needed on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the parking brake had to be engaged while the vehicle was parked. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and brake fluid was added. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.

NHTSA ID

11508491

Incident

Feb 22, 2018

Mileage

52,000 mi

On 8/31/2022 I was turning into the driveway of a friend. All of a sudden my car accelerated. There was another car in the driveway in front of me. I was trying not to hit it, so turned my steering wheel sharply to the right. I left the driveway, turning into a side yard, and then it seemed the brakes wouldn't work. I hit a tree, and went over a large rock, which stopped my car. As it happened, I did hit the other car. its back right bumper was hit, and my front left was crushed. My car was towed to an auto shop on 9/6/2022. It is not drivable. Incident was reported to my insurance that evening. My local agent told me to report to you on 9/9/2022.

NHTSA ID

11483738

Incident

Aug 31, 2022

The brakes needed complete redo at 28.000 miles. The pads and rotors. The front passenger brakes were through to rotors. Was not expecting to do a complete brake job at this mileage and the only indication we had a problem was the sudden grinding on the front passenger side and we were glad we were not on a long trip. We took it to an independent mechanic who saved the parts for us. There was no indication we needed a complete brake job until that sudden grinding on the one wheel which was worn way more than the other three.

NHTSA ID

11463320

Incident

Apr 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was a squishy sound while depressing the brake pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was made aware of a vacuum leak underneath the pedal. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign 18V211000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11460002

Incident

Mar 15, 2022

Mileage

72,000 mi

I the vehicle used with 20000 miles the brakes were mushy And made noise like that old school bus with no brake pads at all I checked for any recalls the Run none and I contacted Toyota with no result I researched on the internet and found that it was a bad batch of brake pads on several years including my particular year of 2018 the brake pedal becomes mushy the brakes make a lot of bought noise and it's possible for the brake pedal to go all the way to the floor however there is no recall as of yet on this problem can you please help Thank you Bruce Long

NHTSA ID

11448176

Incident

Oct 4, 2021

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that upon exiting a parking lot, with the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The contact was forced to engage the parking brake to stop the vehicle. Once the vehicle was stopped, the contact was able to resume normal driving. After the initial failure, the contact experienced the failure on two separate occasions. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle remained in possession of the dealer. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

NHTSA ID

11440878

Incident

Feb 1, 2021

Mileage

18,000 mi

The first incident happened on June 9, 2021. I was turning right very slowly into a parking spot at a grocery store when the car suddenly accelerated rapidly, even when I depressed the brake very hard. My car hit a row of small trees that formed a border between the parking lot and the street. The impact was so hard that there was over $5,000 in damage to the front of the car. I was in shock as it felt like the car was out of control. The second incident July 27, 2021. Again, I was turning right to reach the exit of a parking garage at a medical clinic. I was going very slow because I was approaching the ticket booth to exit the parking garage. Just as I completed the turn, the car accelerated and lurched forward toward the arm that keeps cars from exiting. I was able to stop the vehicle by pressing the brake hard, and I did not hit the arm at the exit point. Again, it was shocking and very frightening for this to happen.

NHTSA ID

11428580

Incident

Jun 9, 2021

The Toyota RAV4 2018 car acceleration went out of control and crashed into a retaining wall. The airbags exploded and the steering wheel airbag burst. The car was totaled and is with State Farm. I was blessed to still be alive the car speed out of control on its own. I tried to push on the brakes but the car kept going. The accident could have been worse. No one else was injured only another car was hit. I did reach out to Toyota and they said it could take 4-6 weeks for someone to look at the car. I reach out to the dealer and waiting to hear back from the dealer. The police department issued me a ticket, I have court on July 23, 2021. State Farm insurance declared the car a total loss. No warning lamps or messages. The first same incident happened on April 3, 2021, and on June 12, 2021, was the day of the accident. The incident and accident happened at the same location. I would like to speak with someone at your organization. The car is at State Farm's collision place. I would like for your organization to look at the car. I will call to make sure that the car is still at the collision place.

NHTSA ID

11424863

Incident

Jun 12, 2021

We were driving when I made a right turn and suddenly the steering wheel locked on me and at the same time various warning lights lit up on my dashboard. The car slowed and I was able to regain control of the steering wheel to pull over. After driving a few miles further we once again came to a right turn and everything happened as before except with greater intensity. We tried to straighten the steering wheel for control and were able to pull over into an empty parking lot. By the time we came to a stop, which took all of just one or two minutes, smoke was coming out from under our hood. We quickly got out of our car and opened the hood to see the battery in flames. I called 911 while my husband poured his cup of water over the flames. It stalled the fire but it continued to spark until help arrived. I am certain if we had not had water the whole car would have caught on fire. The car was towed to a Toyota dealership where we were told that their was an issue with battery installation. At present it is being worked on but I have lost confidence in this vehicle especially since we got no warning that there was a problem and we could have been badly injured or killed if the circumstances had been different and we had not been able to pull over and get out or have water with us. We have since learned that this is an issue for many people who own this 2018 RAV4 vehicle. I also learned there is no recall on this issue. I hope that Toyota isn't waiting for someone to be seriously injured or die before they fix this problem.

NHTSA ID

11417783

Incident

May 15, 2021

STARTING LATE AUG2020 THE DASHBOARD STARTING TO SHOW WARNING LIGHTS RANDOMLY AND INCONSISTENTLY. ALL WARNING LIGHTS DO NOT COME AT THE SAME TIME BUT WHEN TURNING THE EXTERNAL LIGHTS ON OTHER WARNING LIGHTS TURN ON AND SO FAR THE CAR HAVE STALLED MORE THAN 4 TIMES WHILE DRIVING UNDER 40 MPH. THE LAST 3 TIMES THE CAR STARTED RIGHT AFTER BEING PARKED AND BUT THIS LAST TIME IT DID NOT AND WHILE I WAS WAITING FOR A TOW ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT FROM BEHIND ME AS THE CAR THAT WAS COMING BEHIND ME STOPPED AND WAS HIT BY ANOTHER CAR BEHIND HIM. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND SINCE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY WOULD NOT TOUCH IT AND ALL THEY DID WAS DISCONNECT THE BATTERY SO THE WARRANTING LIGHTS TURN OFF AND SEND ME BACK OUT AND WITH IN 15 MIN ON THE ROAD THE LIGHTS STARTED TO COMEBACK ON AGAIN BUT THE CAR DID NOT DIE ON THE ROAD. THE CAR IS BARELY 3 YEARS OLD AND ONLY HAVE 14,500 MILES ON IT AND IT IS BECOMING VERY UNRELIABLE TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ID

11403717

Incident

Mar 16, 2021

Mileage

14,500 mi

WHILE DRIVING, THERE IS A LITTLE SHAKES ON THE CAR AND A MESSAGE APPEARED THAT THE ANTI LOCKING BRAKE FAILED. I STOP THE VEHICLE AND I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD. I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND TOOK THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. A FIRE START COMING OUT OF THE HOOD AND I TOLD MY WIFE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND I GET OUT ALSO, THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE BEHIND US CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND IN A FEW MINUTES THE FIRE FIGHTERS ARRIVED AND START EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE. THE FIRE ENGULF THE WHOLE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11400275

Incident

Mar 5, 2021

TRAFFIC STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR DIDN'T. THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM STARTED BUT IT DIDN'T STOP. ALMOST EVERY AIRBAG DEPLOYED EXCEPT THE PASSENGER, IT WAS OFF. MY DASH READ THAT ABS FAILED CONTACT DEALER.

NHTSA ID

11390787

Incident

Jan 29, 2021

Mileage

61,000 mi

WHILE IN REVERSE WITH FOOT ON BRAKE (STOPPED) THE VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED. WHILE FOOT STILL ON BRAKE THE VEHICLE HAD UNCOMMANDED FORWARD ACCELERATION (ENGINE REVVED UP LIKE FOOT FLOORED THE GAS PEDAL). VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD ~25 FT AND HIT THE FRONT OF ANOTHER VEHICLE (FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL ENTIRE TIME). UPON IMPACT, THE VEHICLE HAD UNCOMMANDED ACCELERATION IN REVERSE (FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL STILL). WAS ABLE TO TURN OF IGNITION AND PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AFTER MOVING ~25FT IN REVERSE. AT FINAL STOP, THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION LEVER WAS IN THE DRIVE POSITION. NOTE: TOW TRUCK DRIVER STARTED VEHICLE TO GO IN REVERSE A FEW FEET FOR POSITIONING. WITH ENGINE RUNNING, VEHICLE WAS PUT IN REVERSE AND GAS PEDAL PRESSED GENTLY. VEHICLE WENT IN REVERSE (< 2MPH) AS IT SHOULD. FOOT APPLIED TO BRAKE AND VEHICLE PUT IN PARK IN ONE MOTION. VEHICLE IN PARK AND FOOT ON BRAKE THE ENGINE BEGAN TO REV UP AGAIN. KEY WAS TURN OFF. VEHICLE TOWED.

NHTSA ID

11373424

Incident

Nov 3, 2020

Mileage

13,800 mi

SINCE I GOT MY RAV 4 2018 I'VE HAD ISSUES WITH THE BRAKES. BOTH MY BROTHER AND MOTHER DRIVE THE CAR AND EXPRESS THE SAME ISSUE. I'VE BROUGHT IT TO TOYOTA NUMEROUS TIMES ONLY TO BE TOLD THEY CANNOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE AND THAT THE BRAKES ARE WORKING FINE. WHEN I'M PUSHING THE BRAKES DOWN THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GOING TO THE FLOOR. THERE IS A TERRIBLE SCREECHING SOUND HEARD AS WELL. I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT A FEW MONTHS AGO DUE TO THE BRAKES. I CALLED TOYOTA AND EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS AND THEY SENT AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR TO CHECK THE BRAKES. I RECEIVED AN EMAIL THAT STATED, "WE DO NOT BELIEVE THE VEHICLE SUFFERS FROM A DEFECT IN MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP THAT SUBSTANTIALLY IMPAIRS ITS USE, VALUE OR SAFETY". I'M UNSURE WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT AS I'VE EXHAUSTED MY OPTIONS. I MAINTAIN EXCESSIVE DISTANCE FROM OTHER CARS BECAUSE I KNOW I HAVE TO START BRAKING WAY AHEAD OF TIME. ITS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. CASE NUMBER: 2007132091

NHTSA ID

11348725

Incident

Mar 13, 2019

Mileage

12,000 mi

BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW IN JAN/2018. IN MARCH/2019, 18,000 MILES, BRAKES WERE MAKING LOUD NOISES. AT FIRST TOYOTA SAID IT WAS NORMAL, JUST MOISTURE. MONTH LATER I INSISTED BC IT GOT WORSE, SO FINALLY THE MECHANIC AT TOYOTA DROVE MY CAR AND AGREED. THEY CHANGED THE ROTORS AND PADS, NO CHARGE (AFTER SOME ARGUES). NOW CAR IS 35,000 MILES (AFTER 17,000 MILES), BRAKES ARE MAKING NOISES AGAIN. TOOK AT TOYOTA AND AT THAT TIME I HAD TO PAY. THAT'S RIDICULOUS! THEY SAY YOU SHOULD CHANGE PADS BETWEEN 35,000 AND 70,000 MILES. RAV4 HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES FOR SURE!

NHTSA ID

11344204

Incident

Aug 7, 2020

NOT SOON AFTER I LEASED MY RAV4 THE BRAKES STARTED GRINDING AS IF I NEEDED NEW BRAKES & EVERYTIME I WENT IN FOR MAINTENANCE THEY SAID NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THEM & THEY LOOK FINE. THE ROTORS ARE RUSTED JUST ON THE INNER PART ON BOTH REAR ROTORS & MY CAR IS GARAGED SO THERE ISNT ANY REASON WHY THEY SHOULD BE GRINDING OR SQUEALING. IT MAKES THE NOISE WHEN I'M IN MOTION. ALSO THE RADIO STATIONS ARE COMPLETE STATIC & I HAVE HAD 2 DIFFERENT TOYOTA DEALERS LOOK AT IT & THEY SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE WIRING BUT CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY ALL MY STATIONS COME IN STATICALLY.

NHTSA ID

11341323

Incident

Jun 13, 2019

SINCE I BROUGHT THIS RAV4 WHEN I START DRIVING THE FIRST 5 MINUTES IN THE MORNING AND COLD WEATHER WHEN I STEP ON THE BRAKE IT'S MAKE NOISE AND WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR 5K,10K,15K AND 20K SERVICE I TOLD THEM ABOUT THE BRAKE AND THERE ANSWER WAS THAT'S NORMAL. FOR ME THIS IS A BRAND NEW CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

11321331

Incident

Dec 3, 2018

Mileage

4,000 mi

I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR 18,000 MILES NOW AND I HAVE NOTICED SERIOUS ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES, I HAVE TO (ALMOST) COMPLETELY FLOOR THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO STOP. I HAD A 2015 HONDA CR-V FOR THREE YEARS AND IT NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES LIKE THAT. IN OTHER WORDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS TOO SOFT COMPARED TO SIMILAR VEHICLES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC FOR SHORTER DRIVERS (LIKE MY MOTHER) BECAUSE SHE HAS SMALL FEET AND SHE NEEDS TO LIFT HER ENTIRE FOOT TO TRANSITION BETWEEN THE GAS/BRAKE PEDALS, PUTTING HER AT A SLIGHT DISADVANTAGE. I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REGARDING THIS ISSUE, BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NORMAL AND COULDN'T DO ANYTHING MAJOR ABOUT IT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. I ALMOST RAN INTO A DEER ONE NIGHT ON A LOCAL ROAD BECAUSE I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR ON TIME. HIGHWAY BRAKING IS ALSO DIFFICULT, SO I HAVE TO MAINTAIN EXTRA DISTANCE. HOWEVER, WHEN USING DYNAMIC CRUISE CONTROL, THE CAR IS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY BRAKE IN ACCORDANCE TO THE VEHICLE TRAVELLING AHEAD OF ME.

NHTSA ID

11309442

Incident

Feb 15, 2020

Mileage

18,000 mi

WHEN I'M DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS THE ENGINE FEELS LIKE IT STALLED OR DOWNSHIFTED AND THE DISPLAY GETS DARK BUT CAR IS STILL 'ON', HOWEVER, IT WILL NO LONGER ACCELERATE. THE STEERING SEEMS TO BE AFFECTED TOO. UNFORTUNATELY, IT ONLY RESOLVED BY TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, CAUSING TRAFFIC TO STOP OR SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING ME 3X THE PAST 2 WEEKS.

NHTSA ID

11282038

Incident

Nov 13, 2019

Mileage

8,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING, THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD TO BE DEPRESSED TO THE FLOORBOARD TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,055.

NHTSA ID

11197027

Incident

Oct 16, 2018

Mileage

1,055 mi

SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED ON 11/25/2018, THE FRONT BRAKES CREAK WHILE ON DRIVE AND THE CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THEY ASKED THAT I WAIT UNTILL 500 MILES TO LOOK AT THE ALIGNMENT. I TOOK IT IN AGAIN FOR THE BRAKES AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAT IN THE CAR AND HE HEARD THE BRAKE NOISE. HE RAN IT THROUGH TESTS AND SAID NOTHING WAS FOUND. HE WAS GOING TO WAIT FOR A TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE TO COME AND THEN THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT BEFORE ANYTHING WAS DONE. IT IS NOW APRIL AND THEY STILL HAVE NOT ADDRESSED THE BRAKE ISSUE. THEY DID ADJUST THE ALIGNMENT DURING THE TIME, BUT IT STILL PULLS TO THE LEFT. AFTER THE ALIGNMENT, THERE WAS A SLIDING GRINDING NOISE ON THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE. THE NOISES OCCUR WHEN YOU COME TO A STOP AND RELEASE THE BRAKES. BOTH ISSUES HAVE BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED HAVE NOT BEEN RESOLVED.

NHTSA ID

11193729

Incident

Nov 25, 2018

Mileage

181 mi