2021 TOYOTA RAV4 PRIME Service Brakes Problems

During snowy but manageable conditions, the brake system on my 2021 RAV4 Prime SE failed to respond, and the vehicle did not decelerate when I pressed the brake pedal. A “Pre-Collision System Malfunction” warning appeared shortly before impact. I was unable to steer away despite attempting an evasive turn. The vehicle collided with the car in front of me, and the airbags did not deploy. I was driving at a reduced speed due to snow. The vehicle ahead (a BMW SUV) began slowing. When I applied the brakes, my RAV4 Prime did not slow down at all—there was no deceleration, no ABS pulsing, and no traction control intervention. The vehicle continued moving forward as if the brakes were not engaging. At the same time, I saw a dashboard warning indicating a Pre-Collision System (PCS) malfunction. I attempted to turn the wheel to avoid the collision, but the vehicle did not respond to steering input quickly enough to prevent impact. Despite the collision, no airbags deployed. The vehicle has been regularly maintained (oil changes every 5,000 miles, new tires last year, all service intervals followed), and there were no warning lights or issues beforehand. Safety Concerns: •Complete or partial brake failure •Electronic braking or stability control malfunction •Pre-Collision System malfunction •Airbag non-deployment in a front impact •Potential systemic issue affecting Toyota hybrid/Prime models This incident caused significant fear and distress for both me and my child who was in the vehicle, and raises serious concerns about whether similar failures could occur for other owners.

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)

Upon entering a light controlled intersection at a relatively slow speed (probably less than 20 mph} on wet pavement, an oncoming car suddenly made a left turn directly in front of me. I applied the applied the breaks hard and slid into the passenger side of the turning vehicle. The ABS system did not function. The air bag did not deploy. At the moment of the collision my speed was reduced and I do not know the threshold for airbags to deploy, but this was a direct front end collision. I was able to brace myself and was not injured. I am not claiming the airbag malfunctioned as the speed at the moment of impact was not high. However, I have complained to the Toyota dealer service department almost since the car was new, that the ABS does not function. They have repeatedly told me that it is fully operational based only on the fact that the system registers as "on." Being "on" does not mean it is functioning. Questions: What component failed? ABS and possibly airbag How was my safety at risk? Non functioning ABS resulting in a potentially preventable accident Has the problem been confirmed? Yes, byt the dealer though they claim the sliding of the car is due to old tires. However, the tires are withing the legal limist for tread depth and I have complained about the problem since the car and the tires were nearly new. Has the vehicle been inspected? yes, byt the Toyota dealer and an independent Toyota crash inspector Were there any warning lights etc? No

MY [XXX] ’S) SUDDEN ACCELERATION INCIDENT [XXX] - TOYOTA RAV4 2021: I was gliding into a parking space with my foot on the brake and as I went to straighten out the wheel to come to a full stop the car lurched forward full speed and smashed into the car parked in the row that was facing me. Good thing there was no one in that car, it had been backed in so I hit the rear end of it. The damage is so extensive it is beyond comprehension. My airbags did not deploy, which they should have. I saw that the ‘malfunction brake’ orange light was illuminated as I went crashing into the parked car and could not believe that the automatic anti-collision brake system failed - it was as if the car was possessed and the scariest thing ever. Towed to the dealer I bought it from. I have now read all of these other incidents that are the same as mine and this is no joke. We all could have been killed and there are people that most likely have been that have never been reported. I have been driving for over 40 years and have never experienced anything like it. Computers and software have glitches all the time, and if Toyota does not do something about this that means they do not care if their customers die. That makes them murderers. I loved my RAV4 more than anything, it is an eplugin hybrid and the best! I would/will never drive that car again, ever, and I am going to see to it that Toyota Corp, who is liable, reimburses me every penny I spent on that car, plus any legal fees and hourly wages for how much time I now have to spend on dealing with this whole thing, one of which is having to prove to my insurance company that this was NOT my fault so my rates do not go up! The dealer paid off my lease and never made me come pick up the car as I never had it fixed. Of course my insurance went up as they had to pay the damage to the other car! I now have filed a small claim with my local court to recoup the money for increase in insurance, deposit for Rav4 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

My 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime had traction control, braking issues and failure to warn in the event of a possible forward collision. On a few occasions the brakes seem to just slide and the car would keep moving. Last week I was in an accident and the emergency braking system, the forward collision warning system and all the air bags failed. The California Highway Patrol was surprised that even though the estimation collision speed was 60 mph the air bags did not deploy. I would have not had a chance to test out the air bags, emergency braking system or the forward collision warning prior to the accident.

I was pulling into a parking space at a slow speed and breaking when my car accelerated violently and caused me to go across a median and strike another parked vehicle. Police came and did a report. I took my car right away to dealer and they had me take it to their collision shop to be repaired. They said they would try to find the unintended acceleration problem after it was repaired. No warning lights or airbags.

When driving over small bumps while slowing down will cause the rear brakes to lock

When braking and hitting a slight bump in the road or on a wet road it actually like my car is accelerating, seems to be a possible issue with the regenerative brake system and the antilock brake system software working together. Luckily i have not hit anyone, but this is a major safety flaw. Has happened multiple times.

When pulling into a parking spot at less than 5 mph the car accelerated violently and couldn't be stopped while braking. A marble or granite barrier stopped the my car preventing me from going into a shallow ravine and potential on coming traffic. There have been multiple safety recalls on the braking system on the car and each have been executed in a timely fashion. I cannot determine if warning lights went off at the time due to how quickly the issue happened

We have COMPLETELY lost brakes on MULTIPLE occasions for a few seconds per occasion. Brake loss has occurred upon slow, even braking and on flat, dry, even pavement with no pot poles or loose gravel around. When this happens, an orange light appears on the dash, we lose brakes for a few seconds, the car regains brakes, and jolts forward with no change in foot position on the brake pedal. We have taken the car to the dealer multiple times and every single time this incident has occurred the rear right wheel speed shows about a 10% variation in speed compared to all the other wheels per the vehicle diagnostic report/record of behavior. The orange light we are seeing on the dash is the ABS light. There is no feedback in the brake pedal on any occasion. This incident has occurred about 20 times so far. Our car is available for inspection. The dealer believes this is being caused by a software issue and not a faulty sensor. This car is a danger to us and anyone around us as we have needed to swerve into the shoulder multiple times to avoid hitting someone ahead of us. This NEEDS to be fixed before it injures or kills someone. This issue has still been persistent even after taking care of the VSC recall and a reset/recalibration to the braking system. We have taken the car to the dealer for this issue on: 4/4/22, 4/15/22, 4/25/22, 5/11/22, 6/4/22. *We have been limiting our driving in this car due to the issue happening multiple times a week, that is why there hasn't been many trips to the dealer much between May and June. I want to reiterate, this doesn't sound like a defect per the dealer, it sounds like a software issue!

All four brake rotors are defective, the metal is pitted scored and not smooth, as it should be. This increases the braking distance. The vehicle is equipped with regenerative braking thus increasing the brake service interval. With mileage at 21600 this is not normal. Upon inspection at the dealer, it was described as normal for this type of vehicle. I pointed out several vehicle in the service area as what the rotors should appear. (I have had three Chevy Volts with similar drivetrain and never had to replace rotors or brake pads.) I will upload photos of the rotors and dealers comments.

My RAV4 PRIME was in stop and go traffic. Brakes did not switch from regen braking to physical brakes. Slammed on the brakes several times, they did not slow the car enough. Eventually the brakes locked up as the RAV4 rear ended the car in front. Pushing that car into the one in front of it, and that one in front of that, and that one in front of that. Causing damage to three other cars. Two other people are claiming medical, the driver went to the ER. Air bags did not deploy. Taking to the repair shop. They were shocked that the air bags didn't go off given the the condition of the frame. Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) did an inspection to read the event data recorder (EDR). Brake were applied at -1.5 seconds before impact. And here is the weird part, saying that the ABS activated then too. There was no notification, and the brakes locked up. Speed went from 46 to 21.1 mph. This occurred at 3,573 miles on only a few month old RAV4. I'm well aware of what ABS feels like when it goes off.

While exiting an interstate and applying the brakes, the vehicle struck a small bump (pot-hole) in the roadway with the front passenger wheel. The car lurched forward and stopped slowing down. The brakes had disengaged on all wheels. After approximately 2 seconds, the car started braking again and I was able to regain control and stop. This momentary loss of braking ability could have caused me to rear end the vehicle in front had I not left excess room. The loss of brakes increased the braking distance required and could lead to the loss of control if the roadway is slick. I have been able to reproduce this issue. No ABS or TCS lights illuminated. No beeps or other warning messages materialized. The car is available for inspection upon request. It appears to be an issue with the regenerative brakes switching over to the mechanical brakes when the car believes there is wheel slip.

When the vehicle goes over a pothole (or bad road condition) while you are braking, the brakes don’t work for a second, the car feels like it is surging. I almost hit the car in front. This happens a lot. It’s the exact same problem problem with the 2010 prius.

While braking there is a brief release, which I believe happens when car switches from regenerative to friction braking. It feels like I have taken my foot off the brake for a moment, but I have not. Result is car briefly stops braking, which can cause loss of control. Has happened consistently for months, less pronounced with hard vs soft braking

I AM EXPERIENCING INCONSISTENT BRAKE FEEL AFTER ABS ACTUATION DURING SLOW AND STEADY APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES ON ROUGH OR SLICK ROAD SURFACES. STOPPING DISTANCES ARE INCREASED COMPARED WITH MY EXPECTATION FOR A GIVEN PEDAL FORCE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE, AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN 10V039000.

Mileage: 9,300