2005 TOYOTA RAV4 Unknown Or Other Problems

Electronic door locking mechanism on front passenger side has failed and cannot be controlled by the key fob like the other doors. Therefore, it is necessary for the driver to reach across the front seat to lock and unlock this door. The locking mechanism’s failure could be considered an inconvenience. However, there wss an incident where a friend and I were taking the train to the city, leaving the vehicle unattended in a railroad station parking lot for 10-12 hours. I used the key fob to lock all of the working doors, but my friend forgot to manually lock the front passenger door. Unfortunately, this oversight created the risk of theft. This could also pose a safety hazard to the front seat passenger in an emergency situation where he or she must quickly evacuate the vehicle in case of fire, for example. The critical issue lies in the fact that, in an emergency, the driver can press the key fob to quickly unlock all exit doors EXCEPT for the front passenger side, leaving that seat’s occupant struggling to locate the unlock button as smoke from the fire quickly fills the vehicle. First responders would have to pry the door open in this crisis situation when every second counts. A licensed auto mechanic has checked the vehicle and advised me that it would be necessary to dismantle and rebuild the car door at a cost of $300-$400 in order to correct this situation, which is an expense I cannot afford on my limited income. My vehicle is available for inspection as necessary. Thank you for any assistance you are able to provide.

Very often, while driving at normal speeds around curving and hilly roads, the traction control light comes on. It even locks the speed until the light goes off. And sometimes the VSC (Vehicle stability control) light comes on and takes control of the car. When the warning lights go off, the car returns to normal. I took the car to Kauai Toyota Service Department. They said that they cannot troubleshoot the problem until one of the lights stay on continuously. It is a little disconcerting when this happens while driving. I love this car and what to keep it. But I want to get to the problem and fix it. Is it possible for a repair facility to use a computer to back track the alarms and pinpoint the problem? Thanks for your time and response.

WHEN DRIVING AT OR UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT ON SOME TURNS MY CARS SLIP INDICATOR GOES OFF WITHOUT ANY APPARENT ISSUES AND IT WILL START BEEPING AND SOMETIMES IT EVEN BREAKS ON IT'S OWN AND JERKS THE CAR. THE SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT HAS TURNED ONE WHILE DRIVING UNDER 30 MPH IN A DRY AND PAVED ROAD. THE BEEPING AND JERKING HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY

Mileage: 120,000

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 50,000 OF THE 255,000 MILES ON MY RAV4. IT HAS BEEN ON IT SEEMS MOSTLY BECAUSE OF OXYGEN SENSORS AND RELATED EMISSIONS "ISSUES" AND THIS HAS COST ME THOUSANDS OVER THE YEARS IN DIAGNOSTICS, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND MASKING OTHER PROBLEMS THAT REALLY WERE OCCURRING. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON SO MUCH THAT IT'S HARD TO TELL WHEN THERE REALLY IS A PROBLEM. RECENTLY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON FOR ABOUT 9 MONTHS. THE MECHANIC CODES REVEALED THAT IT WAS RUNNING TOO "RICH." I PUT IT ON "NON-OPERABLE" FOR REGISTRATION PURPOSES WHILE I AGAIN TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHY. ONE DAY (ON A TEMPORARY MOVING PERMIT) I WENT TO GET GASOLINE AND FILLED THE TANK HALFWAY. A FEW MILES LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF, FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WENT TO GET A SMOG CHECK, AND WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE FAIL POLICY AT THE STATION, THE ATTENDANT SAID, "THESE TOYOTAS ALWAYS PASS THE EMISSIONS, AS LONG AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ISN'T ON." HE WAS RIGHT, AND MY RAV4 PASSED WITH PERFECT EMISSIONS COMPLIANCE. IN THE PAST I HAVE REPLACED MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER, ALL THE OXYGEN SENSORS, AND EVENTUALLY THE ENTIRE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IN ORDER TO GET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO GO OFF AND PASS A CA SMOG CHECK. SOME YEARS AGO MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. IT WAS LEAKING OIL, AND MY MECHANIC SAID JUST TO MAKE SURE IT HAD ENOUGH OIL IN IT UNTIL I COULD AFFORD TO FIX THE "LEAKY GASKETS." BUT THE PROBLEM WAS REALLY A FAULTY OIL PUMP, AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. I HAD A REBUILT ENGINE PUT IN, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. THE TOYOTA RAN FINE FOR 6 MONTHS. THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. IN ALL OF THIS, TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE ACCEPTS NO FAULT. THEY SAY I SHOULD COMPLAIN TO NHTSA, AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RECALLS. I HAVEN'T HAD SUCH AN UNRELIABLE CAR SINCE MY 1984 CHEVY CHEVETTE. MY NEXT CAR WON'T BE A TOYOTA.

Mileage: 255,000

DRIVERS SIDE VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP. FALLS DOWN CONSTANTLY. DRIVER CANNOT SEE WHEN IT HAPPENS. I BOUGHT MY RAV4 USED AND DIDNT NOTICE IT UNTIL MY HUSBAND DROVE IT. IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME BECAUSE I'M SHORT. WHEN MY HUSBAND DRIVES IT WE HAVE TO RIG IT TO STAY UP BUT NOTHING EVER WORKS FOR LONG BEFORE IT FALLS DOWN AGAIN. IT COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC.

Mileage: 100,000

THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR WILL NOT STAY IN POSITION. IT FLOPS DOWN WHEN I'M DRIVING, MAKING IT SUDDENLY HARD TO SEE. THE PROBLEM STARTED VERY GRADUALLY A FEW YEARS AGO BUT NOW HAS RAPIDLY GOTTEN MUCH WORSE. I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP WILL NOT COVER THE REPLACEMENT AND IN COST, NOR WILL TOYOTA. I KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANY BECAUSE I CALLED THEM AND THEY SAID IT'S MY PROBLEM TO FIX. HOWEVER, THIS IS A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE, AND THEY ARE IGNORING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. THE VISOR ALONE COSTS $107.52 ! THE INSTALLATION COST IS IN ADDITION TO THIS (BTW, I SELECTED TODAY'S DATE, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT DATE. THE SAME APPLIES TO THE MPH - IT HAPPENS AT ALL MPH.).

Mileage: 133,000

THE VSC TRAC, VSC OFF, AND ABS LIGHTS... ALL STAY ON, ALL THE TIME. THERE ARE NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES SHOWING ON THE OBD CODE READER.

Mileage: 120,000

"TAKATA RECALL". I WAS DRIVING AND STOPPED FOR A LIGHT DOWN A ROAD IN STATEN ISLAND, NY. AS I WAS WAITING, A DEER WAS CROSSING THE ROAD. SIMULTANEOUSLY, A BUS WAS NEXT TO ME AND SCARED THE DEER WHICH CAUSED IT TO RUN STRAIGHT INTO MY VEHICLE DOING A FAIR AMOUNT OF DAMAGE WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN FIXED. MY AIRBAG DID NOT INFLATE, EVEN THOUGH I WAS HIT PRETTY HARD. I WAS SHAKEN UP BUT SUFFERED NO MAJOR INJURIES. RECALL#15V284

Mileage: 60,000

RAV4 WAS TOTAL STOPPED ON A STOP SIGN. ON TAKING THE FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PADDLE TO MOVE AHEAD ON GREEN SIGNAL, EVEN BEFORE THE FOOT TOUCHED THE ACCELERATOR PADDLE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT HIGH SPEED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE DRIVER HAS BEEN DRIVING THIS RAV4 FOR FEW YEARS AND HAS A VERY CLEAN DRIVING RECORD AND WAS AT REGULAR UNIVERSITY STOP. THE DAMAGE WAS SO BAD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED BY INSURANCE. THE DAMAGE LOOKS LIKE A HIGH SPEED IMPACT. A OLD 2005 RAV4 WITH 122000 MILES ON IT CANNOT MOVE THAT FAST EVEN IF TRIED. THE DAMAGE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. THE POLICE OFFICER WAS INFORMED THAT THE INCIDENT WAS CONFUSING AND LATER THINKING BACK, IT LOOKED IMPOSSIBLE TO BE BECAUSE OF HUMAN ERROR EVEN IF TRIED. THE HOUSEHOLD HAS CLEAN RECORD (NO TICKETS, NO ACCIDENTS FROM US) ON 3 VEHICLES FOR PAST 15 YEARS. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED ON A REGULAR DAILY UNIVERSITY STOP WHERE THE VEHICLES ARE DRIVEN SLOWLY ANYWAYS. THE DAMAGE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF THAT THE VEHICLE HAD UNCONTROLLABLE SITUATION. INCIDENT HAPPENED MOVING FROM A DEAD TOTAL STOPPED VEHICLE (0 MPH). BUT THE DAMAGE LOOKS LIKE THE VEHICLE CRASHED IN WITH A HIGH SPEED. BOTH THE DRIVER AND THE OTHER DRIVER WERE CONFUSED, AS NOTED TO THE ATTENDING POLICE OFFICER.

Mileage: 122,000

THE RIGHT SIDE GAS TANK STRAP HAD RUSTED OUT AND BROKE, CAUSING THE GAS TANK ASSEMBLY TO DROP DOWN ONTO THE DRIVESHAFT.

Mileage: 63,200

FIRST TIRE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. CHECKED PRESSURE IN ALL TIRES. TIRES WERE AT CORRECT AMOUNT. WENT TO RESET LIGHT WHICH DID NOT WORK. SUV WAS ON AN INCLINE (DRIVEWAY). LET CAR SIT FOR AN HOUR ON FLAT SURFACE. STARTED RAV4.THE TIRE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON PLUS ABS AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS. CONSULTED OWNERS MANUAL WHICH STATED TO TAKE TO TOYOTA. NO OTHER BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. WAS 1/2 MILE FROM DEALER WHEN SMOKE STARTED COMING INTO PASSENGER CABIN. SMOKE/FIRE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE AND UNDER RAV4. SMOKE WAS A BLUISH GREY. PULLED OFF THE MAJOR ROAD INTO AN ABANDONED BUSINESS DRIVEWAY. TURNED RAV OFF AND RAN. PASSERBY CALLED 911. FIRE TRUCKS/POLICE ARRIVED. RAV WAS A TOTAL LOSS. CALLED TOYOTA USA TO REPORT FIRE. THEY ARE SAYING THAT IT WAS NOT MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL. BUT THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CAUSE OF FIRE WAS UNDETERMINED AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY SORT OF DEFECT OR MALFUNCTION WITH ANY OF THE ELECTRICAL OR MECHANICAL SYSTEMS FOUND. RAV WENT TO DEALER FOR ALL REQUIRED SERVICE AND NEVER HAD AND MAJOR PROBLEMS. IF IT WAS NOT ELECTRICAL THEN WHAT CAUSED MY LIGHTS TO COME ON. THEE VSC TRAC LIGHT HAD NEVER COME ON SINCE I OWNED THE CAR. I HAVE OWNED TOYOTAS SINCE 1973 AND NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN. THE RAV4 WAS MY 5TH TOYOTA.

Mileage: 118,000