Issue ID | 376742 |
Internal NHTSA # | 765655 |
Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
Brand | TOYOTA |
Model | RAV4 |
Model Year | 1996 |
File date | 18/05/02 |
Component | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION |
Product type code | VEHICLE |
Description of the problem | When i was driving down the highway, my friend (who was sitting in the passenger seat and likes to sit with his knees up) accidentally bumped the gear shift into neutral. I was in the passing lane on a busy highway and found that all of the sudden i had no power to the wheels. It was very frightening. I pulled over as soon as i could. I feared that if i put the gear shifter back into drive, the car would drastically lurch (faster or slower). After this happened, i noticed that the gear shift is actually located closer to the passenger side than the driver side and easily bumped into neutral. I called a local toyota dealer and asked that they fix the problem. I was told that all cars are designed to be able to switch into neutral should you be sliding on a slippery road. And that they therefore could and would do nothing about this problem. I have read only great things about toyotas but after this experience, i plan to sell this car and never get another toyota. This, i think, is a very, very serious safety design flaw. People with kids in the passenger seat must have this happen to them all the time. I think these cars should be recalled. No automatic gear shift should be easily accidently tapped into neutral while driving on the highway.*ak |
Vehicle Mileage at Failure | |
Number of Occurences | 2 |
Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
City and State | ALLENTOWN, PA |
VIN pattern | JT3GP10V3T0XXXXXX |
Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | |
Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
Was incedent reported to police? | N |
Was medical attention required? | |
Was part original equipment? | |
No. of injured persons | 0 |
No. of fatalities | 0 |
Date of purchase | 02/07/24 |
Was original owner? | N |
Anti-lock brakes | N |
Cruise control | N |
Number of cylinders | |
Drive train type | FWD |
Transmission type | |
Vehicle speed | 60 |
DoT tire identifier | |
Tire size | |
Location of tire code | |
Type of tire failure code | |
Was defective tire repaired? | |
Date of manufacture | |
Type of child seat code | |
Type of restraint | |
Dealer's name | |
Dealer's telephone number | |
Dealer's city | |
Dealer's state code | |
Dealer's ZIP code |