Issue ID | 1014140 |
Internal NHTSA # | 10546074 |
Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
Brand | TOYOTA |
Model | RAV4 |
Model Year | 2012 |
File date | 31/08/13 |
Component | SERVICE BRAKES |
Product type code | VEHICLE |
Description of the problem | I am filing a complaint about spongy brakes behavior in a 2012 toyota rav4. The problem i was experiencing were the brake pedal traveling to the floor and reduced stopping power during application. The spongy behavior of the brake pedal was also present with engine off. I report this event to two separate toyota dealerships which technicians claimed this is a normal function and this is a soft pedal design (according to the first dealership). The second dealership showed me another similar vehicle (2011 toyota rav4) and it almost did the same thing (engine off - pedal was still spongy but was less than my vehicle). Since being a ase master technician before becoming an mechanical engineer, i bleed the brakes which only helped a little and there were no fluid leaks. Finally, i researched that the abs pump might need to be activated using a scanner to cycle the actuators that might hold air trapped inside. I took the car to my previous place on employment where i consulted this issue with the shop manager in which he agreed that this is a possibility. The shop manager performed the abs pump cycling process with the scanner and the brake pedal became hard and firm like it suppose to be (procedure time: 5 minutes!). I am very disappointed with toyota trained technicians and any good technician knows there is no such thing as soft pedal design especially with a vacuum brake booster with engine off (hydraulic fluid is only slightly compressible!). Only vehicles with hydraulic brake booster can experience a brake pedal feeling spongy since the booster will continue to function after engine had been turned off (approx:10 ¿ |
Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 7000 |
Number of Occurences | 1 |
Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
City and State | BROOKLYN, NY |
VIN pattern | 2T3BF4DV8CWXXXXXX |
Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
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 | 29/06/24 |
Was original owner? | N |
Anti-lock brakes | N |
Cruise control | N |
Number of cylinders | 4 |
Drive train type | |
Transmission type | |
Vehicle speed | 55 |
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 |