Q: Surge of acceleration when brake pressed
I am pretty nervous driving my 2012 Toyota RAV4 now because it randomly accelerated forwards the other day when I had my foot on the brake. I had just barely let off the gas and bam! the car jerked forward on its own. This car just passed 46,000 miles, I am really worried that the car is defective. I already checked the floor mat to make sure it wasn’t getting stuck in the pedal, so what else could cause this?
There is currently no approved safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) for the 2012 RAV4 that address this issue. In the past, there have been 2 recalls, NHTSA Campaign #11V113000 and NHTSA Campaign #10V017000, but these have not been approved for the 2012 year model as of this writing. The most likely reported problem is either a defective ECM or a defective pedal assembly, both of which can cause the vehicle to accelerate on its own in any gear. Most mechanics aren’t able to test either of these assemblies so it is suggested that you go to a Toyota dealership where they have the specialty tools to deal with this issue. I would have this addressed sooner rather than later, as acceleration problems are very dangerous, especially in traffic conditions such as you described.
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