2000 Toyota Rav4 — Known Issues & Recalls

Your vehicle was involved in a crash into a tree that resulted in fatal injuries. The driver reported no deceleration occurred before impact, and a mechanic noted the damage was severe for the accident location. The driver had no prior accident history.

While driving at 45 mph and accelerating to pass another vehicle, your accelerator suddenly jumped to a very high RPM and the car accelerated dramatically without you requesting it. You shifted into neutral and after 10-12 seconds the engine returned to idle. This unintended acceleration issue was reported to two Toyota dealerships.

Your gas pedal isn't responding consistently — when you press it, nothing happens at first, then your car suddenly accelerates quickly without warning. This unpredictable acceleration has been involved in a crash. This issue likely involves the throttle cable, fuel injection system, or accelerator pedal sensor needing inspection or replacement.

Your car suddenly accelerated on its own while driving at 55 mph on the freeway, speeding up to 70 mph despite you applying the brakes and trying to manually pull up the throttle. The car continued accelerating for several minutes before stopping on its own, and the Toyota dealer found no problem when you brought it in for inspection. The issue hasn't occurred again since that incident.

Your car's engine sometimes revs up and the vehicle starts moving forward while you're stopped at a red light with your foot only on the brake. This has happened several times over the years, and you stop it by shifting to Neutral. You're concerned because you've heard about recalls related to similar issues.

Your wheel rim has developed multiple cracks and the inner spokes are separating from the outer rim, causing the wheel to disintegrate. This is the second wheel failure on your vehicle, creating a serious safety hazard. Repairing this will require replacing the damaged wheel with a new one.

You may hear a thumping noise coming from your vehicle. The inner core of your rear right wheel was separating from the outer rim due to three breaks at the welds, which could have caused the wheel to fail, especially during high-speed turns. This problem may not be visible when the vehicle is on a lift. Fixing this will likely require wheel replacement or professional welding repair to reattach the wheel core to the rim.

Your vehicle failed inspection due to a worn control arm and severe rust damage to the engine cradle. The engine cradle has rusted through and needs to be replaced to pass inspection and maintain safe vehicle operation. This will require replacement of both the control arm and engine cradle components.

Your 2000 RAV4 has excessive rust on the front engine subframe, which is preventing it from passing New York State safety inspection. The subframe is a critical structural component, and this rust appeared relatively early in the vehicle's life at 108,000 miles. Addressing this will likely require replacing the rusted subframe or having it professionally repaired and treated to prevent further corrosion.

While driving at 65 mph, your transmission suddenly slipped out of fifth gear without warning. The dealer diagnosed that your transmission needed to be rebuilt. Even after the repair, the same problem happened again. This occurred around 62,000 miles and continued through 145,000 miles.

Your manual transmission unexpectedly slipped out of fifth gear and into neutral while you were driving at highway speeds (50-70 mph). A service bulletin was found addressing this issue, and Toyota rebuilt your transmission at a dealer. Toyota acknowledged knowing about this problem but determined it didn't affect enough vehicles to warrant a recall.

Your mother was involved in a fatal front-end crash, and you're concerned that either sudden unwanted acceleration or a brake failure may have caused the vehicle to hit at unexpectedly high speed. The damage to the engine was severe, and given her clean driving history, you suspect a mechanical issue rather than driver error. A thorough investigation of the brake system and accelerator controls would be needed to determine if either component malfunctioned.

Your vehicle's engine cradle and control arms are showing premature corrosion with unusually large holes developing in the steel components. This structural corrosion is affecting the suspension system's integrity and safety. The corroded parts will likely need to be replaced or reinforced to restore safe vehicle operation.

Your front passenger seat belt detached from the vehicle when you tried to fasten it, and your driver side seat belt doesn't adjust properly. Both issues are safety concerns that need immediate attention. The fix will likely involve replacing the seat belt hardware and/or the retractor mechanism.

Your car's ABS (anti-lock braking system) activated unexpectedly while you were driving at about 26 mph, which caused you to enter an intersection. This unintended ABS activation affected your ability to control braking as intended. The issue may involve the ABS sensor, pump, or control module and will likely require diagnostic testing to identify the root cause.

While driving at 60 mph, you heard a loud noise from the engine and your airbag warning light came on. The independent mechanic wasn't able to diagnose or fix the problem. The issue occurred at around 169,266 miles.

Your new Goodyear Tracker 2 tires developed dry rot and cracking between the treads after only 10,000 miles, despite being warranted for 50,000 miles. When you showed them to Walmart, the tire manager acknowledged seeing this problem frequently with these tires, but both Walmart and Goodyear refused to replace them. You believe this is a manufacturing defect that creates a safety risk. The tires may need to be replaced under warranty or recall if the manufacturer determines there's a widespread defect.

Your RAV4's battery developed white hard stains and became loose in its mounting bracket, causing it to shift and leak. A mechanic found a missing screw that was allowing the battery to move freely. The battery was replaced, but you should be aware this problem happened multiple times before being fixed.

Your check engine light stays on constantly, but multiple repair shops haven't been able to find an actual problem causing it. This could be a faulty oxygen sensor, thermostat sensor, or a wiring issue that's triggering the warning light incorrectly. A diagnostic scan and sensor replacement or wiring repair may be needed to resolve the issue.

Your check engine light has detected problems with how your engine is mixing fuel and air. Your code scanner shows errors P1130 and P1133, which point to the air-fuel ratio sensor needing replacement. This sensor helps your engine run efficiently by monitoring the right balance of fuel and air. Replacing the faulty sensor should resolve these error codes.