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2018 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

crash1 injured · 1561495 · 2019-04-26

Vehicle

Make
TOYOTA
Model
RAV4 HYBRID
Year
2018
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Corporation
Component
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Miles at failure
6,300
Speed
5 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT. IT WAS SLOPED BACKWARD. THE CAR WAS STOPPED COMPLETELY, AND SILENT. I WAS DISTRACTED BY A MINOR TASK, AND THEN EXITED THE CAR, INADVERTENTLY WITH THE POWER ON AND THE TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE, NOT PARK. WHEN I NOTICED THAT I COULD NOT LOCK THE CAR, AND REALIZED THAT THE CAR WAS STILL ENERGIZED, I REACHED OVER AND PRESSED THE ON BUTTON TO TURN-OFF THE CAR-- WHICH IT DID. AT WHICH POINT THE CARD IMMEDIATELY HEADED BACKWARDS, DOWNHILL, CROSSED A STREET WHILE I WAS TRYING TO SLOW THE CAR FROM OUTSIDE THE DRIVERS DOOR, AND FINALLY HIT A LAMP POST AND STOPPED WITH DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER. I TRIED TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE, WITH THE SAME RESULT: THE CAR CAN APPEAR TO BE OFF AND IN PARK, WHEN ON AN UPWARD SLOPE, BUT WITH THE CAR ACTUALLY ENERGIZED AND IN DRIVE. AND THERE IS NOTHING TO PREVENT ONE FROM TURNING OFF THE CAR, AT WHICH POINT THERE IS NOTHING TO KEEP THE CAR FROM ROLLING BACKWARD. AS A COMPARISON, A COLLEAGUE HAD A CHRYSLER PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID, WE TRIED THE SAME AND THE CAR WILL DEMAND TO BE PUT INTO PARK BEFORE RE-ENERGIZING. THUS, THIS SEEMS TO BE A TOYOTA-SPECIFIC HAZARD. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT NO OTHER CARS WERE INVOLVED. I TWISTED MY KNEE TRYING DESPERATELY TO KEEP THE CAR FROM ROLLING-AWAY, BUT THE STRAIN WAS NOT NOTICEABLE BY THE NEXT DAY.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11204012
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown