2007 Toyota RAV4 Electrical System

ELECTRICAL FIRE STARTING INSIDE MASTER WINDOW CONTROL SWITCH. I WAS CLEANING MY CAR WITH THE IGNITION ON BATTERY POWER (IN ORDER TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO). AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES I NOTICED A BURNT PLASTIC SMELL, CONSIDERABLE SMOKE POURING OUT OF THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND A SMALL TONGUE OF FLAME FROM THE SAME PLACE. THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE WAS (LATER FOUND TO BE) THE WHITE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW MASTER CONTROL, WHERE THE PHYSICAL WINDOW SWITCH MEETS THE CIRCUIT BOARD. I WAS NOT TOUCHING ANY WINDOW OR OTHER CONTROLS AT THE TIME OR WITHIN 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE FIRE. THE FIRE STOPPED RAPIDLY AFTER I TOOK THE KEYS OUT OF THE IGNITION, DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY CABLES, POPPED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH ASSEMBLY WITH A SCREWDRIVER AND THEN SMOTHERED THE CONTROLS WITH A WET TOWEL. ALL THE VEHICLE'S WINDOWS WERE INOPERABLE AFTER THAT. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY PERFORMED AN INSPECTION AND REPORTED THAT THEY WERE 'MYSTIFIED' AS TO THE CAUSE. THE SERVICE MANAGER'S WORDS WERE: 'I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN MY 25 YEARS WORKING ON CARS.' THE PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE MASTER SWITCH ASSEMBLY AND COST $422 TO REPLACE. TOYOTA REFUSED TO PAY FOR THIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA RAV-4. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND RECEIVED A JUMP START. AFTER RECEIVING THE JUMP START AND DRIVING 15 MPH, THE POWER STEERING LOCKED AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT BEGAN TO SPORADICALLY ILLUMINATE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE BATTERY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY OF A RECURRING FAILURE IF DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE POTENTIAL OF A CRASH. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

I PURCHASED MY 2007 RAV4 USED IN EARLY 2008. IT HAS THE FACTORY INSTALLED PREMIUM JBL 6-DISC STEREO. SINCE THE DAY THAT I HAVE OWNED IT, I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH RADIO RECEPTION. THE RADIO'S DISPLAY WAS ALSO MALFUNCTIONING, SO THE DEALER REPLACED THAT, BUT I STILL HAVE POOR RECEPTION. THE RECEPTION IS FINE IF I AM WITHIN ABOUT 5 MILES OF A RADIO TOWER, BUT JUST OUTSIDE OF CITY LIMITS, I EITHER GET STATIC OR THE SIGNAL IS LOST COMPLETELY. WHEN I HAD THE DISPLAY REPLACED, I TOLD THE DEALERSHIP (BILL PENNEY TOYOTA, HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA) ABOUT THE POOR RECEPTION, BUT THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *TR

2007 RAV4 LTD V6 - ALARM SYSTEM THAT KILLS ENGINE -- MALFUNCTIONED. SHORT IN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BETWEEN ALARM SYSTEM AND BATTERY. DEALER SUPPOSEDLY FIXED, BUT I HEAR A BUZZ NOISE LIKE A WIRE SHORTING OUT AND THE ONE BEEP THE ALARM SYSTEM IS TO MAKE WHEN LOCKING CAR DOESN'T BEEP. SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED 2 X AND LAST TIME WAS LEAVING AIRPORT AT MIDNIGHT. LUCKILY PULLED OFF INTERSTATE. CAR DIED. COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE. CAR HORN CONTINUOUSLY BEEPED WHEN MALFUNCTIONING - WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO BE CAR JACKED BY SOMEONE WHO THOUGHT I WAS INTENTIONALLY DOING THE BEEPING OR IT COULD HAVE KILLED THE ENGINE WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE. DEALER SAID PROBLEM WAS BATTERY THEN SAID SHORT BETWEEN BATTERY AND ALARM SYSTEM. SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT BUT IT APPEARS THAT IT'S STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY 2 WEEKS LATER SO TAKING BACK TO DEALER TODAY. *TR

LEADS TO BATTERY WERE COLORED WRONG. THE POSITIVE LEAD WAS PAINTED BLACK AND THE NEGATIVE LEAD WAS PAINTED RED. WHEN I JUMP-STARTED THE CAR I PUT THE BATTERY CABLES TO THE ASSOCIATED COLORS. IT WAS CONNECTED FOR ABOUT 1 MINUTE WHEN I NOTICED SOMETHING SMOKING. AFTER I FOUND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS I CORRECTED THE CONNECTION AND STARTED THE CAR. THE CAR WOULD ONLY IDLE DUE TO A BLOWN FUSE, WHICH THE CAR DEALERSHIP HAD TO FIND. *TR