Toyota recalls nearly 1.9M RAV4s to fix batteries that can cause a fire

Re:Toyota recalls nearly 1.9M RAV4s to fix batteries that ca... by Gibbon1 on Thursday November 02, 2023 @12:53PM (#38116436)

I had a recall on my Ford Van. The hydraulically actuated brake switch used by the cruise control could crack and leak brake fluid into the electrical contacts. That would then start an electrical fire. That could happen when it was parked. The notice from Ford said not to park it in a garage until the issue was fixed.

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Re:Toyota recalls nearly 1.9M RAV4s to fix batteries that ca... by londons_explore on Thursday November 02, 2023 @02:05PM (#38117642)

Brake fluid isn't conductive... There must be more to the story...

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Re:Toyota recalls nearly 1.9M RAV4s to fix batteries that ca... by I_Am_Nous on Thursday November 02, 2023 @03:49PM (#38119018)

It is corrosive though, so perhaps it ate through something like a ground wire?

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Re:Toyota recalls nearly 1.9M RAV4s to fix batteries that ca... by londons_explore on Thursday November 02, 2023 @04:02PM (#38119239)

Ah yes - it dissolves paint and many plastics, so I could imagine some insulation was dissolved away... Although the most common wire insulations, PVC or XLPE, aren't impacted by it.

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Re:Toyota recalls nearly 1.9M RAV4s to fix batteries that ca... by Gibbon1 on Friday November 03, 2023 @02:40PM (#38133054)

You are correct. Brake fluid gets water and other stuff in it over time. That makes it conductive. The problem was the hot side of the switch was always live because it uses the same 12V source as the brake light switch. Which has to work when the car is off.

https://www.zehllaw.com/ford-cruise-control-recalls/

My experience with electrolytic corrosion is a track develops and it gets more and more conductive over time.

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