Toyota RAV4 Complaints (2017)

321 consumer complaints on file.

#11318706March 19, 2020
SEATS
DRIVER'S SIDE HEADREST RISES APPROX. 2-1/2 TO 3 INCHES FROM LOWEST POSITION DURING THE NORMAL COURSE OF DRIVING. I DO NOT ADJUST THE HEIGHT OF THE HEADREST, EVER, OTHER THAN TO CORRECT THIS UNUSUAL PHENOMENON. THIS HAPPENS CONSTANTLY AND REPEATEDLY IN AS LITTLE AS 10-15 MILES DRIVING OVER PAVED, SMOOTH ROADS WHILE DRIVING SPEEDS RANGING FROM 45-75MPH. HAS HAPPENED SPORADICALLY SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW, BUT HAPPENS REGULARLY AND CONSISTENTLY NOW. INTERESTINGLY, THIS SAME PHENOMENON HAS OCCURRED WITH OTHER TOYOTAS I PURCHASED NEW, NAMELY MY 2006 COROLLA AND 2008 COROLLA LE. NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEING A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE UNTIL I SAW IT RECURRING ON MY 2017 RAV4. DEALER IS EXPERIMENTING ON FIX BY REPLACING ADJUSTMENT BUTTONS ON BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS, AT MY EXPENSE (JUST RETURNED FROM LONG ROAD TRIP AND TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA AT 264 MILES PAST END OF 36K WARRANTY) BUT COULD NOT HAVE SERVICED ON THE ROAD. UNFORTUNATELY, DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND MAY INVOLVE MORE EXTENSIVE WORK (ALSO AT MY EXPENSE) IF BUTTON REPLACEMENT DOES NOT WORK.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11317639March 11, 2020
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020, I SMELLED SMOKE. I LOOKED AT THE TEMPERATURE ON THE DASHBOARD AND IT SHOWED THAT THE TEMPERATURE WAS A LITTLE BELOW THE MIDDLE LINE INDICATING THE VEHICLE WAS NOT HOT. I CONTINUED DRIVING FOR A COUPLE MORE BLOCKS AND CONTINUED TO SMELL SMOKE SO ATTEMPTED TO PULL OVER INTO A PARKING LOT. WHEN I TRIED TO PULL OVER, THE VEHICLE STOPPED ON ITS OWN SO I WAS HALF WAY BETWEEN THE STREET AND PARKING LOT. I SAW SMOKE COME OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. ABOUT TWO MINUTES LATER, FLAMES STARTED COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11315782March 3, 2020
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
DRIVERS SIDE DOOR LOCK STOPPED WORKING CAR ONLY HAS 37,000 AND IS 31 MONTHS OLD. DEALER WANTS $1000.00 TO REPAIR.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11315784March 3, 2020
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AUTO HIGH BEAMS STOPPED WORKING DEALER NEEDED TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT STALK ON STEERING WHEEL
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11309946February 18, 2020
AIR BAGS, STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT IN A LEFT HAND TURN LANE. A VEHICLE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ACCIDENTALLY DROVE HEAD FIRST INTO MY CAR. MY PASSENGER AND I HAD SEAT BELTS ON. THE APPROXIMATE SPEED OF THE OTHER CAR WAS GREATER THAN 10 MILES PER HOUR. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DESPITE CONSIDERABLE FRONT END DAMAGE. A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD SAYS "SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. VISIT YOUR DEALER". I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AIRBAGS WERE NOT DEFECTIVE. I HAVE READ THAT IF A VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND THE SEAT BELTS ARE ON IT MAY NOT ACTIVATE. THAT IS OK - JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IS THE INTENT.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11308957February 13, 2020
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
ABH (AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM) SYSTEM DISCONNECTS RANDOMLY AND SHUTS DOWN THE HEAD LIGHT HIGH BEAM. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE ABH INDICATOR ON THE DASH GOES DARK. ABH MAY OR MAY NOT COME BACK ON AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS. THIS HAPPENS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES OR LIGHTS AROUND. THIS IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE IS NO QUICK WAY TO GET THE HIGH BEAMS BACK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE CAR WAS ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11308368February 10, 2020
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER DAUGHTER WAS MAKING A TURN THE STEERING WHEEL CEASED AS WHITE SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AS FLAMES WERE SEEN COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE WITH NO INJURIES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUHISED THE FIRE. A FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT STATED WAS AWAITING INSPECTION BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER THE DEALERSHIP WAS MADE OF AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, HOWEVER NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11308039February 9, 2020
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED TOOK TO DEALER THEY SAID IT WAS A PRESSURE CRACK HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH MY WIPER BLADES JUMPING/CHIRPING! ALSO HAVING AN ISSUE WITH TRANSMISSION SLIPPING FROM TIME TO TIME! BREAKS BEEN REPLACED AND STILL HAVE A SQUEAL AND NOT WANTING TO STOP SOMETIMES HAVE TO PUSH PETAL TO FLOOR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11299082January 13, 2020
VISIBILITY/WIPER
BOTH IN MOTION/STATIONARY. WINDSHIELD AND RT. FRONT DOOR GLASS SHOW SIGNS OF DELIMITATION AS SEEN BY LOCAL GLASS REPAIR AND TINTING COMPANIES. BOTH BELIEVE THE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT WILL BECOME WORSE AS THE POLYVINYLBUTARETE GLUE SECTIONS BECOME CONNECTED IN A GROWING "SPIDER WEB" ARRAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE GLASS. ANY SUNLIGHT AT A 30 DEGREE ANGLE TO SOUTH TRAVEL CAUSES CONFUSION AS THE PHOTONS HIT THE GLUE AND REFLECT THE LIGHT. LOCAL GLASS TECH CALLS THESE "STARS".
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11297246January 5, 2020
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
THE HALOGEN BULBS IN THE RAV4 LE ARE SUBSTANDARD AND PRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD. AFTER A DEALER UPGRADE TO SOME BRIGHTER BULBS, THERE IS STILL VERY LITTLE SPILL TO THE SIDES OF THE ROAD. THIS PREVENTS ME FROM SEEING POTENTIAL HAZARDS LIKE DEER WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL NEAR MISSES WITH ANIMALS AND EVEN ONE WITH A PEDESTRIAN INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS BECAUSE I SIMPLY COULDN'T SEE THEM. HEADLIGHT AIM HAS BEEN VERIFIED AS CORRECT SO THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE EITHER. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WAITING TO HAPPEN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11290777December 22, 2019
AIR BAGS, SERVICE BRAKES, WHEELS
THE AIRBAGS ARE OFF AND I CANT TURN IT ON, EVERY WEEK TURN IT ON THE LIGTH FLAT TIRE AND THE TIRE ARE GOOD INCLUIDING EXTRA TIRE, AND MY BRAKES ARE DOING A EXTRANGE NOISE I CHECKED THE BRAKES AND ARE GOOD.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11290446December 21, 2019
TIRES, WHEELS
I WAS DRIVING ON I 10 SOUTHBOUND WITH MY TWO DISABLED CHILDREN. MY FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT THE SIDEWALL IN 1-2 INCH CHUNKS. IT SOUNDED LIKE MACHINE GUN FIRE. I HAD TO SAFELY COAST TO THE SHOULDER HOLDING MY STEERING WHEEL FIRMLY AND PUTTING MY CAR IN NEUTRAL. I HAD AIR CHECKS AND BALANCING REGULARLY. I KEEP MY CAR IN A GARAGE WITH LOW MILEAGE. DISCOUNT TIRES CHECKED MY TIRES ON THREE OCCASSIONS AND TOLD ME TO GO TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR HELP. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS RUDE AND DISMISSED MY CONCERNS COMPLETELY MAKING IT SOUND LIKE MY TIRES WERE WEARING AT A NORMAL RATE, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. I ASKED THEM TO HELP ME REACH OUT TO THE TIRE MANUFACTURER AND/OR HELP ME DETERMINE IF MY NEW RAV4 CAME TO ME WITH IT'S ORIGINAL TIRES OFF THE LOT. THEY DISMISSED ME AND I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO TOYOTA TO PURCHASE A NEW CAR AGAIN. BEWARE, ONCE THEY HAVE YOUR MONEY, IT SEEMS THEY NO LONGER CARE ABOUT YOU AFTER THE INITIAL SALE. I AM UNCERTAIN IF THIS IS THE CASE WITH ALL TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS, OR JUST OURS IN TUCSON, AZ, BUT PLEASE, BUYERS BEWARE! THEY ENDANGERED ME AND MY CHILDREN AND REFUSED TO ADMIT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS PROBLEM. THE ROAD I TRAVELLED WAS SMOOTH, I WAS TRAVELING AT 65MPH, AND I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING IN THE ROAD. MY SPINE IS A WRECK FROM THE JARRING... LEGS ARE BRUISED UP, TOO. THANKFULLY A STATE TROOPER ASSISTED US. STATE FARM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS ABSOLUTELY BOTCHED UP BY THEIR AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND DISPATCHED TO SOMEWHERE IN PHOENIX. SO GRATEFUL FOR THE STATE TROOPER AND DISCOUNT TIRES FOR THEIR CARE. TOYOTA NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE AND THE TERRIBLE TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM. MY LAST TIRES LASTED TO 60,000 MILES. NO REASON I SHOULD HAVE HAD TO CHANGE ALL 4 TIRES ON A NEW VEHICLE AT 19,000-20,000 MILES. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE HAS BEEN A SAFETY RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. TOYOTA SHOULD PAY FOR MY TIRES.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11289064December 14, 2019
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
TRANSMISSION TORQUE CONVERTER SHUDDER AND SHIFT HESITATION - SHUDDERS BETWEEN GEARS, OCCURS BETWEEN ANY TWO GEARS BUT MOSTLY WITHIN THE 20-55 MPH RANGE. BEGUN MOST NOTICEABLY AT ~90K, VEHICLE NOW HAS 103K ON IT AND SHUDDER CONTINUES TO WORSEN AND BECOME MORE FREQUENT. BROUGHT IT BACK TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES NOW AND THEY HAVE ADVISED MOST LIKELY TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (APPROX $3-$4K REPAIR). SAME PROBLEM AS THE GENERATION BEFORE WHERE TOYOTA EVENTUALLY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVER FOR: HTTPS://WWW.TOYOHEADQUARTERS.COM/THREADS/2013-2015-TOYOTA-RAV4-TRANSMISSION-SHUDDER-WARRANTY-EXTENSION-ZH1.1148/PAGE-2
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11287688December 7, 2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
VEHICLE DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS ON A CITY STREET.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11280163November 14, 2019
POWER TRAIN
2017 TOYOTA RAV4 TRANSMISSION GIVES UP AT 100K MILES.THE TOYOTA DEALER ASK ME TO $6000 FOR REPAIR.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11278713November 7, 2019
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAMS (AHB) MALFUNCTION. WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT THE AHB SYSTEMS OCCASIONALLY (EVERY ~10 MINUTES LATELY) SHUTS DOWN AND THE GREEN "AUTO HIGH BEAM" INDICATOR GOES OFF - RESULTING IN TOTAL LOSS OF HIGH BEAMS IN ALL AMBIENT CONDITIONS. THIS USUALLY LASTS ABOUT A MINUTE AND THEN THE SYSTEMS RECOVERS. THERE ARE MANY CASES OF THIS REPORTED ON THE INTERNET - WHICH CAN BE FOUND BY GOOGLING "TOYOTA AUTO HIGH BEAMS MALFUNCTION". THE ISSUE SEEMS TO AFFECT ALL TOYOTA AND LEXUS VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN THE LAST ~3 YEARS AND EQUIPPED WITH AHB. LEXUS OWNERS SEEM TO BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY FIX THIS UNDER WARRANTY BY THEIR DEALERS - THE FIX IS CLEANING THE CAMERA LENS AND THE WINDSHIELD IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. UNFORTUNATELY IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THIS ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA. I HAD TWO DEALER VISITS AND TWO CALLS WITH TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE - EACH TIME THEY JUST TRY TO CONVINCE ME THAT "I AM USING IT WRONG". BY THE WAY I HAVE A VIDEO OF THIS HAPPENING AND SHOWED IT MY DEALER BUT WAS DENIED WARRANTY SERVICE NEVERTHELESS. A SIMILAR VIDEO AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE - JUST SEARCH FOR "A_32T4QTX4M" THERE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11277111October 30, 2019
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
AUTO DIM HEADLIGHTS WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO IT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR MANY MONTHS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11259053September 30, 2019
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE PEDAL TRAVELED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT BRAKE IN A TIMELY MANNER. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. WHILE DRIVING 30 OR 50 MPH, THE RPMS ABRUPTLY INCREASED WITHOUT WARNING, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO JERK AND SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HUDSON TOYOTA (599 NJ-440, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07305, 201-713-5508) AND PAID TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER INFORMED HIM THAT THE FRONT BRAKE PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE REAR BRAKE PADS NEEDED TO BE CLEANED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURES CONTINUED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ROUTE 22 TOYOTA (109 US-22, HILLSIDE, NJ 07205, 973-287-4741) WHERE THEY DID NOT HONOR HIS EXTENDED WARRANTY AND ATTEMPTED TO CHARGE $250 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 17,500.*BF CONTACT STATED ENGINE CONTROL WAS REPLACED AND TRANSMISSION FAILURE WAS REPAIRED.*JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11253450September 5, 2019
VISIBILITY/WIPER
WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I HEARD A LOUD BOOM. THEN, I COULD HEAR WIND THROUGH THE INSIDE COVER. THERE ARE PIECES OF BROKEN GLASS ABOVE THE INSIDE COVER. I HAD THE INSIDE COVER CLOSED WHILE DRIVING, SO THE GLASS DID NOT ENTER THE CABIN. REVIEW OF MY DASH CAM FOOTAGE DID NOT SHOW ANY VISIBLE DEBRIS OR ROCKS THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED IT. IT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION AND NOT A CRACK.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11245340August 20, 2019
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. IN ADDITION, THE TRACTION CONTROL AND CHARGING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND WAS TAKEN TO TOYOTA OF HOLLYWOOD (6000 HOLLYWOOD BLVD, HOLLYWOOD CA, 323-498-2260) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE RESULTS WERE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,220.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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