Toyota RAV4 Complaints

921 consumer complaints on file.

#11690178September 28, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Had to have my 2024 Toyota RAV 4 towed for a second time in 2 month after driving in heavy rain. During the first instance, I drove less than 10 miles on the highway in very heavy rain. Arrived at my destination, put the car in park and the engine and RPM meter started pulsating, revving feeling as if the car were going to stall. Turned the engine off, had the vehicle towed to the dealership who found "no issues" with the car. Again on September 23, 2025, I drove through a heavy rain storm, arrived a my destination and again the engine/RPM were pulsating/revving. An hour later when I went to leave (in no rain), started the vehicle and the engine began to sputter, all warning lights on the dash board went on including in part "Parking Support Brake Malfunction Visit Your Dealer", "Pre-Collision System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer" and "Engine Stopped Steering Power Low", and the engine sputtered and shut off. Had the vehicle towed to another dealership where it has been for 5 days with the technician telling me he cannot replicate the issue. This is a serious problem for a new vehicle with 17k miles. Not only is this is a safety risk due to vehicle failure/shut down, it is a serious defect in a product that I paid $40,000 for. Please do all that can be done to force Toyota to fix this issue, as it appears based on review of similar complaints on this website that this is happening quite a lot. Separately, it is more than concerning that total engine failure does not generate codes sufficient for Toyota technicians to diagnose such a fatal problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690029September 26, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Stopped to allow a car to pass. Once the car passed, there was acceleration of the engine but the car would not move. When the car gear was changed to park and then back to drive, it would not move. In order to get the car out of the traffic lane, the car was placed in neutral but the car brakes were locked. All this time the red 'park' on the dash and the red button on the console kept flashing. We called AAA and they arrived in 40 minutes. The man got in the car and stated they sometimes reset themselves. The car did start and he was able to drive it as the brakes were no longer locked. We took it to Toyota of Orange but they were unable to find the cause. They stated that they elevated this incident to a test case. TA252650358 This car only has 2,689 miles on it !!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689957September 26, 2025
AIR BAGS
I received notice of the recall for front passenger seat airbag sensors in Dec 2023, with assurances that it would be fixed by a certain quarter, which kept getting pushed out for almost 2 years now. I haven't received any further updates in the mail or email and had to call the dealer and Toyota directly to get any updates or info. They finally had an update that the remedy fix would happen in phases. I'm in CA and the last phase 8 which is estimated for Jan 2026. I do not have confidence that the fix will happen by then as these dates have continuously been delayed for 2 years. We've been driving our cars with a potentially unsafe situation for a long time. How will we as consumers really know when our car can be fixed?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689909September 26, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Hood vibration/fluttering at 40 speed and more at highway speeds, visible shaking even when closed. I took my car to dealer but they said no recalls. No help me with the car issues. That vibration distracted me and made me feel not safety as well as my passengers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689587September 24, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving, I heard a loud noise on roof of car. The sunroof/moonroof spontaneously shattered, pieces of glass around edge came loose and flew off and part of the frame dislodged. No cars around that could have thrown something up on top of car to cause this. I took to Toyota dealer and they said it was not under warranty and refused to cover. I filed a claim with AAA insurance and they don’t think they can cover because, according to their assessor, it appears to be a defect with no single point of contact to cause the shatter. As is, the car is not safe to drive for fear of glass completely breaking and flying off, as well as there being no protection from the roof, as the sunroof/moonroof critical to the integrity of the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689159September 23, 2025
AIR BAGS
On 9/20, I started receiving a dashboard notification alerting me of an airbag system failure (see photo) - that was unable to be dismissed for longer than 15-20 seconds obstructing my odometer, speedometer and gas meter. On 9/23, I had an appointment and was informed my car needed a “clock spring assy”. My car is not driven frequently and not even four years old yet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688915September 22, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased a new 2023 Toyota RAV4 in March 2023, which is covered by Toyota’s 36-month/36,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty. In August 2025, while the vehicle was still within warranty, a malfunction warning appeared for the pre-collision system and Road Sign Assist. The Toyota dealership diagnosed an internal failure of the forward recognition camera (DTC C1A95:00 — image processing module malfunction) and recommended replacement and calibration at a cost of approximately $2,300. Toyota denied warranty coverage despite the failure being internal to the part and occurring within the warranty period. I am seeking reimbursement for repair costs that should be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688800September 22, 2025
AIR BAGS
1.Airbag did not deploy but it did pop up from steringwheel and there is powder present. 2. Service at the dealership told me based on description that it is airbag failure and that there is no recalls for such on my car. 3.The vehicle is seating at the wrecker yard. UNKNOWN what if any inspections have been done. 4.No warning lights prior
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11688734September 21, 2025
AIR BAGS
The manufacturer has failed to provide a remedy in a timely manner. Toyota said a remedy would be ready October 2024. A year later, and there's no fix and no update to the remedy status.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688113September 18, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I have a carbon monoxide leak going on since I bought this vehicle. I have been complaining about noises I have been hearing from the drive train and got a diagnosis from the same dealer with well over 1k worth of work. This has caused me a lot of lost money since I have been from dr to dr and back and forth with the dealership and now I tested for carbon monoxide and it’s leaking into my vehicle the dealer keeps telling me it’s fine it need a tune up or evap system clean. I am not able to drive this car safely and I have permanent brain damages from the carbon monoxide gas
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687931September 17, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Unintended/unwanted sudden acceleration - we are aware of this happening 5 times while I was driving, all times coasting to proceed into a turn. (I DO NOT DRIVE WITH 2 FEET). In each instance, while coasting my right foot covered (above) the brake pedal. BOTH feet were off the gas and brake pedal. Tachometer suddenly and rapidly spiked and car appeared/sounded like it would surge forward. In hopes of avoiding this sudden surge forward, I quickly put car in neutral and applied brake. Car slows and tachometer returns to normal. Brought to dealer, they stated from black box inspection that I was applying brake and gas simultaneously. THIS IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME; as I demonstrated to folks at dealer I physically cannot do this without causing the arthritic pain in my ankle/foot to rise to a very noticeable level. The pain would be prolonged while doing what they claimed I was doing. I vehemently deny their explanation for these occurrences. No accidents occurred, nobody was injured (in these incidents). Obviously those in my car and others near my vehicle on the road should this happen again could be injured. No warning lights, messages etc were displayed. Sporadic occurrences. Purchased vehicle July 11,2025, first occurrence (I noticed) at July 31, 2025. Dealer stated their case is closed on this as of 9/04/25. Today 9/17/25 another occurrence happened. Car is available for inspection upon request.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687825September 17, 2025
SEATS
My driver seat suddenly stopped working correctly when trying to move the seat forward or backward. It would make this lagging noise and feel like it was jumping. We had to keep the seat in the position that would be safe for me to sit in and operate the car effectively, but needed to get it fixed because my partner could not sit in the same position and operate the vehicle safely from that position. Took my car to the dealership and they found the track on the right side of the seat was inoperable and the whole bottom frame needed to be replaced. The tech could not produce a reason why this happened, simply saying it gave out. No messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. It happened quickly, one day it was working fine and the next it failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687272September 15, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that upon leaving the keys in the ignition overnight, the battery was drained. The contact stated that the jumper cables were in a compartment located inside the trunk. The contact stated that due to the battery failure, the contact was unable to unlock the vehicle. In addition, there was no keyhole for the trunk of the vehicle. The contact entered the trunk through the inside of the vehicle; however, the compartment where the jumper cables were located had failed to open due to the battery failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687049September 13, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Back up camera delay in lighting up when car is started
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11686648September 11, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1. My vehicle had a hybrid warnings and stopped running altogether, but the issue went away after clearing the codes. It came back at 105000mi, Toyota won't help with the $6000 repair. High Voltage Under Floor Cable and Traction Motor Cable on my vehicle (2021 Hybrid Rav4 XLE registered in Massachusetts) is affected by excessive and dangerous corrosion due to a Toyota design issue. 2. The vehicle could suddenly shut off at highway speeds per Matt with Service at Autofair Toyota Tewksbury. Sudden stoppage or deceleration may result in fatal collisions at speed. This failure also leads to fatally high-voltage energizing of the chassis and other frame components in some cases. 3. This is a known design flaw on Toyota hybrid, high-voltage cables/connectors, leading to excessive corrosion and dangerous failure of the hybrid system. There is an extended Toyota customer support program (CSP: 22TE09) valid through 8 years or 100000mi. I purchased the vehicle at 92,000mi but the dealership (CarFive Nashua, NH) and Toyota failed to inform me of this issue (a standard procedure per the CSP) so I could make an informed decision and perform preventative maintenance. Toyota did send me notice of an airbag recall after purchase, so I know they had my information. Now they have left me without options at 105000mi. 4. Yes. It has been inspected and the high voltage cable corrosion confirmed by Autofair Toyota Tewksbury (MA). Image from diagnosis video attached. 5. Warning messages in OBD2 screenshot attached. 6. I'm looking for Toyota to cover the repair for this issue; I've had to repair a valve head gasket and replace the AC system condenser already and this car is barely 4 years old.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11686293September 10, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving yesterday when we suddenly heard a pop on the roof. We pulled over and noticed that the sunroof was broken, with the glass sticking outward, as if something from the inside had exploded outward. The dealership would not take ownership of the damage, therefore i had to use my insurance. upon inspection I was told that it was pressure from inside the vehicle that caused it to explode and that they have seen it before in Toyota RAV 4 models
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11686267September 10, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure related to the recall. The manufacturer was not contacted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11686130September 9, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AC drainage system easily clogs and creates undetectable leaks on the interior of the car that create flooding in the car and mold growth at least a month before visible water collection and smell. This is widespread across Toyota vehicles and my dealership reports at least 4 cars a month with this issue which is a high occurrence. This issue is undetectable and is a major health concern for passengers causing a major safety risk, especially since undetected. There is documentation of this issue across Toyota models and Lexus models
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685893September 9, 2025
AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On 9/5, a car darted out in front of me while I was traveling straight at 45 miles per hour. I hit the brakes but t-boned him. The car then spins around and hits me again on the passenger quarter panel. No emergency brake, precollision no warning light came on. The airbag didnt deploy. I hit my chest on the steering while and my head on the window. The seat belt didnt lock me down. I purchased the brand new Rav4 a week prior.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11685598September 7, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While starting my rav4 prime, the instrument panel (gas gauge, speedometer, battery life, etc) went black. Took it to 3 different Toyota dealers; 2 sent me away and the 3rd said I can’t drive the car anymore. Service tech said it’s the 3rd one he’s seen with the instrument cluster black in the last year! They’re still running official diagnostics on it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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