Toyota RAV4 Complaints

921 consumer complaints on file.

#11523074May 21, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving on I-91 in stop-and-go traffic when, all of a sudden, my RAV4 stalled. A warning chime sounded and the battery light, check engine light, and power steering light all illuminated. In the 4.2 inch screen in the gauge cluster, the following message displayed: "Steering Power Low"..."Shift to P". A second message displayed and said: "Engine Stopped"..."Shift to P". I attempted to restart the vehicle up to 8 times and it finally restarted. I quickly drove the car to the shoulder and out of the way of traffic. There were three of us in the car (myself and my two kids) and we almost got hit two times because visibility was poor due to rainy conditions and mist from passing cars. Throughout all this, I had the Auto Start/Stop feature disabled, so the car should not have shut off on its own. We had to get the car towed because we were worried that the problem would reoccur. We hope the problem could be rectified by our local Toyota dealer, because we do not want to drive it again in fear of the problem reoccurring while on the roadway. We are reporting this to bring awareness to this issue, and to make sure nobody else will have to face this situation and potentially be put in harm's way. (The attached photo is a general picture from somebody else, but my car had the same EXACT warning lights and messages. We could not take a picture because we were focusing on trying to get the car to turn on and move it to the shoulder by any means possible).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520009May 2, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Panoramic sunroof. First one is fine, back one exploded. All around the edges is a very distinct crack in a connected line. There was minimal traffic, and I was the only other vehicle on the interstate with a good 4 car length between me and the next car which was 2 lanes over. I didn’t see or hear anything other than the “gunshot” sounding explosion. No wind or hail or anything, skies were clear, I was going about 60 on the interstate. It freaked me out. Luckily, I did not swerve or change my driving (slam on brakes etc), but with another person driving, this could have caused an accident. Toyota claims it was a piece of debris or rock that hit it so they say it is not under warranty. $14k repair price which is almost a quarter of what I am paying for the vehicle. Waiting to see if my insurance covers it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11518522April 23, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have a 2021 Rav4 gas LE. I bought it new in May 2021 and have 38,000 miles on it. I was casually driving the car going 30-40mph when the car dashboard lit up. The first notification I got was on the screen display saying a malfunction in the charging system was detected and to stop in a safe location. Next, all my dashboard lights turned on (tire pressure, traction control, check engine, ABS, brake, battery light, etc.) and got the following messages on the dashboard: - parking brake malfunction - pre collision malfunction - brake power low - stop in a safe place - secondary collision brake system malfunction - antilock brake system malfunction voltage ability - Voltage abnormality - steering power low And then finally, the “engine stopped” message when the emergency brakes engaged on their own while I was slowing down at a red light. Before this, I never got any warning lights or messages. I tried to get the car towed since jump starting the car didn’t work. The emergency brakes would not disengage in neutral. I had to call a tow truck. I took the car to the Toyota dealership. They said it was the battery and replaced it, but when I went to pick it up, the dashboard lights still wouldn’t go away even after resetting. The power locks still don’t work when the car is off and my key fob to unlock/lock also still doesn’t work. The display screen still isn’t turning on and the usb plugs in the car also aren’t drawing any power. The headlights and interior lights also don’t work. They said it’s an electrical problem but quoted me $520 to diagnose the problem ONLY since the car is now out of the 3 years/36k miles basic warranty. I have had this car less than two years and has 38k miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11518515April 23, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While traveling on highway with adaptive cruise control engaged and maximum following distance selected, adaptive cruise control applies excessive braking force than necessary when vehicle in front exits highway. Safety concern because following vehicles must abruptly apply brakes. Dealership or police have not inspected vehicle. No visual or audio warnings. Internet search reveals numerous, similar complaints.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11518482April 22, 2023
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased the car last July. Up to December, the car performed fine. Starting in December when I used the car heater repeatedly due to subzero temperatures, I noticed a burning smell coming from the vents. I was afraid that the engine or car would catch fire. I called the Tansky Toyota dealership and was told to bring the car in. They checked the car and I was told the smell was identified as engine coating which is burning off and it may take up to 4-6 month for the smell to go away. When I asked about the effects of the burning smell on my health, the assigned service adviser told me that “if Toyota put it there, it is fine’. In February, the smell in the enclosed car cabin got so bad that I felt nauseous, my eyes were burning, and I had metallic after taste in my mouth. When I took my car to the Tansky dealership, I was told that what I am smelling is a new car smell. Just to prove it, the assigned service advisor asked random dealership employees to sit in my car and to confirm that the car has a so called “new car smell”. When I asked if they could do something about the smell I was told to take the car to an independent car shop. The dealership was dismissive of my concerns. I had new cars before and none of them produced the so called “new car smell” when I used the heater. I contacted Toyota and requested an independent inspection. The inspection was scheduled at the same dealership and when I received the report, it basically said that the inspector could not duplicate the problem so my concern was dismissed. Unfortunately, during independent inspection, my car was not tested in subzero temperature to replicate the problem. My main concern is the effect of the burning chemicals on my health and possibly ability to operate the car safely. No one was able to tell me what kind of chemicals are in the engine coating. At the time of purchase, I was not told that the car has engine coating which will gradually burn off via heater vent into the cabin.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11518271April 21, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I paid for option on my vehicle but it was not installed in the factory. The software shows to be installed on my car. I alerted the sales person numerous times. I told the car had to be moving faster than 40 miles per hour to activate the pre- collision system and it still doesn’t work. This safety issue of the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11516722April 12, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Toyota (and Toyota of Boardman) is purposely overstating fuel capacity on their vehicles. So this is unsafe as drivers don’t the actual amount of gas before the run out and could lead to unexpected stops. This makes it impossible to determine the actual amount of gasoline used, which would also then make it impossible to know the total amount of air pollutants their cars omit. This could easily mean that Toyota is over stating their EPA estimated miles per gallon, the document attach shows that Toyota is aware that their gas tanks have known engineering defects however, they will only address the issue if a user owns a 2019 through 2021 model (RAV4 Hybrid). Also, they said they will only address the problem if the person cannot put more than 9.8 gallons that would mean that they will only address this issue if over 32% of the gas tank is unusable. If I would of known the truth I would have reconsidered buying my 2022 Toyota RAV4 XSE Hybrid.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11516445April 11, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Glass sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515720April 6, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Was driving and made a stop at the stop sign. Vehicle stalled, got a message that the engine had shut off. Would not restart in the middle of an intersection. Engine would not turn over after stall.. Dealer was unable to replicate issue but said that the computer had thrown codes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515666April 5, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, AIR BAGS
While accelerating ~6ft from a complete stop, a minor collision occurred affecting the front right headlight. The air-bags did not activate and the engine compartment was immediately on fire. Within ~1minute, the fire had spread to and completely engulfed the passenger compartment. The contents were immediately destroyed. The speed with which the fire spread through the vehicle was a significant risk to my life and the motorists around me. There were no warning lights on the dashboard prior to the incident, and the car had never before experienced an accident. Witnesses and firefighters estimated that any fire barrier between the engine and passenger compartments had failed, and that a fire of that severity from such a minor accident indicated some fault with the vehicle. The vehicle was an immediate total loss as inspected by our insurer.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515031April 2, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
Somebody just hit my car and left. My car was parked in my community.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514777March 31, 2023
TIRES:SIDEWALL
Tire size:225 65/17 While driving the side of a brand new tire blew out. We had three passengers in the vehicle that could have been in danger if we were going at a greater speed. We took the new tire in and was told by the auto shop that it could not be repaired. We had to purchase a new one and I have the invoice. I try to resolve this with Firestone but according to them, the tire was not under warranty. The new tire only had 5000 miles and it is a tread of at least 60,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514109March 27, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
While driving to friends house, the collision warning popped on screen 1 or 2x but no vehicle was close to front of the car. When I turned into driveway and pulled onto yard to park the collision warning went off and red screen flased and I tried to brake but brakes would not depress. The car suddenly lurched forward quickly and I tried to steer away but it slammed into a line of cars with great force. I crashed into the parked car in front of me with such force it pushed a line of 4 cars. I had mild issues after crash: Whiplash, neck pain, head pain, and soreness. The RAV-4 had passed inspection with the dealer with no issues, The car had less than 15K miles driven. The collision warning lights seemed to start to have issues the day of the crash; approximately 15 min before the crash. Post-note for 3/27/2023 - we picked up from the collision repair and the car and the collision control was still flashing in error - and will be taken back to Toyota dealer on 3/28/2023 to have them read the computer. Other similar incidents have been reported for 2021 RAV-4 - and a similar recall went out for Toyota Prius we found after the crash.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11513187March 22, 2023
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
At 2:05 pm on March 21, 2023 my car suddenly lurched forward and to the left as I was pulling into a parallel parking place. The vehicle was operating in electric mode on "ECO" with the the gearshift in "D" at the time, but I heard the starter motor kick in and the engine rev up simultaneous with the sudden lurching. The lurching was so fast that it threw my head against the head rest. The vehicle jumped an 8 inch concrete curb leaving a skid mark on the right side and traveled 10-12 feet across a side walk and into dirt landscaping. Upon slamming on the brake, the car came to rest and the engine died. There were no prior incidents. The odometer read 4648 at time of incident. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer or police. No injury to the driver or pedestrians occurred.The incident has not recurred since yesterday's incident. After the incident, the tire pressure indicator light appeared on the dashboard. The weather at time of the incident was 72 degrees and cloudy. The vehicle had just completed a short 1 mile drive at low speed. There were no electrical transformers nearby but a ReSound GN hearing aid recharge battery case was sitting on the passenger seat at the time of the incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11512952March 21, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid XLE Premium. Purchased new from the dealer. It currently has 75,000 miles (predominantly highway). Condition: The Braking mechanisms behind the firewall intermittently make a noise when the brake pedal is pressed fast (emergency) and/or released. It sounds like a seal barking when the pedal is moving either up or down. These are not your typical noises from a pad or rotor wear. Cause: At approximately 28,000 miles, the seal barking sound was there but very faint. As I added miles the sound became more frequent and louder. I did take it to the dealer who was not able to help. Environment: This seal barking sound can happen at any time and any condition, but is almost always going to happen when I want to avoid hitting an object that suddenly appears in my lane of travel and must brake quickly. Research: I’ve researched several Toyota and Lexus owner forums and found that other owners have the same issue. They described the sound as “seal barking” or “farting” (sorry for the wording, but that is what was used in the forums). Other forum members stated that it could possibly be tied to the master cylinder, brake actuator pump or ABS Brake Pump Booster (or all of them). Conclusion: I’m very concerned because this noise happens when brake components are activated and then may lead to failure. Please let me know if you need more information or an audio recording of the condition.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11512774March 20, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, POWER TRAIN
No incident occurred. Received Customer Notification . Not sure if this should be a recall and how big of a problem it could cause
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508350February 21, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I purchased car in 12/20. The car has a 14.5 gal sized tank, and gets avg 42 mpg -calculated by miles driven to empty divided by gas pumped when empty- as well as on dashboard display. Since purchase the car registers empty 150 or more miles sooner than the 560 dashboard estimate and than 14.5*42 mpg. I am only able to fill less than 11 gallons when the fuel Guage reads empty with less than 20 miles remaining. The service dept assures me the car is able to drive 560 on a full tank, as the fuel Guage and miles-to-empty ignore a "buffer " of several gallons in the tank. It is unsafe to drive over 150 miles with the car registering no miles remaining. It is unsafe to plan a trip based on dashboard or tank size/gallons mileage, where I could run out of gas in an unsafe region.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507203February 14, 2023
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2022 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that when he was making a left turn at a light, he was involved in a front-end collision. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy, and the contact stated that he required medical attention for a fractured sternum. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,800.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11506872February 12, 2023
SUSPENSION
Rust under the hood just where the front suspension mounted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505477February 3, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Audio system is dead
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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