Toyota RAV4 Complaints (2021)

510 consumer complaints on file.

#11443247December 9, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Please refer to NHSTA tracking #11418659 reported in May 2021. At that time, I described potential safety issues resulting from the remote start of my vehicle being initiated without my knowledge. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership--whose employees have been very cooperative and helpful--after multiple communications with the national offices of Toyota. Though I received a letter from Toyota stating that the problem had been rectified (letter from Toyota dated 4/23/21, as quoted in my initial complaint, stated "...your concern has been resolved..."), the problem persisted. Though my suggestion regarding the initial self-start shortly after taking delivery was dismissed by Toyota, investigation at my dealership resulted in a very simple solution--the key fob was activating the remote start because the button was inadvertently pushed while in my pocket, which is exactly what I had postulated initially. Trial and error (just keeping the fob out of my pocket for a few months) now seems to validate this theory. Here are the safety concerns generated by the poor engineering of this design: 1. A single press of a single button on the fob is all that is needed to initiate a remote start, setting the scene for an unintended self start. The safety implications delineated in my initial complaint, cited above, are obvious. I have had multiple vehicles with remote starts; they required multiple simultaneous buttons to be pressed and/or multiple presses on the button(s). 2. How could Toyota have resolved the problem, as reported in their letter to me? I cannot help but doubt their integrity regarding this potentially-serious safety concern. (Please note: the data below applies to the first of many incidents of unintentional self starting.)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11443157December 8, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Water is leaking into the cabin from around the roof rails, this could lead to water getting into the side airbag system and causing a failure in the airbag system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11442674December 4, 2021
SEATS
My 2021 Toytoa rav4 Hybrid limited has memory seat buttons. However they don't light up at night or even if the headlights are turned on. There are two memory seat buttons. In a scenario where there are two drivers and one is a larger driver with more girth, and the second is a much slimmer driver, there will be significant distances between the positions. At nightime(or whenverer it is dark, when the larger driver sits in the vehilce and accidentally presses the power seat memory button for the slimmer driver(this can happen since Toyota decided not to illuminate the button in any way(at least they should have did it while the vehicle is in the parked position), the larger drive can get squished, hurt, possibly even die as the seat moves forward toward the steering wheel. Now in the toyota manual, it does say that if any power button is pressed again, the seat should stop. What actually happens is that the driver becomes panicked and pressed the button over and over again and the seat continues closer to the steering wheel. I was able to stop this the first time by pure accident by reaching between the door and the seat to my seat position controls. This is an accident waiting to happen! Toyota needs to illuminate the power seat buttons (at least in the parked position). The seat memory buttons cannot to be used in any other driving position so we are thankful for that. There may be other trims and years of the rav4 that have this issue. The best way to understand this issue is to experience this for yourself. Get a car with memory seat positions. Have two positons set, one positon will be very close to the steering wheel. Have a larger driver with more girth sit in and then press the button for the slimmer driver's postion. Do this at nightime.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441710November 26, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have a 2021 Toyota RAV4. There is a noise in the B pillar. The sound is faint, dealership has replaced the entire seatbelt. The noise is still there. Today was the 4th time to the dealership, the technician drove and service advisor both was in the vehicle today and all of a sudden they can't hear anything. The driver side mirror also shakes when driving and by just shutting the door. My safety concerns are both the B pillar and mirror shaking. I'm concerned the B pillar may not have been properly welded and may fail in a collision The rattle started at 22 miles and now has approximately 1800 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440411November 14, 2021
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
We bought our new 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid on Sept. 1, 2021, but didn't drive it on a highway until Oct. 4, 2021. On that day, I was driving on Interstate Hwy 70. I entered that highway near Copper Mountain, CO and was driving east to return to Denver. It is a big highway with wide, well marked lanes. I set my cruise control speed to 63 mph. Almost immediately, I noticed that the Lane Centering steering adjustment system seemed to be taking the car from close to the left lane line to close to the right lane line, and back and forth. A couple of times, it even drifted to or over the lane line and triggered the Land Departure Alert alarm. At first, I tried to overcome the automated Lane Centering adjustment by manually steering against it, but the swaying back and forth across the lane became increasingly wide and violent. I was unable to control it. It was terrifying. For a moment, I was sure that I would crash. I don’t know if I hit the brake pedal, but I did quickly press the CANCEL button on the cruise control, and that ended the swaying back and forth. The whole experience lasted probably less than one minute, and at no time did I notice any alarms or warning signals. I took the car to my dealership and asked them to check the functioning and settings of the cruise control and lane tracing assist functions. They told me that my settings were normal and that everything was working properly. I informed Toyota customer service about the problem and told them of my near crash. They consulted with my dealership's service department and repeated that everything was working properly. Neither the dealer nor Toyota customer service offered any explanation of reasons for my near crash. I have continued to drive the car, but I have tried to disable all the "safety" features that allow the car to take control of my steering. I am afraid to try to reproduce the problem myself, and I am quite sure that my dealer did not attempt to do that either.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439821November 9, 2021
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS, TIRES
P225 / 60 R18. Passenger rear tire blew out driving at highway speeds (75-80 mph). The car swerved back and forth across lanes almost into the median and then to the shoulder a couple of times and almost flipped before I was able to pull to the shoulder and stop. Another driver stopped to make sure I was ok and said he also thought I was going to flip more than once. I did not notice any warning lights prior to the incident. There were a couple of times prior to the failure that it felt like the car was swerving slightly - I thought possibly due to wind or different texture of the road surface, then the tire blew. The entire inside wall of the tire is separated from the tread. The dealer has not inspected the tire yet. I am ordering a set of new tires - I don't trust these and never want to go through that again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11437229October 18, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Moon roof exploded and shattered while driving down the road in normal conditions, no other issues. Vehicle is less than 3 months old with 7,000 miles. It sounded like a gun shot and only because I reacted without panic did it not cause me to have an accident because of the major distraction. Pulled over and no other damage. Had to drive 45 miles per hour to my destination or glass would have sprayed on anyone behind me. Currently, had to tarp and duct tape damage because dealership will not fixed under warranty unless I can prove it was a defective glass/part. My dealer did text me and I have it that there are problems but it’s so hard to prove it will be my expense out of pocket. I would appreciate any help on other Toyotas having a similar problem and wanted to officially report to help out the next person if I can’t obtain proof of a defective part.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11435967October 7, 2021
AIR BAGS
The knee airbag deployed during a collision and caused devastating shin injuries. The muscle and skin was ripped off the driver's legs revealing bone.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
4
Deaths:
0
#11431988September 7, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle failed to stop while the brake pedal was depressed which resulted in the contact crashing into two parked vehicles where it eventually came to a stop after crashing into a curb. The contact was also concerned that the air bags failed to deploy. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and then towed again to a local dealer where it was awaiting diagnosis. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429448August 17, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Defective windshield, visible distortion, Is available for inspection. (Brand new vehicle) Safety hazard to drive as I can't see properly through it, everything is blurry. Eyes can't focus - like looking through someone else's glasses! Makes me physically ill as well due to the continued eye fatigue/strain. I"m not sure it's even possible to drive it more than half an hour, I wouldn't risk it. Problem is confirmed by the dealer, both technicians that inspected said distortion is visible. Dealer said won't fix because "Every Rav currently on the lot has a defective windshield, most worse than yours"! Was told this was not their first complaint about the bad windshields. and if they did fix it I could end up worse off, because all the windshields are coming out defective currently, some with even worse "visible waves" in the glass. I had ordered the vehicle & put a deposit on it to hold, I didn't get to drive it till the paperwork was done and I was driving off the lot. Within 20 minutes problem was apparent.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428721August 11, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While using Cruse control. It did not slow the vehicle. I could not turn it off. The brakes would not work. I ran thru an intersection against the light. Bounced over the median. I turned off the ignition, still coasted about 1/2 mile. Finally I jammed the gear shift lever into Park. Toyota has the vehicle for inspection and reading of the black box. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE ANY WARNING SIGNS OF THE FAILURE. WARNING MESSAGES DID DISPLAY DURING THE FAILURE, WHICH WERE "CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE", "BRAKE FAILURE", AND "LANE DEPARTURE".
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428217August 8, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Since buying this 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vehicle in 12/2020 gas tank only takes about 10-11 gallons of fuel when refueling , whereas tank capacity is 14+gallons. This leads to trickle filling to get a full tank which Toyota advises against as unsafe. Toyota has agreed to pay for fixing this manufacturing defect for 2020 model RAV 4's with the same manufacturing defect, but so far Toyota holding back issuing authorization to fix the 2021 RAV4 Hybrids . Car available for inspection upon request. Toyota dealer wants me to pay for diagnosis, manufacturer unwilling to pay for inspection of this safety risk despite paying for it in 2020 RAV4's with same defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427997August 6, 2021
STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
I was driving on US1 near Dover, DE towards 307 South Boardwalk avenue unit 202, Rehoboth beach, Delaware, 19971. I was driving at around 60 mph and following the traffic flow. I suddenly could not steer the car, the car swayed to the left, hit the curb and came to a stop after I applied breaks. On reviewing its safety issues, I came across this article. https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-2021-toyota-rav4-prime-is-dangerously-bad-at-emergency-steering/
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427394August 2, 2021
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
Me ([XXX]) and my 3 children went on a trip from July 25- July 30 to Sequoia National Park & Yosemite National Park . On Wednesday , July 28 around 1:30 pm we were at Yosemite Park and I pulled over to take some photos of the beautiful park(nature) . I made sure my children , the car and myself were in a correct parking spot , I put my RAV4 LE in Park position (P) and the car automatically put on the hand break and it makes a loud noise, letting me know it's safe . The RAV4 does not have a hand break like other cars , it only has a small pull button. Anyways the car was in Park position with the automatic break , I stepped out the vehicle and walked toward the front of the car and my RAV4 just stared to roll down and hit a tree . I ran inside the car to stop it but it was too late . The RAV4 had crashed into the tree with my 3 children, they were all asleep when it happen and lucky no one was hurt. The car has a alot of damages in the front area and on the drivers side . The dash was all lit up with messages saying system fail(Pre collision system) INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425434July 19, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
June 25, 2012 driving to work at about 7:35 in the morning going about 45 mph my moon roof exploded. No others cars were around me and nothing hit my car or moon roof for this to happen. I called the police for a report if I needed it, but I did not. I drove it to the dealership after this happened and spoke with the sales manager that I had bought the car from in January. My car was only 5 months old. They replaced my moonroof and gave me a rental car and said it would be covered under warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425320July 18, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear windshield shattered on a parked car. We closed the passenger doors after getting in and the rear windshield started falling off in pieces
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11423630July 6, 2021
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
New 2021Toyota Rave4 vehicle would take over steering and turn left or right from the center of the lane. This issue would consistently steer you to a road shoulder or into another lane. A less experienced driver would have crashed. The steering pull is so significant that one is unable to take a drink or turn on the radio without the possibility of an accident. The last incident steered me into the path of a Cement Truck nearly causing an accident. Had I not been extra cautious, an accident would have occurred. The "vehicle is operating as designed" and "some customers are overly sensitive to the safety features" was the conclusion of Vancouver WA Toyota Service and advised to return the vehicle when an incident reoccurs. I insisted the next incident could kill someone. Service spoke to someone and apologized that in fact a Past Tech Bulletin (2019-2021) was released by Toyota addressing this issue. Service obtained a video from the vehicle and confirmed my complaint that the steering had indeed hijacked the vehicle and steered into the path of a Cement Truck. My concern of serious bodily injury or death is substantiated and documented by Vancouver WA Toyota and Toyota Corporation. Respectfully [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422280June 25, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Measuring from when the "low fuel" light comes on, our RAV4 Prime is only accepting 10 gallons of gasoline when refueling (car is advertised having a 14.5 gallon tank). This results in us having to fill up every 400 miles when it should be closer to 600 miles. Complained at least four times to the dealership and escalated with Toyota HQ - Toyota engineers acknowledged they have seen this trend from other RAV4 Primes out in the field, but are deeming 10 gallon fill-ups a "normal" characteristic of the car. This is bait-and-switch false advertising and an infuriating quality failure by Toyota.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421663June 21, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW TOYOTA RAV 4 IN MAY 2021 AND DURING THE TEST DRIVE CAR DID NOT SEE ANY ISSUES AT ALL. THIS IS RELATED TO THE BACKUP CAMERA DURING THE TEST DRIVE WE DID NOT PLACE INSTALLED ON THE CAR. RECENTLY I TAKE A CAR TO KOONS TOYOTA IN TYSON CORNER AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE IS AWARE OF THIS AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. NOW WE HAVE THE REAR LICENSE PLATE INSTALLED AND CAN ONLY SEE 3/4 OF THE SCREEN THE OTHER 1/4 OF THE SCREEN SHOWS THE REAR PLATE, VIEW NOR CLEAR %100.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11419810June 6, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The Drive to Empty estimation of remaining miles is not accurate. Regularly shows less miles than actual for HV mode. For example, after fuel fill up, the display read 508 miles DTE. I drove 38 and then it read 448. It should have said 470, thus it had a 22 mile discrepancy. 1 or 2 miles is fine, but an over 5% difference is not.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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