One problem related to brake fluid leak has been reported for the 2012 Toyota RAV4. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2012 Toyota RAV4 based on all problems reported for the 2012 RAV4.
I am filing a complaint about spongy brakes behavior in a 2012 Toyota Rav4. The problem I was experiencing were the brake pedal traveling to the floor and reduced stopping power during application. The spongy behavior of the brake pedal was also present with engine off. I report this event to two separate Toyota dealerships which technicians claimed this is a normal function and this is a soft pedal design (according to the first dealership). The second dealership showed me another similar vehicle (2011 Toyota Rav4) and it almost did the same thing (engine off - pedal was still spongy but was less than my vehicle). Since being a ase master technician before becoming an mechanical engineer, I bleed the brakes which only helped a little and there were no fluid leaks. Finally, I researched that the abs pump might need to be activated using a scanner to cycle the actuators that might hold air trapped inside. I took the car to my previous place on employment where I consulted this issue with the shop manager in which he agreed that this is a possibility. The shop manager performed the abs pump cycling process with the scanner and the brake pedal became hard and firm like it suppose to be (procedure time: 5 minutes!). I am very disappointed with Toyota trained technicians and any good technician knows there is no such thing as soft pedal design especially with a vacuum brake booster with engine off (hydraulic fluid is only slightly compressible!). Only vehicles with hydraulic brake booster can experience a brake pedal feeling spongy since the booster will continue to function after engine had been turned off (approx:10 ¿ 20 brake pedal applications ¿ diesel & very few gas vehicles). It seems to me Toyota is skipping a step in there manufacturing process.