general problems of the 2017 Toyota RAV4 - part 2

92 problems related to electrical system have been reported for the 2017 Toyota RAV4. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2017 Toyota RAV4 based on all problems reported for the 2017 RAV4.

36 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/15/2024

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v734000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

37 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/09/2024

Summary some replacement 12-volt batteries of the size specified for the subject vehicles have smaller top dimensions than others. If a small-top battery is used for replacement and the hold-down clamp is not tightened correctly, the battery could move when the vehicle is driven with forceful turns. Safety risk the movement could cause the positive battery terminal to contact the hold-down clamp and short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

38 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2024

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact was notified of NHTSA campaign number: 23v734000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

39 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/31/2023

--battery terminal/wiring for negative terminal came into contact with the metal hold down clamp --caused a two alarm structure fire and loss of two vehicles --current recall in place but remedy of situation not available until 2024 --current recall in place --maintenance required light appeared and owner took vehicle in for service two weeks prior to the incident.

40 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/15/2023

It has ben 9 months since the recall was issued. But still no remedy ready.

41 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v734000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

42 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

Toyota has had this open recall for well over a year and has not implemented a fix which is far outside the NHTSA guidelines for a quick remedy. Please use your authority to motivate Toyota to do the correct thing.

43 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v734000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure, causing the vehicle to stall while driving, and the back over prevention camera and collision warning features were inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

44 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v734000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

45 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v734000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

46 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

There has been a recall on my vehicle (2017 Toyota rav 4) since November 2023. It is now August 2024. I have not been able to drive my vehicle this entire time and Toyota had done nothing to help me. There is a safety concern with the battery catching on fire, so I fear that this will happen while driving it, so I decided to pay for a rental car while I wait for a remedy. I have been paying for a rental car since November 2023 and Toyota still has not found a remedy. Please help.

47 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/01/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v734000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

48 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/25/2023

The car was sitting in the driveway and caught fire around 11:29am. The car had not been driven or moved from the driveway for at least 2 days, and is up to date on all maintenance. The fire inspectors hypothesize the fire began from the battery and spread. After googling, I have learned that Toyota rav 4s from 2013 to 2018 had a large recall; 1. 8 million vehicles taken because of the battery catching fire randomly. The remains of the vehicle are in the driveway of the residence. Both the police and fire department came to the scene. The safety of others was put at risk because it is only luck that nobody was in the car, or going to drive the vehicle as it caught fire randomly, bringing the residents of the home and owner of the car in extreme risk from both the fire and any explosions, damage to the house, and damage to others.

49 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/01/2023

Battery became disabled without any warning. Safety of driving down the road and battery stop working is an issue. I replaced battery through no help of Toyota. Only person to inspect was person replacing battery.

50 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 02/27/2023

A fire occurred in the engine compartment of the vehicle while the vehicle was parked in a garage with the engine off. Fire patterns and physical evidence suggest the fire originated as a result of a high resistance connection between the positive battery terminal and conductor to the power distribution center. The battery is original. The vehicle has not had any repairs beyond normal maintenance. The vehicle was not involved in a crash.

51 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 02/26/2023

Car will not start. Doesn't seem to be the battery. Got a jump start but same warning light illuminated.

52 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/11/2023

Went out to the vehicle one day to run an errand and the warning light came on and said electrical system malfunction. I took it into the repair facility and was told at first it was the battery then was told no it's the alternator. I remembered I had an extended warranty on the vehicle so I took it into the dealership. They said it's the wire harness and it's not covered due to corrosion. I have put less than 20, 000 miles on this vehicle. This needs to be addressed by the manufacturer Toyota. I am asking NHTSA to do a recall on this vehicle.

53 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/23/2022

I was driving coming from the store with my grand kids and my truck stalled on me so I turned if off and turned it back on but it killed on me again and this point my grand baby said he smelled smoke so I looked up and the hodd was smoking so I got my babies and myself out the truck and ran to the other side of the street and there I watched my truck start a fire so I call the police and the fire people , my truck was totaled I contacted Toyota main office to let them know they sented our theire people to look at the truck and decided that it was not there fault and there was nothing they could do for me , my truck caught on fire I did not set it on my fire my grand kids were in that truck what would have happen had he not smalled smoed and it did not stall but caught on fire while I was driving it . But no one was to deal with it you whether just walk away what if was someone in your family then what.

54 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/21/2022

While driving the vehicle I smelled something burning and saw smoke coming out of the air vents. I immediately pulled to the side of the road and got out. I noticed fire and smoke coming from under the hood. I called 911 and the fire dept. Arrived to put the fire out. It was towed to a nearby storage yard until the insurance company could be notified. After talking with and submitting photos to the insurance company the vehicle was considered a total loss. We are waiting to hear back from the insurance company concerning our claim. Upon researching engine fire related to defective battery in these vehicles I learned that almost 2 million 2013-2018 Toyota Rav4 have been affected. I am just thankful everyone was able to get out of the vehicle safely before it caught on fire.

55 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/05/2022

I have attached a letter that I wrote Toyota but did not mail. Vechicle is a 2017 rav hybrid. We bought it in CA April 2021 and it had 28230 miles. Car went to renton wa in August, 2021. Vechicle was serviced a couple of times, but in October 2022, dealer gave us a bill for $9700 due to a faulty wire halter. The Toyota people said the car is out of warranty. Please read the letter with lots more details. Thanks.

56 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/26/2022

My vehicle is on it's 3rd replacement in less than 5 years because it randomly fails. It will not start. This is after I had recently taken my vehicle in for service, where the service technicians have checked the battery performance as "good". There have never been any warnings before my vehicle would not start. Absolutely no symptoms prior to the failure. When I pressed the start button, the vehicle gave no indication that it would turn over. It's been a terrible inconvenience and very unsettling, because now that it's happened to me twice. The original battery and now the replacement in less than 5 years. I'm not sure when it will happen again. . . . . It's so unpredictable. This last time, I was stuck in a parking lot and had to be towed to the nearest Toyota dealership.

57 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/14/2022

On Saturday, may 14, 2022, my vehicle burned. And has since been totaled. The car had been trouble-free since I bought it in 2018. I was so pleased with it that I had just paid off the balance on the loan the week before because I wanted to keep it for 10 years. Prior to it burning, I had just driven it a couple miles for the first time in 2 weeks (it had been parked in a friend's garage). There were no warning lights visible during that time. I got out of the car for 3 minutes and was about to get back in when I noticed white smoke coming out of the hood. Within 30 seconds the hood had become engulfed in flames. The entire front and interior of the car was destroyed in the blaze, which the fire department had to extinguish. No one was injured, but two cars on either side were damaged by the fire. The car had last been serviced by headquarter Toyota in miami on January 22, 2022. They had not done the government-recommended inspection of the engine area during the servicing.

58 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/30/2022

Vehicle automatically slows down and shakes violently. We had it checked out at a Toyota dealership and they didn’t find any problems with the vehicle when they performed a diagnostic check. It continues to happen when vehicles is on the fwy. Ev light appears on screen flashing on and off.

59 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/27/2021

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster failed, which caused the speedometer and rpm gauge to be inoperable. Additionally, the power steering assist failed, and the steering wheel locked up. The failure occurred on four separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and Toyota of brookfield (20655 w capitol dr, brookfield, WI 53045) however, the dealers could not duplicate the failure. Toyota of brookfield informed the contact that there was a manufacturer's campaign number: 21tg01 (electrical system) associated with the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at Toyota of brookfield. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

60 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/19/2021

I purchased my 2017 rav-4, brand new off the lot the end of 2017. On October 2018 my car battery was dead. No prior indications of problems, no indicator lights. I had it towed to the dealership, they stated it was a bad cell in the battery and installed a new one. Then on Nov. 2020, once again had a dead battery, again no prior warning. I called and got a jump, took the car back to the dealership, they checked it and said I must have left a light on all night because it was completely drained. They put a 3. 5 hour charge on it, check the charging system and said all was fine. Then again on 10-19-21 the battery was dead again. At that point I was pissed and just went to the parts store to get a new battery. Upon opening my hood to replace the battery I found so much corrosion on the top of the battery, cleaned it off the best I could, upon disconnecting the battery positive terminal I found the post had lifted out of the battery causing the corrosion all over the battery. I went to the dealership, they told me they were not responsible for corrosion, they did what they call a corrosion maintenance to clean the terminal, offered me a $55 credit because they said the battery was 3 years old and they would have to prorate it. Which they hadn't as of 10-23-2021. It was a 84 month battery. While there they also said my oil pan gasket was seeping and would need replaced and the front brakes will need replaced soon. I haven't even had the car 4 years, it has 15,300 miles approximately. Definitely some problems with these cars and Toyota needs to take responsibility . I bought a extended warranty, but seems none of this is covered as they say it is normal wear and tear. Never had to replace brakes on a car less then 4 yrs old. After reading all the complaints, I guess I am lucky my car didn't catch fire.

61 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/08/2021

Upon starting the car at night both headlights failed to go on. Only the fog lights would work. Headlights failed in both auto and manual mode.

62 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/01/2021

The door does not lock/unlock when you press the button to unlock doors. The individual lock on inside needs to be manually pressed to lock and unlock. My passenger side went about two years ago. And now the lever on my driver side is not working.

63 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/01/2021

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle would not immediately start-up, or would take multiple attempts before starting. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,000.

64 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/12/2021

I bought my Rav4 in September of 2017 brand new and within 6 months I had a dead battery needing replacement so I replaced it via aaa. Since then, I have had the battery replaced an additional 3 times! I always serviced my car at the dealer and took very good care of it. Then after 50k miles, I started having odd lighting issues…both headlight bulbs had to be replaced within 3 weeks of each other and one high beam bulb, and then my tail lights went out! then I would occasionally have trouble starting the car and with a natural gas smell, rotten eggs. Which could be a catalytic converter or fuel pump issue but can also be the battery. Well, my rav was in the driveway with a dead battery and with no tail lights and had been sitting there for a month since I mainly drive our sienna. My rav just caught on fire and was completely destroyed. No one was hurt but if the sienna had been out there it would’ve caught on fire and it burned the garage door…rav totaled! I also had a very expensive brake job last year and think those are faulty too. But this fire…. Was bad and I can’t get a car of equal value with what I received for the total loss. What is Toyota doing about this? less than 4 yr old well taken cared of rav 4 xle that I paid cash for and now can’t even replace with a corolla! there were no warning lights ever, not even for the dead battery’s. And less than 6 months prior to the fire, it was serviced at my Toyota dealer and they said all was good. The firemen that came also told me that Rav4 fires have increased and I searched on consumer reports and sure enough…what was explained was a carbon copy of my experiences. Thank god no one was in it when it started, but the house could’ve caught fire as well. Toyota needs to do something for those of us who had their cars totaled due to fire…just the time invested finding a replacement is worth something…. Not to mention the time vested researching vehicles before I bought the Rav4. Plus the depreciation, etc….

65 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/09/2021

Three days ago, I parked my 2017 Rav4 limited in my driveway, stopped the engine, got out, locked the door and went in to my house. Several hours later I went outside and found my Rav4 running. For how long I don't know. I thought I may have done something incorrect. Now being very careful about shut down procedure, yesterday I parked the Rav4 in the same driveway. Two hours later, I went ouside to check and again found the Rav4 running, with the lights on. I found several reports on-line about others having the same experience with their Rav4s. I called several Toyota dealers to report the incident and see if they had experienced this problem with other customers. None did. It appears that I can't be confident that my Rav4 will be wherever I parked it when I return to it.

66 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/19/2021

While stopped at a stoplight, my Rav4 completely shut down and the dashboard flashed the warning "charging malfunction; see owner's manual". I took my Rav4 to the dealership where they ran a full inspection and found zero issues. It has happened once since, as well. I believe it to be related to the overarching Toyota Rav4 battery/electrical issue as listed in other complaints.

67 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/01/2021

While I was at my local dealership they let me know my battery kept coming back weak . I have also noticed how my car seems to almost stall out sometimes while driving . It hasn't but this makes me very nervous while driving.

68 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2021

My car was jumped started by aaa my car sparked my fusr box was blown out have to take my car to the dealership my fuse box was blown and my heater and air blower was not working it was at my residence.

69 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/22/2020

I was stopped at a red light and suddenly the battery light came on and the car shut down completely. I could not steer or move. After a moment I was able to start the car and proceed home. That was the only time it has happened and it occurred in October of 2020. I brought the car to my mechanic a few days later and they could not find a problem. Invoice is attached.

70 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/14/2020

We purchased this Toyota Rav4 car new in 2017, for our daughter. It has driven problem free, until the car was 3 years and 3 months old. At 3 years and 3 months from purchase, in October, 2020, my daughter took it into the Toyota dealership, in the morning, for a routine oil change. She hasn't had any problems with the car, and has only had it serviced at the Toyota dealership. She drove it in, and got a ride home, and was waiting for the call to come pick up her car. In the afternoon, the dealership called to say her 2017 Rav4 have severe engine damage from the batter exploding, while it had been sitting at the dealership. They told her it was 3 months past the warranty, and Toyota wouldn't pay for any repairs. It sat at Toyota for a week, until our auto insurance representative went and looked. He called us to say that: " he had never seen soo much engine damage. " he told us that our auto insurance was -- "totaling the car, that the engine was unrepairable, and that they were going to take it to the auto dump. " our insurance company hauled it away, and determined its remaining value and paid us, in October, 2020. My daughter chose a new car, we purchased it for her, with the insurance money, covering part of the purchase. It cost us thousands more, to cover the cost of the new replacement car. I told my daughter that we had bought her a "dud of a gift", and would pay for the new car. Our auto insurance confirmed what the dealership said, that the battery had exploded.



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