Table 1 shows one common engine and engine cooling related problems of the 2022 Toyota RAV4.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling problems |
I was driving through pretty heavy rain for about 65 miles. When I got to my destination, I was idling in the car for a few minutes when the car started to shake. I turned the car off. Upon turning it back on the engine would start and the car would shake before getting a message “engine stopped. Power steering low. ” after two hours, I was able to turn the car on and move a little bit but the car was lurching and the rpm needle was rapidly bouncing between 1,000 and 2,000.
After turning my car on and the car running for several minutes, the engine shut off on its own and it said “engine stopped steering power low”. This is the second time this has happened. The vehicle is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk because I am concerned about this happening while driving, or being stranded somewhere. I have not taken my vehicle in yet, but many other Rav4 owners have this issue from my internet searches. This has happened twice to me in the past two weeks. The vehicle has not been inspected. There were no warning lamps/messages/lights prior to failure.
I was driving home in the rain for about 75 minutes and when I arrived in my driveway I saw steam coming from the front grille area. It wasn't due to a high engine coolant temperature so I decided to carefully open the hood and check for the source. I saw water inside the bottom of the engine bay behind the radiator steaming from the heat of the engine. A few seconds later, the engine stalled and the following message appeared: "engine stopped, steering power low" which came on with a check engine light, red battery light, and steering light. I used my scan tool and obtained the code: p0171, system too lean. After doing research, I've come up with a conclusion to the potential cause. Starting with the 2022 model year Rav4 non-hybrid (and onwards to the 2025 model year Rav4), the air intake inlet was redesigned from the prior one in the 2019-2021 Rav4 non-hybrid models, as seen in numerous comparison images online. This new design presents a dangerous fault. When driving in rainy conditions, especially at higher speeds with mist kicked up from cars in front, the air intake will take in water. The water will flow to the air filter and then reach the mass air flow sensor (maf). The maf sensor monitors the amount of air entering the engine and sends signals to the car's computer to help determine how much fuel to send to the engine to maintain an ideal ratio for optimal efficiency. Considering that water is getting to the maf sensor, it thinks that the water is excess air, so less fuel is sent to the engine as a result. Since I came to a stop in my driveway, the engine is now at its idle speed and only commands a small amount of fuel to remain running. Now, when combined with the water, that lower fuel flow is practically cut off, leading to the stall. This happened to me before when driving in the rain, but in more dangerous conditions in stop-and-go traffic. Toyota must follow up on t-tt-0763-24 because it has been well over a year since their initial investigation.
We were traveling across country from michigan to arizona. We were 50 miles outside tucson, az on [xxx]. Traveling 80 mph in a 75 mph zone, in passing lane and felt like car exploded and all airbags deployed and we came to a quick stop. No major injuries to either of us. One vehicle incident, did not collide with anything or hit any debris. It was a clear day, road conditions good, no noises, lights etc. My husband was able to keep from rolling and we came to a stop with many semi's etc flying by, very scary. When we were able to safely get out and call 911, there was significant drivers side front end damage around tire area and inside near axle. Looked like something broke inside car, sheered off bottom of tire. Police arrived and had to push vehicle on to shoulder of road. He assessed scene and thought it had to be a mechanicla failure as there was no other vehicle or debris on site. We did contact our insurance company and subsequently it was totaled. We also have Toyota investigating what the cause was if it was a faulty part or mechanical failure. We have not heard back but did receive the "recording of time of crash". I have a short video of damage but I'm unable to attach it. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
It was a rainy day and I had come home to pick up someone, didn’t turn my car off but had it in park. I went to reverse and pressed on gas, all of a sudden my engine started to aggressively shake/vibrate while showing on the dash that power steering was off, I couldn’t move my car anymore. I turned it off and same thing. Finally after 15 minutes, it started back up like normal. Scary to think others have been experiencing this with or without rain involved, and also while driving. Toyota is suppose to be reliable. Taking it in to Toyota service department tomorrow, but scared to drive it and just be told nothing is wrong like others have been told.
After driving for 35 minutes (in the rain), I pulled up to work and let someone out. While car was sitting there in park, it bucked in the back, I then put it into park and almost immediately, it shut off with this on the display "engine off, steering power low, do not drive". My lights and windshield wipers remained on. I tried to turn it back and and it shut off again. I waited a few minutes, turned it on and went to pull out onto main road and the car shut off again with the same message. Thankfully I was turning onto the main road so close to shoulder and able to keep my car pretty close to side of the road. I called the Toyota dealer who told me not to drive it and it would need to be towed. I towed it to the closest dealer and when they checked the codes (the next day), they said there were no codes and they could not replicate the problem. As a note, the rain was off and on, nothing that was worse than anything I have driven in previously. I drive main roads and did not go through any large puddles or anything similar. This is a major safety issue and I am terrified that it could happen while driving on a highway where I may not have time to get out of the way of other traffic (car literally stopped with no option of continuing to coast). I am also shocked that there were no codes triggered as there was obviously some event and that the car is only one month outside of warranty.
After driving for approximately 30-minutes in the rain I pulled over and the automatic engine shutoff feature activated while I was waiting to pick somebody up. When attempting to restart the car, the engine would not turn over and I got a low power steering warning message on my dash. The problem persisted for approximately 15-20 minutes. Eventually after about 15 attempts to restart the engine, the car started back up and drove fine the rest of the way home. The dealership was unable to find anything wrong with my car, but I have heard of this happening to many other Rav4s and it causes me concerning, especially when I need to drive my car in the rain.
Engine shuts off with exposure to rain.
I drove my car yesterday it was raining, pulled in the parking lot and the engine died out. I then got a warning message stating “engine stopped, steering power low,” and the car will not start. 2022 Rav4 xle 15k miles.
I was sitting in my driveway 5 minutes after getting home from work and the car engine turned over and message on the screen said “engine stopped, power steering low”. I tried turning it back on and it turned over again with the same messsge.
Engine shuts off on its own with the car continuing to run. No battery issue. Notice of “engine died steering power low” on the dash. Only happens in heavy rain.
When wet, during rain or after a car wash. The engine will rev, the car will shake, and then shut off. I believe it’s the alternator.
As I was driving my car jolted and I saw a message that read engine off steering power low go to safety but my car turned off shortly right after. I was lucky it wasnt a busy hour otherwise I could have been in an accident. I was driving and the car turned off on me! took it to Toyota no codes showing up and battery is 100%. This is so scary and im too scared to drive my car. Went online saw so many people reporting the same issues on Rav4 and no solutions.
It’s been raining for about 4-5 hours by now, I drove to church (1 hour drive) left my car outside in the parking lot in the rain while I was there. Then drove home (another 1 hour) and when I came home just now I sat in my car parked with the engine on for about 5 minutes when suddenly the car started shaking and then it turned off with a message “engine stopped - power steering low, ignition on” on my 2022 Toyota Rav4 xle. I think this issue needs to be investigated ASAP as it is a big safety concern, what if it happened when I was driving on the highway in the rain, at night? my google and reddit search revealed that a lot of people are experiencing this issue and this is a place to help start an investigation. I had a full inspection on my car at the Toyota dealership just a few weeks ago and everything including the battery was fine.
Yesterday while sitting in a drive thru, my Rav4 began shaking forwards and backwards a few times and then an error popped up saying steering power low, engine off. At this point, I turned off my car and put it in park and it took a multiple times to get the car to power back on. This also threw a check engine light. After looking into this issue, we found other owners of 2019-2024 Rav4 also experience this issue and when the dealership runs their diagnostic they cannot find anything. We read it with a personal car code reader and had codes 7e8 and 7e9 but the dealership found nothing.
On [xxx], I was driving in a rain storm on [xxx]. I pulled off the highway into a parking lot and the car stalled out. The check engine light and the power steering light came on. I tried to start the car 3-4 times over the next fifteen minutes and it did not start. I waited a few more minutes and the car started and the lights cleared from the dashboard. I was able to drive 120 miles home with no issues with the vehicle. I called the Toyota of massapequa dealership service department the next morning and they offered to inspect the car. I declined as the dashboard lights were gone and the car seemed to be running fine. I did have them check out the car when I brought it in for the annual nys inspection and oil change in August 2024. The technician found no issues with the engine and there were no codes in the computer. The car has not given me a problem since this happened. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Fuel injector failed, causing the engine to run extremely rich, misfire, and cause severe drivability issues. Issue occurred just outside vehicle base warranty. Problem was verified and confirmed by vehicle dealership. Mil was illuminated when drivability issue and malfunction started.
Safety issue: "engine stopped/started: due to steering power low" yesterday, it was heavy rain. My new 2022 Rav4 shut down and would not start due to the warning sign "steering power low. " I restarted a few times, but the whole car was jerking and the rpm's were fluttering up and down. The yellow check engine light and the orange warning signs, followed by an exclamation point, came on, along with the messages "engine stopped steering power low" and "not ready to drive. " then shut down the car. I called for a pickup instead and was not able to start the car until the next day. It was so terrifying, and I was fortunate that the accident did not occur. What would happen if it were to happen as I or other Rav4 owners were in the middle of the road or nowhere for help? as I looked up problems with the new Rav4 online, other Rav4 owners had the same issues, with zero diagnosed reports from Toyota dealers (see links below). . Read more...
While driving at highway speed, check engine light came on along with warning message in multifunction indicator stating "hybrid system malfunction. Diminished power. Contact dealer", and car immediately decelerated from 60 mph to about 35 mph. When releasing accelerator, car shuddered. Once stopped, car accelerated very poorly, and barely was ablate ascend hills in neighborhood (5-10 mph going up hills). Hybrid car appeared to be operating on gas engine only, and electrical system for traction motors appeared to be short circuiting.
The engine coolant bypass valve is a known issue across the 2019-present Rav4 generation. We have taken our Rav4 to the dealership numerous time for the “maintenance required soon” message that comes up when the car starts. The dealer always says that is is just a reminder for us to get our vehicle serviced at 20,000. The service interval message is supposed to only come on at every 5,000, not every 3,000. We took it by our local auto parts store, and the man that works there has a 2019 Rav4 that has the same problem. They had to take theirs to the dealer and have the coolant bypass valve replaced. If not addressed soon, it could cause the engine to overheat. The man at the auto parts store said it doesn’t hurt to drive it but it is best not to prolong it. There needs to be an investigation of a recall started on this, as it can be a very confusing situation. It makes people think the car is just reminding you of your service maintenance interval. But this is not what this message means. When you take it to the dealer, they are clueless and they will give you the runaround. Jesse williams of pell city, alabama. 2022 Toyota Rav4 xle purchased from serra Toyota of birmingham.
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.
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.
Car automatically accelerated when slowing down to make a turn into parking lot. Car is only a few months old and has 7,000 miles on it.
"the total fuel dispensed is less than expected when the fuel nozzle automatically clicks off when refueling. [some customer reports] have also noted the "distance to empty" shown on the multi-information display is less than expected. ".