Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Toyota RAV4 - part 1

Vehicle states engine maintenance required. Is a consistent reoccurring problem according to dealer. System failure due to manufacturer always puts the user at risk.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Had to have my 2024 Toyota rav 4 towed for a second time in 2 month after driving in heavy rain. During the first instance, I drove less than 10 miles on the highway in very heavy rain. Arrived at my destination, put the car in park and the engine and rpm meter started pulsating, revving feeling as if the car were going to stall. Turned the engine off, had the vehicle towed to the dealership who found "no issues" with the car. Again on September 23, 2025, I drove through a heavy rain storm, arrived a my destination and again the engine/rpm were pulsating/revving. An hour later when I went to leave (in no rain), started the vehicle and the engine began to sputter, all warning lights on the dash board went on including in part "parking support brake malfunction visit your dealer", "pre-collision system malfunction visit your dealer" and "engine stopped steering power low", and the engine sputtered and shut off. Had the vehicle towed to another dealership where it has been for 5 days with the technician telling me he cannot replicate the issue. This is a serious problem for a new vehicle with 17k miles. Not only is this is a safety risk due to vehicle failure/shut down, it is a serious defect in a product that I paid $40,000 for. Please do all that can be done to force Toyota to fix this issue, as it appears based on review of similar complaints on this website that this is happening quite a lot. Separately, it is more than concerning that total engine failure does not generate codes sufficient for Toyota technicians to diagnose such a fatal problem.

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I have a carbon monoxide leak going on since I bought this vehicle. I have been complaining about noises I have been hearing from the drive train and got a diagnosis from the same dealer with well over 1k worth of work. This has caused me a lot of lost money since I have been from dr to dr and back and forth with the dealership and now I tested for carbon monoxide and it’s leaking into my vehicle the dealer keeps telling me it’s fine it need a tune up or evap system clean. I am not able to drive this car safely and I have permanent brain damages from the carbon monoxide gas.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Bought the car with 114k on it now with 115k and I brought it in to Toyota because I have a “engine maintenance required” on the dash now they are trying to charge me almost $1000 because my car has over 100k miles on it and they said they won’t cover it.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The contact owned a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at 30-40 mph, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stopped independently. No warning lights illuminated. The contact mentioned she noticed smoke and flames coming from the engine, and smoke started coming inside the vehicle. There was a fuel odor. Present. The contact exited the vehicle and stood on the side of the road, and called 911. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact mentioned days prior to the battery warning light illuminating, and the battery was determined to be functioning as normal; therefore, the vehicle was resumed to be driven as normal. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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Shorted coolant bypass valve, only 14500 miles on my 2020 Rav4, class action suit and dealerships want you to pay $800-$1000 to fix problem with a leaky defective plastic poorly designed valve that eventually leaks into the electrical connectors and shorts circuits the valve. There is no recall for this fix and Toyota won't honor the repair. This is a common issue and Toyota turns a blind eye. Error message: engine maintenace required call Toyota dealership. I did and they give me a song and dance stating there is no recall for this issue. If I run the heater in the car the message for a few a minutes, then shut off vehicle maintenance warning will reset, once I turn on the ac it will come back on. So, I guess I have to keep the heater on all summer.

The vehicle has never been in an accident and has been garage kept. There were 5 pinholes in the radiator that were slowly dripping over time. My radiator fluid went so low my car overheated and had to be taken in for repair. No warning until there was no radiator fluid left and overheated and had to pull over on the highway. Radiator was cracked in 5 places. 4 year old car, less than 55,000 miles. Confirmed and repaired by an independent service center.

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate to maintain automotive power. The warning messages "pksb malfunction visit your dealer" and "precollision system malfunction, visit your dealer" were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired at a local dealer for a coolant flat and parts were ordered to repair the wiring harness. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. Several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact related that failure to the customer support program:22te09, however the warranty was not valid. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while at a stop at a traffic light, the vehicle independently accelerated and rear-ended another vehicle. The engine revved during the acceleration while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle continued to accelerate for 20 feet. No warning lights illuminated. No air bags deployed. No injuries were sustained, and medical attention was not sought. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred while at a stop, and the vehicle traveled approximately 20 feet before coming to a complete stop while forcefully depressing the brake pedal. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,368.

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Vehicle has stopped in the middle of the road 3 times so far each time I’m getting a message: engine stopped steering power low.

2019-2023 model year Toyota Rav4s and Toyota corollas are equipped with defective coolant bypass valves prone to premature failure which can cause coolant to leak out of a vehicle’s closed-loop coolant system, harming its ability to properly regulate engine temperature. This can cause overheating, stalling, increased emissions, and total engine failure and also allows coolant to leak into and damage surrounding engine components, including a vehicle’s electrical system, the complaint relays. The warning message that common appears for this issue is "engine maintenance required visit your dealer ".

Engine maintenance message appeared on my dash. I took it to big o's tires and service a car repair service provider. Upon connecting to the car and inspecting they told me it was a faulty possibly leaking engine coolant valve. The cost to repair is $916. This may cause the engine to overheat and possibly fail due to overheating. This can be very dangerous because it will happen if it does happen while driving which could cause an accident. I have not fixed the issue yet due to a lack of funds but will have to fix it as soon as a get paid because I drive my family in this car and cannot risk catastrophic engine failure. Please have Toyota recall this part as it is a very common failure amongst 2019-2023 Rav4s. A class action lawsuit is underway due to how often this issue arises. Thank you for your time.

7/16/2025 engine maintenance required visit dealer" message on a 2019 Toyota Rav4 le came on and will not go off. Upon further research and inspection coolant bypass valve is faulty.

Scan report done ! odometer 25266. Engine coolant bypass valve "a" control circuit failed test. Engine control module code p2681-15. Message: factory service require !.

Cooling system over temperature. Message kept displaying and check engine lit up again since the first service was done by tech at the dealership on July 15, 2025.

The water pump failed at 49000 miles left me with a repair of $1500 at kendall Toyota dealership.

The vehicle began displaying intermittent warning messages and slipping into "mud & sand" mode without cause. Later, multiple dash lights illuminated, including 4wd malfunction, check engine, and coolant system warnings. The vehicle became undrivable due to overheating. Dealership diagnostics indicated a failure in the coolant bypass valve actuator the electronic water pump was receiving a signal but not responding, resulting in loss of coolant circulation and overheating. There may also be a shorted control panel causing related system failures. This problem has been confirmed by a Toyota dealer, and the vehicle remains at the service center pending resolution. The issue appears related to a known customer support program (csp 24te04), which covers the coolant bypass valve actuator. There was no prior accident or abuse of the vehicle, and the vehicle only has 52,000 miles. Safety was compromised due to unexpected power loss and overheating while in motion. The issue has not yet been resolved. The vehicle has also experienced prior water intrusion through the roof rails, which may have contributed to electrical damage.

I was driving the car with no issues on July 13th- made two 30-minute trips with no issues the same day. During a 15-minute drive, the car was fine until I was at an intersection 12 minutes into the drive (frederick rd and centennial ln in ellicott city, MD). I was stopped at the intersection for maybe a minute, and when the traffic light turned green, I released my brake and went to accelerate when I got the following display message: "engine stopped steering power low. " the engine turned off, and I couldn't get the car to budge in drive or reverse. When I tried pressing on the gas pedal, it wouldn't budge and felt very stiff. I'm thankful this happened at a smaller intersection on a Sunday evening because my car wouldn't start back up and was stuck in the dead center of this intersection. Cars going east and south all had to drive around me. This put my safety at risk because I had to hop out of my car and redirect people around it until a kind passerby pulled over to help push my car to the right-side turning lane. I was standing in the middle of an intersection on a road with a 35-40 mph speed limit. After pushing the car to the curb and calling a few towing places (maybe 20 minutes later), I tried starting the car again, and it started with no issues whatsoever. I drove it the rest of the way back (for 3 minutes) with no problems, and I made another three 20-25 minute drives on it today. Nothing sounds wrong with the car; it's running with no issues. I would take my car to the dealership for a diagnostic, but I can't afford to right now. I will put my battery on a tender and use a multimeter to check the voltage within the next few days. Regular maintenance has been kept, and the car has never had this happen prior. I've never received the "engine stopped steering power low" message prior to this incident. The car is available for inspection upon request.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a recurring issue in the coolant bypass valve of my 2019 Toyota Rav4 xle premium. Although there was no check engine light, the vehicle displayed a persistent warning: “engine maintenance required – visit dealership. ” this message repeatedly appears on the instrument cluster and blocks critical driving information, including the speedometer, fuel economy, and other key displays. Even when the driver manually cancels the message, it returns within minutes. This creates a constant distraction and obstructs visibility, which poses a safety risk during driving. I took the vehicle to the dealership, where they diagnosed the issue as an internal short circuit in the coolant bypass valve and retrieved diagnostic trouble code p268115. This code relates to a malfunction in the valve’s electrical control system, which affects the engine’s ability to regulate temperature effectively. Toyota currently offers a customer support program (csp) for the coolant bypass valve, but only if the valve is leaking coolant. However, my vehicle's failure was due to an electrical defect, and Toyota does not cover this under the same program. This creates an unfair burden on owners and fails to address the full scope of the issue, even though the results—loss of proper cooling function—are the same. Many Rav4 owners have reported similar problems online, but no recall or technical service bulletin has been issued for this kind of failure. I believe this defect raises genuine safety concerns, including: driver distraction due to persistent warning messages obstruction of critical dashboard information potential for engine overheating or reduced performance I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this issue as a potential safety-related defect and determine whether Toyota should be required to expand support or issue a recall for this component, regardless of whether the failure is due to coolant leakage or internal electrical malfunction.

The engine maintenance light came on and I took the car to my independent mechanic. The "soft code" indicates that the coolant system valve/hose (engine coolant bypass valve) is showing in the closed position when it should be open. My mechanic has tried to order a replacement part, but is having trouble finding one. After my personal research, I see that there is a class action lawsuit regarding this part from 2024 indicating that it can cause the car to overheat, stall, and potentially severe engine damage. Toyota has no formal recalls on this, but it has been indicated that some owners have received support from Toyota on models built up to 2021.

Coolant bypass valve failure at 40k miles - 2020 Rav4. Replacement at dealership is costing over 800$.

Started normally, but had a message on the screen saying “check fuel cap. ” I needed gas anyways, drove about 3 minutes to the gas station, turned engine off, put gas. Turned engine back on and within 3 seconds it shut off. The screen displayed “engine stopped- power steering low. ” I tried a handful of times to start, it did not. After 20 minutes and some rest, it started. With no more messages. Battery and alternator were tested, both were good.

Coolant bypass valve problem with several Rav4s. My car is unusable and I need it to work.

The coolant bypass valuve has failed. There looks to be a class action lawsuit currently underway.

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

While parked in a commercial lot on [xxx] around [xxx], I noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle while sitting inside. There was a strong burning rubber smell. I exited and saw flames coming from beneath the front left bumper, directly under the fog light area. I had arrived at the location about 30 minutes earlier. I opened the hood from inside the vehicle, stepped back, and called 911. The fire rapidly engulfed the front of the vehicle. Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes and extinguished the fire. Police responded and created a report. Three nearby vehicles also sustained fire damage. The vehicle had previous front-end repairs (driver side bumper and fog light) and was well maintained. The vehicle had not shown any warning lights or messages prior to the fire. I believe the fire originated from an electrical or engine component and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Geico insurance has been contacted and a claim has been opened. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Engine shuts off with exposure to rain.

Driving down the highway in the pouring rain. Pulled over because the engine felt like it was about to stall. Whole engine cut off and check engine light came on with “engine stopped - power steering low”. Would act like it wanted to start again but shut back off every time. After about 30 minutes it started back up without any check engine lights or messages. This is the 3rd time its happened. Always in the rain.

During a rain storm water was able to leak into my air intake box causing my air filter to become soaked. This caused my car to malfunction, come to an abrupt stop, alerting me of a "engine and steering failure" shutting my car off and becoming stranded on the highway.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

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.

My vehicle Toyota Rav4 hybrid 2020 began lost power and jerk on highway driving and then following messages appeared: hybrid system malfunction, a malfunction in electronic control of engine, throttle or automatic transmission has been detected and check engine light. This happened in September 2024. Toyota dealership replaced the low fuel pressure sensor a after my complaint and vehicle diagnostic, but it did not help. I recently had the same problem while driving on the highway for a long distance.

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.

When idling with intermittent wipers on, the vehicle began smoking under the hood, engine light came on dash as well as “steering power low” warning, then engine shut off. The vehicle was unable to be started again after waiting a few minutes. The gear shift could not move from parked. The vehicle was purchased new and had only 20,000 miles on it. I ended up having it towed to a Toyota dealership but by that time the battery was drained from leaving the hazards on too long. They could not identify any other problems and sent me on my way with a working vehicle. After talking to a manager at another Toyota dealership, they identified that this is an occasional problem with this vehicle. The manager was able to contact Toyota who suggested they replace the air intake tube and bezel. Hopefully after these new parts are replaced I will not experience a random shutdown again. It’s such a specific set of conditions to cause the problem but a quick search online showed that other people have encountered similar situations with the wipers on intermittent while idling. Someone mentioned pressing the switch to turn off the automatic engine shut off as a temporary fix. I was blocking traffic and police had to direct traffic around me while I waited for the tow. Thankfully the traffic was not moving fast.

Was driving in heavy rain after about a 35 mile commute and put the car in park. After about 5 minutes of sitting in park the car turned completely off by itself for a couple of seconds and restarted. Warning message “engine stopped steering power low” popped up on dash and was visible smoke coming from under the hood with a slight burning smell. This is a first incident for the car as it has been driven for about 2 years with a little over 35,100 miles on it.

Steering power low message appears and engine completely stops.