Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Toyota RAV4 - part 2

Engine shuts off with exposure to rain.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Check engine light came on as well as hybrid malfunction message. While on the highway could not accel or go past 60 mph, gas pedal would then not work and speed went down, I pulled car over to breakdown lane and car abruptly stopped and would not move. Many warnings flashed and car needed to be towed. Temperature rose and ignition messages came up, steering wheel locked and car was not drivable.

Faulty coolant bypass valve at 115,000 miles. Seems to be a repeat issue for many Toyota owners. Not covered by the powertrain warranty, but a known issue by the manufacturer.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I was driving home in exceptionally heavy rain. Before getting home, I decided to stop at a coffee drive thru. It was still raining pretty heavily as I drove up to the pick up window. I had my foot on the brake as I waited for my order. A few minutes went by when suddenly the car shook a bit and completely shut off. A warning sign came up on the dash screen that read “engine stopped, steering power low” and instructed to put the car in park. That warning message would come up every time I tried to put the gearshift back in drive. I kept trying to restart the car many times, the engine cracked but no start. At one point I even tried putting the car in neutral to attempt to push it out of drive thru lane but the car and steering wheel were locked in place. There was no way to move either. It’s still raining at this point but it has significantly lightened up. About 15 - 20 minutes later, the car started up like normal and I was able to put the gearshift in drive. The car is less than a year old and nothing like this has ever happened before. There were absolutely no warning signs prior to this happening, everything on the dashboard and the mobile app associated with the car showed the car was in “good health. ” I am so incredibly lucky this happened at a drive thru and not in the middle of a highway or busy intersection. You are left completely helpless since the engine completely shuts off and the steering wheel locks. If this happened on a highway, it would immediately create a multi vehicle accident or potentially worse. This is a huge safety risk that needs to be addressed immediately. I plan to take the vehicle into the dealership for inspection because I do not feel 100% safe anymore.

The engine maintenance required light comes on when I use the air conditioner. I suspect the coolant bypass hose is not working properly.

I was sitting with the car in park. The car was running. My vehicle started shaking and said “engine stopped, steering power low”.

The recall (NHTSA recall # 23v734) has been un-repaired since 1 Nov 2023. The un-repaired recall did not cause a safety issue in my case, but I have moved to canada and the recall has prevented me from registering and using the vehicle for the last for the past year (it is not possible to complete the import process or register any vehicle that has an outstanding recall).

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

This problem has occurred twice now. First time: 4/19/2023 the car was brought to the car wash, I pulled into my parking spot the car shut off. When I attempted to turn the car back on the car would not start. The car showed a check engine light along with a steering wheel with an exclamation point. The dash said "engine stopped steering power low". The car was immediately brought to the dealership after the car would start. The dealership did not find anything wrong along with no codes. The dealership assured me this would not happen while driving. Second time: 5/9/2025 the car stalled mid driving in the rain and said "engine stopped steering power low", car would not turnback on. Car has not been brought to the dealership again due to them not responding. This problem happening while driving puts not only my life at risk but everyone on the road.

I was driving down [xxx] the car was moving along fine then when I pushed the gas it would jerk back and shake. I pulled off the highway and was able to coast into a gas station, but the engine stopped working as I was driving while cars were coming behind me. I could have been stopped in the middle of traffic with no way to get out. The power steering light came on as well as a light that said the engine was cut off. We just bought the car used with 22k miles on it and put an additional 3k miles on. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Check engine light came on and code p268115 was shown for coolant bypass valve internal failure. Valve was replaced by dealership and I was told it would not be covered under the Toyota customer support program because that only covers valves that leak externally, not internal failures.

Pop up of "engine maintenance required" , ran the diagnostic steps and confirmed it is due to coolant bypass leak.

Was sitting in my car in the rain and all of a sudden the engine cut off. The check engine light came on and the error message on the dashboard said " engine power reduced". If I try to put it in anything but park, it won't let me. I have never had this issue, or any issue with this car. If I had been driving, this would have run me off the road.

Unknown: it happened during a heavy storm on my 40 miles to work and all the symbols lights suddenly lit up on the dashboard. The car died and the steering wheel got heavy when I tried to pull to the emergency lane. Luckily I was able to pull over, but it almost caused an accident as I was in the middle lane. I tried to start up the car again, but it would crank up, but died instantly and the dash would show "ignition on" on the top left and "engine stopped: power steering low". I called the dealership and talked to the service department and the service advisor think it was the battery, but he told me to try starting it after 5-10 minutes, if not, to call the tow company and tow the car to dealership for further inspection. I let it sit for 10 minutes and was able to start it back up and drove it straight to the nearest Toyota dealership. While driving to the dealership, the car kept choking/stalling when pressing on the gas after braking. They examined with their scanners and the battery was in good condition and my car has gas (about 3/4 tank full) and they said the scans reported no issues. This is a concerning issue as I could had lost my life or possibly cause major accident and involve other people life.

It’s pouring rain and my engine stopped and a message popped up saying “engine stopped power steering low”.

While raining, noticed smoke coming from under the hood, engine seemed as if it didn’t have any power. Car shut off. While attempting to restart I seen a message in dashboard that said engine stopped: steering power low. Took a while to get car cranked again after multiple attempts. Message in dashboard disappeared after multiple attempts to restart nor is there a message in remote application health status section.

I have a 20202 Rav4 hybrid and the engine short block has malfunctioned due to no error on my part, in my research there was a recall for this exactly this issues in other cars of this year/make/model - although my vehicle initially did not qualify for this I believe that this in fact related and that Toyota should be responsible for the repair or replacement of the engine. The car is currently with a Toyota dealership service center, lake city Toyota in seattle, wa but they have not been helpful. They have given me vague answers and have sent the engine offsite to a machine shop and keep requesting that I pour additional money into fixing an engine that clearly had a manufacturer defect. My car has always been serviced at Toyota dealerships, as suggested by Toyota. My car has never had previous issues until the engine light came on one day, I checked the coolant and it was empty - first replaced the fluid, let it sit overnight, then drove it around the block to circulate the coolant - when the reservoir emptied again I immediately made an appointment to take it in. The dealership has not given me any paper invoices or written confirmation/notice of what is happening aside form continuing to ask me to pay more money to fix an engine that is clearly related to the national recall issued.

I drove through heavy rain and after sitting in park for about 15 minutes, my car started shaking and the dashboard lit up. I received a power steering low message and when I tried shifting into drive, it said car not ready to drive. I turned it off and back on and it started, but eventually stalled after a few seconds. I called a tow truck to have it taken to the dealership and by the time he arrived, it start up like normal. Based on what im seeing online, this is becoming more of a common problem.

Coolant relief valve failure.

Coolant bypass failure.

While shopping at the grocery store, I experienced an incident upon leaving the parking lot. After reaching my first red light, I noticed smoke rapidly billowing from under the hood of my vehicle. My husband, who was driving behind me, immediately saw the smoke and instructed me to pull over. Once I stopped, he asked me to pop the hood. Upon opening it, he urgently removed his shirt to try and extinguish the fire. The damage was extensive — a hole burned through the hood, significantly compromising the vehicle’s crash safety rating. Additionally, melted plastic covered the battery area, and the radiator hose was damaged, rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Shortly after having vehicle serviced at Toyota the engine maintenance light came on. Imagine my surprise at learning that many other Rav4 owners have the same exact issue right around the 65,000 mile mark. But regardless I toke it to the Toyota dealer to have them diagnose the issue and under the advisement of the technician opt in for the repair so that my car “wouldn’t have more serious problems as a result [of not fixing the coolant bypass valve]. ” so now I have to pay $1000 for repair when I have had the car just the tiniest bit over 4 years (which is how long the warranty lasted).

Coolant bypass valve the problem has been confirmed by the dealer warning: engine maintenance required.

An error code titled “engine maintenance required. Visited your dealer” appeared on my dash screen. The error code was unable to be removed. I attempted have the car diagnosed by a private auto shop, however no faulty codes pop up. After research online, the problem was determined to be the engine coolant valve, which are faulty on many Rav4s. I eventually get a letter from Toyota for a customer support program regarding the engine coolant valve. When brought in for maintenance, Toyota pulled the error code “p268115” which is for an internal failure of the engine coolant valve. However, Toyota will not replace the part due to their customer support program (24te04) only covering the part for “small engine coolant leak[s]”. Essentially, Toyota will replace the part for being faulty if it had small leaks, but not if the part itself is faulty. When I asked the service member I was working with stated that this is a known problem and “[Toyota] should have just replaced the whole part, but they only do it for small leaks. ” currently, litigation is proceeding regarding the engine coolant valve, alleging Toyota knowingly put faulty parts in their Rav4s. I urge you to investigate this claim.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that after driving for 45 minutes, the vehicle was parked. While attempting to restart the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The engine stopped; engine power was low, and the message “not ready to drive” was displayed. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to move, and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who determined that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that there were no diagnostic trouble codes saved in the history. The manufacturer was contacted, and referred the contact to another dealer, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 8,063.

The coolant valve is malfunctioning and causing an engine safety light to be on constantly.

While turning slowly, right tun, into a parking space, the vehicle lunged forward at a much higher speed than anticipated. The vehicle jumped the sidewalk, went up an embankment, about 20 degrees, and about 25 feet until it stopped on its own. Happened on April 14th, 2025, about 11:30 am. Driver was is good health, no medical conditions. Driver also has a clean driving record, no infarctions. The vehicle jumped a curb 4 inches high, ran over some light brush, but luckily no damage to vehicle. There are train tracks about 15 feet away, which could have been another incident. Driver says when she slowly pulled into the spot, the car lunged forward, with good thrust, and I am a witness to this incident.

Engine maintenance required warning came on. Took car to dealership, diagnostic informed the issue was the coolant bypass valve. Repair cost is $781. 28 + diagnostic $160.