Equipment Problems of Toyota RAV4 - part 1

Driving down the freeway and the moonroof exploded for no reason, sending glass shards on the passenger.

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I was driving on a 4 lane highway heading north bound in the right hand lane with my sister in the passenger seat both wearing seat belts traveling at approximately 55-60 miles per hour. Traffic was light. At the time of the incident other cars were at least 1/2 mile in front of me with no car close behind me and no one passing me. There were also no overpasses at the time of the incident. I heard what sounded as a large and loud explosion. The car continued to drive just fine but within minutes I realized the panoramic sunroof roof exploded. My exit was approximately 1 mile from the incident and I live 1/2 mile from that exit so I continued driving to my driveway. I continued hearing what sounded like ice cubes cracking after being placed in a warm liquid. The window was completely shattered and all the frame was out of the window laying on the top of my car. I made calls to my insurance, Toyota corporate in [xxx], my specific car dealer where I purchased and service my vehicle and xxx. The incident happened on Wednesday xxx at 1:15pm. Photos were sent to Toyota corporate. The car was towed that day to my dealer and was inspected Thursday xxx by my insurance adjuster. It is currently being inspected by my Toyota dealer. I’m currently waiting for a call from my car dealer. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2025 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

While driving with apple carplay and maps displayed for directions, Toyota's experience drive connect screen appears on display. The only way to get back to navigation is to pull over shut the car off, or reboot the display by holding the volume button in. It's a safety issue— a driver distraction the owner is held captive with the advertising until they buy a subscription, over and over again.

The sunroof/moonroof glass on my 2017 Toyota Rav4 xle suddenly shattered while I was driving on the highway. I heard a very loud explosion-like sound, and the sunroof glass broke unexpectedly. I did not observe any object, rock, or road debris striking the sunroof before it shattered. The remaining damaged sunroof and vehicle are currently available for inspection upon request. This incident put my safety and the safety of others at risk because the sunroof shattered unexpectedly while I was traveling on the highway. The sudden loud sound startled me while I was driving, and broken glass was left across the sunroof area and continued to break and fall from the damaged glass. I was concerned that additional pieces could come loose while the vehicle was being driven. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a Toyota dealership or independent repair facility. The sunroof has not yet been professionally repaired. At this time, the vehicle and sunroof have not been inspected by Toyota or a Toyota dealership regarding the cause of the failure. I have photographs and/or video documenting the condition of the sunroof after the incident. There were no warning lights, dashboard messages, or other warning symptoms before the sunroof shattered. The failure happened suddenly and without warning while I was driving on the highway.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The car is Rav4 2022 fuel: gas. Dashboard showing headlight system malfunction, pre-collision system malfunction and rsa system malfunction. The alarm beep and sign of malfunction keep popping up on dashboard. I took it to Toyota dealership to be inspected and they notified me that "the front recognition camera watchdog/safety mcu failure. " this front camera is connecting to headlight system, pre-collision system and rsa system that causing them to be malfunction while I am driving. With all those system malfunction in the car, I am driving with a huge risk. I am certain that not only I have those problems but some owner of Rav4 2022 or perhaps other year that has the same microcomputer for front recognition camera for safety have the same failure that would trickle down to safety of others on the road. The car is only 4 years old. The microcomputer in the front camera should have been functioning with no problem, unless the factory didn't calibrate well or install malfunction microcomputer for the car. The dealership estimated the price to change the microcomputer $ 2000 and labor $ 400 something. Toyota should have recall and reimburse this service to customers since these problems are factory problems.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

While driving down a county road at approx 40mph, the glass of the sunroof of my 2019 Rav4 suddenly cracked, with shards falling down into the vehicle. There was no apparent cause or impact. After moving to a safe location to further inspect, I noticed the following details; - the rectangular glass of the sunroof is cracked through at multiple points along the edges of the pane, and a "web" pattern of partially shattered glass extends across the whole pane. - there is no pattern that I would associate with an impact spot and no evidence of impact from any falling object. At the time, I was driving under open skies in a rural area, not under any trees, overpasses, etc. - the glass appears to be buckled outwards, as though internal cabin pressure was a factor - the car had been parked outside my office all day, the day was overcast with a high in the 80s. There was no rain/hail/etc. Overall, the lack of apparent impact and outward-buckling pattern raise concern for a material or manufacturing defect. While no one was hurt in this incident, a similar failure could have been a significant problem if it occurred on an interstate or other location the operator could not pull over, or during adverse weather. The vehicle is being taken for inspection at stapp interstate Toyota, frederick CO on 29 July 2026.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Toyota issues a customer support program notification regarding paint peeling on vehicles with factory applied blizzard pearl or super white paint. The original expiration date was December 11, 2022 with secondary expiration being 10 years after first use, in my case October 14, 2023. Within the period I had 3 different parts of my car repainted due to peeling paint. On July 19, 2026, paint began peeling again on the roof which is one of the panels that was repainted. I contacted Toyota customer care and their response was that the program was closed and no one could reopen the issue. I feel that the 10 year time was just an arbitrary deadline and since this issue had already been repaired once, the issue should be resolved again.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The sunroof exploded spontaneously while I was driving. It sounded like a gunshot. There were no other vehicles around, so it wasn't caused by a stray rock. It was only 73 degrees, so I don't think it was heat related.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I ordered a plastic underbody cover (about 12×20 inches) through Toyota arapahoe and paid $70 for the part. I was given an appointment for installation. When I arrived, I was told that the installation would take an hour and a half, even though the work consisted of fastening nine screws, while the old cover had been factory?attached with only five simple self?tapping fasteners, and this work was supposed to be free. After about an hour, I found my vehicle in the general parking lot, with no notification, no status update, and no explanation from the employees. When I asked why the work had not been completed, I was told: “there is not a single screw in the station,” “the screws may arrive in a week,” “the installation will cost about $100. ” I asked the manager: “you want one hundred dollars just to fasten nine screws?” at that moment, the situation escalated. A man appeared who claimed to be “the boss of the entire station. ” his behavior was aggressive and unprofessional. He refused to give his name or provide a business card. Because I speak english poorly, I asked him to say his name again. I tried to say “last name,” but due to stress I mistakenly said “famaly. ” instead of offering an electronic translator, this person began acting in a disturbing and irrational manner: shouting “family, family!”, rolling his eyes, moving around the room in an agitated way, and repeating the word loudly. I was confused and repeated the word after him, not understanding what was happening. Two other employees approached and began repeating “go, go,” pressuring me to leave. Their behavior was clearly aimed at intimidation and forcing me out of the premises. After returning home, I measured my blood pressure: 170/90, which is significantly higher than my usual level of 140/80 and is considered a pre?heart?attack indicator. This dangerous spike in blood pressure was a direct result of the aggressive and humiliating treatment by the employees of Toyota arapahoe.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The hands free feature over the cars microphone/stereo is unusable; leaving vehicle owners frustrated, and more likely to operate cellphones outside of standard hands free practices. I have been on numerous phone calls where people have told me that they were unable to hardly hear a thing I was saying. To remedy this problem I have 1. Tried speaking up (even yelling) 2. Turning off hvac systems 3. Positioning my body closer to the microphone 4. Bringing the car to a slow or stop to reduce road noise. 5. Calling myself to see if I can hear myself. 6. Talked with someone who owns the same car (year/model/spec/trim) and they were hardly audible as they called me over their hands free system.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I was in a drive thru and my car had been idling for less than 5 minutes in the rain and started shuttering really bad with my roms dipping low. I put the vehicle in park and the the entire vehicle shut off and would not stay on without dying. For the next 20 minutes everytime I tried to start it it shut off immediately no matter what I would do. The vehicular kept telling me “engine stopped steering power low”. It let me put the vehicle in accessory mode and was fine but my steering wheel remained locked. After about 30 minutes I was able to get the vehicle to start and pull up about 15 feet before it shuttered and I put it in park and it died again. I had to get it towed to the dealership.

As I was driving to work my sunroof shattered out of nowhere, there was no provocation. There was a big pop and then there were noises coming from the roof. When I checked I saw the sunroof had shattered into tine pieces. Toyota does not want to take responsability into this incident.

I was driving across a mountain pass in washington state at an elevation of approximately 4,000 ft. With no warning I hear a very loud noise, sounding like a gunshot. I was in pretty heavy traffic and pulled over as soon as it was safe. A walk around the car revealed no problems, but looking at the top of the car showed that the glass over the sunroof had imploded. I'm not a fan of sunroofs and I may have never opened it. My favorite ai search engine gemini had plenty of information. I experienced what is known as a spontaneous sunroof implosion/explosion. Fortunately, neither my passengers nor I was injured. Toyota is not accepting responsibility for these incidents.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Unknown. . . Car took off on its own finally stop turn car off would not restart try again it started then it not want to move trying to get it again damn it car.

My car has shut off for a second time without warning. This time was in a busy chic [xxx] drive through line in [xxx] . The car read “low power steering” and the battery and engine light came on. These have both been checked before in addition to the alternator and they cannot find an issue. I am having it taken back to the dealership tomorrow for further investigation. Given I purchased this vehicle with a little over 19k miles and the car now only has 22k miles on it. It should not have any significant issues such as cutting off while driving on the interstate or while sitting in a busy drive through lane waiting for food. Now I am wondering if the previous owner traded it in for this issue. I will say, both incidences it has been raining and the first time I could have been hit by oncoming traffic due to low visibility and I am wondering if heavy rain has something to do with this. The car has not been through any significant puddles or left out in the rain. It sits in the garage when not in use and has only been used as a work commute vehicle. Something is wrong. They need a recall! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have a blizzard white Rav4 2013 that I just bought the paint is peeling from roof and side doors. I called a Toyota dealer and they told me that they wouldn’t be able to paint it beacause the warranty of repainting had expired. In some parts of the car the pint is starting to bubble up . .

The infotainment system of my 2019 Rav4 hybrid will randomly turn off while driving. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Car’s sunroof exploded while driving, was going about 55 on the highway and I heard a loud pop followed by the sound of breaking glass which I found to be my whole sunroof exploding from the inside out. This is dangerous because of the possibility of glass landing on people or in the car leading to potential injury. This issue is apparently one that happens fairly commonly. The component has not been checked yet. There were no warning signs, just a swift explosion and damage.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Water sloshing around inside the passenger door after rain or car wash. If you pull at the seal a little bit, water pours out. This has happened a few times now in the last year of owning the car. The rear seatbelt sensor also goes off randomly, when no one is sitting in the back seat.

I am filing a complaint regarding Toyota sending out letters to Rav4 owners reference factory paint peeling. The letter stated, “customer support program notification paint peeling (vehicles painted with factory-applied blizzard pearl or super white paint). In this letter it stated that it is a possibility veh’s painted with this paint may experience paint peeling off. In the letter it states that if you are not experiencing this issue, there is nothing you need to do at this time. I did not experience any issues at the time. The letter was sent approximately 6-7 years ago. On may 20th 2026 I noticed on the roof of my vehicle between the windshield and sun roof a large softball size area of metal where the paint peeled/flaked off. In contacting Toyota dealership they said there is nothing they can do. Contact was made today 6/15/26 ( I didn’t notice the paint peeling off until 6/13/26). I then called Toyota corporate and they said since the extended warranty expired 12/11/2025 I have to pay for the fix and they will not. Online there are thousands of others experiencing the same issue. I received a quote of $1600 and $2300 dollars just to strip and repaint the roof. I have the video showing the paint peeling off by itself. This is ridiculous and Toyota needs to be held accountable. According to Toyota the cause of this issue is due to sunlight over time degrades the adhesion between the factory-applied paint primer coat layer and the base metal electrodeposition layer causing the paint to peel from the metal body panel.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The trim around the sunroof is cracked and causing a leak. I took the vehicle to south hills Toyota in cannonsburg PA, for maintenance and state inspection, specifically identifying this issue. The car is less than 2 years old still under warranty initially I was told it was not a material defect and not covered by warranty, remedy would be replacement of entire sunroof. Discussion with the service manager resulted in the defect being escalated to Toyota. Pictures were taken by the Toyota service team and sent to Toyota for further review.

Driving south on [xxx] and almost to [xxx] about 60 mph. The rubber roof drip moldings released and starting flying against my car very hard, this was beyond scary. I had to pull over and try to tuck them in, they are so worn and keep scratching my car from hitting it and could possibly break window or fly off damaging another vehicle. These rubber moldings have flown all over the place ever since I got vehicle in 2023, I have continually tried to glue them in they won't stay. There is one on each side and their both loose, I keep pushing back in but won't stay. They have scratched my paint and trim so badly. I called and reported to Toyota they didn't care. They told me you shouldn't run vehicle through car wash, that was a very dumb response, everyone uses car washes. I don't have time to hand wash my vehicle weekly, this should be made to go through a car wash. This is my company vehicle and its the most dangerous vehicle I've ever driven, I'm working in it all day long. I would never buy this vehicle because of this issue, I don't feel safe. Everyone at my company that has this vehicle has the same problem. We purchase all our fleet cars from Toyota and are a huge company nationwide, old dominion freight line. This is a major hazard and I'm asking you publish a recall immediately, Toyota needs to fix this dangerous issue and should not sell a vehicle like this. Please I'm asking for your help, thanks so much. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The 8-speed automatic on my 2019 Rav4 (2. 5l 4 cyl) has been shifting super rough at lower speeds, to the point to where downshifts can send the revs into redline territory, but the car really doesn't move. No warning lights, passed state inspection, recently serviced. Purchaced this car in janurary with 50k miles on it and noticed it within a few weeks of driving. I am now at 57k and the issue is signifigantly worse than it was before. Will be taking it to Toyota soon. The safety issues arise when I do not know how the car is going to accelerate or respond to throttle input in traffic. I don't trust the car to handle any fast throttle input if I need to move out of the way quickly.

I am writing to report a suspected case of odometer fraud involving a vehicle currently listed for sale at stacey’s auto sales, located at [xxx] . Vehicle details: 2009 Toyota Rav4 sport VIN: [xxx] asking price: $8,995 current listed mileage: 108,540 I obtained an nmvtis vehicle history report which shows this vehicle was listed at a dealer (revolutionary auto) in December 2020 with 150,439 miles on the odometer. The vehicle is currently being sold with only 108,540 miles — a discrepancy of approximately 42,000 miles over five years. The current utah title lists odometer reading as ‘exempt,’ which may have been used to obscure this discrepancy. I am not the buyer or seller of this vehicle. I am a private citizen who identified this discrepancy while researching the vehicle prior to a potential purchase. I am submitting this report in the interest of protecting other consumers. I have the nmvtis report available as supporting documentation upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Upon taking my 2021 Rav4 hybrid in for the rear traction motor cable corrosion recall (25td01) on 5/7/2026, I was told there are no parts, no estimated arrival time, and therefore not even a rough estimate for a timeframe of repair. I was told that no one would inspect or evaluate the part in question to indicate if the car was safe to drive. I expressed my extreme concern given the recall includes risk of power failure, even while driving. I received inconsistent, avoidant answers and an absolute denial to remedy the situation in any way. I was told the dealership is "dolan" and not "Toyota". I again expressed my concerns about safety and the dealerships' denial to, at minimum inspect the recalled part and/or housing of the part. Emily, the service manager stated that Toyota does not "allow" loaner vehicles for this particular recall. She could not provide any sources for this information. To summarize; the dealer with not provide an inspection of the recalled part and/or housing, or give an estimated timeline for repair given I am #125 on a waitlist. There is a complete lack of regard for mine or my children's safety as the dealer will not provide any assessment of how bad the damage could be. They suggested that I continue to drive the vehicle, acknowledging all of the safety hazards that could occur. I am terrified of the possibility of having an accident with my kids in the car due to this recalled part failing, not having a vehicle to get to and from work, and the potential additional costs that this unaddressed recall issue could cause. Please advise!.

I am filing a complaint regarding Toyota’s handling of a known paint defect affecting my 2014 Toyota Rav4 limited in blizzard pearl paint. Over the past several years, the paint on my vehicle has progressively peeled and deteriorated. Approximately 50% of the vehicle’s paint is now damaged. This issue is clearly consistent with Toyota’s known blizzard pearl paint defect program. However, I was never notified by Toyota about this defect program through mail, email, or phone call. In addition, I regularly serviced my vehicle at authorized Toyota dealerships during the years the program was active, yet no dealership or Toyota representative informed me that my vehicle qualified for repair coverage. I only recently learned about the existence of this program after visiting a Toyota dealership regarding another issue. At that time, I was told the program had already expired in April 2024 and that Toyota would no longer provide assistance. I believe this is unfair because: - Toyota acknowledged this as a manufacturing-related defect. - I was never properly notified. - Toyota dealerships had multiple opportunities to inform me during regular service visits. - the defect became progressively worse over time. I am requesting that Toyota reconsider my case and provide goodwill assistance or repair coverage despite the expiration date, due to the lack of notification and the severity of the defect. Toyota brand engagement center still told me the recall expiated.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

My 2021 Toyota Rav4 began experiencing intermittent shuddering and vibration at low speeds around may 2026. The condition occurred while accelerating from a stop or at slow speeds and became more frequent over time. Because the problem was intermittent, the dealership was initially unable to duplicate it. Independent inspection later found dark transmission fluid containing metal debris, indicating internal transmission failure. I was informed the transmission requires replacement or rebuild. My vehicle has approximately 94,000 miles, which is well below the expected service life of a modern transmission. The symptoms are consistent with numerous reported complaints involving Toyota’s ua80 automatic transmission and torque converter. An unexpected loss of smooth power delivery or hesitation during acceleration creates a potential safety risk, particularly when entering traffic or crossing intersections. I am submitting this complaint so NHTSA can investigate as this is a very dangerous and concearning issue.

My car say front camera not working.

My sunroof exploded while driving . Nothing hit my car there was no cars around me.

My wife was driving down the freeway with the panoramic sunroof closed. The sunroof glass without warning made a loud popping noise and there was safety glass all over the interior of the car. She was not operating the sunroof at the time. The fabric sunshade was open at the time. Dealership refuses to cover the damage ~$2200 under warranty.

Safety defect: data communication module (dcm) failure affecting hands-free microphone and safety connect / sos emergency system vehicle: 2019 Toyota Rav4 hybrid le the dcm (which controls both the carplay/bluetooth hands-free microphone and the safety connect sos emergency button) suddenly failed without any warning or accident. Symptoms: - no one can hear me during carplay or bluetooth calls (microphone inoperative). - safety connect / sos light became intermittent or inoperative (directly impacts emergency calling, crash notification, and roadside assistance). This is a known recurring issue documented in Toyota tsbs t-sb-0112-20 and t-sb-0089-21. Toyota of hackensack diagnosed it and quoted $1,300 for dcm replacement/update while charging me $200 for diagnosis. They did not disclose during the multipoint inspection that this is a documented safety-related dcm fault. I performed the manufacturer-recommended 12v battery disconnect reset (standard TSB procedure), which fully restored the microphone and returned the sos light to solid green. However, this is only a temporary fix for a known defect. This failure compromises hands-free calling while driving and the emergency sos system — both critical safety features. I request NHTSA investigation and urge Toyota to issue a recall or service campaign for all affected 2019–2025 Rav4 hybrids.

The liftgate on my 2017 Toyota Rav4 has been having issues for a couple of months. Makes a horrific noise when opening and closing. On several occasions it won't even open but about 5 inches then stops. The driver's side door won't lock/unlock with the Smart key fob. I have to manually lock it and then use the "key" in the fob to unlock it. It is very hard to turn the key and I am always afraid it is going to break off in the lock. I feel this is dangerous for me that the time it takes to do this, something could happen to me. I have checked a couple of places for repair of the lock and it can run between $600 and $800 per lock.

While driving, the moonroof on my 2019 Toyota Rav4 xle awd suddenly exploded with a loud bang and the glass blew outward. There was no impact, debris, or external cause. The sound was similar to a gunshot. The remaining glass appeared to be pushed upward/outward, not inward. This created a safety hazard due to potential driver distraction and risk of injury from falling glass. This appears consistent with other reported incidents involving spontaneous sunroof shattering. No warning light. Moonroof was shut. Sunny day about 40 degrees outside. Traveling at 68 mph. Dog in crate in back.

Nav screen randomly goes black for variable amounts of time.

Rust on roof by the windshield.