Equipment Problems of Toyota RAV4 - part 1

Jerks during acceleration. Lurching sensation when acceleration from a stop or after slowing down for a turn. The engine control module (ecm) not communicating effectively with the transmission, leading to searching for gears, rough shifting and low speed hesitation.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

My 2019 Toyota 8 speed transmission jerking in stop and go traffic.

My 2017 Toyota Rav4 suddenly caught fire while it was parked in front of my home. The vehicle was turned off and had been parked for several minutes. Without any warning, flames started in the battery area and rapidly spread, resulting in a total loss of the vehicle. The wylie, texas fire department responded and extinguished the fire. Component or system involved: exact cause unknown. Fire appears to have originated from the engine compartment. The remains of the vehicle are available for inspection upon request by NHTSA, Toyota, or investigators. Safety risk: this was a severe and unexpected fire with no warning and posed a serious risk to my family, neighbors, and surrounding property. The fire could have spread to my home and other vehicles nearby. It created a dangerous situation for anyone in the area. Reproduction / confirmation: the problem cannot be reproduced because the vehicle is a total loss. No prior mechanical issues or symptoms suggested this could happen. Inspection status: the vehicle has been inspected by the wylie fire department, and my insurance company has opened a case and is investigating. Toyota USA has also opened a case (# [insert case number]) and is expected to review the incident. No final cause has been determined yet. Warning lamps or symptoms: there were no warning lights, messages, unusual smells, smoke, or performance issues before the fire. The vehicle showed no signs of trouble prior to the incident. Additional details: I later verified that my VIN is included in an open recall related to potential fire risk. I believe this issue may be connected, but the cause is still unknown pending investigation.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

My 2019 Toyota Rav4 experienced a dangerous electrical and transmission failure that ultimately caused the vehicle to stall while driving and made me lose control. For several weeks before the incident, the vehicle showed subtle hesitation when accelerating but no warning lights. After the car stalled and spun out coming off the ben franklin bridge onto I-76 near downtown camden, police responded, confirmed the vehicle had unexpectedly shut off, and verified there was no crash damage. I later brought the car to the Toyota dealership, where they discovered corrosion on the battery cable, failed abs sensors, and a weak battery. I paid $668 for a new battery, new cable, and abs sensor repairs. At that time, the dealership did not inform me of any transmission issues and released the vehicle back to me. I made it only a short distance up the road before realizing the vehicle could not accelerate past 40 mph and was still malfunctioning, so I immediately returned it. The next day, the dealership initially claimed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle, but after I insisted they re-evaluate the car, they then informed me that the transmission was failing and needed replacement. This sequence of electrical instability, combined with the transmission malfunction, ultimately led to the earlier stall where I lost all power steering and braking assist and spun out into the median. The vehicle, diagnostic records, and replaced components are available for inspection. The sudden loss of power and control created a major safety risk to me and other drivers in a high-traffic area.

The design of some Rav4 grilles (particularly 2019-2024 models) allows rocks and road debris to easily pass through and damage the vulnerable a/c condenser, or radiator behind it, which leads to very expensive repairs. This is what happened to my 2019 Toyota rav 4. Now I have to pay 1300. 00 to get it repaired.

Rear door liftgate hinges defective. They are too week combined with electric power struts. They are being pulled away from body of vehicle and become misshapen (bent, deformed,etc) and causes door/liftgate to be unbalanced and and stick out too far away from body. Now the door/liftgate can not close and be secured.

The panoramic sunroof shattered on its own out of nowhere. It just made loud noise. We thought it was tire, but car did not make move, looking above we saw the panoramic section of sunroof shattered. I went to dealer, they said there is a point of contact (means something has hit the roof) and they told me I have to file with insurance company. Insurance company is asking a million questions. It seems they are both passing it to each other. To my opinion it is manufacturing flaw. Very unsafe!.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Unknown.

Novemver 18, 2025 "I was driving my 2024 Rav4 . . Suddenly - I only heard the glass shatter, not an impact on my sunroof glass. After 10mins driving (7:10am) speed 65 mph in freeway it was not raining when I started driving but a little windy and splash of rain started no impact or debris and I am far away from cars in from of me the remaining glass edges (show outward shattered).

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I was driving for less than 5 minutes when my sunroof exploded and shattered out of nowhere. My safety was put at risk for several reasons - 1) it sounded like a gun shot had come at me while I was operating the vehicle which was extremely startling. 2) glass could have shattered all over me and affected my sight on the road. 3) I had to pull over on a busy road not knowing where glass was in my car. 4) this happened due to no impact, out of nowhere.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

We discovered severe mold contamination and water intrusion in our 2023 Toyota Rav4 hybrid. My wife, our [xxx] child, and I have been experiencing dizziness and nausea for months whenever we were inside the vehicle, but we did not know the cause until the dealer (dll) showed us extensive mold throughout the cabin and standing water trapped inside the vehicle. The dealer confirmed that this was not normal wear and tear. The mold has spread into the floors, interior panels, and even the steering components. This is a serious health hazard. After doing research, we found many other Rav4 hybrid owners reporting similar water leaks and mold growth issues. This raises the concern of a potential design or sealing defect in this model. This vehicle is unsafe to drive, especially with a young child. We are requesting a full safety investigation into the water intrusion, sealing integrity, and air quality risks associated with this model. Symptoms:     •    dizziness     •    nausea     •    headache     •    strong mold smell     •    corrosion of interior components this is a serious safety and health issue, and we are asking NHTSA to investigate. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Never collusion with ever.

The rear lift hatch on my 2017 Toyota Rav4 is not working properly. It can be raised without a problem most of the time but not lowered without a lot of effort and time. It might go down several inches and stop before going back up again causing me to have to start the process all over again. It definitely could present a danger if someone tried to force it up or down or if they got a body part under it while it was doing its weird motions. Plus it would not be safe to drive it unless it lowered all the way and latched. I did take it in to my Toyota mechanic who acknowledged the problem and said the only remedy was to replace parts at a cost of somewhere between $1200 and $1300. Since the issue with my rear lift hatch started a year ago, I have read numerous complaints from other persons who are having the same issue. My mechanic confirms that he has had a number of vehicles brought to him with the same or similar issue. I strongly feel that there should be a recall. I have been a loyal Toyota owner for many years and over the years have steered numerous persons toward purchasing a Toyota. My Rav4 is available for inspection if that is necessary.

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.

Driving on a city portion of highway 69 between prescott and prescott valley, traveling about 45mph, the panoramic moonroof suddenly exploded. There was no one near us and the road is newly paved so no obstacles. Glass shards rained down on us. This happened on a normal day about 75 degrees. Totally unexpected. I did sustain a cut on a finger. This could have harmed one of us with flying glass. We have contacted our insurance company and directed us to a collision compare place. In checking online, I see that others have experienced the same problem and there are lawsuits about this issue.

I had just gotten off my vehicle, we were at a shopping center specifically marshall’s, the employee announced a blue Toyota, I went outside and my car was in flames, the fire department said it was an electrical fire. I had never received a letter of a recall let alone Toyota calling me to tell my car was defective. Not only until after my vehicle was damaged I received a call from them which made it suspicious.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

During an aws outage on 10/20/2025, the connect app which can turn on or off the vehicle, unlock/lock doors, etc had issues where it performed an unlock on our vehicle 5 times in 24hrs without us doing anything. Key fob was in sleep mode / low power mode (cannot signal vehicle). Reports of this happening to others found online, but Toyota dealership states no reports on any of this happening.

The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that his wife had just parked the vehicle in front of the business and was about to move the shift gear lever to park(p), when the vehicle accelerated independently, jumped the cement parking block, and crashed into a tree, where it came to a stop. None of the air bags were deployed. The contact suffered minor injuries; had a bruise on the right breast, back pain, chest pain, and lower neck pain that did not require medical attention. The police were not notified. The vehicle was towed to a collision center, and the insurance company then towed to vehicle to another collision center where the vehicle was declared a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.

When driving, I occasionally hear a sloshing sound. After inspecting the vehicle, I realized it was coming from the rear passenger door of the Rav4. After putting down large bowls to catch the water, I pulled up on the rubber weather strip at the bottom of the rear passenger door and water gushed out. I collected over 13 cups of water out of the door. This is not an isolated incident, as it has happened before. At first I thought it was debris/a fluke that caused this water to accumulate, but after reading forums, there are multiple people out there running into the same issue. It's only ever been the rear passenger door too; none of the other doors are holding water.

El día 2 DE octubre compré una rav 4 2025. El día 14 DE octubre me doy cuenta que los cristales se encontraban rayados como por dentro del cristal, entiendo que esto pudo haber puesto en riesgo mi seguridad ya que si cualquiera DE los cristales se rompe puede cortarme a mi o a un pasajero. En la primera inspección no notaron nada luego llamaron a un especialista DE Toyota para verificarlo y en conclusión si noto dicho defecto en los cristales pero noto que en el mismo concesionario había varios vehículos con el mismo problema me notificó que su deber ES reportar este problema pero que por el momento no hay nada que hacer con mi auto estos rayones por dentro del cristal únicamente son vistos específicamente bajo los rayos DE la luz solar. No hubo ningún símbolo ni falla antes DE notarlo el día 14 DE octubre2025.

While driving on the freeway at normal speed, the glass sunroof shattered. There were no other cars around and we were out in the open, not driving under an overpass or anything. It was an 80 degree day, sunny and not windy.

I was driving on the highway and my panoramic moonroof spontaneously shattered. It sounded like a gunshot and I didn't realize what had happened until I was able to pull over and examine my car several minutes later. I was very shaken up from the noise and knowing something was wrong with my vehicle but not knowing what happened. As far as I know I didn't have anything hit my vehicle/sunroof and I was driving on a stretch of road with no tree cover at the time. I had the inside sliding part of the moonroof closed so all of the broken glass was contained in there, but if it had been open the broken glass would've fallen all over my head while driving. When looking up information on this online I can see that several people have had similar issues and there looks to be a class action lawsuit in progress about this problem. Https://lemberglaw. Com/class-actions/gamez-v-Toyota-motor/ the sound of the glass shattering was alarming in itself, and also any glass on the roof needs to be laminated to reduce the risk of accidents caused by glass falling on people if they don't have the inside slider closed to catch it.

I was driving on CA highway 20 on Thursday afternoon, oct. 2, when the sunroof spontaneously shattered. I was not driving under a bridge or overpass or tree. There were no vehicles directly in front of me. I heard a loud pop, like an exploding bottle, but could see no damage inside the car. Within a few miles, glass was flying off the roof and striking cars behind me. That's when I pulled off the road and saw the roof was shattered. The shape of the break mounded up in the middle, implying the roof had broken upward. There were no rocks inside on the sunroof cover, nor any other debris than shattered glass.

At the car wash while slowly pulling (1mph) into a parking space to vacuum the vehicle the car unexpectedly accelerated. The brakes failed and the car continued to accelerate until forced into park and turning off the vehicle. During the acceleration there was a grinding noise. This acceleration caused the car to hit the front curb and cement pilings with poles supporting the roof and vacuum. There were no warnings or lights being presented. If not for the curb and being off the road anyone in the car would at the very least been injured and possibly hitting another auto. The dealer is claiming no none issues as described. The auto was towed to the body shop to inspect and repair. We were told by the body repair shop the front suspension failed. The auto was great prior to this incident. Afraid to drive for fear of a repeat especially due to others on the internet claiming the same issue has happened and often continued to have a repeat acceleration incident. No one has found resolution from Toyota. Approximately $7,000. 00 worth of damage and our insurance has now gone up.

We bought a 2020 Toyota Rav4 limited with sunroof. When we were driving in freeway, we noticed that a glass shattered somewhere in my car. We realized that the sunroof was completely shattered. There was no accident, just a heavy rain. We didn't know what to do, we didn't know if we have to call police in a matter as it was a potential safety hazard. We have seen a lot of complaint about this and there is no option to completely sealed it off or get rid of sunroof. We are now scared of driving this car in long distance, we will be trading this vehicle soon because of the incident.

See all problems of the 2020 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.

Year: 2014 make: Toyota model: Rav4 approx. Mileage: 60k 2. Incident details date of most recent incident: 9/18/2025 problem: vehicle stalls and loses power steering while turning. Engine shuts off suddenly, causing complete loss of steering control. Consequence: on 9/18/25, my son lost control of the Rav4, hit a curb, and went through bushes before stopping. Previous stalls also occurred while turning, with loss of steering assist. This is a severe safety hazard. Frequency: has occurred multiple times, even after dealership inspection and repairs. 3. Dealer/repair info dealer name: sarasota Toyota address: 7435 s tamiami trail, sarasota, FL 34231 repair attempts: dealer inspected in August 2025, charged nearly $900, but problem persists. Car is now back in the shop (not Toyota) for a second opinion at an additional cost of over $200. 4. Description my 2014 Toyota Rav4 repeatedly stalls and loses engine power and power steering without warning, especially while turning. On September 18, 2025, my son lost control of the vehicle, hit a curb, and went through bushes before managing to stop. This is extremely dangerous and could have resulted in a serious accident. Sarasota Toyota has inspected the vehicle and charged nearly $900 for repairs, but the defect was not fixed. The vehicle continues to stall and is unsafe to drive. I am pursuing a second opinion at additional expense. This issue places my family and others on the road in danger. I am filing this complaint so that Toyota and regulators address this defect.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

While driving, I heard a loud noise on roof of car. The sunroof/moonroof spontaneously shattered, pieces of glass around edge came loose and flew off and part of the frame dislodged. No cars around that could have thrown something up on top of car to cause this. I took to Toyota dealer and they said it was not under warranty and refused to cover. I filed a claim with aaa insurance and they don’t think they can cover because, according to their assessor, it appears to be a defect with no single point of contact to cause the shatter. As is, the car is not safe to drive for fear of glass completely breaking and flying off, as well as there being no protection from the roof, as the sunroof/moonroof critical to the integrity of the car.

I was driving yesterday when we suddenly heard a pop on the roof. We pulled over and noticed that the sunroof was broken, with the glass sticking outward, as if something from the inside had exploded outward. The dealership would not take ownership of the damage, therefore I had to use my insurance. Upon inspection I was told that it was pressure from inside the vehicle that caused it to explode and that they have seen it before in Toyota rav 4 models.

Other people keep using my bluetooth from my Toyota Rav4 2007. I don't even use it anymore. I found out because my android vehicle app keeps activating. Also, I live in a apartment complex, and notice when I look out my window, people walk by and slow down and stop right in front of my car and start messing with their phone. It appears they are hacking into the bluetooth. I've also had much financial theft from my bank account. . Including I paid for my auto insurance months ago, now I go on the az mdv and it's saying that my car is not insured! I'm a domestic violence victim. . Its causing safety issues for me. . I'm really upset. Also, your website is saying it's September 8, 2025. My phone is saying it's September 7th 2025. I don't know what to do!?!? someone is causing me a lot of mental anquish. I know I have recalls on this car, it says I have nun on the Toyota site yet in other places it says I have recalls. I just feel extremely unsafe and angry that Toyota never sends me anything about my car.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

On September 3, 2025, I was driving down the I-10 in biloxi, ms, at 6:45 a. M. It was around 75-80 degrees and the sun was just barely coming up. All of the sudden the glass in my sunroof completely shattered. There were no cars around me and it was an open portion of the road, so no rocks were flung up by nearby vehicles. Luckily, my kids were not with me, because a majority of the glass ended up in my backseat, ranging from huge chunks of about 3-4 inches in diameter to smaller shards being everywhere. I cut myself several times while trying to clean it up, so I can only imagine what it could have done to my kids! luckily, I was able to keep my cool and not swerve off the road, as it was quite startling.

The paint on my 2020 Toyota Rav4 (blueprint color) is peeling and deteriorating prematurely, on the hood. The vehicle has been properly maintained and has not been in any accidents. The paint started peeling without any external cause. I’ve noticed similar complaints from other 2020 Toyota Rav4 owners, especially those with the blueprint color, reporting the same issue. This suggests a widespread paint or clear coat defect from the manufacturer. The peeling paint not only affects appearance but also exposes the metal body to rust and corrosion, which could eventually compromise the vehicle’s safety and structure. Toyota has not issued a recall or offered repairs for this known problem, and many owners are being asked to pay out of pocket for costly repainting. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue as a potential manufacturing defect and urge Toyota to take corrective action through a recall or warranty extension for affected vehicles.

The tailgate does not lift all the way. The hinges are intact. I believe its a pistón or sensor problem.

For over month on multiple random events, the car shuts down while traveling at hwy speeds. The car light prompt to shift the vehicle into neutral and push the start button to re start the engine. We have had the car at the dealership 4 separate occasions and they can not find the issue because it does not cause an engine light to come on when this happens. They also supposedly can not get it to duplicate so they are refusing to go any further. We have video of this occurring at 50mph. This causes lost of steering and braking. We reported this to Toyota and opened a case. They to will not pursue fixing the issue as they are not getting a trouble code. I fear this is going to cause a major accident and this poses a severe safety risk as you loose control of the vehicle.

Was driving on the freeway on my way to work and suddenly I heard this loud pop. I didn't know if a vehicle next to me had a tire blow out or if I had a tire blow out. I pulled over and I checked my car and then I looked on the roof as that is where the loud pop came from and I saw my sunroof broken with a hole in the middle.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota RAV4 🔎.