Exterior Lighting Problems of Toyota RAV4 - part 2

Automatic high beams (ahb) malfunction. When driving at night the ahb systems occasionally (every ~10 minutes lately) shuts down and the green "auto high beam" indicator goes off - resulting in total loss of high beams in all ambient conditions. This usually lasts about a minute and then the systems recovers. There are many cases of this reported on the internet - which can be found by googling "Toyota auto high beams malfunction". The issue seems to affect all Toyota and Lexus vehicles manufactured in the last ~3 years and equipped with ahb. Lexus owners seem to be able to successfully fix this under warranty by their dealers - the fix is cleaning the camera lens and the windshield in front of the camera. Unfortunately it seems impossible to get this addressed by Toyota. I had two dealer visits and two calls with Toyota customer service - each time they just try to convince me that "I am using it wrong". By the way I have a video of this happening and showed it my dealer but was denied warranty service nevertheless. A similar video available on youtube - just search for "a_32t4qtx4m" there.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The auto highbeam feature works intermittently.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Tl- the contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle at night the front head lights did not adequately illuminate causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer rick mcgill's Toyota(3145 airport hwy alcoa TN) and the manufacturer were notified of the problem. The contact was informed that the head lights had functioned as normal and no problem was found. The failure mileage was 100. Jft.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Head lights are very low. Cannot see anything on the road if the street lights are not there. There is not use of head lights as it cannot bring any visibility during night time which makes night drives nearly impossible. I have shown the vehicle to Toyota service center and they said everything is good and he cannot increase the intensity of light. High beams are working fine but cannot drive in the city while turning them on. Not sure how to solve this problem.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Navigation/bluetooth/media function screen no longer works, it happened when I started it about a month ago at 65,750 miles on my car. I've read that this usually happens around 65,000 miles to 70,000 miles for this model and can cost up to $2,000 to $3,000 to get it fixed. It starts off as a black screen then lights up like its downloading something then goes black again. Its a safety issue because driving at night or early morning when its dark no matter how low of a setting you have for your dash lighting setting when it lights up its extremey bright. And even though I know it will happen it still make me take my eyes of the road to look at it. And living in the country that is a couple of seconds I can't afford, luckily I have yet to hit a deer or other living thing.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

We bought our Rav4 fresh of the lot in 2018, since then e we have replaced the headlight bulbs 43 times. Now our fog lights and license plate light are out. This time the bulb (installed by a professional) melting the actual socket and we have to built the entire thing out and replace it.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Please require a recall and replacement of highlights on all newer cars. They are much too bright. I can't see a thing when these cars are driving toward me because the light is blinding. I have hit animals in the road and in 2 instances have almost struck people. Please require a recall and replacement of all these lights, and please require all states to test the beam direction annually, particularly on trucks and large suvs which tip upward in the front end when they are towing or carrying a load in the back of the vehicle. All of these lights are a hazard and I feel it is just a matter of time until I strike a bicyclist or pedestrian because I simply can't see beyond the vehicle with that much light in my eyes. (I have had my eyes examined for photosensitivity and that is not the problem. ) please act on this.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The auto high beam feature has been choosing to disengage and turn itself off at random. There are also times that at night, upon start-up, the auto high beam system will refuse to engage (light switch turned to auto and stalk pushed forward, driving over 25 mph).

Fuel gage light is on empty but the car has a full tank.

When using auto head lamps and engaging the auto high beams (pushing the left hand switch in) they don't always turn on. Sometimes the green auto ready light will not come on which prevents the high beam (blue) light from turning on. I had no issues until about a month ago and now the high beams have refused to turn on a dozen times. I understand this is an intermittent issue, some times they work and sometimes they don't but it is very dangerous when driving on unlit back rounds to have my high beams refuse to turn on. I brought my car in to acton Toyota in littleton MA and they claim they could not reproduce the problem. They refuse to acknowledge there have been numerous complaints about the auto high beams not working properly since 2016. Since I drive back roads every day which do not have street lights, I need the high beams to come on reliably when I pull back the light switch lever. I understand determining root cause and corrective action on an intermittent is difficult but, they should be honest with their customers and admit the issue exists.

Vehicle was parked, just turned the car from engine on to off with just the battery on running the radio while I was preparing to exit the vehicle. Suddenly the entire radio system completely stopped working. I looked at my infotainment screen and it was certainly having a issue because ever since that day over one year ago I have not been able to listen to radio, use gps, use bluetooth, etc. I believe this to be under a safety issue due to 1) loss of phone/bluetooth (use of mobile phones while operating the vehicle is required in many states to go through bluetooth) and I cannot comply with these laws if my system has malfunctioned, 2) I paid for a vehicle with a gps navigation for a reason and now I lost that expensive capability as well, 3) radio's are used to keep the driver alert and focused and this was lost 4) the looping screen is extremely bright, cannot be darkened and impossible to drive at night with it. I have had to completely cover over my screen so now it's like I'm driving a flintstones vehicle with nothing technology wise in this $25,000 vehicle I paid for. "Toyota customer care contact us - I contacted Toyota via phone call earlier today with limited results, but later emailed Toyota and provided a link to this page. The customer care representative suggested that anyone having problems with their radio/navigation system should call and email their complaints. Toyota is not currently offering any remedy or assistance to prematurely failing radio systems that are out of warranty, but all calls and emails are monitored and when there are multiple complaints, Toyota will recognize a problem and may offer assistance or reimbursement. . Read more...

Brand new recently purchased vehicle and there is condensation in both head lights.

My Rav4 has very poor lighting at night making it hard to see the lines on the road. I just bought this vehicle new a few days ago but the dealership says that they cannot find any defects with the head light but does agree the light output is poor.

Headlamp provides dangerously insufficient illumination while driving in any of the following situations: dark, curved, or hilly roads (such as us highway 1 in marin county, skyline blvd in oakland, CA). 1. Very little peripheral illumination on curves 2. Sharp horizontal cut-off results in short beam projection when ascending or descending hills. Both of these occur simultaneously and is frighteningly dangerous when ascending/descending on curves. The NHTSA form asks for a date this occurred. Pls note this is ongoing unless a dealer can make significant modifications to the beam spread. (this is not a problem of course on brightly lit roads. ).

Just bought my new Toyota rav 4 2018 and realized that I can't drive it at night. My windshield turns dark 1/3 to 1/2 from the bottom and continues all the way to the top. It's actually worse when driving home and going up my unlit hill when instead of my brights going on automatically, only my low lights are on. I am frightened to drive my car and now realize that there were online complaints going back years!.

Auto high beams - intermittently get stuck in "low" I have noticed this on multiple occasions but can't reproduce it on demand. Last instance was on a straight, flat rural road with no lights, signals or same direction traffic travelling at 55mph. Was approached by oncoming car which failed to dim lights. Mine dimmed but did not return to bright. Had to power cycle the lights to get the high beams back. A minute later was approached by 3 cars close together with overly bright lights. Mine dimmed and stayed dim just like before. Had to power cycle to get the brights back. This is a serious safety defect to not have brights immediately after being blinded by oncoming traffic!.

I was driving on the highway when the car shut off completely and turned on and off repeatedly, and instantaneous for a few seconds (like it was blinking) super fast. Everything was going on and off. As I was pulling onto the shoulder from the middle lane on the highway, it shut off completely!!! I couldn't even put my hazards on. I was waiting in the car for a tow truck and my husband, I was with my daughter. The car started to smoke and flame and was on fire. We jumped out and yet was up in flames!!!!!!!.

We recently purchased a 2017 Toyota Rav4 le. The first time we drove this vehicle at night we were shocked that, when using low or high beams, a dark area appeared across the entire windshield obstructing our vision. It is impossible to drive at night and feel safe. When you go up and down small hills, the darkness moves up and down as well, and is very annoying. We contacted the dealer and they said this was the way the car was made. They would do nothing and,in fact, told us that they didn't own the car anymore and that we should complain to Toyota; that if enough people complained perhaps they would have a recall. Frankly, we are afraid to drive this vehicle at night.

The contact owns 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving downhill at night with the headlights illuminated, the windshield darkened and he lost visibility of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the windshield was compliant to safety standards. The contact stated that he had contacted an unknown dealer, who informed him that the failure was related to the design of the headlights. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to turn the key in the ignition switch, the key would not turn and remained stuck. The contact stated that he continuously attempted to turn the key while wiggling the steering wheel, and he was able to turn the key in the ignition switch. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, no further assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

The dash lighting during certain daylight conditions is unreadable, or requires excessive staring to determine quantities such as vehicle speed, fuel amount, and other quantities on the multi function information display (mfid). Whether it is unreadable depends on the angle of the sun relative to the vehicle. The inability to quickly see what is inadequately displayed forces the driver to either guess the speed or to stare too long in an attempt to ascertain the speed. This is a safety hazard. (I believe it affects other Toyota models as well as my Rav4 ev).

Check engine light constantly comes on, but after checking, no issues are tound.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Takata recall: why the light 4wd , trac on and check activate went is raining went I my car is park.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Dim headlamps are life threatening. Field of vision is short with a line and darkness above limiting vision. Right and left turning vision non existent. After 3 attempts and official complaint Toyota repair says there is nothing else they can do, lamps meet federal standards. Evening test drives should be mandatory. I would like someone with authority to try and drive my vehicle in my neighborhood in the dark. Many complaints on internet. No one seems to have a resolution. My life is in danger.

During daylight driving speedometer is difficult or impossible to read. Dealer report that everything is "working as it should", but I cannot determine my speed accurately.

While driving the car suddenly loses all electricity, all the lights, every light indicator, the radio are off. The engine stops running and the car stops immediately. This normally happens while driving on city streets but also happened once when the car was parked and the key was out. After I entered and turned the key the car wouldn't start and there was no electricity in the car. No lights, no indicators, etc were on. Took it to the mechanic to take a look but he couldn't find anything. Also took it to Toyota dealership and the technician inspected it and ran a diagnostics test but couldn't find the problem either.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

The navigation screen is totally unusable in daylight. Screen is flat and exposed to sun. Driver has to lean over and hold right hand over the screen to get any visibility at all. Even then you can barely see it, not to mention the danger of leaning over, using the right hand to screen, and staring at the screen rather than the road. Terrible terrible design. Toyota will not address the problem. $1500 mistake for anyone who purchased this add-on. You have to completely rely on the voice for navigation.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

Driving down community street. Airbag light came on. Has stayed on continuously. Car has never been in any kind of accident. Toyota says my vehicle is not affected by their recall and will not cover any repairs.

I was driving on the highway about 60 mph and power steering went out. Car made a noise and all the dashboard lights came on like it was sliding on ice, no bad weather that day. Could not turn steering wheel and speedometer went to 0 and would not work the rest of the journey. Made it to the Toyota dealership where I was told nothing was wrong, and it was "the cold weather" that probably caused it. They ran a few tests but nothing was done to the car. No answers to my problem and nothing happened since. But now I am worried because of the recent recall and makes me think this incident was related.

After taking two short 90 degree turns at a parking floor (4th floor), the vehicle was half way in the parking slot when it suddenly picked up speed and crashed into wire cables and a concrete post. This type of speed had happened twice in the past within three months of purchasing the car as a new vehicle (brought in Jan 2010). After the 2nd such incident the vehicle was taken to the dealer. They could not duplicate the issue. The vehicle had been taken in the past for gps check as well. Subsequently the vehicle was asked to be brought in for a recall service and that was completed as well. This incident was the next time when trying to brake to come to a slow speed it picked up speed. Wrote to Toyota with all details but they say that they could not duplicate the issue and the vehicle does not seem to have faults. Our concern is just that - they cannot duplicate the issue which means it can happen anytime without any warning. We are 100% sure this was not driver error and that it was identical to the past instances. Toyota expects us to drive this vehicle we believe has some form of a fault. They were not willing to drive it to and from the test location even after they say the test revealed no faults - they had it towed both ways. This is a pure safety issue and this car should not be on the road ever again. Many people can get hurt or die due to pure callousness of a vehicle manufacturer. Toyota may manufacture and design great vehicles but they should also take responsibility for any system or technical malfunctions of their vehicles. We would appreciate that your organization takes some action regarding this with Toyota so that they take this car off the road. We would hate to rely on Toyota's letter knowing they are acting with negligence and then sell this car to an innocent buyer.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

When driving at any speed, under any condition, it is impossible to see the navigation screen, causing the driver to look, rather than glance, at the screen to determine driving instructions, road hazards, warnings, etc. The glare is almost blinding at times.

I bought a new 2013 rav 4 with Toyota navigation. On any sunny day it is impossible to read the map due to the glare. I plan on complaining to the dealership this week.

Number 1 -- I am very happy with my Rav4. It was a cold evening after dark and I left work. The battery had failed. Not a problem, I got a jump and the car started. I let it sit and obtain some charge. What was very unusual were the number of systems that could fail whenever a power surge was needed, say from the power steering, power brakes, etc. The power surge would lead to a lights out, or loss of steering, or engine temporarily stalling, etc. It recovered each time after the surge was over (good news). I am reporting this because if the battery failure had occurred at speed I could have easily lost control of the car. I view myself as very lucky. The battery was the original battery supplied with the car. I have not yet returned it for re-cycling. It it would be helpful to you for safety study reasons I can make it available.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota RAV4 🔎.