Home · 2014 Toyota RAV4 Prime · Complaints

What 194 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Toyota RAV4 Prime

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (194)Crash / fire / injury (48)Electrical system (69)Engine (31)Transmission & drivetrain (20)Steering (19)Body & structure (17)Brakes (16)Airbags (11)Lights (8)Visibility & wipers (8)Fuel system (7)

8 of 194 complaints match · Lights · clear filters

Nov 3, 2025Lights

Headlight Brightness - it's been degrading for the last 10 yrs to the point that I don't feel safe driving in the dark anymore. I've already had the lenses buffed out, but that only helped about 20%. The brightness looks like I have a dead battery (it's brand new). Not sure if this is a bulb or lens issue but it's not safe.

NHTSA ODI 11697142

Dec 28, 2023Electrical systemLightsVisibility & wipers

2014 Toyota RAV4 perfectly good headlight bulb stops working on low beam selection, severely limiting visibility for night-time driving. Looks like everyone on the internet is having the same problem.

NHTSA ODI 11562386

Mar 31, 2022Electrical systemLights

Audio System, Navigation. Cannot enter and use set up Menu for Radio, CD. The Panel continuously displays the screen of the software, hardware, Entune starting and restarting.

NHTSA ODI 11459056

Jul 16, 2020LightsElectrical system

FUEL GAUGE LIGHT IS ON EMPTY BUT THE CAR HAS A FULL TANK

NHTSA ODI 11339686

Dec 11, 2019Lights

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." HTTPS://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2014/ACCESSORIES-INTERIOR/

NHTSA ODI 11288506

Sep 9, 2019Lights

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.

NHTSA ODI 11254248

Mar 4, 2019LightsBrakes

LEFT REAR TAIL LIGHT - WATER IS ACCUMULATING INSIDE THE TAIL LIGHT LENSE - POTENTIAL FOR ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE AND INABILITY TO WARN VEHICLES BEHIND RAV4 THAT CAR IS TURNING OR BRAKING

NHTSA ODI 11183882

Jan 31, 2018Electrical systemLightsElectronic Stability Control (esc)Fire

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!!!!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11066101

Working with the data? Download all 194 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 11, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 Toyota RAV4 Prime verdict →