What 194 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Toyota RAV4

The contact owned a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at 45-50 MPH during night hours, a fellow motorist alerted the contact that her vehicle had caught fire from underneath the engine without warning. Upon opening the front, driver-side door, the fire entered the vehicle and the contact quickly shut the door. While in a panic, the contact re-opened the door and jumped out of the vehicle. The vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames and was consumed by the fire. Police arrived at the scene and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard and was deemed a total loss. The road was scorched as a result of the fire which led to the road being repaved. The contact injured both knees and left baby finger after jumping out of the vehicle; the contact also suffered emotional distress due to the fire. The contact did not seek medical attention for her injuries. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Recently, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) which she linked to the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11637992

The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving at 35 MPH, smoke was coming from under the hood and the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving downhill, however, the vehicle was coasted to the local fire department, which was on the same street. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact stated that a fire report was filed. The contact stated that there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was confirmed that the failure was due to the unrepaired recall repair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11618763

Car on fire

NHTSA ODI 11612949

While driving, front of car ignited. Seems related to unresolved recall: Nov 01,2023 Manufacturer Recall Number23TB13 NHTSA Recall Number23V734 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Summary Some replacement 12-volt batteries of the size specified for the subject vehicles have smaller top dimensions than others. If a small-top battery is used for replacement and the hold-down clamp is not tightened correctly, the battery could move when the vehicle is driven with forceful turns. Safety Risk The movement could cause the positive battery terminal to contact the hold-down clamp and short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire. Remedy Toyota is currently preparing the remedy. When the remedy is available, Toyota dealers will replace the battery hold down clamp, battery tray, and positive terminal cover with improved ones FREE OF CHARGE. At this time, Toyota estimates the remedy will be available in the middle of 2024 but this is subject to change. Until the remedy is available, owners who have not had the free inspection performed under Consumer Advisory 21TG01 should be encouraged to do so.

NHTSA ODI 11585470

My daughter was exiting the the freeway on off ramp and turning right. The car lost electrical power without any warnings on dash or notification. When she tried to turn the steering wheel she was unable to due to loss of power steering. She ended up crossing a median and was able to turn the wheel enough to pull into the suicide lane. She noticed the hood was smoking so she shut off the car and exited the vehicle. Soon the car engine area was in flames. Fire department put out the fire and police made and incident report. The car is unusable.

NHTSA ODI 11545735

Parked my vehicle 2014 Rav4 at work, went to my office and security called that my Toyota rav4 burst into flames. All caught on video. Sprinklers went off and fire department called. Fire started under the hood. Entire Engine compartment burned. Vehicle totaled.

NHTSA ODI 11536539

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undetermined speed, an unknown vehicle crashed into the driver's side front quarter panel. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent body shop. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic for tires who stated the battery was losing power and surging and not working efficiently. While at the mechanic's, they noticed smoke underneath the hood and the vehicle caught fire. The battery bar compartment was burnt. They were able to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries or police reports filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact had previously affixed a group 35 sticker on the battery. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11484459

Steering and brakes quit working while driving. Able to safely get off road. Took to Toyota Service Department. Per invoice "improperly installed battery caused everything to melt" battery installed by AAA in March 2020. Size 35 battery. Extensive damage.

NHTSA ODI 11479937

Our 2014 Rav4 LE with 37k miles caught on fire while parked in a shopping plaza parking lot. The fire department says I was lucky that I wasn't driving the car or I wasn't in the car with children, pets, or elderly parents or we could have died. If my car was parked next to others this fire could have spread and been absolutely catastrophic. We've had our car fully inspected once within the last 6 months, and a limited inspection during an oil change within the last 3 months. I believe the fire started with the battery, we think we were affected by this... https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/toyota-rav4-under-investigation-due-to-battery-fire-concerns-a8630737173/ Our battery was inspected recently during an oil change and it was fine. The car has very low miles. Prior to parking the car I noticed a sulfuric rotten egg smell which I thought was coming from one of the nearby restaurants in this plaza. I turned the engine off, rolled up the windows, and put the in-car ventilation on at which point I noticed the smell coming from the vents. I rolled the windows down and was going to pop the hood to investigate but I decided to wait a few minutes for the car to cool down. There were no check engine lights or attention lights on the dashboard. As I got out of the car to walk to the plaza I noticed a small amount of steam coming from between the cracks of the hood. About 45 seconds later when I walked to a nearby storefront I noticed a flame coming from between the windshield and hood. I promptly called 911 and the Skokie fire department arrived on the scene about 5 minutes later. They put out the car fire in about 3 - 4 minutes, but the car was a complete loss.

NHTSA ODI 11459901

On Sunday, Aug 29th, our RAV4 caught fire in our driveway. The vehicle was off/parked at the time and required the fire department to extinguish. The fire spread to our truck which was parked next to the RAV4. Both are a complete loss.

NHTSA ODI 11431159

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. After multiple attempts, the contact was able to restart the vehicle. Soon after the vehicle was restarted there was smoke coming from the vehicle and the vehicle stalled again. The contact stated that the battery had caught on fire. The battery was destroyed. The fire department was not notified of the fire. There was no injury sustained. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic for repair. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11425497

After a minor front end collision, the RAV4 immediately began smoking and caught fire. With a minor accident where the other car only had their front bumper minorly damaged, the RAV4 should not have caught fire. Their must be a defect in either the battery or oil line for the car to have caught fire. The car is a total loss and I am asking for a full investigation as my 2 children were in the car when the fire started.

NHTSA ODI 11419845

Making a turn onto a local toll road and entire car went dead without warning of any kind. I had to struggle with loss of power steering to complete turn without going off road. Car came to a stop. I tried to call my wife to advise her I was having car problems which is surprising as I haven't had issues previously and had an earlier version of the RAV4 that I drove for 210,000 miles. Anyway, another vehicle stopped alongside and inquired if I needed assistance. As I talked, I noticed a smokey smell from what I had initially assumed was steam. I stepped outside the vehicle and observed through the drivers side front wheel well to see fire at the bottom of the engine compartment. Since I was driving to trails to ride my mountain bike, I had a water bottle and squeezed it onto the flames which partially extinguished and then relit. I hit the hood release but decided it was better to leave the hood down. I went to the rear lift gate to open it to retrieve my expensive carbon fiber mountain bike but it was locked. I tried to open the back driver side door also without success and tried hitting the unlock button on the drivers door but there was no power. About this time the smoke coming from the hood increased and I decided to heed the advise being given to step away from the car. Had I remembered sooner, I probably could have reached around the driver's seat to recover my wallet from the back pocket of the seat. As the fire increased, I stepped increasingly further back from the vehicle. About 5 minutes into the fire a state trooper arrived and expended his only extinguisher in an unsuccessful attempt to put out the fire. It was probably another 12-15 minutes before the fire department arrived to extinguish the fire but by that time, the car and its contents were a total loss.

NHTSA ODI 11419257

ON MARCH 20, MY 2014 TOYOTA RAV4 CAUGHT FIRE. IT WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE AND HAD NOT BEEN MOVED FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS. THE CAR FIRE CAUGHT THE RAFTERS IN MY ATTACHED GARAGE AND THEN CAUGHT THE REST OF MY HOME ON FIRE.

NHTSA ODI 11406924

WHILE TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 295 IN JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA, WE HAD JUST GOT ON TO THE BUCKMAN BRIDGE WHEN THE CAR SLOWED, UNCOMMANDED TO 20MPH. I LOOKED AT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND THE ALTERNATOR AND THE AUTO LSD OR TRACK LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE OPERATING TEMPERATURE WAS NORMAL. SINCE THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE WAS NORMAL I TOLD MY DAUGHTER TO KEEP DRIVING TO GET OFF THE BRIDGE, I FELT AS THOUGH THE BRIDGE WAS A BAD PLACE TO PULL OVER. AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE WE STARTED TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING AND AT THIS POINT WE DECIDED TO PULL OVER. WHEN WE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WE SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THREE OF US THEN EVACUATED THE VEHICLE AND STARTED WALKING AGAINST TRAFFIC ON THE BRIDGE. AS WE WERE WALKING AWAY THE SMOKE INTENSIFIED AND THEN ERUPTED INTO FLAMES THAT EMANATED FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE JUST BELOW THE WINDSHIELD. I CALLED 911 AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. I HAVE ATTACHED PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE. I BELIEVE IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE.

NHTSA ODI 11114328

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

AT APPROXIMATELY 8:20 AM ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2015, I WAS PULLING INTO AN EMPTY PARKING SPOT IN FRONT OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX AFTER DROPPING MY 6 YEAR-OLD AT SCHOOL. THIS WAS A ROUTINE AS I DO THIS EVERY MORNING. HOWEVER, AS I WAS SLOWING THE CAR DOWN PREPARING TO PARK (5-10 MPH), THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED (APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MPH) AND RAN OVER THE SIDEWALK, BUSHES AND INTO THE SIDE OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX. DESPITE MY ATTEMPTS TO BRAKE, THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. IN THE PROCESS I RAN THROUGH THE SIDE OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX WALL AND FRONT GATE, NEARLY GOING RIGHT THROUGH MY FRONT DOOR AND LIVING ROOM WHERE MY 6 MONTH OLD AND WIFE WERE PLAYING. I HAD TO PLACE THE CAR IN PARK AND TURN THE CAR OFF. THAT STOPPED THE CAR. I THEN TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND REVERSED. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DONE TO THE SIDE OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX AND MY VEHICLE. SHOULD BE NOTED, THAT DESPITE THE IMPACT, NO AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED. AT THE MOMENT, MY INSURANCE COMPANY HAS ME AT FAULT. I HAVE FILED WITH TOYOTA CORPORATE AND THEY ARE HAVING A SPECIALIST INVESTIGATE THE VEHICLE. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS CAR. AND HOPE THAT THIS IS INVESTIGATED FURTHER. HAD I NOT TURNED OFF MY CAR, I WOULD HAVE SURELY GONE THROUGH MY FRONT DOOR AND INTO MY LIVING ROOM, POTENTIALLY HURTING MY 6 MONTH OLD AND WIFE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10676497

AFTER GETTING T-BONED AT AN INTERSECTION, MY TOYOTA RAV4 IMMEDIATELY CAUGHT FIRE. THE CAR WAS HIT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BY THE RIGHT WHEEL AND RIGHT TO MID SECTION OF THE HOOD. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR IT WAS ALREADY ON FIRE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10632313

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2014 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE ON AND OFF BUTTON TO THE BLUETOOTH THAT WAS STANDARD WITH THE VEHICLE SHOULD SHUT ON AND OFF BY USING THE POWER BUTTON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER BUTTON WAS DEFECTIVE AND WOULD NOT TURN THE BLUETOOTH OFF WHEN IT WAS ENGAGED. THE CONTACT'S HEART ALSO BEGAN TO FUNCTION ABNORMALLY AND SHE BECAME EXTREMELY WEAK, NEARLY COLLAPSING AFTER EXITING THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE INABILITY TO TURN THE BLUETOOTH OFF AND ON IN ORDER TO PREVENT IT FROM INTERFERING WITH HER PACEMAKER. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT SHE ADVISED THE DEALER PRIOR TO PURCHASING THE VEHICLE THAT SHE HAD A PACEMAKER. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY HAZARD OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE OWNER'S MANUAL INDICATED CAUTION IF THE OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE HAD MEDICAL DEVICES SUCH AS PACEMAKERS. THE GENERAL MANAGER WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE CONTACT BECAME ILL AND STATED THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAREFUL. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE LOCKED OR UNLOCKED USING THE REMOTE KEY FOB. INSTEAD, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN ABNORMAL SOUND AND THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 10610930