What 302 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Toyota RAV4 Phev

On Friday February 27, 2026 as the vehicle was being driven it caught fire. Fire department and sheriffs office was called to the scene. Vehicle fire was put out but the whole front end burned.

NHTSA ODI 11721498

When we bought the SUV, it had a small top battery installed. The battery slid over and caused my alternator to go out completely. I must have caught fire, as there were burnt wires to the alternator. We replaced the alternator, and it was over $295 dollars and then had to get a new battery, and that was over $150 dollars. I installed it myself because I am a mechanic.

NHTSA ODI 11703983

After a battery recall was performed on the vehicle at the dealership, a serious safety issue occurred. A short circuit in the battery cable caused a fire in the engine compartment. Fortunately, I was able to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher before it spread, but it happened very close to the gas line and posed a severe danger. We believe the fire may be related to the recall service. The fire caused visible damage to the battery area, and we have documented it with photos and video. We are very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and potential negligence in the recall repair. We are requesting that NHTSA investigate this matter and take appropriate action.

NHTSA ODI 11675487

The contact owned a 2015 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in his driveway, he observed black smoke emanating from the engine compartment. Shortly afterward, the vehicle became engulfed in flames originating from the engine compartment. Local emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. No warning lights were illuminated. A fire report was filed. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle remained at the contact's residence but was deemed a total loss by his insurance provider. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System), and the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 34,000.

NHTSA ODI 11584532

My son was driving our RAV4 LE 2015 and took an exit. While driving, the car shut off, and the dashboard lights blinked. He turned the car on and moved about 40 feet in the exit when the car shut off again, and smoke came from the hood. A few minutes later, the car was on fire. The cause was a battery-induced short circuit. The burned RAV4 LE 2015 is available for inspection. This incident put my son and a friend at serious risk. At this moment, the problem hasn't been confirmed by a dealer or independent service. However, months later, the manufacturer issued a recall on Nov 01, 2023. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or any other party. There were no warning lamps or messages, except for the first time it shut off when the dashboard lights blinked.

NHTSA ODI 11573992

When I try to start up my car after a full month of parking as usual I knew already it has a dead battery so I jump started then once it started I heard a very small explosion with smoke coming from underneath the glove compartment then I found a very small fire started from the same place so I left the car and I called 911 who came and extinguished the fire after the entire car was already engulfed and exploded in fire. The car closed the other two cars on both sides to melt partially as well. The picture attached has the incident number.

NHTSA ODI 11569829

My vehicle's electrical components short-circuited, steering became difficult to control and the vehicle caught on fire under the hood near the battery compartment.

NHTSA ODI 11561334

The recall for my RAV4 was for the battery, and it may cause a fire. The safety of my family members and other families was affected by this fire. We are all displaced. My mom parked our car under our apartment, and 15 minutes later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The battery was replaced in 2019, and the rep told us of farmers that they can't confirm that the recall may be the root of the fire. I was told by the farmers rep that a certain battery is responsible for the fire. The car was parked and no lights were on.

NHTSA ODI 11561074

I drove all day for work without issues and when I made a right into my neighborhood, I lost power and power steering. I pulled over and parked my car. I noticed smoke coming from it and popped the hood. The wired connecting to the battery caught fire. It seems the battery could have shifted and grounded itself.

NHTSA ODI 11537737

Cause and Origin of the fire which led to the spread from the vehicle to the home resulted from a known issue with stated vehicle electrical failure. Fortunately the homeowner was able to remove herself from the home without injury. The vehicle had been parked and not operating for approximatley 18 hours prior to fire.

NHTSA ODI 11531986

Approximately two minutes after turning the vehicle off, smoke started coming from the engine area. Within the next two minutes, flames emerged. The fire quickly engulfed the vehicle in flames causing a total loss. The fire department declared it a loss and stated a cause will likely not be known by them. I was not in the vehicle at the time of the smoke. A truck next to the vehicle quickly moved away. Insurance company is in route to investigate. No warning signs prior.

NHTSA ODI 11510956

Today I started my RAV4 in my driveway to warm it up and went back in the house. Approximatly 5-10 minutes later someone knocked on the door to let me know the car was on fire. The fire department said it was likley that the fire started in the engine and spread to the rest of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11509082

Car caught on fire in my driveway .

NHTSA ODI 11492163

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, the instrumental panel shut down after the vehicle was pulled over. The contact mentioned there was a dark brown smoke coming from the front passenger dashboard and the front of the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The contact contacted the dealer to inform the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11461306

The electrical system failed and the car has been towed by State Farm Insurance to Cop-art Savage Vendor in Elgin Il today. My safety was at risk by fast rapidly engulfing flames coming from under the car hood.The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center that we know of. Vehicle or components have been inspected by police, and might have been inspected by our Insurance after the vehicle was towed. There was a warning battery light just before smoke came out from under the hood, then the car stopped and then flames started to come out from under the hood engulfing the front part of the car.

NHTSA ODI 11440975

My wife was driving her 2015 Toyota Rav4 on September 13, 2021 when the car stalled while on the interstate. She coasted to the side. It started back up so she continued to work which was off the next exit. As soon as she entered the parking lot, the Rav4 stalled again and she was able to coast in to a parking lot. As soon as she walked inside the building the Rav4 caught on fire. There were no warning lights are any indication of anything wrong with the vehicle up until this point. According to the dealer and the insurance company, the battery caught on fire. What exactly caused this I do not know. The Insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss per the Toyota Dealers recommendation.

NHTSA ODI 11434953

Slow down to make a right turn, the car completely shut off. Put on emergency lights pulled into nearest safest parking lot, braking systems failed, finally put car in park. Pulled keys out of ignition. Took a look around nothing was physically wrong, got back into vehicle started it, with no problem. Took it through the same parking lot, through the drive-thru. Started smoking at the second window, pulled back into the parking lot, shut off vehicle. Got out of vehicle to access smoke, fire started, got back int car then an explosion. Grabbed my daughter and my things the best I could. There was about two or three more explosions afterwards, the fire department came to take out the flames; this was after other employees from the same area tried to put out the fire with fire extinguishers but it wasn’t much help. It halfway burned into the ground, the Fireman had to use the jaws of life to get the hood off of the car to extinguish the fire.

NHTSA ODI 11430552

Driver was driving on the highway when the screen turned off and on and the steering wheel seized momentarily. Approximately 5 minutes later, screen went blank again and could not accelerate. Driver pulled over to the side of the road. Strange noises were coming from under the hood and the car starting smoking and then caught on fire.

NHTSA ODI 11426275

The contact owned a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that after pulling into the driveway after driving for approximately 30 minutes, the contact parked and exited the vehicle. The contact stated that approximately 10 minutes later there was a loud explosion heard. The contact looked out to see the vehicle on fire. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The contact was unsure if a fire report was filed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The cause of the failure was unknown. There were no injuries sustained. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000. The VIN was not provided.

NHTSA ODI 11424912

CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING AND BATTERY SET ON FIRE. BATTERY WAS LAST REPLACED IN OCTOBER 2020 AT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ODI 11407511

THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 15 MINUTES. I LOST POWER AT THE DASHBOARD, LOST POWER STEERING, AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I COASTED TO A SIDE STREET AND STOPPED THE CAR. I OPENED THE HOOD, AND DISCOVERED A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE BATTERY CABLE CLOSEST TO THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE, AND HAD MELTED ONE CORNER OF THE BATTERY. A PASSERBY HELPED EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO INSPECT AND MAKE SURE THE FIRE WAS OUT. EARLIER THAT DAY, THE VEHICLE STALLED IN THE SAME WAY WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH IN A PARKING LOT, BUT THE POWER CAME BACK IN A FEW SECONDS. IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THAT WAS A 1-HOUR DRIVE AT INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH NO TROUBLES.

NHTSA ODI 11403613

THE CAR WAS RUNNING ON THE STREET IN THE CITY WHEN IT SUDDENLY STOPPED, FIRE AND SMOKE ROSE FROM THE BATTERY'S SIDE. AFTER EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT MOVE, AND HAD TO CALL THE TOW TRUCK TO THE REPAIR SHOP. I HAVE WITNESSES.

NHTSA ODI 11398820

I WAS ENTERING TRAFFIC FROM A STOP SIGN AND COLLIDED WITH A BLACK CAR AT NIGHT THAT DID NOT HAVE IT'S HEADLIGHTS ON. THEIR AIR BAG DEPLOYED, - MINE DID NOT. CITY OF RALEIGH, NC. STREETS.

NHTSA ODI 11387408

I WAS ENTERING TRAFFIC FROM A STOP SIGN AND COLLIDED WITH A BLACK CAR AT NIGHT TIME THAT DID NO HAVE IT'S HEADLIGHTS ON. CITY OF RALEIGH, NC. STREETS.

NHTSA ODI 11387405

SHORTLY AFTER DRIVING WITH NO ISSUES, THE PARKED CAR STARTED TO SMOKE FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. WITHIN SECONDS, A LARGE FIRE HAD STARTED WHICH COMPLETELY CONSUMED THE CAR AND ALSO SPREAD TO MY WIFE'S CAR AND THE HOUSE'S CARPORT. INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR INFORMED US THAT THE FIRE LIKELY STARTED IN/NEAR THE ENGINE TOWARDS THE DRIVERS SIDE BASED ON WHERE THE HOTTEST PARTS OF THE FIRE APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN. HOWEVER, NO CONCLUSIVE DETERMINATION WAS MADE REGARDING THE CAUSE. THE CAR WAS IN GOOD CONDITION AND HAD NOT HAD ANY MAINTENANCE WORK PERFORMED ON IT RECENTLY. THERE WERE ALSO NO SIGNS OF INTRUSION BY RODENTS OR OTHER ANIMALS. THIS HAPPENED WITH NO WARNING. I'VE ALSO SINCE LEARNED THIS HAD HAPPENED ONLY ONE MONTH BEFORE TO THE PARENTS OF ONE OF OUR CHILDRENS' FRIENDS. THEY ALSO HAD A RAV4, ALTHOUGH NOT THE SAME MODEL YEAR (I BELIEVE IT WAS A 2013). I HAVE ALSO SEEN MANY OTHER REPORTS WHILE RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE. IF THERE IS A DEFECT OR DESIGN FLAW CONTRIBUTING TO THESE FIRES, IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED QUICKLY!

NHTSA ODI 11315799