What 302 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid

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

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the contact was parking the vehicle. The contact's vehicle crashed into a vehicle that was parked beside the contact's vehicle. In addition, the vehicle crashed into the Dollar Tree Store doors. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle was uncontrollable. The contact stated that it was very scary. The Dollar Store door glass was completely shattered. The Dollar Store was closed down as a result of the damage. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. A Police report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated that an insurance claim was filed. The contact stated that the failure needed to be investigated by NHTSA. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 70,450. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11703014

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

Was going a route that we do daily, and thankfully it was a backroad and no one was walking. Was coming up to a turn and pressed the brake but the car accelerated. 100% sure I pressed the brake! I couldn't steer the car and lost the brakes. Thankfully a tree stopped the car. Airbags deployed, windshield cracked, all 4 tires popped.

NHTSA ODI 11669634

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the mother was driving at a slow rate of speed while in a parking lot and when the brake pedal was pressed the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a tree. During the incident, the driver sustained a right leg and right arm injury and was transported to the hospital and treated for multiple fractures. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11586365

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

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was inoperable and all the warning lights illuminated. The steering wheel was seized and the vehicle lost motive power in the middle of the street. The contact's daughter noticed the vehicle was smoking from under the hood. The contact's daughter exited the vehicle and the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. A fire or police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard. The insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System), however, the contact stated he did not receive the recall notification. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11554307

I had a 2015 rav4, I recently experience a horrific incident on 10/15/2023. I was driving on the freeway and the left lane was very bumpy. Then the dashboard started flickering so I pulled over. as I pulled over the car came to complete shutdown. So, my daughter and I got out of the car quickly. I called my insurance as the car didn't want start anymore, during this call I could see smoke. So, the agent had my call 911 and in seconds the car automatically went up in flames from bottom front to the top. Car was reported total loss. I saw the article on the rav4 recalls and believe this is related. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11553180

Front collision in 55 miles per hour freeway after slamming on the brakes and hitting car in front with minimum damage to them, RAV4 started immediately to smell like something but burning and black smoke started on front left, after few moments car was on flames. The car burnt in it's totality.

NHTSA ODI 11550998

Last year my battery exploded while I was driving the car. This year again the sane issue. I was driving my car this past Sunday September 10, 2023 and my battery exploded once again.

NHTSA ODI 11543964

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

The contact owned a 2015 Toyota Rav-4. The contact stated that while her son was driving at 60 MPH, he heard an abnormal, popping sound as a burning odor began to emit from the vehicle. Her son and the other occupants immediately exited as flames began to emit from the vehicle's engine. The fire and police departments arrived at the scene and the fire was extinguished. No one was injured due to the failure. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene and taken to an independent tow yard. The dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was totaled. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11506960

On November 4 2022 I was involved in a car accident The opposing driver hit me nearly head on but to the right on the drivers side. Crushed the left front tire and axle The car is totaled My air bags did not go off. Front side or otherwise. My life was put in serious danger, I am lucky to be alive; suffering chest back and knee pains due to the strong impact. I had the officer note and hospital note that the car bags did not go off. The opposing insurance made note of the air bags not going off. Unknown if there were warning lights. I am the only driver of that car and original owner. I am in Puerto Rico now and the local dealer in San Juan has not returned phone call.

NHTSA ODI 11497103

Car caught on fire in my driveway .

NHTSA ODI 11492163

Yesterday, on 9/1/2022, my son parked the car on the parking lot of CVS in Tucson, AZ. He turned the car off and locked it and went into the store. While at CVS the car spontaneously burst into flames. More specifically the front of the car burst into flames. The car has been meticulously maintained and was in perfect mechanical condition. No one smokes. There was nothing flammable in the car. It just caught on fire out of the blue on its own while parked. Good thing no one got hurt and no other property damage occurred, but the car is totaled. It had about 88,000 miles on it. Thank god it was not inside the garage at night or our house would most likely have burned down as well. This is a VERY disturbing event. No one expects their well-maintained car to catch on fire while turned off and parked. We would like the incident investigated.

NHTSA ODI 11482676

The contact owned a 2015 Toyota Rav-4. The contact received notification of Customer Service Campaign: 21TG01 (12-Volt Battery Size and Installation Inspection). The contact stated that she inspected the battery and confirmed that it was the correct battery size prior to the failure. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, she drove to her friend's residence at an undisclosed speed when the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist and the air conditioner and radio inadvertently turned off. The contact arrived at her friend's residence and parked the vehicle for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove down the driveway when the vehicle lost motive power with smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact and her friend exited the vehicle before it caught fire. A police officer was driving by when he witnessed the fire. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480949

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