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What 328 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Phev

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 (328)Crash / fire / injury (62)Electrical system (128)Engine (32)Brakes (30)Transmission & drivetrain (26)Lights (23)Visibility & wipers (21)Speed control (20)Airbags (16)Body & structure (14)Fuel system (12)

30 of 328 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Feb 20, 2019Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IN SNOW AND ICY CONDITIONS, THE WARNING MESSAGES SUDDENLY DISPLAYED INDICATING THAT THE BRAKES AND SAFETY FEATURES WERE NOT AVAILABLE, AND INSTRUCTED THE DRIVER NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, IT RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. LOVE TOYOTA (215 E. FAIRMOUNT AVE, LAKEWOOD, NY) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000. *BF CONSUMER LET THE CAR SIT FOR 15", CLEARED THE ICE OFF. THE TECHNICIAN STATED FEATURE WERE SATELLITE ENABLED AND PROBABLY THE ICE INTERSECTED WITH THE SIGNALS.*JB

NHTSA ODI 11181327

Jan 30, 2019AirbagsSpeed controlBrakesCrash

VEHICLE WAS IN A PARKING SPACE; FOOT ON BRAKE. WENT TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND IT ACCELERATED INTO THE GLASS / BUILDING I WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.

NHTSA ODI 11173003

Sep 1, 2018Body & structureBrakesCrash

THE VEHICLE BREAKING SYSTEM FAILED WHILE TRYING TO SLOW DOWN TO STOP A COUPLE HUNDRED FEET BACK FROM STOPPED VEHICLE SITTING AT REDLIGHT, THIS COMPLETELY RESULTED IN COLLISION ON AUGUST 26, 2018. THERE WAS ONLY APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES ON THE VEHICLE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED ON AUGUST 18, 2018

NHTSA ODI 11123950

Aug 20, 2018Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND MADE AN ABNORMAL GRINDING NOISE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (HALEY TOYOTA OF RICHMOND, 3600 LONAS PKWY, MIDLOTHIAN, VA 23112, (804) 545-7411) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT AN ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1808171087, BUT NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,500.

NHTSA ODI 11121008

Dec 27, 2017BrakesCrash

I WAS DRIVING IN A FAST FOOD DRIVE THROUGH. IT WAS A STOP AND GO PACE BECAUSE THERE WERE AROUND 5 CARS BEFORE ME AND WAS TRAVELING APPROX 3 MPH. I BEGAN TO PROCEED BUT THIS TIME AS I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR. IN ORDER TO AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME I TURNED MY WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND JUMPED THE CURB AND HIT A WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS 3 DAYS OLD.

NHTSA ODI 11056950

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Working with the data? Download all 328 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 20, 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 2018 Toyota RAV4 Phev verdict →