What 869 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid

“Engine maintenance required - see dealer” message around 60k miles and subsequent coolant bypass valve issue should be a RECALL for 2019 RAV4s. Toyota either deliberately enabled this message to pop up to require vehicle owners to spend over $600 at Toyota dealerships, installed faulty coolant bypass valves, and/or failed to properly code messages in the vehicles. The message will not go away and requires only Toyota to disable it. Thousands of owners have had to take their vehicles into Toyota dealerships to correct the message and/or valve issue, costing at least $600. For these reasons, this should be a RECALL.

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The problem for Toyota is well known on the engine bypass valves. Several Toyotas owners are experiencing this issue on replacement, even service team members are suprised this part isn’t recalled yet.

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Toyota service bulletin: T-SB-0079-20 (August 14, 2020) Outer Rear View Mirror Image Vibration While Driving (Causes distraction and could lead to and accident because image in side mirrors are unusable due to vibration) Dealer refuses to do this repair because it was only covered under a 36mo or 36,000 mile warranty. My car currently has 23,500 and this repair should be covered...or be a recall! Some 2019 – 2020 model year RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a vibration/shaking of the image shown in the outer rear view mirror(s) while driving. Mirror vibration can be observed at highway speeds of approximately 50 – 70 mph on typical concrete/asphalt road surfaces.

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Engine maintenance required visit your dealer alert on screen. Seems to happen when the A/C is in use. Took it to a Toyota dealership for a diagnostic test and they said it was the Engine coolant bypass valve. The diagnostic test was $180. They mentioned the part was on backorder and I have been waiting for the part for a month now. The alert will not go away at all if the A/C is in use. The dealership mentioned this has been happening frequently with RAV 4s. It will cost approximately $771 to repair and $189 for a coolant flush.

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The DATA COMMUNICATION MODULE - the DCM does not work properly. At first the Mic for the phone did not work when using the phone , then my clock and information page on the screen went in and out. I went to a dealership and they charged me $150 for diagnostic and now $1300 to fix. This is a vital piece of equipment for using communication devices hands-free. There is already a campaign to 21-22 RAV 4 models, and I believe this is the same issue only to the 2019 and 2020 also. Here is the link to the campaign. Please help me. https://www.toyoheadquarters.com/threads/2021%E2%80%932022-toyota-vehicles-dcm-data-communication-module-reprogramming-special-service-campaign-ssc-22tc01.2566/

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I am not able to fill up the fuel tank to capacity. 8 gallons is all I. An vet in the tank. The tank is not full. The gauges show it’s about at the half way mark.

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The car leaks anytime it rains or I wash it. The water comes in above the front passenger and driver doors. The railing leaks into the front of the car.

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Getting the following issue: 2019 RAV4 : P268115 Engine Coolant Bypass valve circuit short to battery or open This is happening to a lot of other cars - it seems like Toyota has a faulty coolant valve

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Car stalled. Towed to dealer. Dealer diagnosed failed electric water pump. Refused to repair under powertrain warranty. I took car to local mechanic for replacement. Upon investigation the rotor in the water pump swelled up causing it to seize, upon reading blogs it appears to be a common problem caused by the antifreeze and material they use to manufacture the rotor in the water pump. I did submit formal complaint to Toyoya Corp and was reimbursed because they agreed it was a powertrain issue. However, I think it possibly should be a recall.

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I was pulling into a parking space and when I applied the brake to stop, the vehicle did not slow down and hit a building. The driver side airbags deployed (steering wheel and knee airbags). The was no one else in the vehicle. The vehicle was declared a total loss by the insurance company. I have reported the issue to Toyota and signed an authorization for them to obtain the vehicles electronic data. The consumer has yet to receive a response from Toyota.

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All four doors retain water from an issue with wax/debris/substance that blocks the door drain holes and restricts water from draining properly. There is a TSB on this but it is not a recall level. I am told that standing water in a vehicle is not an issue, however I fail to understand how standing water would not rot away the doors as well as breed mold/bacteria. When calling the national hotline they are aware of the issue but since it is not a recall they would not honor covering the cost because it falls outside the standard warranty. For vehicles it affected (2019) the time the TSB was updated would fall outside the warranty time frame therefore making it that they would not need to cover the cost. There is nothing that could be done to prevent this since it is a defect with manufacturing and thus no warnings except when the car retains too much water it starts to pour out of the doors.

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Engine maintenance required light came on. Vehicle was diagnosed with needing a new coolant bypass valve. Researching online and in Toyota groups, this is a widespread issue. Even the dealer said they have had many of these repairs yet Toyota has not issued a recall. This is a repair with a cost of $500-$1000 and a safety concern but Toyota has not addressed it.

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Vehicle is switching to mud and sand mode on its own, which according to a quick google search is a common electrical problem. Possible cause listed by other drivers is a roof rail leak. Upon inspection I see water stains on the inside of my headliner where the roof rails sit. So confirmed roof rail leak. I have not yet had this looked at to learn the full extent of the damage.

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Driver was in the process of parking. While driver had foot on brake and about to put vehicle in park, vehicle suddenly lurched forward uncontrollably, jumped the curb, ran over thick bushes, and ran into the front window of a store. as soon as vehicle stopped, driver placed the vehicle in park. None of the safety features prevented this.

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The rear passenger side hinge of my lift gate is cracked on both sides. As a result, the lift gate does not open, close, or seal properly. The cracks were noticed a few weeks ago after multiple issues with the rear lift gate freezing as opening or closing. It has never been in an accident, nor has it ever been hit. The car has exclusively only been serviced at the Toyota dealership where it was bought. The rear liftgate issues have been brought up multiple times with no resolution. I’ve contacted the dealership about the hinges and they’ve told me that I need to take it to a private body shop to have repaired. Having the hinge of the liftgate cracked on both sides impacts the integrity of the rear of the car in a collision and the safety of the user one opening and closing lift gate should break entirely. I’m doing research on this issue online. It seems to be some thing. Other people have experience with the rear liftgate hinge. There’s even a complaint about it on consumer affairs.

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On May 13, 2023, ‘Engine Maintenance Required-Visit Your Dealer’ warning appeared on my console. I immediately brought the vehicle to the Toyota dealer. I was told the Coolant Bypass Valve went bad. This was at roughly 45,000 miles. I had previously purchased a ‘No deductible extended warranty’ from this same Toyota dealer. Now they tell me this ‘Valve’ is not covered under warranty. I was charged $887.99 for repair of this ‘Valve’. As this could cause the engine to overheat, causing additional damage, it most certainly is a safety issue.

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Engine Bypass Coolant Valve. Issue could cause coolant leak and cause car to overheat. Issue confirmed by Toyota dealership. Also many individuals confirming the same issue. Component inspected by dealership. No issues until component failed and now a constant engine repair message.

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Engine repair light keeps coming on RAV4 HYBRID SMELL OF GASOLINE is present at times NOISES LIKE GRINDING OR SCRAPING from WHAT SOUNDS LIKE UNDER the CAR WHEN BRAKING AND akso WHEN accelerating

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The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that while the vehicle was idling, he heard a beeping sound coming from the front driver’s seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

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The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while attempting to refuel the vehicle, it was discovered that the interior latch to open the fuel door had malfunctioned, and the fuel door failed to open. The contact was unable to refuel the vehicle due to the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 27,900.

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My power steering fails due to low voltage, even while I'm traveling at high rates of speed.

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Sudden Unintended Acceleration....ONCE AGAIN! I was pulling into a parking stall of a shopping center at about 2-3 mph. I started to apply the brakes. Simultaneously, the car lurched forward hitting a retention pole. In an attempt to stop the car from going any further, I continued to press down on the brake pedal and shifted into reverse. The EDR shows that the gasoline engine reached 2200 rpms, while the hybrid electric motor reached 2300 rpms. The car performed a backward semi circle maneuver, eventually hitting a cement wall and coming to a stop. Even though there were two (2) impacts (one going forward and one going backward) no air bags were deployed. If there had been people in the area, they easily could have been killed. The damage to the car was extensive and the car was "totaled". The car manufacturer inspected the car and downloaded the Event Data Records. SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CAN'T BE REPRODUCED!! There were/are no error codes and all car manufacturers, including my automobile's, refuse to acknowledge the issue. At the very least, could NHTSA PLEASE REMIND THE PUBLIC THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS, ALBEIT INFREQUENT, DANGER?

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2019 Toyota Rav4 Premium Engine Maintenance light visit dealer popped up on the vehicle. Researching online apparently the coolant bypass valve malfunctioning is a recurring issue with the 2019 Toyota Rav4, not sure why a recall has not been done yet for this vehicle. Went to the dealer to have the vehicle looked at, before having it diagnosed the service person stated it is probably the coolant bypass valve and that the part is on back order, vehicle was put on the machine to have it diagnosed and confirmed that the Coolant Bypass Valve will need to be replaced. The only warning light that it gave me was Engine Maintenance light came on. The service advisor said the vehicle is perfectly fine to drive till they get the part in, which still concerns me because of the engine. I am having to pay out of pocket to get it repaired but after talking to the service people and researching online from other people, there really should be a recall for the Coolant Bypass Valve.

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We have a 2019 Toyota Rav4, win VIN JTMK1RFV8KD******, about a week ago this message appeared: "ENGINE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED. VISIT YOUR DEALER." The Mileage was still 74,104. After a week, I took it to a mechanic shop; I had the oil changed and discovered that the message cannot be removed. I had the vehicle system scanned and one of the items that came up is "Engine and engine cooling". My mechanic went on line to find out if there's a RECALL issue on my vehicle with its VIN. There are 8 Recall issues on the KELLY BLUE BOOK website but not on the Toyota website. We called the dealership and they confirmed that my VIN is not included in the list. Toyota is charging $180 or more just to Diagnose. WHY do we have to pay for the Manufacturer's defects?

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Roof Rails are leaking and is a known issue. Water stains in the headliner and close to the side air bags. Smell of mildew causing health issues with my Asthma. Love the vehicle, but I do not trust that the air bags could or might not deploy or other electrical issues due to this.

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