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

The terrain selection feature automatically engages "mud & sand" mode while driving. This feature turns off many safety features including, but not limited to traction control and parking collision system. It is very intermittent, and the Toyota dealership was unable to find the problem. The terrain selection features stops working after being turned on to normal again, until the vehicle is turned off for quite some time.

NHTSA ODI 11465463

2019 TOYOTA RAV4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NOISE COMING FROM VEHICLE WHILE IN REVERSE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SOUND WAS AN ALERT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE. THE CONSUMER INQUIRED WHY THE SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE INSTEAD OF THE BACK.

NHTSA ODI 11464496

2019 rav 4 and newer leaking water into the headliner near air bags. Obviously we cannot test our vehicles to see whether the airbag is damaged from such thing but I’m concerned! I’m in a “toyota rav 4 club” on Facebook and you can search roof leak and scroll for days with the same issue I’m having. I was dismissed at the dealer when I questioned my concern on the airbag functioning properly after the water possibly corroded it. There is also people having electrical issues from this problem with the water leaking to the electrical devices. Complaints have been made to the main office of Toyota and they state they have no knowledge of this issue. I see this being posted everyday that people have leaks right at their airbags. Please review this before someone gets hurt from this flaw on the 2019+ Toyota rav 4.

NHTSA ODI 11463715

Hi. A couple months ago I bought a certified 2019 Toyota rav4 adventure. I'm happy with the purchase however there is an issue that I'm concerned about and is a leak that comes from the roof. I checked my rav4 and I did notice some stains in the roof, by the roof pillars. I love my rav4 and I've subscribed to different rav4 chat forums and I noticed that many people especially the one's who own the 2019 rav4 adventure have the same issue with the roof leaking, that originates from the roof racks. I noticed that there's not a recall on this issue and I would like to know if Toyota does offer a solution to this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11463724

Noticed air in the brake piston boot upon brake inspection. This is a safety risk for our drivers when commuting on their travels as they transport medical patient to and from the facilities. No warning lights on the dash, initial cause of inspection was due to screeching and popping noise from the brakes.

NHTSA ODI 11463213

My fuel range went from 400 miles to 330 in a months time. I already had the recall fixed. I am concerned that the replacement fuel system is bad.

NHTSA ODI 11461895

As noted by many other 2019 thru 2021 Toyota Rav4 owners, there is significant water leakage intruding into the vehicle passenger compartment. I can confirm that the water intrusion that my vehicle has sustained is leaking through inadequately sealed holes for clips that are part of the Roof-rack side rails. And that this severe water intrusion is likely damaging the electrical system connectors associated with the vehicles Side Impact Air Bags and possibly the tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) connectors in the side body pillar areas. Our local Toyota Dealership Service Center is aware of this problem. They tell me that our standard and extended warranty will not cover the repairs, and that we should contact our auto insurance provider. I feel that should not be the case, and that this leak issue is going to cause severe injury or death due to the water leaks incapacitating the Side Impact Air Bag System and possibly other safety systems with electrical connection affected by the water intrusion.

NHTSA ODI 11461647

On 12-April, I filed Report #11460592 regarding stuttering and uncontrollable acceleration of Toyota RAV4, 2019 model year, <22000 miles, incident occurred 11-April. Vehicle was taken to Toyota dealership service department on 12-April, returned that day as described in previous report. On 13-April, one day after repair, exact same issue occurred. Family (with 2 children) driving on road, 45MPH speed limit. Hybrid system malfunction alert occurred again. Speed limited drastically to approximately 15mph, with occasional reaccelerating uncontrollably. Vehicle exited as safely as possible and returned home. Vehicle then taken back to dealership for service. Full text of Report #114605 (11-April incident): Driving on 35MPH limit road. Vehicle began to stutter. Vehicle began to communicate warning lights - "PKSB Malfunction" and "Hybrid System Malfunction" and "Check Engine" and alerted to visit dealer. After stopping at red-light, received warning to pull over and stop driving. Vehicle could not exceed ~10mph no matter how much accelerator was depressed and received warning that vehicle had ~2.5 miles until it would cease being able to be driven. For rest of trip to home (approximately 2 miles), vehicle would alternate between 10mph limited state and returning to full acceleration which led to very unsafe driving conditions and abrupt changes in speed. Reached home and parked in drive way. After a few hours, returned to vehicle to take to dealer for service. All 3 error messages remained but no further limitation to 10mph or abrupt speed changes. Dropped off for service at dealership. Dealer notes: "Hybrid system malfunction, check engine light - SCAN FOR CODES, FOUND U010087 LOSS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PCW AND ECM / CLEAR CODES, UPDATE SYSTEM, OPERATING AS DESIGNED." Upon receipt from dealer, no further issues and drove home safely. Vehicle is a 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited, bought new in Jan. 2020. Approximately 23000 miles, no previous issues.

NHTSA ODI 11460696

Driving on 35MPH limit road. Vehicle began to stutter. Vehicle began to communicate warning lights - "PKSB Malfunction" and "Hybrid System Malfunction" and "Check Engine" and alerted to visit dealer. After stopping at red-light, received warning to pull over and stop driving. Vehicle could not exceed ~10mph no matter how much accelerator was depressed and received warning that vehicle had ~2.5 miles until it would cease being able to be driven. For rest of trip to home (approximately 2 miles), vehicle would alternate between 10mph limited state and returning to full acceleration which led to very unsafe driving conditions and abrupt changes in speed. Reached home and parked in drive way. After a few hours, returned to vehicle to take to dealer for service. All 3 error messages remained but no further limitation to 10mph or abrupt speed changes. Dropped off for service at dealership. Dealer notes: "Hybrid system malfunction, check engine light - SCAN FOR CODES, FOUND U010087 LOSS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PCW AND ECM / CLEAR CODES, UPDATE SYSTEM, OPERATING AS DESIGNED." Upon receipt from dealer, no further issues and drove home safely. Vehicle is a 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited, bought new in Jan. 2020. Approximately 23000 miles, no previous issues. Has been maintained regularly (oil changes, etc. via Toyota Care).

NHTSA ODI 11460592

Lots of people including me are having issues with 2019 or newer Toyota RAV4 the roof guard rails seals start letting water in on both the driver side and passenger side near the airbag. This a YouTube link that explained it well. https://youtu.be/DbKHfLtI2Sc . I am worried my air bags will not function since they might be getting wet.

NHTSA ODI 11460223

Took my 2019 RAV4 to Toyota of Orange. Like couple months ago for fuel pump recal but my vehicle stalls when driving on freeway or streets. Looses speed for 4 seconds and its scary reported issues to Toyota of Orange and they don’t fixed anything they only want to sell. They offer me services I don’t need for my vehicle. Got 2021 RAV4 rental from Enterprise and that one work just find no problems had it for about a week. If could get another another dealer that will be great.

NHTSA ODI 11457919

Vehicle purchased two years ago developed a failure of the mechanism that opens and supports the rear hatch with no warning. This led to cracking of hinges and brackets, and mis-alignment of the hatch which prevented it from closing and latching. The original estimate for repairs would have made the owner liable for thousands of dollars. After reviewing evidence that this was not due to an accident or other abuse, Toyota agreed to a one-time 'goodwill' financial adjustment that reduced owner financial liability. But as reported in various Toyota owner forums, this is not an isolated incident: hatch opening mechanism failure has been experienced by owners of other Toyota products with various models and model years. A fundamental design flaw requires a remedy, not just repair to return it to its original, flawed, state.

NHTSA ODI 11457243

gas meter is incorrect car is suppose to have 14.5 gallons fuel tank and im only able to out in 9 gallons. gas range meter is incorrect reads wrong range of mileage... need to be recall many people are complaining about this issue toyota should correct it...

NHTSA ODI 11455275

A warning notice came on the dashboard stating hybrid system malfunction, see dealer at 49,743 miles. The warning notice stayed on and we called the dealer who instructed us to bring the car in for service and not to drive it until serviced. Toyota service said the hybrid harness wires had rusted which caused the malfunction.

NHTSA ODI 11453781

The factory installed bike rack is not sealed properly and leaking water when rains,etc… into the SRS airbag on passenger and driver side

NHTSA ODI 11453440

Wipers would not turn on when activated. I checked all fuses were good and still not working. I drove home with no wipers in rain. Then next day I went to recheck fuses and relays, but the wipers came on.

NHTSA ODI 11452643

Car hesitates when pulling out from a stop. The natural reaction is to depress accelerator more causing a shift feels like a lower gear and the car pulls out abruptly . This happens very often and I contribute it to lower gas mileage then car is rated at along with accelerated tire wear. I feel it is a safety issue when merging into traffic and causing a possible accident. I've taken my concerns to dealership on numerous occasions with complete disregard of condition calling it a " characteristic" of the vehicle. I feel there needs to be a recall to correct this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11449351

Engine stalled on a highway going 65 mph in cruise control. I had 1/4 full fuel tank. just before the engine stopped working I read information on my dashboard I have to stop the car in .5 miles, than .3 miles and engine stalled within seconds. I was able to pull over with dead engine. I shut down the car using key (I have a mechanical key for ignition) and car started with a message 'hybrid system malfunction. output power reduced . visit your dealer." I visited local mechanic who read the codes and instructed its a faulty fuel pump. I filled the car with more gas and drove couple of miles with reduced power. I left the car for 36 hours and it started to run ok by itself. dealer replaced fuel pump and now it works fine. The day of incident I was able to smell gas around engine bay before incident. I was able to smell strong gas smell after incident after I filled more gas in the vehicle most likely from engine bay fresh air intake. My assumption is this is due to bad fuel/air ratio and the result was unburned fuel. The week before the incident engine felt it kicked in roughly on its start up (my car is a hybrid). I had a fuel pump recall performed 4 months before but the fuel pump failed based on codes p319300 p008700 p107a2a . dealer replaced fuel pump (2nd time) and car works well and much smoother than before.

NHTSA ODI 11447993

I bought my vehicle new in August 2019, it currently has approximately 30,500 miles. A few months ago I noticed a water stain by the roof, right on the A pillar on the passenger side. I took it to Toyota and they determined it was from the sunroof, according to them one of the drains was clogged with leaves and dirt (prior to this I had NEVER opened/used the sunroof, not sure if leaves are able to get in there without ever opening the roof). They cleaned the water stain and sent me on my way, without checking for water damage. After doing some research online found out this was happening to quite a few frustrated people and seemed to happen in the 2019-2021 RAV4 vehicles, most people were told it was the sunroof but further research revealed the possibility that it was the roof rail that contained bad seals. The water is now pooling on both A pillars right where the airbags are housed. I feel there is a good possibility those airbags will not deploy properly in case of an accident. In addition, multiple customers have complaint of this issues causing electrical problems as well.

NHTSA ODI 11447931

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that there was an unknown blinking red light on the instrument cluster. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 11447283

The Panoramic Sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving on the freeway. There was no impact point and the glass is bowed outward. When it exploded it was a very load pop and pressure feeling that made everyone's ears ring. About 2 seconds later small glass particles and glass dust fell down on the driver and passenger. This was reported to insurance company and taken to independent service center for estimate and repair. There were no warning lights or prior issues. The sun roof was in perfect working order and the vehicle has less than 25,000 miles on it. Driving context - 10:30 PM, light rain, outside temp was 38degrees, inside car temp set at 72 with heater on, sunshade was back, radio off, very little traffic on freeway with no road disturbances.

NHTSA ODI 11447103

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact stated that an error electrical system warning message was displayed. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer where it was awaiting diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11446955

The roof rack rails have begun leaking due to failed weather sealants around them. Water is seeping through when it rains, getting water on the airbags, headliner, and moves along the top frame. I’m scared the electrical components will become damaged. Issue began happening right around 45,000 miles when I noticed. I have only owned vehicle for 2.5 years.

NHTSA ODI 11446820

The seat belt for the driver's seat often wedges itself between one or another of the levers of the seat-adjustment mechanisms and the side of driver's seat. I am concerned that this may cause the belt to operate less than optimally.

NHTSA ODI 11445153

The issue is the stock roof rack that comes with the vehicles. The clips that clip on to the body of the car have gaskets that deteriorate. Water leaks in through those holes and into the headliner of the car. The front SRS airbags are compromised and potentially rendered useless. The wiring that attaches to the airbags is also compromised because the water will eventually corrode it.

NHTSA ODI 11444907