Home · 2019 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid · Complaints

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

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 (869)Crash / fire / injury (30)Fuel system (267)Engine (203)Electrical system (100)Body & structure (89)Transmission & drivetrain (80)Airbags (45)Brakes (35)Speed control (30)Steering (30)Visibility & wipers (21)

Newest first · 869 complaints · page 30 of 35

Jan 5, 2020Fuel system

GAS TANK IS SUPPOSEDLY 14 GALLONS BUT VEHICLE WILL NOT TAKE MORE THAN 9 GALLONS.

NHTSA ODI 11297189

Jan 4, 2020Fuel system

BOUGHT NEW FROM DEALER IN 10/19. 14.5 GAL FUEL TANK WILL NOT ACCEPT MORE THAN 9.8 GALLONS EVEN AFTER ~20 MILES AFTER IT SHOWS 0 MILES OF RANGE. THIS LEAVES 3-4 GALLONS (>120 MILES OF RANGE) UNAVAILABLE!! NOT AS ADVERTISED. TOYOTA IS AWARE, BUT DOING NOTHING!!!

NHTSA ODI 11297122

Jan 3, 2020Fuel system

COULD NOT FILL THE GAS TANK FULLY. IT TAKES ONLY 9.834 GAL OF FUEL INSTEAD OF 14.5 GAL. THIS IS WIDELY REPORTED PROBLEM, BUT TOYOTA SEEMS NOT TO ISSUE ANY RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11296909

Jan 3, 2020Fuel system

I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FILL THE GAS TANK FULL FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OF OWNERSHIP. THE PUMP CUTS OFF ABOUT 3 GALLONS SHORT. THE PROBLEM IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND TOPPING UP DOESN'T HELP EITHER. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO HELP SAYING TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY SOLUTION FOR IT.

NHTSA ODI 11297011

Jan 2, 2020Fuel system

PURCHASED A NEW 2019 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID AWD XLE ON 10/24/19. FUEL CAPACITY APPEARS TO BE ABOUT 11 GALLONS, AS OPPOSED TO THE 14.5 GALLONS ADVERTISED. I HAVE RUN THE CAR DOWN TO BELOW 10MILES OF RANGE MULTIPLE TIMES AND GET THE SAME RESULT. THIS 25% UNDERSTATEMENT OF FUEL CAPACITY TRANSLATES INTO ROUGHLY 100 MILES LESS OF TOTAL RANGE THAN THE ADVERTISED 537-595 MILES OF RANGE. SEE ATTACHED PICS.

NHTSA ODI 11296724

Dec 31, 2019Fuel system

TANK WAS ADVERTISED AS HAVING A CAPACITY FOR 14.5 GALLONS. I AM NOT ABLE TO FULLY FILL THE TANK, ONLY PUTTING IN 9 TO 10 GALLONS MAXIMUM. TOYOTA HAS STATED THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THERE IS NO FIX. I AM UNABLE TO GET THE MILEAGE RANGE I WAS PROMISED UPON PURCHASE.

NHTSA ODI 11292239

Dec 30, 2019Fuel system

THE GAS TANK DOES NOT FILL ALL THE WAY, SO I HAVE HAVING TO GO BACK AND PUMP MORE GAS INTO THE TANK. THIS SOMETIMES CAN LEAD TO OVERFLOW AND THE GAS LEAKING TO THE GROUND AND CAN BE HAZARDS.

NHTSA ODI 11291963

Dec 30, 2019Fuel system

FUEL TANK ONLY HOLDS 10 GALLONS, TANK SHOULD HOLD 14 GALLONS. REDUCES DRIVING RANGE AND TIME TO FUEL UP - WHICH WAS THE MAIN REASON WE BOUGHT THIS CAR. WHEN DROVE CAR OFF DEALERSHIP LOT, DRIVING RANGE WAS 440 - DROVE 6 HOURS WITHOUT HAVING TO FILL UP. DRIVING RANGE WAS NEVER MORE THAN 340 AFTER THAT AND HAD TO FUEL UP ABOUT EVERY 3 HOURS. REPORTED TO TOYOTA CORPORATE.

NHTSA ODI 11292042

Dec 30, 2019Fuel system

THE GAS TANK IS QUOTED AS HAVING 14.5 GALLON CAPACITY AND I AM ONLY TO FILL UP 10 GALLONS.

NHTSA ODI 11292125

Dec 29, 2019Fuel system

UNABLE TO COMPLETELY FILL THE FUEL TANK. STOPS ABUT 4 GALLONS SHORT. HAPPENS ON EVERY FILL. I HAVE TO TRICKLE FILL IT TO GET CLOSE TO A FULL TANK. HAPPENS AT EACH FILL UP

NHTSA ODI 11291940

Dec 27, 2019Electronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

UPON PRESSING BRAKES WHILE GOING THRU A POT HOLE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL DEACTIVATES AND FLASHES LIKE IF THE VEHICLE WAS DRIFTING OR WITHOUT ROAD GRIP.

NHTSA ODI 11291472

Dec 27, 2019Fuel system

ON ALL OCCASIONS, WHEN REFUELING THE VEHICLE, THE AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FUNCTION OF THE GAS PUMP ACTIVATES WHEN THE IN VEHICLE GAS GAUGE INDICATES ABOUT 3/4 FULL. I CAN THEN PROCEED TO ADD APPROXIMATELY THREE MORE GALLONS IF I "NURSE" THE FLOW OF GAS INTO THE TANK. I AM ACUTELY AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER OF THIS PROCESS IN THAT GASOLINE COULD SPLASH BACK AT PERSON FILLING THE TANK.

NHTSA ODI 11291636

Dec 27, 2019Electrical systemFuel system

FUEL TANK APPEARS UNABLE TO BE FILLED COMPLETELY. ALTHOUGH PUMP CLICKS OFF (ON MULTIPLE STATION'S PUMPS), FILL LEVEL ON FUEL GAUGE IS SELDOM ABOVE 7/8 FULL, AND SOMETIMES LESS. DURING ONE SERVICE VISIT TO ADDRESS THIS, DEALERSHIP STATED THERE WERE ONLY 9.2 GALLONS IN THE 14.5 GALLON TANK IMMEDIATELY AFTER A FILL-UP.

NHTSA ODI 11291649

Dec 27, 2019Fuel system

FUEL TANK WILL NOT FILL TO FULL CAUSING ATTENDEES/USER TO TRICKLE AND ATTEMPT TO TRICK THE VEHICLE TO ACCEPTING MORE FUEL. RANGE OF VEHICLE IS GREATLY REDUCED AS A RESULT OF LESS FUEL AVAILABLE TO A TANK OF GAS.

NHTSA ODI 11291655

Dec 27, 2019Fuel system

ADVERTISED FUEL TANK CAPACITY OF 14.5 BUT ONLY ABLE TO US 9-10 GALLONS OF THE TANK, WILL NOT FILL UP AS ADVERTISED ~550 MILE RANGE. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FOR THE ESTIMATED DRIVING RANGE AND WE AREN'T GETTING ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THAT. TOOK TO DEALER AND NO EXPLANATION OR ACTION WAS GIVEN. HELP

NHTSA ODI 11291672

Dec 26, 2019Fuel system

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE GAS TANK ON MY RAV4. IT IS A 14 GALLON GAS TANK AND I'M ONLY ABLE TO EVER FIT 9-9.5 GALLONS OF GAS IN IT. I HAVE SPILLED GAS OUT OF THE VEHICLE TRYING TO FULLY FILL THE VEHICLE AND IT STILL WILL NOT SHOW AS FULL ON THE GAS GAUGE. I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE OVER 500+ MILES IN RANGE AND NOW WHEN I FILL IT THE RANGE ONLY UPDATES TO 380 MILES OR SO. BETWEEN SPILLING GAS AT THE PUMP AND NOT KNOWING THE ACTUAL RANGE BEFORE I RUN OUT OF GAS, THIS IS A PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11291244

Dec 26, 2019Fuel system

UNABLE TO FILL GAS TANK BEYOND 9.5 GALLONS EVEN THOUGH THE CAR HAS A 14.5 GALLON TANK. GAS LIGHT WAS ON AND CAR ESTIMATING 35 MILES TO EMPTY WHEN I FILLED IT. WHEN I GET BACK IN THE CAR MY FUEL GAUGE SHOWS THAT THE TANK IS FULL. I'M AVERAGING ABOUT 350 MILES PER TANK RIGHT NOW.

NHTSA ODI 11291306

Dec 26, 2019

THE FUEL TANK IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE 14.5 GALLONS BUT IN REALITY ONLY TAKES 9.5 GALLONS, CALLED DEALER AND THEY STATE THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SEVERAL ARTICLES REGARDING ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11291354

Dec 26, 2019Fuel system

THE FUEL TANK WILL NOT FILL UP ALL THE WAY. I LIVE IN OREGON AND WE CAN NOT TOP OF OUR TANKS AT THE PUMP. THE MOST FUEL WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN WHEN THE EMPTY LIGHT IS ON IS 8.4 GALLONS.

NHTSA ODI 11291361

Dec 25, 2019Fuel system

THE CAR CLAIMS 14.5 GALLON TANK. YOU CAN ONLY PUT 10 GALLONS IN THE TANK. IF YOU PUT MORE, IT SPILLS ALL OVER THE GROUND. INSTEAD OF A RANGE OF 560, IT ONLY HAS A 400 MILE RANGE. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST MONTH. IF THE TANK SHOW HALF FULL, YOU CAN ONLY PUT IN 4.3 GALLONS.

NHTSA ODI 11291209

Dec 24, 2019Fuel system

GAS TANK IS RATED AT 14.5 GALLONS. BUT IT CAN ONLY ACCEPT 9-10 GALLONS WHEN I FUEL UP WELL AFTER THE LOW FUEL LIGHT.

NHTSA ODI 11291092

Dec 23, 2019Fuel system

THE TANK DOES NOT HOLD THE "FULL" GAS CAPACITY THAT THE TANK IS MEANT TO HOLD. I AM ONLY ABLE TO PUT ABOUT 9 GALLONS OF GAS INTO THE TANK. THE SUV HAS A GAS TANK OF 14.5 GALLONS AND YET I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FUEL ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THAT. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR ON 09/09/19.

NHTSA ODI 11290866

Dec 23, 2019Fuel system

WHEN PUMPING GAS THE AUTO-OFF FEATURE IS CLICKING EARLY, CAUSING ME TO ONLY FILL BETWEEN 9-10 GALLONS OF THE 14.5-GALLON TANK. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE MY OWN CLAIM HERE AS WELL. I OWN A 2019 RAV4 XLE HYBRID.

NHTSA ODI 11290888

Dec 23, 2019Fuel system

STATED CAPACITY OF FUEL TANK IS 14.5 GALLONS. EVEN WHEN ABSOLUTELY CLOSE TO EMPTY ("20 MILES LEFT IN TANK"), THE MOST I CAN FILL UP TANK IS 9 TO 10 GALLONS. ADVERTISED RANGE OF VEHICLE IS 500 MILES. I'M LUCKY IF I GET 400 MILES FROM A SINGLE TANK.

NHTSA ODI 11290928

Dec 23, 2019Fuel system

THE VEHICLE IS ONLY ABLE TO FILL UP TO ABOUT 3/4 OF A TANK, REGARDLESS OF WHICH GAS STATION I GO TO. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE DAY 1 AND VARIES BY 1 OR 2 GALLONS. BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO GET A FULL TANK. I CAN USUALLY ONLY GET 9-11 GALLONS OF GAS WHEN THE CAR IS EMPTY. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT DROP OFF IN FUEL ECONOMY RECENTLY 39MPG VS 32MPG.

NHTSA ODI 11290938

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Working with the data? Download all 869 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 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 2019 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid verdict →