Home · 2020 Toyota RAV4 Hv · Complaints

What 627 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Toyota RAV4 Hv

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 (627)Crash / fire / injury (23)Engine (179)Electrical system (119)Fuel system (89)Body & structure (59)Airbags (55)Transmission & drivetrain (36)Steering (27)Brakes (19)Visibility & wipers (17)Engine & cooling (15)

Newest first · 627 complaints · page 25 of 26

Feb 19, 2020Fuel system

UNABLE TO FILL FUEL TANK TO ADVERTISED CAPACITY (14.5 GALLONS). THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE. WHEN FUEL IS LOW INDICATED BY FUEL GAUGE AND DISTANCE TO EMPTY CALCULATION, NEARING EMPTY, I AM ONLY ABLE TO FILL 9.5-10.5 GALLONS MAX.

NHTSA ODI 11310145

Feb 19, 2020Fuel system

THIS IS FOR A 2020 RAV4 HYBRID, THE NTHSA SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE LUMPING THIS TOGETHER WITH THE REGULAR RAV4. THE FUEL TANK HAS ISSUES ACCEPTING FUEL UP TO THE LEVELS SPECIFIED IN THE MANUAL OR THE CALIBRATION OF THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IS OFF. PER THE OWNERS MANUAL PROVIDED BY TOYOTA WHEN THE REFUEL LIGHT ILLUMINATES THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 2.2 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING. WHEN THIS LIGHT ILLUMINATES I AM ONLY ABLE TO FILL THE CAR WITH 9-10 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE TANK CAPACITY IS 14.5 GALLONS SO THE CAR IS MISSING 2.3-3.3 GALLONS OF FUEL EVERY FILL UP. THE FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT READ FULL AT THIS POINT EITHER. TO GET THE MISSING FUEL INTO THE VEHICLE YOU CAN SLOWLY "TOP OFF" UNTIL THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL HAS BEEN ADDED BUT THIS BECOMES A SAFETY CONCERN AS THE PUMPS SAFETY MECHANISMS CONSTANTLY ENGAGE MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHEN THE TANK IS ACTUALLY FULL AND WHEN IT WILL BEGIN SPEWING OUT THE EXTRA FUEL ON TO THE GROUND. I WATCHED THE FIRST FILL AT THE DEALERSHIP AND THIS DID NOT OCCUR. THE ISSUE SLOWLY PROGRESSED IN THE FOLLOWING FILLS AND NOW OCCURS DURING EVERY FILL.

NHTSA ODI 11310155

Feb 19, 2020Fuel system

HAS PROBLEMS FILLING UP GAS TO THE FULL TANK

NHTSA ODI 11310231

Feb 17, 2020Transmission & drivetrain

I HAVE THE RAV4 LE BASE MODEL. IN THE FIRST 3 GEARS, TRANSMISSION JERKS A LOT DURING ACCELERATION, ALWAYS FEELING IT IS HAVING A HARD SHIFT. WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE PADEL PARTIALLY OR ROLLING STOP, THE CAR LURCHES, THIS IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS WHEN I MAKE TURNS, I FEEL THE CAR IS NOT STABLE. VERY DISAPPOINTED AT TOYOTA.

NHTSA ODI 11309701

Feb 17, 2020Fuel system

THE GAS TANK ON MY NEW TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID, MODEL YEAR 2020 WILL NOT EVER FILL TO CAPACITY OR ANYWHERE NEAR IT. I PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER 2019. THE ADVERTISED RANGE OF THE CAR WAS OVER 500 MILES PER TANK AND MY RANGE IS ONLY 375 MILES TYPICALLY. AFTER A SEARCH ONLINE I SEE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM EVEN BEFORE I PURCHASED THE CAR, YET I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THE DEFECT OF THE TANK BY TOYOTA THAT IT WILL NOT FILL TO ANYWHERE NEAR THE STATED 14.5 GALLONS.

NHTSA ODI 11309704

Feb 15, 2020Electrical system

CONTINUATION, LOST WEBSITE.

NHTSA ODI 11309423

Feb 15, 2020Fuel system

GAS TANK DOES NOT FILL ALL THE WAY

NHTSA ODI 11309444

Feb 11, 2020Fuel system

I PURCHASED MY CAR ON 12-21-19 WITH THE EXPLICIT SALES CLAIM THAT THE 2020 RAV4 HYBRID TANK HOLDS 14.5 GALLONS. I WAS PROMISED THAT I COULD DRIVE OVER 550 MILES ON ONE TANK OF GAS. HOWEVER, I HAVE HAD TO REFUEL MY CAR 3 TIMES ALREADY. EACH TIME WHEN MY CAR FUEL TANK EMPTY LIGHT TURNED ON, I COULD ONLY GET BETWEEN 10-10.8 GALLONS UNTIL IT'S 'FULL.' I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE ONLY 354-413 MILES ON A 'FULL' TANK OF GAS, A FAR CRY FROM THE 550 MILES PROMISED. I HAVE CONTACTED TWO DEALERSHIPS AND HAVE OPENED UP A CASE NUMBER WITH TOYOTA CORPORATION. THEY DENY EVER HAVING HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM AND DO NOT HAVE A FIX. DOING A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE PULLS UP COUNTLESS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS CAR ON CAR FORUMS. I ALSO LEARNED THAT A COUPLE OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS HAVE ALSO BEEN RECENTLY FILED.

NHTSA ODI 11308400

Feb 11, 2020Fuel system

CAR STOPPED AT GAS STATION WITH FUEL GAUGE EMPTY. CAR ADVERTISED AS HAVING A 14.5G FUEL TANK AND A RANGE OF 550+ MILES. WHEN TANK IS EMPTY IT WILL ONLY ALLOW 10-10.5 GALLONS OF FUEL BEFORE FULL. HAS EXHIBITED THIS BEHAVIOR ALL 4 TIMES BEING FILLED UP. TOYOTA HAS NOT ADDRESSED THIS SINCE THE REDESIGNED 2019 MODEL YEAR AND CONTINUES TO SELL CARS WITH NO NOTIFICATION TO CUSTOMERS LEAVING THEM TO GUESS HOW MUCH FUEL IS LEFT OR, AT WORSE TRY TO OVERFILL TO CAPACITY.

NHTSA ODI 11308536

Feb 7, 2020Fuel system

MY 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID DOES NOT GET THE RANGE NOR FUEL TANK CAPACITY AS ADVERTISED BY TOYOTA. THE FUEL TANK IS SPECIFIED AS 14.7 GALLONS, BUT MAXIMUM THAT I AM ABLE TO PUT IN IS AROUND 12 GALLONS AFTER FUEL TANK IS COMPLETELY EMPTY. BEING ABLE TO PUMP EVEN THIS MUCH FUEL INTO THE TANK IS ONLY POSSIBLE AFTER MANY PUMP RESTARTS. THIS IS A BOTH A SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD AS I HAVE TO CIRCUMVENT THE AUTOMATIC PUMP STOP.

NHTSA ODI 11307757

Feb 5, 2020Fuel system

THE ACTUAL FUEL TANK CAPACITY OF THE 2019-2020 RAV4 HYBRIDS DO NOT MATCH THE ADVERTISED CAPACITY. THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT HAS BEEN ABLE TO ENTER THE TANK WHEN THE GAUGE SHOWS NEARLY EMPTY IS 9-11 GALLONS IF UNSAFE FUELING PRACTICES ARE USED. THE FUEL NOZZLE FROM THE PUMP MUST BE PULLED OUT FROM THE VEHICLE TO PREVENT IT FROM SHUTTING OFF WHILE REFUELING.

NHTSA ODI 11307182

Feb 4, 2020Fuel system

FUEL FILLING SHUTS OFF WHEN AT GAS PUMP. TANK NOT CAPABLE OF FILLING TO TOYOTA SPEC GALLON CAPACITY (14.5). MAXIMUM 10.5 GALLONS. GREATLY REDUCING OVERALL MILEAGE AND POSING SAFETY RISK WHEN MANUALLY TOPPING OFF GAS TANK.

NHTSA ODI 11306912

Feb 3, 2020BrakesCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 5 MPH THE BRAKES FAILED. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKES 3-4 TIMES AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO PARKED VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE CRASH A WITNESS SAID THE BRAKES MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE DAUGHTER ALSO HEARD A NOISE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE DID CRASH INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CRASH OCCURRED FEB 3, 2020. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1300. *DT*JB *BF*JB

NHTSA ODI 11306715

Feb 3, 2020Fuel system

OUR 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID XSE HAS A FAULTY FUEL TANK. TOYOTA ADVERTISED THAT THE TANK IS 14.5 GALLONS. WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO FILL ABOUT 10 GALLONS.

NHTSA ODI 11306892

Feb 1, 2020Fuel system

WHEN THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON (IN THE MANUAL INDICATES THERE'S ABOUT 2.2 GALLONS LEFT IN THE TANK), I CAN PUMP ABOUT 9 GALLONS OF FUEL INTO THE TANK TO THE FIRST CLICK-OFF FROM THE GAS PUMP. SO, FOR A 14.5-GALLON TANK WITH A *2.2-GALLON RESERVE I SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT ABOUT 12 GALLONS IN WHEN I FUEL UP, NOT 9 GALLONS. THE FUEL GAUGE WILL NOT SHOW FULL WHEN FUELING AND THE PUMP FIRST CUTS OFF, IT'S BETWEEN 3/4 AND FULL. THE DTE (DISTANCE TO EMPTY) WILL SHOW ABOUT 410 MILES AT THIS POINT. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO FILL THE TANK TO IT'S STATED CAPACITY. THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY A TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA INDICATED TO THE TECHNICIAN THAT THERE IS NO FIX. TOYOTA IS CONTINUING TO SELL THE RAV4 HYBRIDS WITH DEFECTIVE GAS TANKS.

NHTSA ODI 11306432

Jan 31, 2020Fuel system

TOYOTA ADVERTISED AND SOLD THE CAR WITH 14.5 GALLON TANK, BUT I CANNOT FILL MORE THAN 10 GALLONS BEFORE THE PUMP SHUTS OFF AUTOMATICALLY, AND I DO NOT GET THE RANGE THAT IS ADVERTISED.

NHTSA ODI 11306380

Jan 29, 2020Fuel system

THE GAS TANK OF MY 2020 RAV4 HYBRID IS NOT FILLING PROPERLY. THE TANK IS SUPPOSED TO BE 14.5 GALLONS. MY FUEL GAUGE WILL READ JUST ABOVE EMPTY AND MY DISPLAY SAYS THAT I HAVE 29 MILES TO EMPTY. WHEN I GO TO FILL-UP MY TANK, THOUGH, IT CUTS OFF AFTER ROUGHLY 8.6 - 9 GALLONS. IF IT WAS TRULY ALMOST EMPTY, THIS IS WAY SHORT OF THE AMOUNT OF GAS THAT IT WILL TAKE TO FILL-UP MY TANK. WHEN I TURN THE CAR BACK ON, MY GAS GAUGE READS BETWEEN 3/4 AND FULL. BETWEEN FILL-UPS, I CAN ONLY DRIVE ABOUT 380 MILES. TOYOTA ADVERTISES ABOUT 580 MILES BETWEEN FILL-UPS. THIS HAS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I FILL-UP AND AT DIFFERENT GAS STATIONS.

NHTSA ODI 11302911

Jan 28, 2020Fuel system

THE GAS TANK WILL NOT COMPLETELY FILL AT THE GAS STATION. WHEN THE GAS LIGHT COMES ON AND SHOWS THAT IT IS EMPTY, I WILL GO TO THE GAS STATION AND IT WILL ONLY ALLOW ME TO FILL UP ABOUT 9-10GALLONS OF GAS. THE GAS TANK IS LISTED AS BEING 14.5GALLONS. THEREFORE, THE REPORTED GAS MILEAGE THAT WAS EXPECTING TO GET FROM THIS CAR IS EXTREMELY UNDER RATED AND INCORRECT. I CAN SLIGHTLY SQUEEZE THE GAS HANDLE AND PUT MORE FUEL IN THE TANK BUT I RUN THE RISK OF POTENTIALLY OVERFILLING AND SPILLING FUEL ON THE GROUND. THIS IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING.

NHTSA ODI 11302474

Jan 27, 2020Fuel system

THE FUEL TANK WILL ONLY ACCEPT LESS THAN 10 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE STATED CAPACITY OF THE FUEL TANK BY TOYOTA IS 14.5 GALLONS. THIS DEFECT CAUSES AT LEAST TWO PROBLEMS: THE MARKETED RANGE OF THE VEHICLE IS MARKEDLY DIMINISHED, AND THE FUEL GAUGE GIVES FALSE, MISLEADING INFORMATION TO THE POINT YOU NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL IS LEFT. THESE ARE SAFETY ISSUES BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE WHEN AND WHERE YOU WILL RUN OUT OF FUEL.

NHTSA ODI 11302202

Jan 24, 2020Fuel system

TOYOTA ADVERTISES CAR WITH 14.5 GALLONS OF GAS WITH 590 MPG RANGE AND FUEL TOPS OFF AT 10 GALLONS ONLY.

NHTSA ODI 11301745

Jan 20, 2020Fuel system

FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT PROPERLY REGISTER CORRECT FUEL AMOUNT IN VEHICLE. IT IS SHOWING EMPTY WITH ABOUT 4.5 GALLONS LEFT IN FUEL TANK. DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO ADMIT THERE IS AN ISSUE AND TRIES TO BLAME IT ON ETHANOL FUEL ADDITIVES....

NHTSA ODI 11300607

Jan 15, 2020Fuel system

I WAS TOLD MY TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID HAS A 14.5 GALLON GAS TANK. EVEN WHEN FILLING UP WHEN THE GAS LIGHT TURNS ON, I AM BARELY ABLE TO FILL 10 - 11 GALLONS. UPON FILL-UP, THE SYSTEMS SHOW 520 MILES (EXAMPLE) TO EMPTY BUT WITHIN 20 MILES OF DRIVING THE BALANCES RUNS DOWN TO UNDER 450.

NHTSA ODI 11299574

Jan 15, 2020Fuel system

THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK CAPACITY IS 14.5 GALLONS. WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE ON THE DASH SHOWS 1/8 OF A TANK, I CAN ONLY ADD 9-10 GALLONS OF FUEL BEFORE THE FUEL PUMP CLICKS OFF. AT A FUEL TANK LEVEL OF 1/8, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT 12-13 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE TANK. THERE IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE HERE, BUT I'M NOT ABLE TO GET THE DRIVING RANGE ON A TANK OF FUEL THAT I WAS EXPECTING WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I SHOULD BE GETTING A RANGE IN EXCESS OF 500 MILES PER FILL UP, BUT I'M ONLY GETTING AROUND 400.

NHTSA ODI 11299594

Jan 9, 2020Fuel system

2020 RAV4 XLE HYBRID. FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY WHEN ONLY APPROXIMATELY 10 GALLONS OF THE 14.5 GALLON TANK HAVE BEEN USED. THIS LEADS TO GETTING FAR LESS RANGE FROM A TANK OF GAS THAN THE VEHICLE SHOULD OR IS ADVERTISED TO GET. WHEN YOU FILL THE TANK THE COMPUTER FIRST ESTIMATES OVER 500 MILE RANGE BUT THEN QUICKLY DROPS AND ACTUAL RANGE YOU GET IS MORE THAN 100 MILES LESS DUE TO THE FUEL TANK PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11298061

Dec 30, 2019Fuel system

VEHICLE INDICATES FUEL EMPTY (GAS GAUGE AND WARNINGS) AFTER APPROX 350 MILES. FUEL TANK SUPPOSED TO BE 14.5 GAL., BUT TANK ONLY ACCEPTS 9-10 GALLONS FUEL BEFORE SHUTOFF. 1 FULL TANK FROM DEALER PLUS 1 FILL-UP WITH SAME RESULT. VEHICLE ALSO ONLY AVERAGING 36 MPG AFTER 2 TANKS MOSTLY HIGHWAY & NOW INTO 1 TANK MIXED CITY/HIGHWAY (TOYOTA INDICATES 38 HIGHWAY/40 CITY). EITHER FUEL TANK IS DEFECTIVE/CAPACITY IS INACCURATE, GAUGES/COMPUTER/WARNINGS ARE DEFECTIVE, OR BOTH?

NHTSA ODI 11292178

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Working with the data? Download all 627 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 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 2020 Toyota RAV4 Hv verdict →