Home · 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hv · Complaints

What 377 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 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 (377)Crash / fire / injury (53)Airbags (125)Electrical system (45)Engine (37)Visibility & wipers (30)Fuel system (24)Body & structure (21)Brakes (20)Steering (20)Transmission & drivetrain (20)Driver assistance (17)

37 of 377 complaints match · Engine · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Jan 3, 2024Engine

The engine block cracked and started leaking coolant. It is clearly a defective manufacturing of the block casting. The same engine was recalled several months before mine, but my manufacturing date fell just outside of the range they recalled in the same year. The problem was confirmed by Price Leblanc Toyota in Baton Rouge, LA, a new short block was installed and I was left footing the bill because Toyota Corp denies responsibility for it even though it is only 3 years old and has had ALL maintenance done through the dealerships. The initial coolant leak was first noticed on 10/17/2023. The vehicle repairs were completed by Price Leblanc Toyota and picked up on 12/13/2023.

NHTSA ODI 11563342

Oct 24, 2023Electrical systemLightsEngine

When driving the car and stopping at a stop sign or stop light, the engine will shut off. The automatic restart occurs and with the headlights on the climate temp control display flickers While all the other dashlights remain bright. Many people are disabling the system. Since there is a switch you can press, defeating the system. Toyota sent a technical specialist who inspected the system. And since he couldn't find how to fix it, declared it normal. Apparently toyota designed the car to do this for some unknown reason. He stated That lights will dim when the car restarts. It is not dimming as if a current draw, it flickers every time. This of course, affects the fuel economy of the car, defeating the system, which many people do and creates a concern of why that one component flickers. Toyota installs a heavy 605A battery to operate this system Since there are so many restarts. Will this create a car fire at some point? I would imagine That it makes a difference in The cafe reporting since so many people Disable the system.

NHTSA ODI 11551606

Sep 1, 2023Engine

Coolant Engine Bypass Valve Faulty. Dealership says it’s a known problem and they replaced 12 this week on RAV4 all different mileages

NHTSA ODI 11542207

Jul 27, 2023Electrical systemVisibility & wipersEngine

The contact rented a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a vibrating sound coming from the front driver’s side windshield. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle was a rental and could not be diagnosed. The contact was informed to return the vehicle to Avis Car Rental. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle after several minutes. The contact stated that due to the loss of motive power, the front driver’s and passenger’s side headlights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be diagnosed since the vehicle was a rental. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534866

Jun 2, 2023Engine

The hybrid system stopped working thus AWD, automatic emergency brake and other components stopped working as well. Message Hybrid System malfuction output power reduce visit your dealer AWD System malfuction 2wd mode engage visit dealer Engine light turn on

NHTSA ODI 11524971

May 22, 2023Electrical systemEngineFire

We were on a drive back from Nashville like normal. My mom had picked me up from work at around 07:15. The car started making strange sounds as we were driving down the highway. It started yelling at us to pull over to a safe spot and slowing down. All of the lights had come on flashing at this time. It didn’t even make it to the shoulder; We made a stop on the triangle area for when cars come in from the exit. As soon as we stopped, smoke started engulfing us and 2 guys who saw this happening parked on the shoulder and came running out of their van with fire extinguishers and started telling us to get out. When we went around the car to check what was going on, we noticed the fire that had started from the bottom of it. They fired the extinguishers a couple of times to the bottom of it where we could see the fire but it didn’t help much so we had to retreat to a safer spot. We called 911 to ask them to send assistance. Not long after, the front half of the car was engulfed in flames. 10-20 minutes later, the fire department came to extinguish the flames. Once they got the fire under control, they towed the car to the shoulder of the road where we proceeded to salvage anything that was salvagable from the car. Where I got my hands cut up from broken shards that were littered all over the interior. We waited for awhile for another form of transportation to be able to make it home and it took a little bit due to the traffic that this incident had caused. We got the car towed back to Toyota for evaluation of the incident. It was supposed to be done within 2 months, but we still hadn’t heard anything about it going into 3. We called them to inquire about the car and the situation, and they said that they had closed the case and had to reopen it for further investigations. They had closed the case and not told us anything about it. We received an email on the 23rd of January that stated the vehicle was too far damaged for them to be able to evaluate anything.

NHTSA ODI 11523298

Jan 29, 2023EngineFuel system

I was pulling into a parking space with my foot on the brake, had just touched the parking bar, and the engine started racing. The car went forward over the parking bar before I cold stop it by stomping on the brake. The only thing stopping me from going over the side of the hill was a chain link fence. Luckily the brakes worked. This is a 2021 RAV4 and I have never had this problem before. I am scheduled to go into the Toyota dealer to have them look at it.

NHTSA ODI 11504262

Dec 14, 2022Electrical systemEngine

Since I bought my brand-new car 1. the engine has stopped 5 times. 2. My windshield cracked. 3. There is low tire air pressure indicator that appears once in a while. A new battery was replaced, and it now cannot start. The message on the screen indicates: "IGNITION ON, Voltage abnormality steering power Low. Visit your Dealer." I took it the Dealer and now they are not able to find out what the problem is because I had to jam started the car for it to be towed.

NHTSA ODI 11497430

Dec 1, 2022EngineFuel system

2021 Toyota REV4 with just over 5,000 miles. I got off from a parking lot and drove 1/2 miles, The screen shown "Vehicle Alert" and asked to check engine with message "A malfunction in the electronic control of the engine, throttle, or automatic transmission has been detected". I smell very strong gasoline, then stop the vehicle. I check the gas tank, it's normal. I opened the hood and saw a puddle of gasoline on engine part, between the battery and the engine but lower than the battery. It's so dangerous to drive with leaking gasoline so I park my car on a street

NHTSA ODI 11495574

Nov 2, 2022Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

Vehicle stumbles on moderate acceleration from slow speed, hesitates shifting also. Problem has persisted since new. Dealers rep "they're all like that. can't find any problem. No warning lamps. I think there is a TSB but it seems well hidden. I feel it is a safety issue - acceleration from low speed compromised. We have 2 more 2021 rav4s in the family that do not do that. I believe Toyota knows about this problem. Also had a problem with vehicle slamming violently into lower gear when coming to a stop. Dealer could not find problem. I checked vehicle and found air filter housing not properly secured. I latched it properly and that seemed to solve slamming into lower gear problem. Dealers mechanic (?) must have not latched it properly after 12 month service. No telling how much dirt was sucked into engine while that was happening. The stumbling/ drivability hesitant shifting problem persists. Several people have reported this problem. One was fixed by a dealer attending to a software problem. This is a known problem that is being ignored. This has happened since new Jan 29, 2021.

NHTSA ODI 11491897

Aug 11, 2022Electrical systemEngineFire

The contact stated that the owner of a 2021 Toyota Rav4 was driving approximately 35 mph when the odor of burning rubber was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. After stopping and exiting the vehicle flames were present coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed during the incident. A fire report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The contact indicated that the vehicle had recently been repaired after a front-end crash had occurred. The contact also references an NHTSA open investigation(PE21005) for the same failure that had occurred. The failure mileage was 30,000

NHTSA ODI 11478860

May 14, 2021Engine

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THERE WAS AN ABNORMALLY LOUD GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CABE TOYOTA (2849 LONG BEACH BLVD, LONG BEACH, CA 90806, (562) 595-7411) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NOTHING NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT RELATED THE FAILURE TO AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000.

NHTSA ODI 11416598

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Working with the data? Download all 377 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 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hv verdict →