What 3 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid

When my wife left for work the car displayed an SRS/airbag warning on the dash. It was running so she decided to go to work, but turned around after a few miles when she realized all of the driver assist systems were also disabled. When she got home I checked the battery voltage and it read 11.8 volts (I also read the DTCs, and pulled B1AC0). After charging overnight the error was gone. This vehicle is driven almost daily, was delivered to us 3 months ago, and doesn't sit with the ignition on draining the battery (my short way of saying there no behavioral or maintenance related reasons for this to occur). I have been monitoring the battery charge after drives now and putting it on the charger every night. It appears the car is chronically undercharging the battery--a known issue going back several years on RAV4 hybrids (layperson analysis here: [XXX]) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11749823

I purchased this 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid about two weeks before this incident. It had approximately 170 miles at the time. While driving at approximately 50 mph, it suddenly decelerated as though braking (without me pressing the brake pedal) and would not accelerate when I pressed the accelerator. At the same time, these warnings appeared: “Hybrid Startup Malfunction,” “Hybrid System Malfunction,” “AWD Malfunction,” “System Malfunction,” and “Check Engine.” I stopped safely and powered the vehicle off and on. After the first restart, the display did not show the odometer reading or battery percentage, although the battery charge bar remained displayed. After a second power cycle, both reappeared. The vehicle then drove normally, but the Hybrid System, System Malfunction, and Check Engine warnings remained. The Hybrid Startup and AWD warnings had cleared. The vehicle had not been repaired or serviced since purchase. I have never boosted or jump-started its 12-volt battery. An authorized Toyota dealer performed initial checks, found no error codes, and could not duplicate the failure. The dealer said another customer’s 2026 RAV4 reportedly had a similar issue weeks earlier. They test-drove that vehicle about 150 miles without reproducing it and ultimately reset its warnings. This was sudden, uncommanded deceleration and loss of acceleration while moving. Loss of propulsion in traffic, especially at speed, creates a risk of a rear-end collision or inability to maneuver to safety. The vehicle is available for inspection, and dealer records are available. In the days before this event, once or twice daily during normal driving, the vehicle displayed a blue message stating “Accident detected, recording started,” despite no collision or driver input. The vehicle has never been in an accident. I do not know whether this is related, but it may be relevant to an electronic, sensor, or control-system fault.

NHTSA ODI 11745309

I purchased this 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid brand new, about two weeks before this incident. At the time of the incident the odometer read approximately 170 miles. While driving at about 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated as though braking (without me pressing the brake pedal) and would not accelerate when I pressed the accelerator. At the same time, these warnings appeared: "Hybrid Startup Malfunction," "Hybrid System Malfunction," "AWD Malfunction," "System Malfunction," and "Check Engine." I stopped safely and powered the vehicle off and on. After the first restart, the display did not show the odometer reading or battery percentage, although the battery charge bar remained displayed. After a second power cycle, both reappeared. The vehicle then drove normally, but the Hybrid System, System Malfunction, and Check Engine warnings remained; the Hybrid Startup and AWD warnings had cleared. The vehicle had not been repaired or serviced since purchase. I have never boosted or jump-started its 12-volt battery. An authorized Toyota dealer performed initial checks, found no error codes, and could not duplicate the failure. The dealer said another customer's 2026 RAV4 reportedly had a similar issue weeks earlier; they test-drove that vehicle about 150 miles without reproducing it and ultimately reset its warnings. This was a sudden, uncommanded deceleration and loss of acceleration while moving at highway speed. Loss of propulsion in traffic, especially at 50 mph, creates a risk of a rear-end collision or inability to maneuver to safety. The vehicle is available for inspection, and dealer records are available. In the days before this event, once or twice daily during normal driving, the vehicle displayed a blue message stating "Accident detected, recording started," despite no collision or driver input. The vehicle has never been in an accident. I do not know whether this is related, but it may be relevant to an electronic, sensor, or control-system fault.

NHTSA ODI 11745314