10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 6,701 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Vehicle has absolutely no safe way to hook up to tow. My wife got the car stuck in the snow and needed a tug out with a tow strap. The owners manual states that only some vehicle of this model are equipped with a towing eye. Mine is not, and from what i hear all subsequent year rav4 are not equipped. I crawled underneath the car front and back and dug snow out to find there is no place to hook to. No holes, frame members, nothing to put a hook on, a clevis around, or a loop of rope to loop to. All plastic and smooth sheet metal. I had to strap around one wheel and drag it fighting the allwheel drive system, against my owners manual instructions. How can this be that there is absolutely no recommended way to tow/recover this vehicle or secure it to a towtruck? I have heard stories of tow companies refusing to tow Rav4-??s because of this.
- Hasting, NE, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle through the roof rack. The water entered the compartment where the air bags were located. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
- Stuart, FL, USA
Water was entering inside the front of the cabin from the roof rack. Water entering inside the wiring can cause short circuit and cause fire
- Missouri City, TX, USA
This as well as many many other 2019, 2020, & 2021 Rav4s develop water leaks in the roof (due to inadequate gaskets in the rood rails) which result in water entering in vehicle very close to the side curtain airbags. Toyota updated the parts on the current model year but refuses to issue a recall. This is dangerous due to the strong possibility of water contacting the airbags and or the electrical connections.
- Hollis, ME, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the roof rack clips were fractured and water was leaking into the vehicle, causing the vehicle to shut off intermittently, electrical failures, and air bags malfunction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the headliners were leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.
- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
There is a known issue with 2019+ Toyoya RAV4 where the Roof Rack Rails seaks leak water into the Driver and Passenger SRS A Pillar, i don't understand why there isn't a TSB for this, im concerned that the water intrusion will damage the Airbags or Electrical components and cause the airbag to deploy or cause improper SRS A pillar airbag operation. I'm also concerned about rust, A Quick google search and youtube will show the issue occuring but toyota is only fixing it under warranty, i don't think this should happen on a car under 3 years old with less than 50,000 miles. I do notice a foul odor in the car which led me to find this related TSB T-SB-0094-21 for a similar issue but none for Roof Rack Seals. Toyota has updated the Seals to thicker ones from the flimsy paper gasket to thicker plastic since 2019 so they know about the issue and have corrected it but only under warranty. i did see complaints on carcomplaints.com also but i'm out of factory warranty.
- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
The rear hatch trunk doorr does not operate correctly. The hinges holding the door on could fail leaving the door to fly off the vehicle. Apparently this is a known problem on this make and model of this vehicle and toyota is unwilling to repair the problem
- Valencia, PA, USA
This Rav4 developed a leak in the roof by the front and back windows. Found many references to this on the internet. It is a known problem for this vehicle that is not being addressed by Toyota. This problem can cause mold and damage to the side air bags. This is clearly a safety issue.
- Sarasota, FL, USA
Water is entering vehicle from roof rack over the driver side A-pillar. The headliner is getting wet, and the side curtain airbags are located in this area. The concern is that the water will affect airbags, along with issues with mold and rust.
- Tampa, FL, USA
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.
- Pomona, CA, USA
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.
- Mundelein, IL, USA
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.
- Greenfield, WI, USA
The factory installed bike rack is not sealed properly and leaking water when rains, etc-?? into the SRS airbag on passenger and driver side
- Alpharetta, GA, USA
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.
- Archdale, NC, USA
Around 2:30 pm on Thursday, December 2, 2021, my wife and I were on our way to the gym for a workout. I was pulling my auto out of my garage. It was in reverse when it stopped half way and did not finish backing out. I put it in drive and then in reverse and I was able to back out. Once out of my driveway, I backed out into the street in reverse. From reverse, I put my car in Drive to start driving on the street. At this point, the car spun out of control and I could not control its movements. The car turned around on the street and drove into my yard. It ran through the yard, spun around through some hedges, onto my driveway and continued back into the yard. At this time it hit a tree in the yard, went back on the road, turned into my driveway before coming to a stop. We got out and inspected the damage. The entire front bumper and the assembly was hanging from the body of the car. The damage was extensive. Thankfully, no one was on the road and the only damage was to my car and my yard. shrubs and tree. This car is a Limited Edition with cameras and braking functions that stop the car if an object comes in its way. The car kept accelerating and did not brake to avoid collision. Note: We bought this 2019 RAV4 in March 2019. It was brand new, full loaded with many safety features. In October of 2019, we heard sounds coming from the front of the car. We took it to Toyota dealership to have it diagnosed. They determined that the Electromagnetic Clutch Assembly needed to be replaced. The car had 7100 miles on the Odometer.
- Snohomish, WA, USA
My roof rack rail assembly is leaking water down my A and C pillars, and into the inside of my vehicle. When it leaks into my car it also leaks down into my side curtain airbags to the point if I were to get into an accident where the side curtain airbags needed to deploy because of my windshield, they would not which could cause me to lose my life. I have asked my dealership about it and they told me they had numerous roof racks replaced because of the leaking but because my vehicle is no longer under warranty, I have to pay to have the roof racks replaced. I have tried to reseal my roof racks but did not work. The Toyota dealership told me that if resealing didn't work, the only other option was to replace. I cannot drive in the rain, even when it is just sprinkling or wash my car because any sort of water will leak into my vehicle. Toyota will not send a recall out for this issue but is known to be a safety issue with the Toyota dealership and numerous people that own a 2019-2021 Toyota Rav4.
- Harvest, AL, USA
Was driving on the freeway and heard a loud pop noise. upon pulling over, i noticed a hole in my in my sunroof (punctured from the inside out)
- San Jose, CA, USA
Roof headliner leak due to poor design and/or water proofing materials on the clips of the roof top bar. This causes concerns about potential damage to the side air bags and electricals.
- Blaine, WA, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that whenever it rained, water would enter the cabin of the vehicle. The contact was concerned that it might cause an electrical failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
- Naples, FL, USA
- Harrisonburg, VA, USA