10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 5,506 miles
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
This car is a hybrid, and has a so-called "smart key." The vehicle engine system is designed to continue to operate when the key is removed from the car, even if the transmission is still engaged. Usually, this should not happen because the driver should turn off the engine by pushing the on/off button before walking away from the vehicle. But it is possible to inadvertently fail do this properly, by either not pushing the off button, not pushing it hard enough, or failing to fully put the transmission in park before pushing the on/off button. Because the vehicle is a hybrid, it is usually completely silent even if the engine system is still on. The vehicle will emit 3 short, relatively quiet, beeps when leaving the vehicle while the engine is still turned on, but the various systems in the car often emits the same beeps, so they are easy to inadvertently disregard. If the car is left in a home garage, it can fill the home with lethal carbon monoxide. If the transmission is engaged, the unoccupied vehicle can move. There are multiple well reported fatalities from these defects. Virtually all other manufacturers of vehicles with smart keys corrected this defect years ago, by automatically turning off the engine if the smart key is removed. Toyota is correcting this issue in 2020 models. But Toyota is not, to my knowledge, correcting it in 2019 and earlier cars. It would probably be a relatively straightforward fix, which could be implemented through a firmware update. Because this is a serious, potentially lethal defect, I believe Toyota should be required to recall existing 2019 and earlier cars and correct the problem. Though I believe the problem is serious, I have not had an accident due to the problem
- Carmel, IN, USA
The back-up camera quit working within a month of purchase (578 miles). Anytime you put the vehicle in reverse the camera does not work making it unsafe to back in many circumstances.
- Clive, IA, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the key was unable to be removed from the ignition without warning. Toyota vacaville (500 orange dr, vacaville, ca 95687, (707) 446-7000) was informed that the vehicle had to be exited with the key still in the ignition, which was a safety risk to the contact when the vehicle needed to be secured and shut off. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, but the key still would not eject. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
- Fairfield, CA, USA
While driving down I-25 South of denver, co in heavy traffic at 75 mph, the engine abruptly shut off. I suddenly had no engine power, power brakes or power steering. Luckily I was able to coast to the shoulder, but came close to hitting or being hit by several vehicles. When we made it to the shoulder all the warning lights and messages were appearing on the dash. After letting the car sit a few minutes I restarted it, and it did run, though all the warning lights were still on. There was a dealership 9 miles from my location, so I slowly made my to arapahoe Toyota. They ran a diagnostic and said that something caused the fuel to be shut off to the engine. They did not know why, and could not replicate the problem. They suspect it is an electrical issue as I also found out that the right rear brake light does not work intermittently. Since they could not replicate the problem, and had no loaner cars, they essentially told me to come back the following Monday and hope for the best in the meantime. Since I was heading to vacation this is impractical, so I was stuck driving a car I'm afraid to drive. My next step is I am taking the vehicle to the nearest dealership in fort collins, co, and tell them what happened and that I want the issue resolved, the brake light electrical issue fixed, and be assured that the car is safe. I've never had a vehicle die while driving like that, let alone one with only 4580 miles. I'm apprehensive about driving the car 26 miles in the mountains to the nearest dealership, and so far Toyota has been no help.
- Fort Worth, TX, USA
I bought a brand new 2019 Rav4 limited with 150 miles on the odometer, now has about 460 miles. A few days into the purchase, I noticed yellow tick marked glitches showing up on my drivers center main console. This main console displays my mph, speed limit, lta, and more. I thought nothing of it as it went away for a few minutes when I turned on/off my car, but it would show up again. After these yellow tick marks started showing, my whole main center screen will go black with only the rear seat belt red light, park, and bsm lights flashing. In addition, my analog RPM, gas gauge, and temp gauge were all down. I was driving blind for a while, until I had to pull over on the highway/street to restart my car so that I can see my main dash (RPM, mpg, temp, gas, etc) again. Some of the pictures that are attached with black screen are examples of myself turning on/off my car while I was stuck in traffic so I could restart/see all of my main dash console gauges, RPM, mpg, etc. When my screen goes dark, I have to look at the other cars to match their speed because I was basically driving blind. This is a serious safety concern to myself and my family! I have a video of this scary occurrence, but the video file is too big to attach. I took the car in the day of this started to happen and it continue to sit in the dealership.
- Auburn, WA, USA
- Portland, OR, USA