10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,200 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #18

Dec 042020

RAV4

  • 15,400 miles
Driving down I-40 in Oklahoma around 70-75 mph on 12/4/20 around 1:00 pm ct, out of nowhere, the sunroof exploded. Most of the glass went out and behind the car, but some glass ended up on driver and 2 passengers. There was not any other cars (in front or behind) at the time this occurred. Some glass did not come off and you can see by my pictures that the glass is curved up, showing the direction the glass exploded upwards and out of the car. The roof of the car, you can see the paint chips caused by the exploding glass going backwards, please see included photo. I was headed to arlington tx for a weekend trip, so I called a Toyota dealer in arlington and told them what had happened. They said they have never seen this happen. They contacted their Toyota representative and they said they have not seen an exploding sunroof before and that it had to be a rock hitting the sunroof. This dealer did get a sunroof delivered on the next day and was able to install on Saturday 12/5/20. Toyota did not believe this was defective sunroof, but I do believe something was defective, because there was not any vehicle in front of me at the time this happened and I do not recall a rock hitting the sunroof prior to the event. This seems odd that the sunroof would just suddenly explode and shatter upwards and out of the car. Please see attached pictures. Vandergriff was able to get in a sunroof and replace it, but it was at my expense. Parts and labor $1,121.86

- Raymore, MO, USA

problem #17

Nov 262020

RAV4

  • 2,200 miles
Car would not start after sitting overnight in my garage. Only has 2,200 miles on it. Dashboard lights flickering saying parking brake malfunction and check engine/ other warning lights came on. Seems to be a huge issue from other reviews. Toyota needs a recall or we need to file a class action lawsuit! unacceptable. Looking into ca lemon law.

- Moorpark, CA, USA

problem #16

Jan 032020

RAV4

  • 30 miles
Toyota's claim of a 3,500 pound tow capacity is not true. I cannot tow a 3,000 pound house trailer legally with their oem 4-prong wiring harness. A 7-blade plug is required to pass state inspection and Toyota does not and will not provide this harness. False advertising and sucker promotion is the problem. Bait and switch!!! so sad. Very angry!

- Lutz, FL, USA

problem #15

Oct 022020

RAV4

  • miles
I just bought a Toyota Rav4 2020 hybrid limited last August 8, 2020. I bought it at beaver Toyota located in St. Augustine, Florida. 2. problem: I found out that there is no hook or hole attached to the solid frame of the car that the towing cable can be attached to in case I get stuck in a mud, sand, or snow bank. I would not be able to tow or pull something out because there is no hook or hole to attach the cable to. 3. expectation: This is the first car that this feature is absent. All of them had the convenient hole attached to the frame that the cable can be hooked into. I expect Toyota to correct this deficiency. I believe it is a defect that is easily corrected. I contacted Toyota customer service twice and ask the person to take a picture (in case I missed it) underneath the Rav4 2020 hybrid as to where the cable hook should go into. I was given a number - Toyota motor sales, usa, Inc. Case file #2010151369. They said that they can not take a picture, they referred me to the manual. The manual does not show clearly where to place it. I talked with manager of beaver Toyota and he said that he could show me where to put the cable when I go there. I already inspected the underneath and there is no convenient/safe/sturdy place to attach it. 4. recommendation: Toyota should add the hook or hole attachment for the towing cable. It should be where the hitch would be attached to. Did Toyota miss attaching this feature at the factory ? 5. this is beyond what the dealership could correct. It is more in the manufacturing process. 6. I am sending this complaint to the NHTSA because there is the possibility that similar 2020 rav 4 hybrid limited are affected with this problem. This is what I would consider a product deficiency as mentioned in one of the criteria. Stationary

- Palm Coast, FL, USA

problem #14

Jul 312020

RAV4

  • 25 miles
When the vehicle reaches a speed of 60mph a grinding noise comes from the area between the gas pedal and driver side door. The noise sounds like a rapidly spinning metal disc is frequently bumping into a metal wall as the car vibrates naturally at the higher speed. It is unknown if this causes a safety issue or not but it does bother all passengers as it is a high pitched grinding noise.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #13

Oct 192020

RAV4

  • 900 miles
My fuel tank only fills to 10-11 gallons. It is a 14 gallon tank.

- Saint Paul, MN, USA

problem #12

Jun 012020

RAV4

  • miles
The fuel indicator shows half only. The tank does not register the correct amount of fuel. The company itself never contacted us re this defect. We turned the car in today as we didn't feel safe driving a car without an accurate fuel gauge reading

- Margate, NJ, USA

problem #11

Sep 182020

RAV4

  • 5,275 miles
Dark smoked border window vent protector is unstick..so the passenger dark smoked window vent protector is broken.the glue is not working well.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #10

Sep 162020

RAV4

  • 1,900 miles
This is a specific concern for the battery/electric system that appears to be very prevalent.. in the 3 months since buying my 2020 Toyota Rav4 limited hybrid (June 20, 2020)-I've had to have my car jumped twice due to a dead battery. At first, I thought there might be something I was not doing correctly. However, after reading the comments on several sites it appears that this is a very common issue. The car had been driven the day before each time and would not start the next morning. The service person who came out to jump it the second time said that he gets a lot of calls for these new cars. The second time it also lost my parking assist on the backup camera along with the last radio setting. Unfortunately- taking it to the dealer has not worked for most of the owners. The dealer can find nothing wrong or even locate the issue. What has Toyota done to determine why this is happening" is it software, battery, electrical or a combination of these" references: Https://www.motorbiscuit.com/are-2019-and-2020-Toyota-Rav4-hybrids-suffering-battery-issues/ https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-C29023_ds1091695 https://www.rav4world.com/threads/2020-hybrid-starting-issue-due-to-battery-drain.303771/ https://www.kbb.com/Toyota/Rav4/2020/consumer-reviews/ https://www.reddit.com/R/rav4club/comments/fucb6M/2020_rav4_battery_dead/ plus more --- just google '2020 Rav4 hybrid battery problems'

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #9

Aug 052020

RAV4

  • 6,000 miles
The vehicle had no battery power to start the vehicle after sitting in the driveway for 36 hours from when last driven. This problem posses a significant hazard as the vehicle was totally disabled.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #8

Aug 012020

RAV4

  • 13,900 miles
2020 Toyota Rav4 hybrid purchased Dec 2019 battery dies after car has been sitting a few days car does not start have to tow to dealer

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #7

Jul 032020

RAV4 4-cyl

  • 1,839 miles
On July 3, 2020 at 2:30pm I was parking the car into a parking space in a strip mall when I had my foot on the brake to stop the car but the car immediately accelerated and crashed into the parked car in front of me. With my foot still on the brake, I put the car into reverse, when the car accelerated again and jerked backwards, with my foot still on the brake, I put the car into drive and the car accelerated and crashed into the parked car in front on me again for the 2nd time. The air bags did not deploy. I waited for the owner of the parked vehicle, the police arrived on site and the car was towed to the dealership. Consumer stated both the dealer and manufacturer were notified.

- Stoughton, MA, USA

problem #6

Feb 202020

RAV4 4-cyl

  • miles
Fuel gauge is inaccurate as well as miles remaining calculations are inaccurate. Fuel gauge indicates empty when approximately 2+ gallons remain in the fuel tank.

- Bonita Springs, FL, USA

problem #5

Jun 152020

RAV4 4-cyl

  • 50 miles
Vehicle is less than a week old (less than 1000miles) and I noticed the fuel tank lid was constantly popping open. Realized that when I turned my car on or off (verified by dealership mechanics) the gas tank fuel lid will pop open. So, somehow the power button on the vehicle controls my gas tank lid. Vehicle has been with Toyota mechanics for about 24hrs now.

- Reisterstown, MD, USA

problem #4

May 102020

RAV4

  • 40 miles
I purchase my brand new Toyota Rav4 xle on May 9, 2020. Experiencing very poorly installed/designed side mirrors that shake repeatedly. It began happening when it was only at highway speeds but now it is all the time and honestly, it's such a substantial vibration. Went to the dealership and have them check on it and they agree with me. And they compare this with 2 new other Rav4 on their lot and they all did the same. The dealer claims it's a characteristic and saying that they cannot do anything about it and made me have to open a case with manufacturing. They claim I have to wait until a fix is issued. Also called and talked with Toyota and they said the same thing, that they can't do anything about it. I deem this a safety concern; particularly with lane changing. It's a major problem and I'm getting blown off like it don't matter. I'm a travel nurse and driving from state to state and driving on highways with the side mirror shaking will be a definite safety concern. I bought a 2020 brand new car to get more safety features while I'm traveling but it seems like that is not the case. Really afraid this might cause accident. Im afraid of my safety and the other people. I have friend who had the same car with the same issue. Hopefully you can guys help me with this issue. Thank you

- Clemmons, NC, USA

problem #3

Feb 082020

RAV4 4-cyl

  • 20 miles
The gas tank will hold up to 10 gallons of gas and trying to add more causes the tank to overflow, even when the fuel light indicates the gas tank isn't full. Vehicle is advertised to hold 14.5 gallons.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #2

Feb 042020

RAV4

  • 3,500 miles
Toyota tells me that the lane departure system (lda) and the lane tracing system (lta) are independent by design. This creates an unsafe driving environment and has the potential to cause accidents. I have about 4700 miles on my car and many miles of driving with the lda & lta engaged. I had positive control of the steering wheel at all times in the incidents described below. While driving down the road the lta constantly makes corrections to the relative position of the car in the traffic lane. It regularly tries to steer you out of your lane. Usually, when the lta is steering the vehicle out of the lane, the lda signals. The lta does not make a correction despite the lda sounding. If the lta/lda communicated, rather than being separate modules, the lda would tell the lta it was about to steer the car out of the lane and make the correction. Instead, the lta steers the car out of the lane and the lda tells you that you left the lane or will leave the lane. When I drove 40 plus miles to the dealer, I told him that I felt as if I had wrestled the vehicle the entire way. The service manager drove the vehicle and experienced the conditions I am describing. He told me that Toyota told him the vehicle was functioning as designed. I also called Toyota usa and was told the systems are independent and functioning as designed. I told the dealer and Toyota usa that the systems are a safety hazard. As an independent system the lta creates a hazardous driving condition. It is trying to steer you out of your lane, and if you don't maintain strong pressure on the steering wheel, you will leave your lane. That is especially true if you if drive by an exit lane. On an exit lane to the right, even though there is a lane marking to the left of the vehicle, it make a sharp pull toward the right,

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #1

Feb 222020

RAV4

  • 5,000 miles
While driving on the freeway in our brand new 2020 Toyota Rav4 hybrid with only 5,000 miles, all of a sudden the sunroof exploded above us -- shattering glass fragments upwards and outwards. Of course, some minor fragments landed upon my wife and I -- but for the most part the glass shot upwards and away. It was as though someone had fired off a loud shotgun inside the car. After regaining control of the car and seeing the sunroof completely shattered I looked back and noticed that there were no overpasses around for someone to drop a rock and only a handful of other vehicles traveling to the right of us going in the same direction. We googled the closest Toyota dealership and drove 5 miles to john elways crown Toyota. The service advisor who looked at the car just shook his head. When asked if anything like that has happened before -- he replied, "no." I then left the car with the dealership since the incident happened on a late afternoon Saturday and rented a rental car from them. The service dept. Finally contacted me on Tuesday afternoon to inform me that the sunroof was not covered by the warranty -- and that I would need to pay them $1,700 to have it repaired by the dealership. This is a definite "quality control" issue of Toyota's -- and from my own research have found numerous other customers having the same sunroof explosion issues occur. By no means should this product design failure and glass safety issue be ignored or should ever happen. It's outright dangerous. After more than a week of endless conversations, providing images, etc.with the customer service folks at john elway's dealership and Toyota headquarters (plano, tx) they refused to honor the warranty repairs -- and ultimately left me holding the bag to replace the obviously defective window myself. This is a 2020 Rav4 -- only two months old. Again, this shouldn't happen.

- Corona, CA, USA