10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
97 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2021 Toyota RAV4:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #52

Jan 022024

RAV4

  • miles
Toyota issued a preliminary recall in December 2023. I visited my dealership in January 2024, where I purchased my car and learned that there was no fix. Given I use my car to transport my twin babies, I asked for a loaner since they confirmed (at that time) that my car would have a fix later in 2024. I repeatedly checked in on the vehicle and to date, there is no fix. I am paying my car note and do not have possession of my car. I have been told my NY state that since this is a recall, it is not subject to the lemon law program. I've tried working with Toyota and they refuse to rebuy the car or fix the car. They also refuse to release the car to me. I am being forced to drive a loaner vehicle and pay a car note with NO fixes or repairs being done to the vehicle. I need assistance getting my car fixed or refunded for the purchase. It's been over a year that they've held the car and they have no plans to fix it. I'm including a letter that details the incident. I'm happy to follow up with other materials (copy of repair slip when the car was taken by Toyota, proof of ownership, etc.) This should not be allowed to continue. Toyota has had over a year to fix this and we've passed their scheduled remedy month by over 4 months. Thank you for your consideration.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #51

Sep 142024

RAV4

  • miles
On [XXX] I discovered and reported the unauthorized and unlawful installation of a wifi screw spy camera in my vehicle to Officer Palamcci from the Danvers Police Station located in Danvers, Ma. The WiFi Screw spy camera is discreetly installed in my vehicle. Which was recently purchased at IRA Toyota Danvers, M. The WiFi screw spy camera installed by a Toyota employee has the presence of a LED in the center of the black WiFi screw which is currently screwed inside the mount of the rear view mirror. This is in violation of Toyota-??s Code of Conduct safe practices and procedures and privacy laws and regulations. I have submitted the criminal complaint to the FBI, Danvers Police station, Woburn Toyota and Woburn Police Station. CC: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Haverhill , MA, USA

problem #50

Sep 192024

RAV4

  • miles
The power lift gate started malfunctioning maybe six months after I purchased the car new. I brought it to Toyota two or three times and they cannot replicate it because it-??s a random occurrence. It will either not open and beep open an inch and beep. open foot and beep, there are no recalls. I-??ve been told it happens to other people and for some reason Toyota is unable to fix this. It is very frustrating and it has been happening on a brand new car. Also, there seems to be some defect where mice are nesting and getting in to the car into the cabin air filter in quite a few Toyota models. This needs to be rectified also.

- Maryland, NY, USA

problem #49

Sep 062024

RAV4

  • miles
Manufacture r sold us a car with faulty Falcon tires. At 2.5 years 50K miles, tire blew out completely on highway, with no previous service warning duriing regular maintenance check-ups. Tires were problematic at less than 36K miles, but dealer did not mention anything other than a need to rotate and balance the tires.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #48

Jun 292024

RAV4

  • miles
I own a 2021 RAV4 which I routinely get serviced at the Passport Toyota. On June 29, I took my car to Passport Toyota for service because the maintenance required message appeared on my car-??s dashboard. The service advisor texted me a list of recommended services for my RAV4. One of recommended services was to replace the coolant bypass valve. I agreed to the service at $800. On July 3rd the check engine light came on and the car begin to overheat. I was 2 miles away and immediately drove there to inform them of the issue. They checked my car in for service, and explained to me that a hose must have come loose and was the cause of a coolant leak. When I received my vehicle, the check engine light was off, and the car seemed to be in working condition. On July 23 the maintenance required message returned. Again, I immediately drove my vehicle to the dealership and checked it into the service department. My service advisor notified me that they needed to reset the maintenance required message, and it would go away. I received my car back and the maintenance required message was no longer there and seemed to be in working conditioned. The next morning, July 24 while driving to an appointment, my car started to overheat and the check engine light came on again. This time the car was smoking. I was less than 5 miles from the dealership so I took it back to the them and checked it in for service. After having my car in for service for one week, they called me and stated that the issue was related to me having blown a head gasket, and I would need a new engine. The service department continued to do test as required by Toyota to determine the cost of a engine and how much they would cover. Three weeks later, they told me that Toyota will pay half the cost and I have to pay $3200 out of pocket with only about year warranty. I brought my car in several times and clearly mistakes and misdiagnosis were made on their part which led to the destruction of my vehicle.

- Clinton, MD, USA

problem #47

Apr 212024

RAV4

  • miles
Vehicle loses traction regularly. In dry conditions, on paved roads, almost always when using the brakes. Vehicle is AWD and traction control loss is happening more and more often even on small bumps. I alerted Toyota to this issue, there are many others in online forums who have also alerted to this issue, however Toyota takes no responsibility. Issue happens every day. Videos have been shared with Toyota

- Truckee, CA, USA

problem #46

Jul 172024

RAV4

  • miles
Today, July 17, 2024, I received a text message from Toyota of Glendale: "There is a safety recall on your Toyota. Please call to schedule an appointment." I called Toyota of Glendale a few minutes after I had received the text message to make the appointment. However, the representative informed me that I could not make an appointment, because there still is no remedy for a possible airbag failure. They were not able to give me more specific information, so they referred me to the "Toyota Customer Experience Center" (800) 331-4331. There the representative was also unable to give me satisfactory information, except that there was a problem with the airbags and no remedy was available yet. I was told "the airbag(s) may not deploy as they are supposed to-??. Regarding my obviously very justified concern that in case my vehicle gets into an accident and the airbag does not deploy, the representative continued to repeat that there was no remedy yet. I would be informed via a letter or other means once the remedy becomes available. I am completely shocked that in case of an accident there might be a problem with an airbag and Toyota can take all the time in the world to find a remedy for it. How is the possible? Something has to be done immediately about this obviously life-threatening situation.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #45

Jul 042023

RAV4

  • miles
While driving on the freeway with outside temperatures of about 89/90F, at about 67-68 mph, our passenger window randomly exploded and shattered. There was no prior damage to the window or any indication that a rock, projectile or other debris had hit the window. Prior to this incident, we had observed that the passenger window would rattle inside the door pocket/window frame when the car was in motion. When the window shattered, it did so instantly without any warning, as if it had exploded, startling us. As we continued driving, the outside air started pulling apart the shattered window, causing the broken window glass to fall apart into thousands of little pieces that ended up all over the passenger, driver, and back seats, which were also occupied with children [XXX] and [XXX] old). This was a very scary and traumatic experience for us, as things could have taken a turn for the worse and we could have been seriously injured. Luckily, we had nothing more serious than minor cuts in the aftermath. However, our family and especially our children were very affected by this incident and our car suffered damage to the outside body and some more minor damage on the inside from the glass flying off from the shattered window. We believe the rattling of the window caused it to eventually explode and shatter. We believe the rattling is due to some kind of manufacturing error: either improper installation or possibly low quality glass material or incorrect size to match the door frame or a missing part that should hold the window securely. We would like our car inspected for any further damage not visible to the eye (such as glass inside the door pocket and the safety of the door window retainer of the passenger door as well as a check of the integrity of the rest of the car-??s windows to check that they are property installed and secured in place to prevent rattling. The driver side window in the car continues to rattle and we fear that this incident may occur again. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM

- Galt, CA, USA

problem #44

Jun 012024

RAV4

  • miles
Sunroof shattered suddenly while driving down a freeway. It sounded like an explosion, and my passenger riding and I were concerned it was gunshots when we slightly moved the sun shade cover, we realized it was the exploded sunroof. There have been no prior incidents or found debris anywhere that could have caused the sudden explosion of the glass. We had some glass fell on us, and if not for the sun cover blocking us from harm, we could have been seriously injured.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #43

May 232024

RAV4

  • miles
This not problem

- Silver Spring , MD, USA

problem #42

Apr 012024

RAV4

  • miles
I received an error message -??Engine stopped, steering power low-?? after driving an hour in the rain, sat in my car for about 20 mins with wipers on, engine began to jerk aggressively then shut off. I could not gas it or move the car. I let the car sit after being towed, it ran fine as if nothing happened. I got a battery test and it was at 100% charge according to Autozone. The check engine light, battery light and steering light came on. No prior indications of this problem.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #41

Mar 012024

RAV4

  • miles
1. most recent. 03/01/2024 sunroof spontaneously exploded during my drive to work. broken glass fell on me as I drove. No bad weather. nothing hit it. just spontaneous explosion. 2. older claim. about a year of having purchased the car the front windshield cracked while parked at work. like the other incident no accident. I had that fixed. but the wipers do not work properly. Toyota charged me to have them check but did not fix it. to this day they only work at medium or maximum speed. wipers do not work on low or intermittent. after doing some research on the internet and YouTube it seems that this is becoming common with this model car.

- Monmouth, OR, USA

problem #40

Sep 012023

RAV4

  • miles
I don-??t know if this is a safety issue, but it is an issue with my car and others with this type of vehicle. The lift gate does not always open. It makes no difference if you use the inside button the outside button or the key fob. It will either open about an inch just enough to unlock it or it will open about 6 inches and then it will stop and beep it has to be manually closed and try again anywhere from 1 to 5 times to get it open. There is no rhyme or reason as when it happens. I-??ve taken it to the dealer two times and they tell me they have to replicate the problem at the dealership but of course it doesn-??t happen there. I-??ve also written to Toyota company and all they tell me to do is reset liftgate. I have done this about five times it does not help. It-??s obviously an electronic or something else problem that Toyota is not addressing. if I am contacting the wrong place and there was somewhere else to make consumer complaints. Please let me know.

- Maryland, NY, USA

problem #39

Feb 052024

RAV4

  • miles
Driving home at [XXX] on [XXX] from Winters CA to Davis CA with a temperature of 55 degrees F and some rain in the area. The sunroof exploded. A large bang happened. Pulled over nothing hit the sunroof, and the glass was protruding outward (not inward which would have happened if the glass was hit from an object from above). The sunroof was part of the new car when we purchased it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Davis, CA, USA

problem #38

Oct 262023

RAV4

  • miles
The sunroof on my 2021 RAV4 hybrid exploded as I was driving to work today, October 26, 2023. I've already reported the incident to my insurance provider and started to file a claim. Hopefully it will get fixed soon. The explosion startled me because I was driving on the freeway at 65 mph. I stopped onto the emergency lane to check around my vehicle and to my surprised, I didn't see anything amissed. I thought it was my tire. I continued driving because I didn't want to be late for work. As I continue to drive, I heard noises above my head. When I arrived at work and parked, I check my roof to discover my sunroof was shattered. Is there a recall for the sunroof exploding?

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #37

Aug 262023

RAV4

  • miles
I had three incidents since I purchased the car in January 2022. The first incident was in October 2022. I tried to park in the parking lot of McGovern Stella Link Library 7405 Stella Link Rd Houston Texas but the brake did not work and kept going and jumped over the parking block and in the pedestrian way and still kept going and about to hit the building. I was in a complete shock and disbelief but I had to get off the pedestrian way as fast as I could to avoid a major disaster. Fortunately there were no people in the pedestrian way, so I was able to do what I had to do. But my car was seriously damaged from hitting the parking blocks and poles. At that moment I thought I did something wrong but now I believe that the incident was caused by brake problem as I had two more incidents related to brake issues after. The second incident was in January 2023. I was driving in Highway 249 feeder road and tried to stop at the traffic light. I was going about 10-12 miles. Car would not stop even after the brake was pushed all the way down to the floor and kept rolling and hit the other car in front. I took to Don McGill Toyota Service Dept and requested to fix the problem. They kept it for over a week and told me that my car is safe to drive. Evidently they did not correct the brake problem. The same brake problem occurred again for the 3th time on August 26, 2023. It happened on Highway 6 near Memorial Drive traffic light. To stop the car at the traffic light I pushed the brake but the car failed to stop and came very close to hitting the other car in front. I used emergency parking to stop. Thankfully the other car made a right turn to a street (I was in right lane) so this time I escaped from hitting the car. 2021RAV4 has serious brake issues. The scary thing is I do not know when and where the brake might fail again. What if it happens on freeway !? Driving with good brakes is utmost safety issue. TOYOTA SHOULD FIX OR REPLACE THE BRAKES.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #36

Aug 042023

RAV4

  • miles
My vehicle leaks water after it-??s gone through the car wash or when there-??s heavy rains.

- Lynn, MA, USA

problem #35

Jun 012023

RAV4

  • miles
Roof leak causing water damage to headliner. Dealership won-??t fix because they ran water on it and it didn-??t leak but didn-??t apply pressure.

- Gig Harbor, WA, USA

problem #34

Jul 102023

RAV4

  • miles
We have water becoming stuck in our back passenger door due to a weather strip design flaw in Toyota Rav4 Hybrids. This will begin to happen to all weather strips and eventually destroy the interior and electrical if not repaired. This is a common design flaw in newer Toyota Rav4 Hybrids and we are lucky it's just our one door so far.? I've been informed (by our Toyota Tech) that eventually all of the doors and the roof will leak due to this Toyota design flaw.?? When we took the car to get fixed at the dealership, they let us know it was an expensive repair, advised it was a design flaw, other customers are affected, and allowed us time to research before paying for the repair. We may attempt it ourselves since Toyota corporate has refused a reimbursement for the repair. This is a Toyota design flaw and requires a recall. They are charging hundreds to fix this. This will literally destroy the cars electrical.

- Edgemoor, SC, USA

problem #33

May 012023

RAV4 4-cyl

  • miles
On April 29, 2023 I notice that there was a bad chemical smell in my car. I continued to try to find the issue and then I went to the back seat and discovered the floor of my 2021 RAV4 was completely flooded with water. I attempted to call Toyota but the service department was closed. I went to the local car wash to have them suck up the water in the meantime. I scheduled an appointment with Toyota on 5/1/2023 @3:45 to explain the issue that was going on. When I got there they serviced my vehicle and informed me that they weren-??t able to find the source of a leak and they would need to keep my car. I asked would I be provided with a rental and the service advisor [XXX] told me no as this would need to be paid out of pocket. I didn-??t agree and told them I-??d have to bring it back. The following week I still noticed that there was water somewhere in my vehicle so I called to schedule another appointment on 5/10/2023 @3:45. This time I was connected with [XXX] who was very accommodating and set me up with a rental for one day. On 5/11/2023 I was contacted by [XXX] and he informed that they would need to keep my car for 3 weeks. He informed me that there was a lot of damage to the car and it would be fully covered. On 5/27/23 I was called and [XXX] told me I could pick up my vehicle. When I left on 5/27/23 I drove the car and when I put it in reverse my steering wheeled locked up and a message came across the screw saying -??low voltage power steering.-?? I called the service department but they were closed until 5/30/23 for the holiday. I also contacted my service provider [XXX] and left a voicemail. He called me back 5/28/23 and informed me that he was out of town and to drop the car back of 5/30/23. I dropped the car off and they put me in another vehicle. 5/31/23 [XXX] called me back to inform me that the car was ready. I pick it up and it flooded in the inside again. I discovered there was a recall that it was never informed about and now they want me to pay. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMAT

- Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »