2023 Toyota RAV4 Problems & Owner Complaints

Electrical System 40 1 crash 4 injury

“A car pulled out right infront of me at an intersection, I hit their back drivers side rear with most of the front of my car. I was doing approximately 41-45 mph. No airbags were deployed and my SOS button didn't work nor did it call for help.”
NHTSA complaint #11585406, 2024 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“Vehicle was traveling straight approximately 70–80 mph in very light drizzle. No warning lights or messages before the event. Vehicle suddenly entered an uncontrolled spin multiple times. During the spin, I heard a grinding noise. After stopping, brake/parking brake system warnings appeared on the dash, video after the event recorded.”
NHTSA complaint #11748288, 2026 · 1 injury(ies)

“Door locks not working front doors had actuators replaced after about a year and a half . They have since went out again.”
NHTSA complaint #11750978, 2026

Unknown Or Other 39 4 crash 9 injury

“A car pulled out right infront of me at an intersection, I hit their back drivers side rear with most of the front of my car. I was doing approximately 41-45 mph. No airbags were deployed and my SOS button didn't work nor did it call for help.”
NHTSA complaint #11585406, 2024 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“We discovered severe mold contamination and water intrusion in our 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. My wife, our [XXX] child, and I have been experiencing dizziness and nausea for months whenever we were inside the vehicle, but we did not know the cause until the dealer (DLL) showed us extensive mold throughout the cabin and standing water trapped inside the vehicle. The dealer confirmed that this was not normal wear and tear. The mold has spread into the floors, interior panels, and even the steering components. This is a serious health hazard. After doing research, we found many other RAV4 Hybrid…”
NHTSA complaint #11699395, 2025 · 3 injury(ies)

“I was coasting into a parking space (at 6.8 mph) and as I attempted to park, the car suddenly accelerated and went up and over the concrete rectangle park stop and smashed into a brick building (12.4 mph) and went back over the park stop before the engine in the vehicle finally died. During the acceleration, I was trying to brake the car, but the car wouldn’t stop. I was yelling to my husband that the car wouldn’t stop. The driver airbags deployed as well as the knee air bag. The passenger airbags did not deploy as there was not a passenger in the front seat. The car had 4258 miles and wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11551174, 2023 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

Steering 26 1 crash 1 fire

“I was driving over 120 MPH and my car slid and hit the front car. My car later caught fire and ruptured shortly after. The FD extinguished it and it was a total loss. I have no clue as to where it was taken after the accident. Sorry :(”
NHTSA complaint #11653295, 2025 · crash · fire

“The contact owns a 2023 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at 46 MPH in heavy rain, a warning message indicating that the pre-collision sensor was blocked and needed to be cleared, was displayed temporarily, and the contact continued driving. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly lost motive power shortly after, and the message "Steering power is low; please contact dealer" was displayed. The vehicle stalled and failed to restart.The following day, the contact's husband successfully restarted the vehicle, but the vehicle immediately stalled again, displaying a "Pre-coll…”
NHTSA complaint #11748756, 2026

“During the day after driving in rain in a 2023 Rav 4 LE AWD with 19000 miles car turned off. I was parked with it idling and with no warning stalled. I turned on multiple times and it kept stalling out. Finally a message appeared on dash "power steering low". After inspecting under hood and seeing all fluids ok I tried car again (maybe 10 min) and it started. Drove around parking lot it was fine. Drove to my mechanic. No error codes, battery was in good shape. This is very concerning. Suspect water in a hard rain somehow got in car. I was on major roads prior to parking, no huge puddles. Othe…”
NHTSA complaint #11734960, 2026

Engine 22

“On a rainy day after driving on the interstate, I pulled into a drive thru. Once there and idling for a few minutes, I tried moving forward and the car rough idled, shows message on dash "Engine Stopped, Power Stering Low" and had reduced engine power and no power steering and then stalls out. I tried turning it back on and it stays on for less than 3 seconds and shuts off. I had it towed to the dealer and they say there are no codes. After reading online, multiple other users experienced the exact same thing when its raining, wipers were on and they were idling after a trip on the interstate.…”
NHTSA complaint #11721942, 2026

“During a rain Storm water was able to leak into my air intake box causing my air filter to become soaked. This caused my car to malfunction, come to an abrupt stop, alerting me of a "engine and steering failure" shutting my car off and becoming stranded on the highway.”
NHTSA complaint #11663790, 2025

“My Toyota RAV 4 the power steering light comes on and says low & it always happens when it’s heavy raining and my wipers are on. The car just stops & wont start again for about 20 mins. This is super dangerous and has happened 4 times now”
NHTSA complaint #11662256, 2025

Forward Collision Avoidance 17 2 crash 1 injury

“Vehicle was traveling straight approximately 70–80 mph in very light drizzle. No warning lights or messages before the event. Vehicle suddenly entered an uncontrolled spin multiple times. During the spin, I heard a grinding noise. After stopping, brake/parking brake system warnings appeared on the dash, video after the event recorded.”
NHTSA complaint #11748288, 2026 · 1 injury(ies)

“While entering my garage (video available)The 2023 Hybrid Rav 4 accelerated on its own when I was braking to put it into reverse to back up to realign to park in my space. I was hitting the brake and the brake lights were on the dashboard while the car keep accelerating hitting the garage wall.”
NHTSA complaint #11704375, 2025 · crash

“I was pulling into a handicaped parking space and the car just jumped over the curb and hit the handicaped sign plowed into the landscapping. it went from 5miles an hour to 20miles an hour in 5 seconds by itself . computer took over . no air bags were deployed .”
NHTSA complaint #11568860, 2023 · crash

Service Brakes 17 6 crash 1 fire 4 injury

“The vehicle was a 2023 Toyota RAV4 hybrid. When the driver attempted to park the vehicle in a parking lot, it suddenly began moving forward without use of the accelerator. The driver applied the brakes but the pedal went to the floor without braking. The vehicle seemed to be moving faster than expected without use of the gas pedal and went through the parking lot. The driver stopped the vehicle by running up over a curb, through a traffic island with soft dirt and mulch and finally crashing into a metal storage unit. Two air bags deployed. Toyota was notified of the crash and a Toyota re…”
NHTSA complaint #11671474, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“The brakes failed, without warning, while parking; causing me to hit a pole/wall in my employer’s parking garage on April 12, 2024. I was injured, and obtained care from UChicago Medical Center. Toyota assigned an independent investigator to assess my vehicle; which was completed on April 29, 2024. Per Toyota, no brake issues were noted. My vehicle remained at Oak Lawn Toyota from April 12, 2024- May 31, 2024.”
NHTSA complaint #11592300, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Vehicle was traveling straight approximately 70–80 mph in very light drizzle. No warning lights or messages before the event. Vehicle suddenly entered an uncontrolled spin multiple times. During the spin, I heard a grinding noise. After stopping, brake/parking brake system warnings appeared on the dash, video after the event recorded.”
NHTSA complaint #11748288, 2026 · 1 injury(ies)

Power Train 10 2 crash 1 injury

“The vehicle was a 2023 Toyota RAV4 hybrid. When the driver attempted to park the vehicle in a parking lot, it suddenly began moving forward without use of the accelerator. The driver applied the brakes but the pedal went to the floor without braking. The vehicle seemed to be moving faster than expected without use of the gas pedal and went through the parking lot. The driver stopped the vehicle by running up over a curb, through a traffic island with soft dirt and mulch and finally crashing into a metal storage unit. Two air bags deployed. Toyota was notified of the crash and a Toyota re…”
NHTSA complaint #11671474, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“My wife was going at about 10 - 15 mph coming up about 2 car lengths to a small curve in a residential area when all of a sudden she heard a pop or snap and the Rav4 went to a super high speed by itself. The acceleration could not be stopped even though she had her feet on the brakes. She had both hands on the steering wheel to avoid hitting a house and ended up going through a wall in the yard. There were no warning sounds and no signals indicating a problem. it appeared that the display was blank. There was no pre-collision warning or braking except as my wife was pushing on the brakes…”
NHTSA complaint #11706225, 2025 · crash

“The 2023 Toyota RAV4 8-speed transmission is catastrophically defective and poses an immediate safety hazard. It exhibits severe hesitation, slipping, and lurching when accelerating from a stop or low speed, and when attempting to merge into high-speed traffic (I-15/Las Vegas), creating a high risk of rear-end collisions. During these events, the RPMs spike and fall rapidly but the vehicle fails to accelerate. Furthermore, the vehicle lunges forward while the brakes are applied. The engine actively fights the braking system, requiring extreme physical force to stop the car and prevent front-en…”
NHTSA complaint #11725439, 2025

Back Over Prevention 9 3 crash

“Rearview camera quit for 3-4 seconds when I was backup. There was a car in my blind spot, aft right quarter, that I couldn't see and I hit his left front panel/headlight causing $2200. damage to his car plus my car.”
NHTSA complaint #11637124, 2025 · crash

“I was pulling into a handicaped parking space and the car just jumped over the curb and hit the handicaped sign plowed into the landscapping. it went from 5miles an hour to 20miles an hour in 5 seconds by itself . computer took over . no air bags were deployed .”
NHTSA complaint #11568860, 2023 · crash

“Backed into a mailbox on the passenger side rear taillight. Car did not detect the mailbox and give any warning to the driver. Mckinnon Toyota in Clanton Alabama advised that this vehicle is not equipped to detect a stationary object behind the vehicle. Three individuals at Toyota customer service advised that it did. R/O Number for the visit is [XXX]. The reference number from Toyota customer service is [XXX]. Car was purchased on 6/2/23. Car was purchased with the expectation that it was equipped to detect rear stationary objects when in reverse. I consider this a safety issue if it w…”
NHTSA complaint #11550585, 2023 · crash

Fuel/Propulsion System 9 2 crash

“Sudden surge and acceleration upon parking. I had brakes depressed pulling into a parking space when the vehicle felt like it jumped and quickly accelerated. It veered left missing the parked van in front of me but crashing into the parked Honda Accord two spots over and one in front. It crashed into the back tire and fender area of the passenger side of the Honda pushing it completely out of its spot and sideways. My vehicle kept going even though pushing the brakes to stop. I had to force it into park to stop. The car’s air bags deployed but my Toyota’s airbags nor crash warning system worke…”
NHTSA complaint #11654811, 2025 · crash

“A strong fuel odor was evident in the cabin, and also under the hood after operation. Vehicle use was low, approx. 6K miles from new. My wife reported this to the dealer service department. They said nothing was wrong with the vehicle. Approx. 2K miles later, I reported the same problem to the dealer. Service rep said vehicle was unsafe to drive due to over torqued and leaking fuel line. They repaired it for no charge. No fuel vapors now, but if this is a production quality issue that others have reported, only to be told nothing was wrong, I think a major fuel-combustion safety issue may be…”
NHTSA complaint #11576220, 2024 · crash

“Was sitting in my car in the rain and all of a sudden the engine cut off. The check engine light came on and the error message on the dashboard said " Engine Power Reduced". If I try to put it in anything but Park, it won't let me. I have never had this issue, or any issue with this car. If I had been driving, this would have run me off the road.”
NHTSA complaint #11659158, 2025

Air Bags 8 5 crash 5 injury

“A car pulled out right infront of me at an intersection, I hit their back drivers side rear with most of the front of my car. I was doing approximately 41-45 mph. No airbags were deployed and my SOS button didn't work nor did it call for help.”
NHTSA complaint #11585406, 2024 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“I was in a very bad accident on [XXX]. I was side swiped from the front passenger side of the car. I was not at fault of the accident. My car then hit a fire hydrant and a pole. The airbags did not deploy and my head hit the steering wheel I own a 2023 RAV4 XLe premium. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11694907, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Driving NB when a Toyota Corolla drove into my lane of traffic hitting me head on. No air bag deployed in my RAV but all air bags deployed in the Corolla. No air bag light was on prior to the accident. My vehicle data recorder was copied by a Bosch technician and forwarded to Toyota Corp. The body shop manager stated that my vehicle was the first he had encountered with the extent of front damage where the air bag(s) did not deploy”
NHTSA complaint #11597173, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Structure 8 3 crash 1 fire 1 injury

“The brakes failed, without warning, while parking; causing me to hit a pole/wall in my employer’s parking garage on April 12, 2024. I was injured, and obtained care from UChicago Medical Center. Toyota assigned an independent investigator to assess my vehicle; which was completed on April 29, 2024. Per Toyota, no brake issues were noted. My vehicle remained at Oak Lawn Toyota from April 12, 2024- May 31, 2024.”
NHTSA complaint #11592300, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“I was driving over 120 MPH and my car slid and hit the front car. My car later caught fire and ruptured shortly after. The FD extinguished it and it was a total loss. I have no clue as to where it was taken after the accident. Sorry :(”
NHTSA complaint #11653295, 2025 · crash · fire

“When pulling into a driveway, sudden acceleration while slowing down caused crash into side of the garage and damage to the right front fender, side panel and hood.”
NHTSA complaint #11716165, 2026 · crash

Visibility/Wiper 8

“Hello Respected Sir/Madam, I am the owner of a 2023 Toyota RAV4. I discovered a visible hairline crack in the windshield that originated from the lower left corner on the passenger side. The crack measured approximately 6 inches when I first noticed it in the morning and grew to approximately 12 inches by the afternoon. The windshield was not impacted by a rock, road debris, or any other object, and the vehicle was not involved in an accident. There were no visible chips or signs of external damage at the point where the crack originated. The crack appeared to develop spontaneously and contin…”
NHTSA complaint #11752696, 2026

“Sat in driver seat, closed driver seat door, and the rear window shattered. There was no impact or other incident to the glass.”
NHTSA complaint #11725668, 2026

“My Toyota RAV 4 the power steering light comes on and says low & it always happens when it’s heavy raining and my wipers are on. The car just stops & wont start again for about 20 mins. This is super dangerous and has happened 4 times now”
NHTSA complaint #11662256, 2025

Suspension 6

“Had safety inspection done when having oil changed on 3/5/26. was informed by dealer that it needed both outer tie rod ends replaced has play in it. this came to a cost of 735.00 with alignment. Of course not covered by vehicle warranty which is useless at this point. I have never had this problem on any vehicles I have owned since starting to drive in 1975. This is a safety and quality issue and I should be reimbursed. I will seriously think about about an American owned company in the future. Having Friend at another dealership TCO 3/18/26 I was away last week and SUV parked in garage.”
NHTSA complaint #11724605, 2026

“The contact owns a 2023 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was swaying back and forth. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle became inoperable and failed to properly switch lanes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the front and rear wheel alignment had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the fai…”
NHTSA complaint #11720782, 2026

“After routine service at South Coast Toyota in Costa Mesa, CA, I unknowingly drove my 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for over a week with two missing lug nuts and one extremely loose lug nut on the front passenger wheel. The service performed on April 5, 2025, included an oil change, tire rotation, and full inspection. No issues were reported to me at pickup. Over the next several days, I heard increasing thumping and metallic noises from the front right wheel area, especially at highway speeds. On [XXX], while driving with children in the car, the vehicle made loud metal screeching noises and the st…”
NHTSA complaint #11659811, 2025

Vehicle Speed Control 6 5 crash 1 injury

“The vehicle was a 2023 Toyota RAV4 hybrid. When the driver attempted to park the vehicle in a parking lot, it suddenly began moving forward without use of the accelerator. The driver applied the brakes but the pedal went to the floor without braking. The vehicle seemed to be moving faster than expected without use of the gas pedal and went through the parking lot. The driver stopped the vehicle by running up over a curb, through a traffic island with soft dirt and mulch and finally crashing into a metal storage unit. Two air bags deployed. Toyota was notified of the crash and a Toyota re…”
NHTSA complaint #11671474, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“My wife was going at about 10 - 15 mph coming up about 2 car lengths to a small curve in a residential area when all of a sudden she heard a pop or snap and the Rav4 went to a super high speed by itself. The acceleration could not be stopped even though she had her feet on the brakes. She had both hands on the steering wheel to avoid hitting a house and ended up going through a wall in the yard. There were no warning sounds and no signals indicating a problem. it appeared that the display was blank. There was no pre-collision warning or braking except as my wife was pushing on the brakes…”
NHTSA complaint #11706225, 2025 · crash

“I was pulling into a parking spot and my vehicle suddenly accelerated. I slammed on the brakes and the car did stop, but not before hitting a railing in front of me. There were also trees close to the railing, so the camera should have detected those as a barrier and I believe the veauto-braked, even if I had not hit the brakes. This is a safety concern because the vehicle would have plowed over any person in front of the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11640212, 2025 · crash

Lane Departure 5

“System states Pre System Collision Malfunction- Parking Brake Malfunction- secondary collision Malfunction warnings. AWD system malfunctions”
NHTSA complaint #11727790, 2026

“Few days back got a message "voltage abnormality steering power low" a few times. Today, got a message saying the sensors indicated on the form are malfunctioning. Car is 2.5 yrs old with 23.5k miles on it.”
NHTSA complaint #11721390, 2026

“Vehicle shows multiple safety systems malfunction and display warning messages. The vehicle displays repeated alerts including LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) Malfunction, Pre-Collision System Malfunction, RSA (Road Sign Assist) Malfunction, and Headlight System Malfunction. These warnings occur while the vehicle is in motion or parking and cause the safety features to shut off unexpectedly.”
NHTSA complaint #11700928, 2025

Tires 5

“I have owned this vehicle close to three years and these were the all season tires that came with the car.I live in New England where I run snow tires on the car from October to April every year that I have owned the car. The car has 30K miles on it ,but the tires that came with the car only have about 10K or 7/8 tire tread left. The tires have become very noisy and are starting to cup. I did take the car to the dealer and had the front end checked out and nothing is worn or out of alignment. Tires were rotated at 5K intervals .I contacted Dunlop and was told there was not much they would do…”
NHTSA complaint #11744003, 2026

“The passenger rear tire experienced a catastrophic tread separation failure on the highway at speed limit speed. Since this was on the freeway, loss of control could have been experienced and caused a severe incident injury to drivers in the vicinity of the incident. The problem just happened and will be inspected by an authorized dealer. There were no warnings until the tire of the incident. These tires have been rotated according to schedule and have less than 21,000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #11692451, 2025

“The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicles front driver side tire had a blowout. Both sidewalls exploded outward. (Original Tires) No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The mechanic suggested that the contact had hit a pothole. The front driver-side tire was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 895. The contact will update the complaint with the Tire information”
NHTSA complaint #11548476, 2023

Wheels 3

“After routine service at South Coast Toyota in Costa Mesa, CA, I unknowingly drove my 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for over a week with two missing lug nuts and one extremely loose lug nut on the front passenger wheel. The service performed on April 5, 2025, included an oil change, tire rotation, and full inspection. No issues were reported to me at pickup. Over the next several days, I heard increasing thumping and metallic noises from the front right wheel area, especially at highway speeds. On [XXX], while driving with children in the car, the vehicle made loud metal screeching noises and the st…”
NHTSA complaint #11659811, 2025

“Happened at ~644pm on 04/08/24- I heard the noise like a thump or thunk, The car initially pulled towards the roadside, then I corrected the wheel and slowly stopped the car. Upon exiting the car, it became apparent that the ball joint broke just above the plate that attaches to the axle.”
NHTSA complaint #11589078, 2024

“I was turning left pulling into my carport with my foot lightly on brake and the car suddenly accelerated forward !!! I slammed the break hard and was able to stop the car from hitting the concrete wall because my front tire hit the wall to the left and the car hit the cement parking bumper in my carport!! It scared me so bad I am afraid to drive the car in fear I could hurt someone. The dealer could not replicate the problem and sent me home with the car. I am not happy with Toyota !! The car is 8 months old with 7,000 miles on it!!”
NHTSA complaint #11572749, 2024

Visibility 2

“The contact owns a 2023 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the hatch door glass independently fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and repaired. The contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11739118, 2026

“The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was a loud sound like a gunshot coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's wife slightly opened the sunroof cover and discovered that the sunroof had shattered into pieces. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11635581, 2025

Engine And Engine Cooling 1

“Was moving forward when all of the sudden the tailpipe flew off (metal thing in the muffler). No real cause, moves the vehicle normally oyt of the driveway and it just flew off.”
NHTSA complaint #11735637, 2026

Exterior Lighting 1

“I am writing to formally express my concern regarding the premature oxidation developing inside the tail lights on my 2023 Toyota RAV4 XLE. The oxidation is present on both the driver and passenger side tail light assemblies. As the oxidation continues to worsen, it reduces the clarity and effectiveness of the tail lights. This is not only a cosmetic concern but also a potential safety issue. Diminished light output can make it more difficult for other drivers to clearly see my brake lights, tail lights, and turn signals, particularly during nighttime driving or in adverse weather conditions.…”
NHTSA complaint #11750968, 2026

Seat Belts 1

“I am reporting a serious safety concern involving the rear passenger-side seat belt in my 2023 Toyota RAV4. After normal use, a child who had been properly secured in a child booster seat in the rear passenger-side seating position was unable to be released from the seat belt. The vehicle had not been involved in an accident, collision, or any emergency situation. The child had simply been riding in the vehicle under normal driving conditions. When it was time for the child to exit the vehicle, the rear passenger-side seat belt had become tangled and tightened around the child. The seat belt…”
NHTSA complaint #11751540, 2026

Seats 1

“Passenger seat is too high even for a short person and cannot be adjusted.when i get out of the car i hit my head and this can happen often.”
NHTSA complaint #11528044, 2023