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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 13
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,737 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2014 Toyota RAV4 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2014 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #29

Jan 012021

RAV4

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Over the past three months, the electrical system will restart while I'm driving, usually when flicking on my brights. I got the car checked and the mechanics stated it probably was from the build up on the battery. There were a couple days when the battery was completely dead. Thanks for any advice.

- Glennallen, AK, USA

problem #28

Jan 142021

RAV4

  • 68,000 miles
My head unit which provides navigation, sound, hands free phone, bluetooth and music options continually attempts to reload. So I have none of the above features to use. This presents a problem, as if I want to make or receive a phone call, or speak hands free, the option no longer exists. I have reviewed websites like youtube and carcomplaints.com, and there are a lot of owners of not just a Rav4, but other Toyota brands who are having or have experienced the same issue. I've called Toyota, and they said there is no recall on this system. I don't see how not having your navigation, or hands free phone services not working, cannot be a safety concern! the whole point of hands free is indeed a safety issue! it doesn't matter whether you are driving or not, the system just wants to continually reboot. From what I've read and watched, this is a known manufacturing flaw within the 'entune' system. I'm hoping your organization can review this issue and support the millions of Toyota owners across the nation.

- Beavercreek, OH, USA

problem #27

Oct 092020

RAV4

  • 126,000 miles
I've had multiple issues with this car. The lock actuators on all the doors and rear hatch constantly break, the radio completely stopped working and a new after market radio had to be installed since Toyota won't recall the radios, the ac blower motor keeps shorting out, and the usb ports short out and stop working.

- Ringgold, GA, USA

problem #26

Mar 172020

RAV4

  • 91,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Radio will completely stop working to where you have to buy a new $1200 radio from the dealer. All door lock actuators will stop working after a period of time causing you to not being able to unlock or open your doors.

- Ringgold, GA, USA

problem #25

Mar 072020

RAV4

  • 60,000 miles
2014 Toyota rav 4. over the past year--the electric locks on all four doors stopped working--took to local mechanic and Toyota dealership who said it was the actuators in the doors and would cost over $2000 to fix them. I wouldn't have a problem, but this car is only 6 years old and has 60,000 miles on it. I find it very hard to believe that all four would be knocked out at once, and suspect that it is a. it is a safety concern. I suspect that they used inferior/faulty parts.

- Olney, MD, USA

problem #24

Jan 292020

RAV4

  • 76,000 miles
The radio control unit went into a reboot cycle and never completes. The entire unit is unable to be used for any of it's functions. Radio, bluetooth, gps, etc. There are a lot of Toyota owners reporting this problem especially with the 2014 Rav4. There are many example and videos on youtube.

- Parker, CO, USA

problem #23

Nov 132019

RAV4

  • 99,100 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Navigation and entertainment panel went out while vehicle was in use. Son was driving in an unfamiliar area and was using navigation system to get home when system went out.

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #22

Oct 272019

RAV4

  • 70,000 miles
Car randomly stopped accelerating while on the freeway. The check ev system light came on with a turtle in a circle as well. Thankfully we were able to push to side of road.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #21

Jun 212018

RAV4

  • 46,573 miles
At 46K miles, driver door lock/actuator began to fail when unlocking with keyfob/hand sensor when vehicle was stationary. Pressing the lock/unlock on key fob/door panel worked 50% of the time. At 50K miles, all doors (driver, passenger, driver rear, and passenger rear) no longer unlock/lock except when done manually through insertion of key in driver door and manually unlocking all other doors (passenger, passenger rear, and driver rear) from each individual door lock.

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #20

Apr 242019

RAV4

  • 634,556 miles
Radio stopped working on 4-24-2019

- Camarillo, CA, USA

problem #19

Jan 092019

RAV4

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall. All of the doors on my 2014 Rav4 lock and unlock when they chose to. Normally when the car is in drive the doors all lock however as of January 2019 they have been locking and unlocking when they decided to work. Using the external key button to lock and unlock the doors working maybe 50% of the time on about 2 to 3 of the doors. The same goes for the international lock buttons and when the car is shifted into drive. This is extremely dangerous for me and my children who I am not terrified to have in my car. Should the doors chose to not lock and they accidentally pull the door open it would be a horrific accident. And my youngest has a panic attack when I go to get him from the car but cant because the doors never unlocked when we parked. Please figure this problem out I love my rav but it is not safe right now.

- Lynn, MA, USA

problem #18

Mar 162019

RAV4

  • miles
All the apps on the dash board, including radio are gone{whited out}. I am afraid if everything is shuting down all at once while I drive as it did on this one

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #17

Dec 102018

RAV4

  • miles
The radio/infotainment system on these vehicles are failing (ours failed last week), with numerous examples posted by owners online. A dealership eventually determined that the entire radio unit needed replacement at quoted cost of $1160 Toyota customer support is courteous but unwilling to assist with repairs. The radio system appears to enter a boot loop where a loading type screen appears for several seconds followed by the screen turning off for a time before restarting the loop. While I wouldn't consider the radio/infotainment to be a critical safety component, this constant on/off of the radio screen is a distraction for the driver. At night especially, the change in brightness from screen off to screen on lights up the entire cabin. Furthermore, the boot loop cannot be stopped- no buttons work and the sequence repeats itself forever as long as the key is on.

- Fitchburg, WI, USA

problem #16

Dec 012018

RAV4

  • 45,000 miles
When I had my car in park my stereo stopped working. No radio, no satellite, no nothing other than back up camera. When I start the car I get a blue picture of the stereo and a status bar loading like on computers when a program is loading. I took the car to the Toyota dealer and he explained that the replacement would cost 2,500 dollars to replace and he explained there was no means to fix it. I went to another mechanic and he told me the same thing. I have had the car for only 1 year and 6 months with 45000 miles and it just suddenly stopped working. I believe there is a defect in these radios that cause this endless loop to occur. Many others have experienced similar problems with the same model of car as well.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #15

Nov 092018

RAV4

  • 50,000 miles
While vehicle is stopped and parked the smart key system indicator light flashes in yellow for 15+ seconds when both electronic keys are in the vehicle. Vehicle will not start. System works normal with only one (either) electronic key. Both keys have new duracell 3.0V CR2032 lithium battery installed and issue persists. User checked for pressed button(s) on electronic key. Key is not enclosed in case, purse, or holder. No ir or rf interference. Issue has also been observed while vehicle is running with transmission in (P)ark and second electronic key is introduced into vehicle (pick up passenger with second key) and the smart key system indicator light flashes in yellow for 15+ seconds. The issue happens on residential property, commercial property, and at any elevation (parking garage above or under ground) or inside a garage. This issue began after 50,000 miles (4 years of service). Vehicle was purchased new and only one owner.

- Greenacres, FL, USA

problem #14

Jul 282018

RAV4

  • 29,000 miles
While traveling westbound on interstate 295 in jacksonville Florida, we had just got on to the buckman bridge when the car slowed, uncommanded to 20mph. I looked at the instrument cluster and the alternator and the auto lsd or track lights were illuminated. The engine operating temperature was normal. Since the engine temperature was normal I told my daughter to keep driving to get off the bridge, I felt as though the bridge was a bad place to pull over. After about a minute we started to smell something burning and at this point we decided to pull over. When we came to a complete stop we saw smoke coming from the drivers side of the engine compartment. Three of us then evacuated the vehicle and started walking against traffic on the bridge. As we were walking away the smoke intensified and then erupted into flames that emanated from the drivers side just below the windshield. I called 911 and the fire department came and extinguished the fire. I have attached pictures of the damage. I believe it was an electrical fire.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #13

Jan 262017

RAV4

  • 48,466 miles
My automatic door lock failed. Lock actuator replaced under warranty on January 24, 2017. It is now February 2018 and the door locks have failed again. I cannot lock my car as I cannot even manually unlock the front door as the lock will not always respond to the turn of the key. My vehicle is garage kept.

- Poolesville, MD, USA

problem #12

Jan 302018

RAV4

  • 57,000 miles
I was driving on the highway when the car shut off completely and turned on and off repeatedly, and instantaneous for a few seconds (like it was blinking) super fast. Everything was going on and off. As I was pulling onto the shoulder from the middle lane on the highway, it shut off completely!!! I couldn't even put my hazards on. I was waiting in the car for a tow truck and my husband, I was with my daughter. The car started to smoke and flame and was on fire. We jumped out and yet was up in flames!!!!!!!

- Baytown, TX, USA

problem #11

Jan 022018

RAV4

  • 48,027 miles
Issue first started when battery had to be jumped. Then a few days later when in motion driving to the bank, the radio started acting up and got stuck on station and song and then just went black then a picture of the radio appeared the on the screen and was attempting to update but would go black again and then start over so was stuck in some kind of reboot. Not sure if electrical problem or what so took it in to dealership and they told me I should only have to pay $50-60 to reboot it. They checked the battery and said the battery was low charge and replaced it at no charge but said they were unable to reboot the system because it would not stay up long enough before it would black out again. Since it was barely past the warranty period Toyota would not cover the system and I would have to pay $1000 to have refurbished system installed. After researching online I found this was a common complaint and found one here at this site as well so adding mine. I sent letters and emails to Toyota to stand behind their long time customers and products but they would not budge. Multimedia systems should not fail after 3 years. I call that a defect but I guess because it is not considered a safety issue it is not important to Toyota. We are a Toyota family and have been driving Toyota's since my first car back in the 70's. I will probably go ahead and replace with refurbished system hoping this is not an electrical issue and repeat but I will certainly reconsider before purchasing another Toyota in the future.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #10

Feb 182015

RAV4

  • 60,312 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. When the contact attempted to lock the vehicle doors, both the front driver and passenger door locks failed to lock and unlock electronically. The contact stated that the doors had to be locked and unlocked manually. In addition, the rear passenger door lock also failed to unlock when locked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (dick dyer Toyota, located on 240 killian commons parkway columbia, SC 29203) where it was diagnosed that door actuators on both sides needed to be replaced. The dealer also stated that the warranty was expired. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,312.

- Columbia, SC, USA

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