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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,123 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.

2019 Toyota RAV4 body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2019 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #38

Jun 162023

RAV4

  • miles

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

Vehicle is switching to mud and sand mode on its own, which according to a quick google search is a common electrical problem. Possible cause listed by other drivers is a roof rail leak. Upon inspection I see water stains on the inside of my headliner where the roof rails sit. So confirmed roof rail leak. I have not yet had this looked at to learn the full extent of the damage.

- Rossville, IN, USA

problem #37

Nov 202022

RAV4

  • miles
Roof Rails are leaking and is a known issue. Water stains in the headliner and close to the side air bags. Smell of mildew causing health issues with my Asthma. Love the vehicle, but I do not trust that the air bags could or might not deploy or other electrical issues due to this.

- Preble, NY, USA

problem #36

Apr 052023

RAV4

  • miles
Roof rack design and grommet failure allows for water to flow into cabin headliner and down a-pillars and other areas where curtain airbag and other electrical components are housed. This can cause malfunction and/or failure of the vehicles crucial functions at any given moment. A class action lawsuit is filed on this. You need to step in and make it a recall and hold toyota responsible.

- Axson, GA, USA

problem #35

Apr 032023

RAV4

  • miles

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

Outside water (rain, carwash, etc) is leaking through the roof into the A-pillar and C-pillar areas and into the interior. Water is likely entering the air bag components in the front A-pillars on both sides, potentially causing a safety issue. Also concerned that water could be entering the electrical components in the dashboard. When researching the issue, found multiple complaints of this issue and also at least one class action lawsuit. Dealer is pushing back on covering this under the "Certified Pre-owned Comprehensive Warranty". https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2023/toyota-rav4-roof-rail-leaks-class-action-lawsuit.shtml https://www.classaction.org/toyota-rav4-leaking-lawsuit https://www.motorbiscuit.com/lawsuit-alert-toyota-rav4-roof-leak-causes-water-damage-electronics-airbags/

- Ft. Thomas, KY, USA

problem #34

Mar 122023

RAV4

  • miles
A couple of months ago, I noticed water had somehow entered the inside of my car, collecting along the interior roof panel and inside the C-pillar close to the top of the driver door. I did a little research to see if I could figure out what the cause of it was. I found that many other owners of 2019 and 2020 Rav4's had similar problems. Their findings indicated that Toyota had equipped poor quality gaskets, along the the area in which the roof rail trim were fastened to the roof of the car. I also read that this problem could be fixed by the owner, but was unaware that the water leakage would come in contact with electrical components. Yesterday, I experienced first hand the result of this situation. When starting my car, the display board was indicating a multitude of warnings for system malfunctions. These included power steering malfunction, brake system malfunction, pre-collision warning malfunction, lane-monitoring, and on top of this the RPM gauge and engine temperature gauge were both malfunctioning. These warning/indicators persistently flashed and caused a loud beeping sound to go off. The warnings also informed me to not drive the car and see a dealer immediately. After taking it to the dealer, the technicians were able to confirm that water has leaked through the roof rail panels from the area I previously specified. They found water on fuse box/junction connectors. They also found corrosion on pins on driver front door connector, under dash harness connector and body harness connector. While the water damage did not lead to a car accident, it did cause serious concern for the potential risk of car malfunctions. This information will be soon be reviewed by my insurance provider.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

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problem #33

Jan 262023

RAV4

  • miles
I was recently driving my 2019 RAV4 when it started switching to mud and sand mode and turns of all my safety features. This would occur at random when I was parked and driving. I was able to find several discussion boards about this issue by searching -?? 2019 rav4 switching to mud and sand mode.-?? I took it to the dealership and they discovered that there is a leak from the roof racks that is causing water to get in my car and is now impacting the driving ability and safety features on this car. I was able to find many discussion boards and even YouTube videos on how to fix this issue by searching -??2019 rav4 roof rack leak.-?? It was reported in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and the US. Many reported they had this issue fixed for free under warranty but now warranty has run out on the car and to fix the roof rack costs approximately $5000. Fixing the roof rack does not cover potential water damage that my airbags may have experienced as well and does not ensure there is not permanent water damage to the driving mode buttons

- Harrisonburg, VA, USA

problem #32

Jan 242023

RAV4

  • miles

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

Vehicle has absolutely no safe way to hook up to tow. My wife got the car stuck in the snow and needed a tug out with a tow strap. The owners manual states that only some vehicle of this model are equipped with a towing eye. Mine is not, and from what i hear all subsequent year rav4 are not equipped. I crawled underneath the car front and back and dug snow out to find there is no place to hook to. No holes, frame members, nothing to put a hook on, a clevis around, or a loop of rope to loop to. All plastic and smooth sheet metal. I had to strap around one wheel and drag it fighting the allwheel drive system, against my owners manual instructions. How can this be that there is absolutely no recommended way to tow/recover this vehicle or secure it to a towtruck? I have heard stories of tow companies refusing to tow Rav4-??s because of this.

- Hasting, NE, USA

problem #31

Nov 232022

RAV4

  • 89,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle through the roof rack. The water entered the compartment where the air bags were located. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

- Stuart, FL, USA

problem #30

Nov 092022

RAV4

  • miles
Water was entering inside the front of the cabin from the roof rack. Water entering inside the wiring can cause short circuit and cause fire

- Missouri City, TX, USA

problem #29

Sep 022022

RAV4

  • miles
This as well as many many other 2019, 2020, & 2021 Rav4s develop water leaks in the roof (due to inadequate gaskets in the rood rails) which result in water entering in vehicle very close to the side curtain airbags. Toyota updated the parts on the current model year but refuses to issue a recall. This is dangerous due to the strong possibility of water contacting the airbags and or the electrical connections.

- Hollis, ME, USA

problem #28

Sep 262022

RAV4

  • 66,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the roof rack clips were fractured and water was leaking into the vehicle, causing the vehicle to shut off intermittently, electrical failures, and air bags malfunction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the headliners were leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

problem #27

Jul 012022

RAV4

  • miles
There is a known issue with 2019+ Toyoya RAV4 where the Roof Rack Rails seaks leak water into the Driver and Passenger SRS A Pillar, i don't understand why there isn't a TSB for this, im concerned that the water intrusion will damage the Airbags or Electrical components and cause the airbag to deploy or cause improper SRS A pillar airbag operation. I'm also concerned about rust, A Quick google search and youtube will show the issue occuring but toyota is only fixing it under warranty, i don't think this should happen on a car under 3 years old with less than 50,000 miles. I do notice a foul odor in the car which led me to find this related TSB T-SB-0094-21 for a similar issue but none for Roof Rack Seals. Toyota has updated the Seals to thicker ones from the flimsy paper gasket to thicker plastic since 2019 so they know about the issue and have corrected it but only under warranty. i did see complaints on carcomplaints.com also but i'm out of factory warranty.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

problem #26

Aug 122022

RAV4

  • miles
The rear hatch trunk doorr does not operate correctly. The hinges holding the door on could fail leaving the door to fly off the vehicle. Apparently this is a known problem on this make and model of this vehicle and toyota is unwilling to repair the problem

- Valencia, PA, USA

problem #25

Jun 202022

RAV4

  • miles
This Rav4 developed a leak in the roof by the front and back windows. Found many references to this on the internet. It is a known problem for this vehicle that is not being addressed by Toyota. This problem can cause mold and damage to the side air bags. This is clearly a safety issue.

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #24

May 202022

RAV4

  • miles
Water is entering vehicle from roof rack over the driver side A-pillar. The headliner is getting wet, and the side curtain airbags are located in this area. The concern is that the water will affect airbags, along with issues with mold and rust.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #23

May 072022

RAV4

  • miles
Hi. A couple months ago I bought a certified 2019 Toyota rav4 adventure. I'm happy with the purchase however there is an issue that I'm concerned about and is a leak that comes from the roof. I checked my rav4 and I did notice some stains in the roof, by the roof pillars. I love my rav4 and I've subscribed to different rav4 chat forums and I noticed that many people especially the one's who own the 2019 rav4 adventure have the same issue with the roof leaking, that originates from the roof racks. I noticed that there's not a recall on this issue and I would like to know if Toyota does offer a solution to this problem.

- Pomona, CA, USA

problem #22

Apr 082022

RAV4

  • miles
Lots of people including me are having issues with 2019 or newer Toyota RAV4 the roof guard rails seals start letting water in on both the driver side and passenger side near the airbag. This a YouTube link that explained it well. https://youtu.be/DbKHfLtI2Sc. I am worried my air bags will not function since they might be getting wet.

- Mundelein, IL, USA

problem #21

Feb 252022

RAV4

  • miles
Vehicle purchased two years ago developed a failure of the mechanism that opens and supports the rear hatch with no warning. This led to cracking of hinges and brackets, and mis-alignment of the hatch which prevented it from closing and latching. The original estimate for repairs would have made the owner liable for thousands of dollars. After reviewing evidence that this was not due to an accident or other abuse, Toyota agreed to a one-time 'goodwill' financial adjustment that reduced owner financial liability. But as reported in various Toyota owner forums, this is not an isolated incident: hatch opening mechanism failure has been experienced by owners of other Toyota products with various models and model years. A fundamental design flaw requires a remedy, not just repair to return it to its original, flawed, state.

- Greenfield, WI, USA

problem #20

Feb 082022

RAV4

  • miles
The factory installed bike rack is not sealed properly and leaking water when rains, etc-?? into the SRS airbag on passenger and driver side

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #19

Dec 182021

RAV4

  • miles
The roof rack rails have begun leaking due to failed weather sealants around them. Water is seeping through when it rains, getting water on the airbags, headliner, and moves along the top frame. I-??m scared the electrical components will become damaged. Issue began happening right around 45,000 miles when I noticed. I have only owned vehicle for 2.5 years.

- Archdale, NC, USA

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