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.
right rear hinge for hatchback failed and making my hatchback unusable. I have been on several websites and this common issue it seems for Rav 4. Toyota will not fix it.
The Rear Hatch started to get stuck. It is automatic so you would normally press a button to open and close and it would slowly move up or down and close shut on its own. When the issue started, it would "pop open" but stay stuck to a point where I would need to manually lift it open. (hitting my head on it often) Right before I took it to the dealership service, it would not close properly. While it seemed close, the notification showed it open therefore, not allowing me to lock my car and the lights on the car would need to stay on while car was parked and off. Driving home, the "open door" notification was beeping non-stop. Once again I had to open and close manually until it was considered "closed" Brought the car into the Toyota Dealership to assess. They found that the power lift gate hinges on the door were coming off and it needs to go to an Auto Body for realignment. I performed research online and found this to be a very common issue with the Toyota RAV4's. I have had leased 2 RAV4's prior to this one and never had a problem (those were manual hatches) https://www.rav4world.com/threads/2020-xle-power-lift-gate-issue.324952/ https://www.reddit.com/r/rav4club/comments/11ty7pr/dealership_is_saying_my_liftgate_wont_close/ My car has 33k miles on it although this issue (not as severe) started a while ago.
This vehicle is equipped with a power back door (PBD) that has begun to malfunction. March 29, 2024 was the first occurrence of the PBD malfunction when the opened back door would not fully close after clicking the appropriate button on the electronic key switch. There were no warnings that preceded the malfunction. The PBD would only close the back door a few inches before stopping. Additional clicks only closed it a few more inches and manual closing (requiring significant pressure) was required to fully close the door. Additional random occurrences of this PBD malfunction have happened over the past six months and have now become so frequent that on September 30, 2024 I turned off (via the multi-information display) the PBD function and must now resort to fully manual opening and closing of the back door. Based on multiple other complaints filed with NHTSA for this particular vehicle (2020 Toyota RAV4; NHTSA ID Numbers 11572353, 11572802, 11573768, 11579590, 11585733), I inspected the edges of the back door, the body's back door cavity, and the two back door spindles for damage, foreign objects, dirt, etc. that might impede PDB operation and found none. I also inspected the two back door hinges and saw no damage, no warping, no corrosion, and no movement of the hinges from their original installation locations. This PBD malfunction affects safety as the force required to manually open and close the back door is significant and operation of the back door might be impossible for people not physically able to effect the force needed. The vehicle is available for inspection and has not yet been inspected by the Toyota dealer where I purchased the vehicle in August 2020 or by others.
Trunk lift gate unable to close or open properly due to faulty lift gate shock and strut supports as diagnosed by dealership in January 2024. As of then there is was no ETA on parts to complete repair and was blamed on Toyota not supplying enough parts beyond new vehicles and warranties vehicles. Only resolution was to not use the trunk, or as little as possible and told that I was added to a 700+ person waiting list.
For about a year now the back hatch has not opened or closed properly. It sometimes stops just after the latch releases and will not go up. Sometimes it will not come down when you use the switch or it only comes down a few inches and stops. Recently the rear hatch is not aligned with the door opening and does not shut properly. When the rear hatch is closed, you can see that it is not seated in the opening. One side is still open. You can hear road noise from the rear hatch. I worry that exhaust fumes are getting in the rear hatch.
- Iron Station, NC, USA
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Over a period of tme water has been collecting in the right rear door. Upon doing some research I found out that this is a problem with the Rav4 of this particle year. During my search I found out that there are drain holes at bottom of the door under a rubber gasket. I lifted the gasket up and there was a large amount of water that came out. After a couple more rains the exact same thing happened again. I took the car to the Toyota dealership where it was purchased from and told them the problem and they stated that the gasket on the bottom of the door needed to be replaced, but not only the right rear door but all three of the other doors as well, but could not explain to me how the water was getting in the doors. I had to pay over $500 in order to get this repair which I feel the cost should be absorbed by Toyota because a design flaw. Any help would be appreciated.
The rear hatch liftgate hinges are not adequately structured to withhold pressure under normal use. Over varied short durations of time from the vehicle being new, the rear liftgate hinge's structure fails. The hinges split and crack. This damage occurs despite factory liftgate struts being in plate to assist in the opening of the liftgate. In my case this issue first appeared during and after a snowstorm. A multitude of similar complaints on forums. This has caused my liftgate to misalign and not close. I have had to turn off the auto liftgate and slowly close it despite it is now rubbing the right rear fender/quarter area. As of now I have to repair the issue with new hinges that have not been redesigned, that will again likely prematurely fail. You can view the complaints within Toyota Forums, all see February 2024 class action lawsuit, Hughes vs Toyota attached with the below photos
My 2020 Rav4 back trunk hinge is coming loose, there for the truck won't close evenly. I took it to dealership to get it fixed, but instead they blamed me but its clearly a manufacturing problem they don't want to take responsibility for it.
Tailgate hinge assembly failed/failing. It is available for inspection upon request. Failed hinge has placed the tailgate out of alignment. This prevents the tailgate to close properly, allowing for weather penetration, as well as preventing full closure of tailgate. This safety concern can potentially allow the tailgate to fall off the vehicle during travel, placing myself and others at risk of severe injury. The problem has not been confirmed/reproduced by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle/component has not been inspected by any other representatives. There were no warning lamps, or any other symptoms prior to failure. This problem first occurred at 0625am, FEB09_2024. Tailgate opened with no issues. Tailgate failed to close on its own, due to misalignment.
Under normal use, the rear Lift gate hinge appears to be failing for no reason. A gap on passenger side of the rear lift gate and body appears to widen and the hinge is squeaking as if it's failing. This causes the power lift gate to not close from time to time. This is still an issue and has not been addressed yet.
There is a recall for the roof rails leaking water which can damage the air bags and electrical components. They will not fix the roof with new gaskets unless you actually see the water coming in. My concern is that it is leaking and I'm just not seeing it because the 110 degree weather. I do not want to be in an accident with my wife and kids in the car and have the air bags not work. They should fix the gaskets before it leaks and leads to further potential damage or even life threatening results(air bags being wet and not deploying). They will not fix my roof until it actually starts leaking even tho there is a recall in place. This is ridiculous.
In preparing for a trip, the automatic tailgate went out of alignment and would not close. A local body shop diagnosed the issue as a bent hinge. There was no incident that caused this - the hinge appears to be insufficiently sturdy for a heavy tailgate. The body shop temporarily hammered the hinge back into place, but the seal of the tailgate is imperfect, allowing exhaust fumes to enter the cabin when driving at low speeds. This may also have been true before the gate failed to close, but was not noticed. This is beginning to show up on other RAV4s. The local Toyota dealer would not accept a warranty claim for the issue. A permanent repair is scheduled, but will require several weeks due to scheduling.
Due to recent rains in CA I noticed the headliner near the upper a-frame pillar was damp on both the drivers and passenger side. With a quick search online it is a common problem among 2019-present Toyota Rav4 owners. As of this writing I do not know of a public Toyota approve fix. https://www.rav4world.com/threads/potential-safety-issue-for-rav4-adventure-owners.304363/#post-2770286 https://www.rav4world.com/threads/2019-roof-rack-leak.305629/ I took the car in for service with a Toyota dealer to have the leak addressed within a couple days of noticing the damp headliner. They performed a repair and said all was good. Less than a week later, the same issue occurred. Again, I brought the car back as soon I as I noticed the leak and they did a more thorough repair, replacing more roof rail components. A little over 3 weeks later I noticed the same issue with condensation build up in the car and after looking behind the a-frame covering there were puddles of water in the plastic covering. Again the dealer notified me the repair was done and everything was good, when I picked up the car the head liner was still wet, and I left the car with them. Currently the vehicle is still is possession of the dealer pending next steps. In total the dealer has had the vehicle for 15+ days as of this writing. I am concerned with what other damage is occurring to the airbags, airbag systems, electronic components, electrical connections, and Toyota Safety Sense systems due to prolonged water exposure that could prevent safety systems from operating as and when intended. I am also concerned about mold growth due to the prolonged water exposure and the effect it may have on myself and my passengers. Other than visual indicators of seeing water dripping and damp headliner, there was no indication that the roof was leaking.
The roof rack side rails that come standard on the vehicle are only secured by glue on the front with minimal weather proofing rubber. When driving, the front of the rails lift up and water and dirt can get into the front supports of the car in the left and right of the windshield. This is extremely dangerous and others have reported similar issues. The front of the roof rack side rails needs to be secured with a physical bolt and not just glue.
During a road trip with my wife I discovered that the headliner started leaking down the A-frame and into the curtain airbags on the A-pillar on the driver and passenger side of the vehicle. Within 2 minutes of googling the issue I found out that 2019-2020 RAV4s with the factory installed roof rails experience a leak caused by a faulty gasket. This information was confirmed by my service advisor at Toyota of El Cajon after he stated "Yeah you've got the RAV4 leak, I'm finishing up a warranty claim on one right now". I expressed concerns over electrical damage, damage to the air bags, and possible mold growth in the vehicle and was told that Toyota doesn't consider water leaking into an airbag/control panel to be an issue. I would really like NHTSA to inform Toyota that water leaking into safety equipment through the roof of a new $50,000 car is indeed a safety issue and just awful quality assurance.
Rear liftgate hinges bend/broke at car body attachment Appears to be a metal issue with hinges Rear liftgate door will not seal, allowing exhaust gases to enter vehicle Problem was reported to Dealer at 25K mile mark, Dealer will not repair under new car warranty
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- Southbridge, MA, USA