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2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2021 record →

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 19, 2023IL

I am writing to register a complaint about the lack of resolution for the below recall number. the notice, from 3 months ago now, says not to use the electric charger for the vehicle in temperatures below 40 F. I expected a rapid rollout due to the approaching winter but instead Toyota is still saying that there is no solution. The notice specifically says there is a risk of vehicle fires. Toyota appears to know what part has to be replaced and should be required to do that in a timely manner so the car can be used as designed in a safe manner. I encourage NHTSA to look into this as soon as possible. I spoke with a Toyota representative today and was given the same vague timeline but also told it could take until Spring 2024 for a solution to be identified. Thank you for your assistance. Jul 12,2023 Manufacturer Recall Number23TB07 NHTSA Recall Number23V478 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available

Electrical System
Filed Oct 16, 2023MA

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Electrical System
Filed Oct 6, 2023MI

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. A local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Service Brakes
Filed Oct 2, 2023MD

When braking and hitting a slight bump in the road or on a wet road it actually like my car is accelerating, seems to be a possible issue with the regenerative brake system and the antilock brake system software working together. Luckily i have not hit anyone, but this is a major safety flaw. Has happened multiple times.

Electrical System
Filed Aug 24, 2023NH

Went to unplug my charger from 2021 RAV4 prime in May 2023 which was who installed this 220 outlet. He confirms the 220 outlet which was installed previous yr is safe, correcoutside in NH. I found handle of charger was extremely hot to touch and it would not release from car. Locked and unlocked vehicle again with key fob but still it would not release. Also attempted to lock /unlock using door switch with no success. Due to the extreme heat of charger at both ends I needed to get something to protect hand from heat. I unplugged charger from the 220 outlet installed by electrician for this car but the charger handle would not release from car until it cooled which took between 5- 10 minutes. Brought back electrician t for job and working but reported the charger was so hot the heat affected the plug.I am lucky the house and car did not ignite. I used my level 1 charger for next 2 months as I was still afraid of fire from the April hot level 2 charger on both ends incident. Eventually with electrician’s knowledge & comfort with this 220 outlet also knowing we have 2 electric boxes for load of house I purchased a new level 2 charging system in June. All has been working as expected. July I happened to see in my Toyota app a notice there is a safety recall for a potential fire risk. I was not sent any notice and lucky I saw this in the Toyota app. I called Toyota to report my incident there was no concern to make a report of my incident they only stated this fire risk is when ch

Service BrakesCrash
Filed Jul 26, 2023MA

When pulling into a parking spot at less than 5 mph the car accelerated violently and couldn't be stopped while braking. A marble or granite barrier stopped the my car preventing me from going into a shallow ravine and potential on coming traffic. There have been multiple safety recalls on the braking system on the car and each have been executed in a timely fashion. I cannot determine if warning lights went off at the time due to how quickly the issue happened

Power Train
Filed Apr 26, 2023CA

Car won't accelerate for about 1 to 2 seconds from stopped. Didn't have the issue before the 23TA01 recall performed at the Dealership.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 16, 2023CA

On the driver's display, some Vehicle Settings menu pages do not display properly. The text either appears too dim to read or displays legibly but then disappears. The problem is inconsistent and difficult to replicate. This behavior prevents proper setting or adjustment; and may confuse the driver when vehicle is in operation.

Carry Handle, Shell, Base
Filed Feb 16, 2023VA

This is a rotating car seat. At first the seat would rotator from side to rear facing fine. After 5/6 weeks it didn't rotate all the way to rear facing without using the release button. Then when locked in the rear facing position when applying minimal force to the seat it rotates without the use of the release button. After removing the seat from my vehicle the seat was stuck on the side facing position and would not enter either the rear or front facing position. The contact stated that the car seat was located in the back seat on the passenger side. The manufacturer requested that the seat be sent back. The contact was refunded the purchase amount.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 17, 2023NY

When I took My 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime in for a dealer service at 18,000 miles they told me my factory tires were badly cupped due to the car needing an alignment. I thought this was strange because I drive carefully, and have not hit any large potholes, and the car is practically new. I then looked on Toyota forums online and there were many reports of same tire cupping with new 2021 RAV4 Primes because they were not aligned correctly before shipping out to dealers. I asked my Toyota dealer about this, thinking they should address the issue by aligning my vehicle for no charge. They said I only had an alignment covered until 12000 miles. I think since this is a safety issue and many people have reported the same cupping issue Toyota should do something about this. This is the reason for this report.

Unknown or Other
Filed Dec 28, 2022FL

Husband and I bought our 2021 RAV4 Prime from Toyota last Jan, brand new and I’ve had no complaints. On Dec 27, 2022 we were running errands and all of a sudden our sunroof EXPLODED. It sounded like a gun went off right in between us and then showered us with glass residue. There were no cars around us so we immediately pull into a parking lot and notice the glass exploded up and out. We took our car immediately to a Toyota dealership within half a mile—they contacted the main Toyota office with our situation and Toyota insisted it must’ve been from road debris hitting the sunroof and then the internal cabin pressure caused the glass to go up/out. However, we were driving with our sunroof tilted up and our windows down so that would’ve been impossible as internal pressure was equilibrated with outside the vehicle. Additionally the tension point was located directly under our roof rack so would’ve been impossible for debris to hit it at that point since it would’ve been protected by the roof rack itself. There was no other damage done to our car. Toyota is not helping us with this situation and we are having to use insurance. After reading other similar incidences, I was shocked how many others have experienced this on Toyota nation, Reddit, and NHTSA. It’s dangerous and is a safety concern for drivers, passengers and other vehicles on the road specifically the loud explosion sound itself, the risk for glass residue to impair vision of the driver and glass shards flying off th

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Dec 5, 2022CA

Fuel tank does not appear to fill completely. After 10-11 gallons, the liquid may spill. In addition, fuel range on dashboard only registers 410-440 miles after filling. Because tank volume is 14.5 gallons and hybrid mileage is 38 mpg, this indicates only about 11 gallons in tank. Complete fuel fill should register over 500 miles, even allowing for a reserve.

Unknown or Other
Filed Nov 9, 2022CA

The sunroof shatter while I was driving.

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 28, 2022MA

My 21 rav4 prime has started by ITSELF on at least 6 different occasions I understand that my key fob has the ability to remotely start the car if a button sequence is pressed. This might be a good feature, but unfortuantely this happens by accident when my keys are in my pocket. I am unaware of this occurring until I walk into my enclosed garage and find the car running. It was not started intentionally by me. I do not get any text or warning through the connected toyota app. This is a safety risk as the car can run in the garage generating carbon monoxide which can permiate through the house As I mentioned earlier, this has happened at least 6 times on different days, so it is repeatable. I have a call into the dealer. I have spoken to toyota customer support and they told me there is no way to disable the remote start. There are no warning lights or messages that the car is running. I believe that this is a significant safety hazzard to ones health and life. I have a few suggestions 1 have a disable remote FOB start as an option through setup 2 when the car starts remotely send an alert to the toyota app or text msg to let the owner know the status. 3 have the horn sound

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 18, 2022CA

I was driving my 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime on the freeway. As I was exiting the freeway there was a LOUD explosion in my car that scared the hell out of my friend and I, almost causing me to get into an accident. I pulled over and got out to see what happened. As I walked around the car I checked the tires, which were fine. I did not see anything (it was dark). I could not see the roof (I am short) and the moonroof shade was closed. I got in the car and started driving again and my friend said she could hear crackling, so I pulled into a parking lot. We got out again, and my friend looked up on the top of the car and could see the moonroof had exploded. The glass was cracked around the outer edge. There was no mark where a rock would have hit it. There were no debris marks anywhere, and we did not hear anything hit it. It was an explosion that you could feel. There was absolutely no warning. I took the car in the next day to the dealer and the service agent told to come back on Monday, which is today. The service agent at the dealership agreed that there were no marks, or dings where a rock hit it. He agreed that it looked like it exploded the way it was cracked all around the outer edge of the glass. Late this afternoon they called to tell me that there is a "quality control" person coming tomorrow to look at it so they can decide whether they will honor their warranty. I also purchased the "bumper to bumper" extended warranty when I bought the car, less than a year ago. I alwa

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 17, 2022CA

While driving on the freeway, suddenly we heard a loud noise and then felt particles dropping on us. While attempting to assess what happened in and outside of the vehicle, we noticed the sunroof/moonroof shattered and small shards of glass were everywhere. The loud sound and attempt to assess the situation could have caused an accident. We were not passing under anything like a bridge and could determine no cause for the breaking of the glass. Afterward when I could safely pull over so we could clean the glass out of the vehicle, we found no rock or other debris in my vehicle that did not belong. Only shards of glass in our hair, on our bodies, and everywhere in the car, sticking into our skin and making one passenger bleed slightly.

Tires
Filed Sep 13, 202231,386 milesCT

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Dunlop Tire, Tire Line: Grandtrek PT20, Tire Size: 225/60/R18, DOT Number: V4H0. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that three of 4 tires needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the four tires. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,386.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency BrakingCrash
Filed Aug 7, 2022OH

After proceeding from a red light, the vehicle rear ended a semi. The Automatic Emergency Braking system did not engage. Although the Forward Collision Warning worked by giving me visual/sound alerts, it has a tendency to be delayed. Richland County City of Mansfield Police Inspected the vehicle Report number: 22-017305

Electrical SystemCrash1 injured
Filed Jul 30, 2022MA

May 29 2022 I parked my new RAV4 PRIME EV on an incline and left the vehicle running to keep the a/c cold & radio playing. The car was securely parked atop an incline facing up the incline while still running. While the vehicle sat idle I walked my dog waiting to clean up after him. He was taking a long time so I decided to turn off the vehicle. I walked over to the running vehicle in park, opened the driver door and pressed the off button to turn the vehicle off. This caused the vehicle to roll backwards down the incline while in the park position making a loud click noise. It made the click noise when initially it powered off and attempted to relax into the park position but did not catch, it clicked and began a roll backwards down the hill. I was caught in the driver's door jam and was dragged down the hill along with vehicle. While picking up speed it also made an audible clicking noise that witnesses recall coinciding with the increase in speed the noise increased in intensity. The vehicle dragged me stuck in the door jam into a busy 4 lane roadway where the driver door & my body met impact with a car resulting in the RAV4 rolled on my foot, ankle and leg resulting in severe damage. The impact was at the driver door where I was pinned causing the door to hyperextend. The RAV4 couldn't be moved once stopped due to a safety feature not allowing shifting out of park while the driver door was sensed open. I was pinned for 20 minutes+ under the front driver side wheel. The RA

Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness
Filed Jun 8, 2022MA

Harness strap frayed below car seat base pad where strap is not visible or accessible during routine use. Discovered during cleaning of the seat. This weakens the harness and puts the child at risk. Car seat has not been inspected. Manufacturer has not responded to warranty claim.

Service Brakes
Filed Jun 4, 2022CA

We have COMPLETELY lost brakes on MULTIPLE occasions for a few seconds per occasion. Brake loss has occurred upon slow, even braking and on flat, dry, even pavement with no pot poles or loose gravel around. When this happens, an orange light appears on the dash, we lose brakes for a few seconds, the car regains brakes, and jolts forward with no change in foot position on the brake pedal. We have taken the car to the dealer multiple times and every single time this incident has occurred the rear right wheel speed shows about a 10% variation in speed compared to all the other wheels per the vehicle diagnostic report/record of behavior. The orange light we are seeing on the dash is the ABS light. There is no feedback in the brake pedal on any occasion. This incident has occurred about 20 times so far. Our car is available for inspection. The dealer believes this is being caused by a software issue and not a faulty sensor. This car is a danger to us and anyone around us as we have needed to swerve into the shoulder multiple times to avoid hitting someone ahead of us. This NEEDS to be fixed before it injures or kills someone. This issue has still been persistent even after taking care of the VSC recall and a reset/recalibration to the braking system. We have taken the car to the dealer for this issue on: 4/4/22, 4/15/22, 4/25/22, 5/11/22, 6/4/22. *We have been limiting our driving in this car due to the issue happening multiple times a week, that is why there hasn't been many trip

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed May 28, 2022CA

Today, May 28, 2022, between 11:40am and 11:45am, I was making a left at an intersection when the vehicle did not respond to my pressing of the gas pedal input. It was highly dangerous and the oncoming traffic had to slow down not to hit me. The car, which usually responds very well to my pressing the gas pedal has not responded now for a 2nd time. This is the first time I am reporting because I am realizing this is not anomalous and highly concerning as it puts my family at immediate risk of getting into an accident. Please note that I have reached out to the dealer to report his issue, however, I am not sure how to proceed should this become a continued issue down the road. My vehicle is a 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE model.

Service Brakes
Filed May 11, 2022NY

All four brake rotors are defective, the metal is pitted scored and not smooth, as it should be. This increases the braking distance. The vehicle is equipped with regenerative braking thus increasing the brake service interval. With mileage at 21600 this is not normal. Upon inspection at the dealer, it was described as normal for this type of vehicle. I pointed out several vehicle in the service area as what the rotors should appear. (I have had three Chevy Volts with similar drivetrain and never had to replace rotors or brake pads.) I will upload photos of the rotors and dealers comments.

Air BagsCrash3 injured
Filed May 10, 2022MD

My RAV4 PRIME was in stop and go traffic. Brakes did not switch from regen braking to physical brakes. Slammed on the brakes several times, they did not slow the car enough. Eventually the brakes locked up as the RAV4 rear ended the car in front. Pushing that car into the one in front of it, and that one in front of that, and that one in front of that. Causing damage to three other cars. Two other people are claiming medical, the driver went to the ER. Air bags did not deploy. Taking to the repair shop. They were shocked that the air bags didn't go off given the the condition of the frame. Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) did an inspection to read the event data recorder (EDR). Brake were applied at -1.5 seconds before impact. And here is the weird part, saying that the ABS activated then too. There was no notification, and the brakes locked up. Speed went from 46 to 21.1 mph. This occurred at 3,573 miles on only a few month old RAV4. I'm well aware of what ABS feels like when it goes off.

Unknown or Other
Filed May 5, 2022NJ

Vehicle abruptly and harshly slowed from 65mph to around 30 on the highway and multiple error lights and messages came up. After initial deceleration the vehicle seemed to drive normally. Once in a safe place to stop the vehicle was shut off and the only errors remained had been check engine and hybrid system malfunction and again the vehicle seemed to drive normally and was brought to the dealership for inspection the next day on its own power. Errors seen in dash and Head Unit: brake power low, brake support system malfunction, check engine, hybrid system malfunction, park sensor malfunction, lane trace assist malfunction, sonar malfunction, headlight system malfunction. Dealership states they need to contact Toyota as there is something wrong and they are unsure what it is at this time.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking
Filed Mar 24, 2022SC

On March 19, 2022 I was attempting to make a left turn onto a five lane (including the center left turn lane) road. When the traffic cleared my car (a plug-in hybrid in EV mode) did not accelerate as it usually does, but slowly rolled into the first lane of traffic. I pushed the accelerator to the floor but it stopped in the traffic lane. I had to quickly select reverse and back out of the first lane of oncoming traffic. Luckily the car behind me had not moved up and I had room to avoid an accident. This seemed like it may have been a failure of the collision avoidance system. Our safety was definitely at risk as the oncoming traffic was moving at 40-45 mph. The problem has not occurred since and the Toyota dealer was unable to confirm or reproduce. My wife was also in the car and can verify what happened. There were no other warnings, messages or symptoms. In the three photos, the first shows the 2 motorcycles I intended to get behind when I completed my turn. The next two photos show how I needed to back up to clear the lane for oncoming traffic. I do have a 30 second video of the entire incident.

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 20, 2022NJ

While exiting an interstate and applying the brakes, the vehicle struck a small bump (pot-hole) in the roadway with the front passenger wheel. The car lurched forward and stopped slowing down. The brakes had disengaged on all wheels. After approximately 2 seconds, the car started braking again and I was able to regain control and stop. This momentary loss of braking ability could have caused me to rear end the vehicle in front had I not left excess room. The loss of brakes increased the braking distance required and could lead to the loss of control if the roadway is slick. I have been able to reproduce this issue. No ABS or TCS lights illuminated. No beeps or other warning messages materialized. The car is available for inspection upon request. It appears to be an issue with the regenerative brakes switching over to the mechanical brakes when the car believes there is wheel slip.

Electrical System
Filed Mar 18, 2022CA

The fuel gauge reads "E" when there is still 5 gallons left in the tank.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 18, 2022CA

There is an issue with Toyota's Rav4 Prime fuel tank gauge incorrectly reading fuel left in the tank or prematurely stopping gasoline to fill the tank. My car is available for inspection upon request. No safety impact. Dealer confirmed issue by testing my car but says this is "working as intended". The fueling problem is consistent and not intermittent and started immediately after using my first tank of gas. Even when low fuel warning light is on, I am unable to fully fill the tank to the advertised 14.5 gallons. Inability to fill the fuel tank impacts the vehicle’s total available driving distance and forces me to make more frequent stops at the gas station. This issue could very well be due to the same design defect in the 2019-2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid class action lawsuit in which Toyota has admitted fault and settled the class action.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 18, 2022PA

The gas gauge is inaccurate by up to 4.5 gallons of fuel, so even when the fuel gauge displays empty it still has a large amount of fuel still in the tank. Toyota should put a software patch to resolve this issue.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 17, 2022CA

The RAV4 Prime's fuel system holds 14.5 gallons, however only between 10 - 11 gallons of that is usable per the digital "miles to zero" gauge on the instrument panel. When the gauge reaches "zero" and notifies the driver to fill up, the tank only fills 10 -11 gallons and keeps 3 - 4.5 gallons in reserve. This is a big issue because the "miles to zero" gauge reads the full tank when you fill it up (approximately 550 miles), but begins to swing drastically on miles left as you drive the car to accommodate for the 10 - 11 gallons that it actually uses. It is not an accurate gauge at all. There are two (2) potential fixes from Toyota for this issue: 1. Fix it so that the digital gauge reads the "miles to zero" correctly and isn't all over the place to compensate for the 4.5 gallon reserve, as the system currently uses 10 - 11 gallons as the read for "zero" instead of the 14.5 gallons . 2. Fix the gas tank to actually make the full 14.5 gallon tank usable to the driver.

Engine
Filed Feb 25, 2022WA

Car makes a startling loud noise like a fog horn a few seconds after starting. Noise is loud enough and unexpected it has caused me to accidently press on accelerator on occasion if I have started moving. Apparently a know problem but fix is only European focused. Fortunately nothing was in front of me when this happened. Happens frequently on first startup but never every time. TSB is BE-00612T-TME Need to force dealers to fix this before an accident does occur.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 16, 2022VA

Very loud TRAIN HORN sound. TSB issued in other countries like Finland, but not USA. Finland TSB BE-00612T-TME

Seat Belts
Filed Feb 12, 2022CO

The car had a front passenger and two rear seat passengers, one right and one left. In the middle rear seat there was a tray of cupcakes weighing ~2lbs. As we were driving at night in a complex area of freeway onramps and offramps an alarm started to deploy, beaping steadily. I glanced down at the multi-info-display (MID) and couldn't tell what the alarm was, and I was driving at around 55-60mph, at night. Over the next 45 seconds or so the alarm increased in frequency to the point of starting to sound outright urgent. I finally saw noticed three tiny icons in the lower right part of the MID, amidst an array of other lit icons and indicators, representing the 3 rear seats, and the center one was not illuminated. The car's sensing system apparently determined the seat was occupied but the occupant not belted in. I told everyone to check seatbelts. By now everyone in the car was in a state of near panic as all belts were secured. At the last few seconds, distracted by the urgency of this alarm and trying ascertain what the heck it was, I nearly struck traffic cones and had to swerve to miss them. Thank fate as I swerved to get back into my lane (cones were cordening off a whole lane which I was heading into) and didn't run into another vehicle--it easily could have resulted in a crash. I visited a car owner forum and here is a comment from another owner, "...Toyota doesn't need to have such an obnoxious seatbelt warning system -- even just for the front-seat occupants -- in whi

Structure › Body
Filed Feb 9, 2022NC

Hello Nhtsa, It is a brand new car, while we were driving on the freeway, all off a sudden, we hard noisy drive, eventually smelled plastic. When we saw under the "Underbody plastic shield with clips loosen up" and it is handing half on the road. we were scared and it could even fire up the whole car as we smelled a burning smell. I called Toyota Custer service a couple of times and reported the issue. again called towing company took to the dealer. dealer "Town county Toyota Charlotte" Dealer manager was very rude and says it cannot be fixed, it is back-ordered, left us on the road to take out the car. It is such cheap material for Such an EXPENSIVE car. It has an 18KW battery and gas we would have been caught up in a fire in the car. We were so disappointed and shocked for a few days. # Again it is first in segment plugin EV. It makes weird noise occasionally while reversing or staring going in 10-15miles per hour. Riased 2 service tickets with toyota customer care, no response so far. First ticket: 220119002484 second ticket: 220108001683

Service Brakes
Filed Jan 31, 2022CA

When the vehicle goes over a pothole (or bad road condition) while you are braking, the brakes don’t work for a second, the car feels like it is surging. I almost hit the car in front. This happens a lot. It’s the exact same problem problem with the 2010 prius.

Service Brakes
Filed Jan 23, 2022VT

While braking there is a brief release, which I believe happens when car switches from regenerative to friction braking. It feels like I have taken my foot off the brake for a moment, but I have not. Result is car briefly stops braking, which can cause loss of control. Has happened consistently for months, less pronounced with hard vs soft braking

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 10, 2022AZ

I was driving on a two lane highway going approximately 55mph. It was around 8pm and it was already dark out. There was nothing near me on the road. While driving, I heard a loud explosion/pop. I swerved into the opposite lane due to the sound. Luckily there were no cars oncoming. I was able to get back to the right side of the road and find a spot to stop/park. I then looked at my sunroof and it was shattered in a circular pattern. It was not from an external force.

Unknown or Other
Filed Dec 13, 2021WA

This car makes a loud noise (train horn?) when I first begin to drive it on cold days. It makes the noise for a couple of seconds and then stops. If I leave it parked until it cools off and try to drive it again, it makes the noise again. It's very loud and disturbing. I first noticed it when the temperature dropped to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unknown or Other
Filed Dec 12, 2021MA

Navigation systems are key safety systems that are optional in most cars. The navigation system with its turn by turn instruction allows the driver to focus on driving , while also listening to music or talking on the phones. There have been many times that I or anyone would get lost, miss turns without the use of such systems. While integrated satellite navigation systems are available, they are far inferior to google maps, waze and Apple Maps. I personally have been using google maps on my phone tied to Bluetooth for many years. Technology has improved where phones can be projected onto car screens using android auto and CarPlay. I have just purchased a new car to have this feature in addition to the phone based system where a could listen to radio or talk on the phone while receiving voice navigation prompts. My new car is able to provide turn by turn instructions while listening to the radio, but while on a brief call the instructions are no longer available when using android auto and google maps, the most popular navigation software. I have discussed this with Toyota, who blames it on google. Toyota is the manufacturer and should be able to make it happen. The problem is not just a Toyota problem, but it seems that it is across manufacturers. The turn by turn feature should be mandatory for projection systems like android auto and CarPlay. A switch can determine whether it is active, but it should be there. If nhtsa can require it then manufacturers can demand google an

Electrical System
Filed Dec 10, 2021CO

The 2021 RAV4 Prime has a known defect with the heat pump causing an alarming sound to be heard within about a 1 minute of startup. The grinding noise causes distraction as it is extremely loud and occurs generally while backing out/maneuvering in tight areas. Toyota released a Service Bulletin in their European Market in October (numbered BE-00612T-TME - "Train Horn noise" from A/C compressor when the vehicle is started), but has not made available the same fixes in the US even months later.

Unknown or Other
Filed Dec 9, 2021NY

Please refer to NHSTA tracking #11418659 reported in May 2021. At that time, I described potential safety issues resulting from the remote start of my vehicle being initiated without my knowledge. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership--whose employees have been very cooperative and helpful--after multiple communications with the national offices of Toyota. Though I received a letter from Toyota stating that the problem had been rectified (letter from Toyota dated 4/23/21, as quoted in my initial complaint, stated "...your concern has been resolved..."), the problem persisted. Though my suggestion regarding the initial self-start shortly after taking delivery was dismissed by Toyota, investigation at my dealership resulted in a very simple solution--the key fob was activating the remote start because the button was inadvertently pushed while in my pocket, which is exactly what I had postulated initially. Trial and error (just keeping the fob out of my pocket for a few months) now seems to validate this theory. Here are the safety concerns generated by the poor engineering of this design: 1. A single press of a single button on the fob is all that is needed to initiate a remote start, setting the scene for an unintended self start. The safety implications delineated in my initial complaint, cited above, are obvious. I have had multiple vehicles with remote starts; they required multiple simultaneous buttons to be pressed and/or multiple presses on the button(s). 2. H

SteeringCrash
Filed Aug 6, 2021NJ

I was driving on US1 near Dover, DE towards 307 South Boardwalk avenue unit 202, Rehoboth beach, Delaware, 19971. I was driving at around 60 mph and following the traffic flow. I suddenly could not steer the car, the car swayed to the left, hit the curb and came to a stop after I applied breaks. On reviewing its safety issues, I came across this article. https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-2021-toyota-rav4-prime-is-dangerously-bad-at-emergency-steering/

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jun 25, 2021CA

Measuring from when the "low fuel" light comes on, our RAV4 Prime is only accepting 10 gallons of gasoline when refueling (car is advertised having a 14.5 gallon tank). This results in us having to fill up every 400 miles when it should be closer to 600 miles. Complained at least four times to the dealership and escalated with Toyota HQ - Toyota engineers acknowledged they have seen this trend from other RAV4 Primes out in the field, but are deeming 10 gallon fill-ups a "normal" characteristic of the car. This is bait-and-switch false advertising and an infuriating quality failure by Toyota.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jun 6, 2021CA

The Drive to Empty estimation of remaining miles is not accurate. Regularly shows less miles than actual for HV mode. For example, after fuel fill up, the display read 508 miles DTE. I drove 38 and then it read 448. It should have said 470, thus it had a 22 mile discrepancy. 1 or 2 miles is fine, but an over 5% difference is not.

Unknown or Other
Filed May 26, 2021NY

A few months ago I experienced multiple instances of my car self-starting while parked in my garage. I contacted the dealer and then Toyota. In April I received an email/letter stating that the problem had been corrected. However, just this week the problem returned, starting twice two days ago. I have just notified Toyota again and await a response, but due to the safety implications of this issue I am notifying the NHTSA. The safety implications of a car starting without provocation are obvious; for example, a child could climb inside and move the gear lever; should the vehicle's EV mileage be unavailable, thus starting in hybrid mode, CO--especially in a closed garage--would be of major concern. The April 23 letter that I received from Toyota stated that it had solved the problem, thus verifying the problem's existence: "Dear LAUREL BECKER: We are writing in regard to your request for support with the Toyota app. We are happy to confirm that your concern has been resolved. We have sent you a reset password link titled "Your Password is Ready to Reset" just in case you need it to gain access. Please reset your password, then log back in to the app. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience." By the way, I never received the password link but did not follow through, as I had no trouble logging in to my account. The vehicle has had no inspections for this issue. There were no warnings, other than the after-the-fact notification that the car had starte

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 28, 2021909 milesCA

DURING ITS FIRST FUEL TANK FILL-UP (AT 909 MILES, ON 3/14/2021), NEW 2021 RAV4 PRIME SE FUEL TANK ACCEPTED LESS THAN THE EXPECTED AMOUNT OF GASOLINE. STARTING AT NEAR-EMPTY, ONLY NINE (9) GALLONS WAS ACCEPTED. AT THE SECOND FILL-UP (ON 3/22/2021), ONLY FOUR GALLONS COULD BE ADDED, AND THE FUEL NOZZLE WAS EJECTED FROM THE TANK, SPILLING GAS. SECOND ATTEMPT COULD NOT ADD ANY MORE GAS.

Service Brakes
Filed Feb 9, 20219,300 milesNH

I AM EXPERIENCING INCONSISTENT BRAKE FEEL AFTER ABS ACTUATION DURING SLOW AND STEADY APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES ON ROUGH OR SLICK ROAD SURFACES. STOPPING DISTANCES ARE INCREASED COMPARED WITH MY EXPECTATION FOR A GIVEN PEDAL FORCE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE, AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN 10V039000.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jan 19, 2021700 milesFL

CAR HAS 750 MILES FROM NEW. FUEL GUAGE DISPLAY 3/4 FULL WHEN TANK IS ACTUALLY FULL.. CAUSES OVERFILLING AND LACK OF TRUST IN GUAGE READING. ALSO CAUSES CHARCOAL FILTER TO FILL WITH GAS. CAUSING IT TO FAIL. IN ADDITION CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO DISPLAY GENERATING NUMEROUS FAULTS COMES. ALL REQUIRE IMMEDIATE DEALER ATTENTION. NO DRIVE CONDITION.

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime → · Every RAV4 Prime year → · How the figures are calculated →