On XXX, my wife, who is [XXX] pregnant, was driving our brand new 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid (approximately 20 miles on the odometer) at 45 mph on a highway when the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of propulsion. What failed: The hybrid powertrain system shut down while the vehicle was in motion. The instrument cluster d…
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On XXX, my wife, who is [XXX] pregnant, was driving our brand new 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid (approximately 20 miles on the odometer) at 45 mph on a highway when the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of propulsion. What failed: The hybrid powertrain system shut down while the vehicle was in motion. The instrument cluster displayed "Hybrid System Malfunction Do Not Tow This Vehicle" along with check engine light / a multitude of other warnings. The vehicle lost all propulsion and would not restart. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request and is currently at a Toyota dealership. Safety risk: The vehicle lost motive power in active traffic on a 45 mph roadway. My wife was forced to coast to the shoulder with traffic approaching from behind. Sudden loss of propulsion at highway speed created a substantial risk of a rear-end collision and serious injury to my pregnant wife and our unborn child. Reproduction/confirmation: The vehicle was flatbed towed by Toyota Roadside Assistance to an authorized Toyota dealership, where it is being diagnosed. Other inspections: A case has been opened with the Toyota Brand Engagement Center. Police and insurance have not inspected the vehicle. Prior warnings: There were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to the failure; the warnings appeared simultaneously with the loss of propulsion. I am aware of at least two other publicly reported incidents of 2026 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid vehicles displaying hybrid system malfunction warnings or losing power at under 2,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11755954
Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2026
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train
Purchased brand new vehicle. At the time of incident vehicle had 168 miles. I was driving approximately 20 miles per hour on a parkway entrance ramp with no vehicle in front of me and no vehicles approaching from behind. I accelerated gradually to merge onto the parkway. The engine kicked and the dashboard lit up with several wa…
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Purchased brand new vehicle. At the time of incident vehicle had 168 miles. I was driving approximately 20 miles per hour on a parkway entrance ramp with no vehicle in front of me and no vehicles approaching from behind. I accelerated gradually to merge onto the parkway. The engine kicked and the dashboard lit up with several warning indicator lights including the check engine light (see attached images). The dashboard also had the following messages displayed “ system malfunction visit your dealer, drive start control malfunction visit your dealer, AWD malfunction 2WD Mode engaged visit your dealer, check engine visit your dealer, hybrid system malfunction visit your dealer, hybrid system malfunction output power reduced, visit your dealer”. I was able to drive the vehicle home about 1 mile. Called pickup truck and had vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer kept vehicle for 6 days. In that time dealer was in communication with Toyota headquarters. On the 6th day, a mechanic from the service department called and said the vehicle was ready for pick up. When I asked why this occurred, the only thing they could attribute the incident to was the brand new battery was slightly low.
NHTSA ODI #11754250
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2026 Toyota RAV4 PLUG-IN Hybrid Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year