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2019 Toyota RAV4

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most RAV4 years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Toyota RAV4 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 258.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

309 reports with mileage · 568 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 255 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 205 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 102 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

25 crash reports2 fire reports16 injury reports

What owners actually said

877 reports
Mileage unknown · Mar 26, 2023
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

Driving home from work on 3/25/23 at 9:15 pm my dash lights starting going on and off flicking. “Power steering malfunction. Steering power low visit your dealer” “abs” also multiple dash lights came on at the same time. Brake light steering light. Got home and took video while parked to safely show the issue

NHTSA ODI #11513793

Mileage unknown · Mar 17, 2023
Air BagsUnknown Or Other

The roof rack appears to be leaking and water is coming into the car. The glove box was saturated with water and there was a puddle on the floor. There is water in the headliner. We're concerned about the side impact airbags no longer working and the wiring harness. I'm not sure how long it has been leaking but it was only just …

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The roof rack appears to be leaking and water is coming into the car. The glove box was saturated with water and there was a puddle on the floor. There is water in the headliner. We're concerned about the side impact airbags no longer working and the wiring harness. I'm not sure how long it has been leaking but it was only just discovered yesterday.

NHTSA ODI #11512435

Mileage unknown · Mar 16, 2023
Electrical System

DCM unit failed. It controls Toyota safety connect and all communication to Toyota. If I were to be in an accident the SOS button to get help is inoperable. This has been reported to Toyota. This is a problem for nearly all the DCM units across the entire Toyota platform. Toyota is only willing to fix these defective DCM units u…

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DCM unit failed. It controls Toyota safety connect and all communication to Toyota. If I were to be in an accident the SOS button to get help is inoperable. This has been reported to Toyota. This is a problem for nearly all the DCM units across the entire Toyota platform. Toyota is only willing to fix these defective DCM units under a 3 year 36k mile warranty. Considering the extent of the failure of these units across all their vehicles I believe Toyota should fix this systemic problem with their safety system outside their traditional warranty. Thanks

NHTSA ODI #11512233

Mileage unknown · Mar 14, 2023
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceStructure

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 simila…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11511682

Mileage unknown · Mar 9, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

The engine on my Rav4 suddenly stopped without any notification while I was driving it on the freeway. I could have been severely injured from the risk of being rear ended by vehicles behind me. I have experienced this twice now, and both times, I have been on a busy highway in the middle of rush hour traffic. While driving, t…

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The engine on my Rav4 suddenly stopped without any notification while I was driving it on the freeway. I could have been severely injured from the risk of being rear ended by vehicles behind me. I have experienced this twice now, and both times, I have been on a busy highway in the middle of rush hour traffic. While driving, the engine would start sputtering and the vehicle will jolt and shake, eventually causing a warning message to appear that says power steering low, engine shutting off, place vehicle in Park. Then, when I turn the engine off, and try to restart it, it would flash a message that read Not ready to drive. After towing the vehicle to a service department, the vehicle would start up like normal, and the techs could not get vehicle to duplicate the issue. No codes would come up when they place it on a scanner, either. I researched the issue online, and it appears I am not the only one who has experienced this issue with the Rav4. Please reference https://www.rav4world.com/threads/engine-stopped-steering-power-low.323916/ This incident happened twice, once on 3/6 and again on 3/8. I thought the issue was fixed after having my vehicle towed on 3/6 to Freeman Toyota Service where they determined the issue was due to a recall on the fuel pump. However, the incident occurred again on 3/8, and I had to have the vehicle towed as the engine shut off while I was driving on the freeway blocking one lane of traffic on the interchange that connects one freeway to another. I was very fearful of other vehicles crashing into me as some of them were squeezing by between my vehicle and the retaining wall to get around me. It took the wrecker over an hour to get to me due to high traffic time. I have uploaded 2 tow bills I had to pay, and the service invoice for the recall work done. My vehicle is currently at another Toyota Service department where they are telling me they are unable to duplicate the issue.

NHTSA ODI #11511078

28,000 miles · Mar 8, 2023
Structure

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was water leaking into the driver's side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that the failure persisted, and…

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The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was water leaking into the driver's side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that the failure persisted, and he noticed the water was leaking from the roof rack and had entered the air bag compartment area. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water was entering through the headliner; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

NHTSA ODI #11510897

Mileage unknown · Mar 6, 2023
StructureUnknown Or Other

Hatch hinge cracking, bending, and breaking causing hatch door to pull to one side. Hatch door pulling to one side caused the door to rub on the tail light when opening and closing and door doesn’t not seal when shut. This issue was not caused by any foreign objects or accidents. The issue is available for inspection. The issue …

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Hatch hinge cracking, bending, and breaking causing hatch door to pull to one side. Hatch door pulling to one side caused the door to rub on the tail light when opening and closing and door doesn’t not seal when shut. This issue was not caused by any foreign objects or accidents. The issue is available for inspection. The issue has been seen by a dealership. The issue has not been inspected by any other entities. The first sign of the issue occurred in January 2023 with visible evidence the door was pulling to one side. The issue has continued to worsen.

NHTSA ODI #11510469

Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2023
Power Train

Hesitation on acceleration from slow or rolling stop. When I step on the gas it takes a while to respond also when you slow down and accelerate again it hesitates to go .This has been an ongoing issue. It started around 2500 miles. Vehicle only has around 4000 miles total.

NHTSA ODI #11509255

Mileage unknown · Feb 11, 2023
Air BagsElectrical SystemSeats

Car randomly switches into different driving modes, BSM and anti collision goes off while driving. Seat warmers randomly come on high and can’t be turned off. Dealership identified water damage from leaking roof rack resulting in mold and electrical damage. Possible damage to airbags as water leaking into the pillar at front win…

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Car randomly switches into different driving modes, BSM and anti collision goes off while driving. Seat warmers randomly come on high and can’t be turned off. Dealership identified water damage from leaking roof rack resulting in mold and electrical damage. Possible damage to airbags as water leaking into the pillar at front window. Many instances documented online.

NHTSA ODI #11506760

Mileage unknown · Jan 29, 2023
Air BagsElectrical SystemStructure

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 …

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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

NHTSA ODI #11504332

Official recalls

7

20V682000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Nov 4, 2020

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.

20V373000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Jun 24, 2020

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and 2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Water may enter through the steering gear box cover and cause a loss of electric power steering assist.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of power steering assist could increase steering effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear box, free of charge. The recall began August 17, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB11 / 20TA11.

20V286000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm

May 20, 2020

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. The front lower suspension arms may have cracks, which may result in the suspension arm separating from the front wheel assembly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a suspension control arm breaks, it can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower suspension arms, free of charge. This recall began August 10, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's interim numbers for this recall are 20TB08 / 20TA08.

20V064000 · Engine And Engine Cooling

Feb 6, 2020

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines. Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A coolant leak can cause the engine to overheat and cause a vehicle stall in conventional gasoline vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, for all involved vehicles, the engine may get damaged mechanically, possibly resulting in an engine oil leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine including the engine block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 3, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA04. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA02.

19V576000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Aug 6, 2019

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Due to a damaged electrical connector, the back-up camera may not activate when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply to Federal Motor Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the backup camera system does not activate and the driver does not check his/her surroundings while reversing, there is an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the back-up camera system and replace the audio display unit, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 27, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is K0N.

19V503000 · Equipment:other:labels

Jun 28, 2019

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.

19V244000 · Equipment:other:labels

Mar 27, 2019

Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Toyota RAV4 problems