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2023 Toyota RAV4

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 Toyota RAV4 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 258.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 12 of 153 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports1 fire reports9 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

41 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 10, 2026
Unknown Or Other

The backup camera display only works intermittently. About 75% of the time the screen is blank when I put it into reverse

NHTSA ODI #11763436

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2026
Unknown Or Other

Driving South on [XXX] and almost to [XXX] about 60 MPH. The rubber roof drip moldings released and starting flying against my car very hard, this was beyond scary. I had to pull over and try to tuck them in, they are so worn and keep scratching my car from hitting it and could possibly break window or fly off damaging another…

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Driving South on [XXX] and almost to [XXX] about 60 MPH. The rubber roof drip moldings released and starting flying against my car very hard, this was beyond scary. I had to pull over and try to tuck them in, they are so worn and keep scratching my car from hitting it and could possibly break window or fly off damaging another vehicle. These rubber moldings have flown all over the place ever since I got vehicle in 2023, I have continually tried to glue them in they won't stay. There is one on each side and their both loose, I keep pushing back in but won't stay. They have scratched my paint and trim so badly. I called and reported to Toyota they didn't care. They told me you shouldn't run vehicle through car wash, that was a very dumb response, everyone uses car washes. I don't have time to hand wash my vehicle weekly, this should be made to go through a car wash. This is my company vehicle and its the most dangerous vehicle I've ever driven, I'm working in it all day long. I would never buy this vehicle because of this issue, I don't feel safe. Everyone at my company that has this vehicle has the same problem. We purchase all our fleet cars from Toyota and are a huge company Nationwide, Old Dominion Freight Line. This is a major hazard and I'm asking you publish a recall immediately, Toyota needs to fix this dangerous issue and should not sell a vehicle like this. Please I'm asking for your help, thanks so much. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11755630

Mileage unknown · Jun 6, 2026
Unknown Or Other

I was driving across a mountain pass in Washington State at an elevation of approximately 4,000 ft. With no warning I hear a very loud noise, sounding like a gunshot. I was in pretty heavy traffic and pulled over as soon as it was safe. A walk around the car revealed no problems, but looking at the top of the car showed that the…

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I was driving across a mountain pass in Washington State at an elevation of approximately 4,000 ft. With no warning I hear a very loud noise, sounding like a gunshot. I was in pretty heavy traffic and pulled over as soon as it was safe. A walk around the car revealed no problems, but looking at the top of the car showed that the glass over the sunroof had imploded. I'm not a fan of sunroofs and I may have never opened it. My favorite AI search engine Gemini had plenty of information. I experienced what is known as a spontaneous sunroof implosion/explosion. Fortunately, neither my passengers nor I was injured. Toyota is not accepting responsibility for these incidents.

NHTSA ODI #11742484

Mileage unknown · Jun 2, 2026
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

My car has shut off for a second time without warning. This time was in a busy chic [XXX] drive through line in [XXX] . The car read “low power steering” and the battery and engine light came on. These have both been checked before in addition to the alternator and they cannot find an issue. I am having it taken back to the dea…

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My car has shut off for a second time without warning. This time was in a busy chic [XXX] drive through line in [XXX] . The car read “low power steering” and the battery and engine light came on. These have both been checked before in addition to the alternator and they cannot find an issue. I am having it taken back to the dealership tomorrow for further investigation. Given I purchased this vehicle with a little over 19k miles and the car now only has 22k miles on it. It should not have any significant issues such as cutting off while driving on the interstate or while sitting in a busy drive through lane waiting for food. Now I am wondering if the previous owner traded it in for this issue. I will say, both incidences it has been raining and the first time I could have been hit by oncoming traffic due to low visibility and I am wondering if heavy rain has something to do with this. The car has not been through any significant puddles or left out in the rain. It sits in the garage when not in use and has only been used as a work commute vehicle. Something is wrong. They need a recall! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11741686

Mileage unknown · May 19, 2026
Unknown Or Other

Nav Screen randomly goes black for variable amounts of time.

NHTSA ODI #11738694

Mileage unknown · Mar 19, 2026
Unknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

Sat in driver seat, closed driver seat door, and the rear window shattered. There was no impact or other incident to the glass.

NHTSA ODI #11725668

Mileage unknown · Mar 12, 2026
Unknown Or Other

rear hatch fails repeatedly to open. it locks up. it failed to shut too and damaged a rear taillight, forcing me to bring it to toyota. i had toyota dealer look at it twice now. from jan up to mar of this year. they had my car 2 weeks. even after replacing hatch struts and hinges,it still happens. it has to be an electrical, me…

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rear hatch fails repeatedly to open. it locks up. it failed to shut too and damaged a rear taillight, forcing me to bring it to toyota. i had toyota dealer look at it twice now. from jan up to mar of this year. they had my car 2 weeks. even after replacing hatch struts and hinges,it still happens. it has to be an electrical, mechanical, or computer issue causing it. new vehicle, now under 20k mi. the hatch is widespread in rav4 models and I've found soo many reports online of same problem. this needs to be investigated more and fixed and recalled.

NHTSA ODI #11723999

Mileage unknown · Nov 26, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

I purchased my 2023 Toyota RAV4 new back on March 13,2023. 10 days later on March 23 it was raining as I pulled into BJ’s parking lot, I parked and began fumbling around getting my bag and keys together when my car started shaking and sputtering eventually shutting down with an error message engine stopped steering power low. A…

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I purchased my 2023 Toyota RAV4 new back on March 13,2023. 10 days later on March 23 it was raining as I pulled into BJ’s parking lot, I parked and began fumbling around getting my bag and keys together when my car started shaking and sputtering eventually shutting down with an error message engine stopped steering power low. After a call to the salesman I was able to get my car restarted after 15minutes and many failed attempts. Car was bought back to service the following week and I was told car was not properly programmed at delivery, it was now programmed correctly and this should not happen again. April 17,2023 my son pulling into Tractor supply , raining out, pulls into spot and car again shakes, sputters and shuts off, same message engine stopped steering power low. After many attempts car restarts approximately 20 minutes later. Car serviced codes ARE FOUND and cleared, road tested and told car was ok. May 31,2025 I was driving down Rt 80, pouring rain when traffic comes to a complete stop due to accident ahead. Car starts shaking, sputtering and shuts down. Same message code as always. I turned the car completely off as not to kill battery and started to goggle the RAV4. I attempted to restart the car numerous times. Called for a tow, prayed that I didn’t get killed once traffic started to move. Finally 1-1/2 hours later it started. Traffic began moving 15 minutes after I got it started. Took in for service, charged $199.61 only to be told there were no codes. Problem could not be duplicated and in the future to always disable the start/stop button while using the vehicle. October30, 2025 raining, I stopped at Panera drive thru. Placed an order waiting in line and car shuts down, same error code, couldn’t restart car for 20 minutes. Took to Toyota November 5th same response no codes and cannot replicate issue, car is ok. Please help rectify this before someone gets killed!

NHTSA ODI #11701720

Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 2025
Unknown Or OtherInjury

We discovered severe mold contamination and water intrusion in our 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. My wife, our [XXX] child, and I have been experiencing dizziness and nausea for months whenever we were inside the vehicle, but we did not know the cause until the dealer (DLL) showed us extensive mold throughout the cabin and standing w…

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We discovered severe mold contamination and water intrusion in our 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. My wife, our [XXX] child, and I have been experiencing dizziness and nausea for months whenever we were inside the vehicle, but we did not know the cause until the dealer (DLL) showed us extensive mold throughout the cabin and standing water trapped inside the vehicle. The dealer confirmed that this was not normal wear and tear. The mold has spread into the floors, interior panels, and even the steering components. This is a serious health hazard. After doing research, we found many other RAV4 Hybrid owners reporting similar water leaks and mold growth issues. This raises the concern of a potential design or sealing defect in this model. This vehicle is unsafe to drive, especially with a young child. We are requesting a full safety investigation into the water intrusion, sealing integrity, and air quality risks associated with this model. Symptoms:     •    Dizziness     •    Nausea     •    Headache     •    Strong mold smell     •    Corrosion of interior components This is a serious safety and health issue, and we are asking NHTSA to investigate. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11699395

Mileage unknown · Oct 16, 2025
Unknown Or Other

When driving, I occasionally hear a sloshing sound. After inspecting the vehicle, I realized it was coming from the rear passenger door of the RAV4. After putting down large bowls to catch the water, I pulled up on the rubber weather strip at the bottom of the rear passenger door and water gushed out. I collected over 13 cups of…

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When driving, I occasionally hear a sloshing sound. After inspecting the vehicle, I realized it was coming from the rear passenger door of the RAV4. After putting down large bowls to catch the water, I pulled up on the rubber weather strip at the bottom of the rear passenger door and water gushed out. I collected over 13 cups of water out of the door. This is not an isolated incident, as it has happened before. At first I thought it was debris/a fluke that caused this water to accumulate, but after reading forums, there are multiple people out there running into the same issue. It's only ever been the rear passenger door too; none of the other doors are holding water.

NHTSA ODI #11693810

Official recalls

3

25V744000 · Back Over Prevention:display Function

Oct 30, 2025

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.

25V595000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Sep 11, 2025

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.

23V485000 · Tires:valve

Jul 11, 2023

Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota RAV4 vehicles equipped with 17" black alloy accessory wheels. During installation of the alloy wheels, the tire valve stem may have been improperly installed or damaged. In addition, the load carrying capacity label may state the incorrect weight. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged or improperly installed valve stem may allow air to leak and/or the tires to be underinflated, increasing the risk of tire failure and a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wheel valve stems and replace the load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 18, 2023. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 23R1.

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