2018 Toyota RAV4

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Toyota RAV4 has 434 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 5.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (30% of all complaints), specifically: the vehicle was stationary in a driveway for approximately 2 hours. after pulling away from the house, dash panel indicators were showing malfunctions on brake systems, aws, etc. it showed that all computer systems were malfunctioning. i drove immediately to the dealer. inspection showed that the wi. ⚠️ 45 fire reports filed.

45 fire reports 34 crash reports 15 injuries

434

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

5.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

130 complaints

30%

• THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN A DRIVEWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS. AFTER PULLING AWAY FROM THE HOUSE, DASH PANEL INDICATORS WERE SHOWING MALFUNCTIONS ON BRAKE SYSTEMS, AWS, ETC. IT SHOWED THAT ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS WERE MALFUNCTIONING. I DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER. INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE WI
• I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED. I BOUGHT A RAV4 2018 IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, IT HAS ONLY 1,900 MILES AND IS ALREADY AT THE DEALER AFTER TAKING MY KIDS TO SCHOOL I WENT BACK HOME AND I USUALLY DO I ACTIVATE THE VEHICLE ALARM BUT IT DID NOT WORK. THE KEYS DOES NOT ACTIVATE OR DIS-ACTIVATE THE VEHICLE ALARM
• MY RAV4 CAUGHT FIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHILE PARKED ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. IT HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 12+ HOURS. AFTER BURNING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, IT EXPLODED WITH A FORCE SO GREAT THAT IT LIFTED THE CAR ONTO THE CURB, KNOCKED OVER A FIREFIGHTER, AND DAMAGED OUR BOAT PARKED 10 FEE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 22 fire reports💥 5 crashes

“THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN A DRIVEWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS. AFTER PULLING AWAY FROM THE HOUSE, DASH PANEL INDICATORS WERE SHOWING MALFUNCTIONS ON BRAKE SYSTEMS, AWS, ETC. IT SHOWED THAT ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS WERE MALFUNCTIONING. I DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER. INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE WI”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

71 complaints

16%

• VEHICLE'S LDA (LANE DEPARTURE ALERT) COULD NOT BE HEARD AND NO VOLUME ADJUST. DEALER WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT CLAIMING THERE IS NO STANDARD LOUDNESS REQUIRED. YET, THE LDA IS PART OF TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE AND MARKETED AS ALERT FOR SAFE DRIVING ASSIST. MY VEHICLE IS 2 WEEKS OLD AND MISSED THE WARNING
• I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND MY SUNROOF EXPLODED RIGHT OVER MY HEAD. I WAS NOT TRYING TO OPEN IT, NOTHING IMPACTED IT, IT JUST EXPLODED AND THE GLASS SHATTERED EVERYWHERE INTO MY CAR AND ON MY HEAD. THE INTERSTATE WAS NOT ROUGH ROAD AND THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE SUNNY AND 50 DEGR
• THE AIR CONDITIONER / HEATER / VENTILATION SYSTEM IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE DRIVER TAKING THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD. THE RADIO IS VERY DIFFICULT TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE DRIVER TAKING THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE REQUIRES DISTRACTED DRIVING. THE HORN CANNOT BE SOUNDED BY PRESSING

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 10 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“VEHICLE'S LDA (LANE DEPARTURE ALERT) COULD NOT BE HEARD AND NO VOLUME ADJUST. DEALER WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT CLAIMING THERE IS NO STANDARD LOUDNESS REQUIRED. YET, THE LDA IS PART OF TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE AND MARKETED AS ALERT FOR SAFE DRIVING ASSIST. MY VEHICLE IS 2 WEEKS OLD AND MISSED THE WARNING”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

34 complaints

• WHILE DRIVING ON SATURDAY MORNING 9/29/18, I STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND MY 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 LOST ALL ENGINE POWER WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THE COMPUTER VIDEO SCREEN SHOWED THE MESSAGE "CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE\MALFUNCTION". I THEN ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT DID NOT CRANK OVER, I WAITED A FE
• AFTER PURCHASING OUR BRAND-NEW 2018 RAV4 FROM AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER, WE WERE HEADING BACK HOME. ON OUR WAY, WE NOTICED BURNING SMELL FOLLOWED BY BLACK SMOKE FILLED FRONT SIDE OF THE CABIN. I QUICKLY MOVED MY CAR TO THE RIGHT SIDE PARKING LOT. WHILE CHANGING THE LANE I COULD NOT EVEN SEE THE RIGHT
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL WAS RUNNING OUT QUICKLY IN THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE EMISSION (ECO) WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA (9101 GLENWOOD AVE, RALEIGH, NC 27617) AND LEITH TOYOTA (8005 CA

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 10 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“WHILE DRIVING ON SATURDAY MORNING 9/29/18, I STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND MY 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 LOST ALL ENGINE POWER WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THE COMPUTER VIDEO SCREEN SHOWED THE MESSAGE "CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE\MALFUNCTION". I THEN ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT DID NOT CRANK OVER, I WAITED A FE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

30 complaints

• I WAS DRIVING IN A FAST FOOD DRIVE THROUGH. IT WAS A STOP AND GO PACE BECAUSE THERE WERE AROUND 5 CARS BEFORE ME AND WAS TRAVELING APPROX 3 MPH. I BEGAN TO PROCEED BUT THIS TIME AS I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR. IN ORDER TO AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND MADE AN ABNORMAL GRINDING NOISE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (HALEY TOYOTA OF RICHMOND, 3600 LONAS PKWY, MIDLOTHIAN, VA 23112, (804) 545-7411) WH
• THE VEHICLE BREAKING SYSTEM FAILED WHILE TRYING TO SLOW DOWN TO STOP A COUPLE HUNDRED FEET BACK FROM STOPPED VEHICLE SITTING AT REDLIGHT, THIS COMPLETELY RESULTED IN COLLISION ON AUGUST 26, 2018. THERE WAS ONLY APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES ON THE VEHICLE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED ON AUGUST 18, 2018

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 10 crashes

“I WAS DRIVING IN A FAST FOOD DRIVE THROUGH. IT WAS A STOP AND GO PACE BECAUSE THERE WERE AROUND 5 CARS BEFORE ME AND WAS TRAVELING APPROX 3 MPH. I BEGAN TO PROCEED BUT THIS TIME AS I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR. IN ORDER TO AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

26 complaints

• FROM A DEAD STOP WHEN ACCELERATING THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SPEED UP IT ACTS LIKE ITS IN 6TH GEAR. TO GAIN CONTROL I NEED TO PUSH THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR & THEN IT SPEEDS UP ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLY. THIS HAPPEN AT 12 TIMES. SEE MY COMMENT BELOW THAT I SENT TO TOYOTA CORPORATE OFFICE. I HAVE WANT I
• THE ENGINE DIES TO IDLE SPEED AND THE CAR STOPS OR SLOWS DOWN. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THIS IS BECAUSE OF A 4 CYLINDER ENGINE CONNECTED TO A 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I WENT TO ACCELERATE TO GET ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND THE CAR SLOWS DOWN. THE PEOPLE BEHIND START BACKING UP
• MY 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS STALLED 5 TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS IN MOVING TRAFFIC, FIRST TIME IN FEB 2019 WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, IN APRIL THREE TIMES WHILE DRIVING TO WORK AND ONE TIME WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK(RUSH HOUR). ALL DOCUMENTED WITH TOYOTA. OCCURS WHEN I TAKE MY FOOT OFF T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“FROM A DEAD STOP WHEN ACCELERATING THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SPEED UP IT ACTS LIKE ITS IN 6TH GEAR. TO GAIN CONTROL I NEED TO PUSH THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR & THEN IT SPEEDS UP ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLY. THIS HAPPEN AT 12 TIMES. SEE MY COMMENT BELOW THAT I SENT TO TOYOTA CORPORATE OFFICE. I HAVE WANT I ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 434 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN A DRIVEWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS. AFTER PULLING AWAY FROM THE HOUSE, DASH PANEL INDICATORS WERE SHOWING MALFUNCTIONS ON BRAKE SYSTEMS, AWS, ETC. IT SHOWED THAT ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS WERE MALFUNCTIONING. I DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER. INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE WI
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: VEHICLE'S LDA (LANE DEPARTURE ALERT) COULD NOT BE HEARD AND NO VOLUME ADJUST. DEALER WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT CLAIMING THERE IS NO STANDARD LOUDNESS REQUIRED. YET, THE LDA IS PART OF TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE AND MARKETED AS ALERT FOR SAFE DRIVING ASSIST. MY VEHICLE IS 2 WEEKS OLD AND MISSED THE WARNING
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: WHILE DRIVING ON SATURDAY MORNING 9/29/18, I STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND MY 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 LOST ALL ENGINE POWER WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THE COMPUTER VIDEO SCREEN SHOWED THE MESSAGE "CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE\MALFUNCTION". I THEN ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT DID NOT CRANK OVER, I WAITED A FE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: I WAS DRIVING IN A FAST FOOD DRIVE THROUGH. IT WAS A STOP AND GO PACE BECAUSE THERE WERE AROUND 5 CARS BEFORE ME AND WAS TRAVELING APPROX 3 MPH. I BEGAN TO PROCEED BUT THIS TIME AS I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR. IN ORDER TO AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)