2020 Toyota RAV4

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Toyota RAV4 has 794 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 9.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (24% of all complaints), specifically: the gas tank will hold up to 10 gallons of gas and trying to add more causes the tank to overflow, even when the fuel light indicates the gas tank isn't full. vehicle is advertised to hold 14.5 gallons. *tr. ⚠️ 5 fire reports filed.

5 fire reports 16 crash reports 16 injuries

794

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

9.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

194 complaints

24%

• THE GAS TANK WILL HOLD UP TO 10 GALLONS OF GAS AND TRYING TO ADD MORE CAUSES THE TANK TO OVERFLOW, EVEN WHEN THE FUEL LIGHT INDICATES THE GAS TANK ISN'T FULL. VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED TO HOLD 14.5 GALLONS. *TR
• PURCHASED 5/22/20. UNIT PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. WENT OUT TO USE THE AUTO AND ALL SYSTEMS FAILING IN AUTO. VEHICLE WILL NOT START. BRAKE ALERT, ENGINE ALERT, AIRBAG ALERT, POWER STEERING ALERT, EVERY LIGHT ON INSIDE VEHICLE FLASHING WITH ALERTS THAT THEY ARE FAILING. *TR
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V064000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. L

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“THE GAS TANK WILL HOLD UP TO 10 GALLONS OF GAS AND TRYING TO ADD MORE CAUSES THE TANK TO OVERFLOW, EVEN WHEN THE FUEL LIGHT INDICATES THE GAS TANK ISN'T FULL. VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED TO HOLD 14.5 GALLONS. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

119 complaints

15%

• I PURCHASED A NEW 2020 RAV4 XLE IN DECEMBER 2020, IT IS NOT EVEN 3 MONTHS OLD. I PARKED MY RAV4 IN MY DRIVEWAY AFTER GETTING HOME FROM WORK. THE FOLLOWING MORNING MY CAR HAD A DEAD BATTERY. I HAD THE BATTERY JUMPED BY TOYOTA ROADSIDE SERVICE. THE CAR STARTED UP, AND I WAS TOLD TO LET THE ENGINE
• THIS CAR IS NEW 800 MILES TOTALLY DEAD BATTERY.PARKED IN DRIVEWAY OVER NIGHT. TOW SERVICE TOOLS US WAS THE SECOND NEW RAV4 WITH A DEAD BATTERY TODAY.
• I HAVE OWNED THIS RAV 4 HYBRID FOR 4 MONTHS. I HAVE DRIVEN ONLY 2500 MILES SO FAR. I LIVE IN NEW ENGLAND AREA. RAV4 IS MADE IN CANADA. TWICE IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS I HAVE HAD A DEAD BATTERY AFTER LEAVING PARKED FOR 2-4 DAYS. BOTH TIMES NEED ASSISTANCE FROM A BATTERY CHARGER. HYBRID BATTERY SHOWS

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“I PURCHASED A NEW 2020 RAV4 XLE IN DECEMBER 2020, IT IS NOT EVEN 3 MONTHS OLD. I PARKED MY RAV4 IN MY DRIVEWAY AFTER GETTING HOME FROM WORK. THE FOLLOWING MORNING MY CAR HAD A DEAD BATTERY. I HAD THE BATTERY JUMPED BY TOYOTA ROADSIDE SERVICE. THE CAR STARTED UP, AND I WAS TOLD TO LET THE ENGINE ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

119 complaints

15%

• WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN OUR BRAND NEW 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID WITH ONLY 5,000 MILES, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SUNROOF EXPLODED ABOVE US -- SHATTERING GLASS FRAGMENTS UPWARDS AND OUTWARDS. OF COURSE, SOME MINOR FRAGMENTS LANDED UPON MY WIFE AND I -- BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE GLASS SHOT UPWARDS AND
• TOYOTA TELLS ME THAT THE LANE DEPARTURE SYSTEM (LDA) AND THE LANE TRACING SYSTEM (LTA) ARE INDEPENDENT BY DESIGN. THIS CREATES AN UNSAFE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE ACCIDENTS. I HAVE ABOUT 4700 MILES ON MY CAR AND MANY MILES OF DRIVING WITH THE LDA & LTA ENGAGED. I HAD POSIT
• THE GAS TANK WILL HOLD UP TO 10 GALLONS OF GAS AND TRYING TO ADD MORE CAUSES THE TANK TO OVERFLOW, EVEN WHEN THE FUEL LIGHT INDICATES THE GAS TANK ISN'T FULL. VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED TO HOLD 14.5 GALLONS. *TR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN OUR BRAND NEW 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID WITH ONLY 5,000 MILES, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SUNROOF EXPLODED ABOVE US -- SHATTERING GLASS FRAGMENTS UPWARDS AND OUTWARDS. OF COURSE, SOME MINOR FRAGMENTS LANDED UPON MY WIFE AND I -- BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE GLASS SHOT UPWARDS AND”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

89 complaints

11%

• GAS LIGHT COMES ON AFTER THE CAR HAS CONSUMED ~10 GALLONS. THE VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED HAVING 14.5 GALLON TANK WITH 580 MILE TRIP.
• VEHICLE INDICATES FUEL EMPTY (GAS GAUGE AND WARNINGS) AFTER APPROX 350 MILES. FUEL TANK SUPPOSED TO BE 14.5 GAL., BUT TANK ONLY ACCEPTS 9-10 GALLONS FUEL BEFORE SHUTOFF. 1 FULL TANK FROM DEALER PLUS 1 FILL-UP WITH SAME RESULT. VEHICLE ALSO ONLY AVERAGING 36 MPG AFTER 2 TANKS MOSTLY HIGHWAY & NOW INT
• 2020 RAV4 XLE HYBRID. FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY WHEN ONLY APPROXIMATELY 10 GALLONS OF THE 14.5 GALLON TANK HAVE BEEN USED. THIS LEADS TO GETTING FAR LESS RANGE FROM A TANK OF GAS THAN THE VEHICLE SHOULD OR IS ADVERTISED TO GET. WHEN YOU FILL THE TANK THE COMPUTER FIRST ESTIMATES OVER 500 MILE RANGE B

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“GAS LIGHT COMES ON AFTER THE CAR HAS CONSUMED ~10 GALLONS. THE VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED HAVING 14.5 GALLON TANK WITH 580 MILE TRIP.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BODY/STRUCTURE

59 complaints

• YESTERDAY 05/21/2020 6 PM IN LAKE NONA ORLANDO , I STOPPED MY CAR ON THE ROAD DUE TO HAIL STORM AND RAIN AT 6 PM , I DIDN'T NOTICE THE DAMAGE IN THE NIGHT , WHOLE BODY IS DISFIGURED , NO GLASS BROKEN , EVERYWHERE DEPRESSION , I HAD RAV 4 2006 , PRADO 2014 IN UAE , THE BODY WAS VERY STRONG , B
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2020 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SUNLIGHT WAS REFLECTED OFF THE CHROME ON THE DASHBOARD, WHICH CAUSED THE CONTACT'S VISION TO BE IMPAIRED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO USE THE SIDE MIRRORS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE INSPECTED. THE MANU
• ON JULY 3, 2020 AT 2:30PM I WAS PARKING THE CAR INTO A PARKING SPACE IN A STRIP MALL WHEN I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR BUT THE CAR IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE PARKED CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE, I PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE, WHEN THE CAR ACCELERA

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

“YESTERDAY 05/21/2020 6 PM IN LAKE NONA ORLANDO , I STOPPED MY CAR ON THE ROAD DUE TO HAIL STORM AND RAIN AT 6 PM , I DIDN'T NOTICE THE DAMAGE IN THE NIGHT , WHOLE BODY IS DISFIGURED , NO GLASS BROKEN , EVERYWHERE DEPRESSION , I HAD RAV 4 2006 , PRADO 2014 IN UAE , THE BODY WAS VERY STRONG , B”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

BODY/STRUCTURE(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 794 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: THE GAS TANK WILL HOLD UP TO 10 GALLONS OF GAS AND TRYING TO ADD MORE CAUSES THE TANK TO OVERFLOW, EVEN WHEN THE FUEL LIGHT INDICATES THE GAS TANK ISN'T FULL. VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED TO HOLD 14.5 GALLONS. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: I PURCHASED A NEW 2020 RAV4 XLE IN DECEMBER 2020, IT IS NOT EVEN 3 MONTHS OLD. I PARKED MY RAV4 IN MY DRIVEWAY AFTER GETTING HOME FROM WORK. THE FOLLOWING MORNING MY CAR HAD A DEAD BATTERY. I HAD THE BATTERY JUMPED BY TOYOTA ROADSIDE SERVICE. THE CAR STARTED UP, AND I WAS TOLD TO LET THE ENGINE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN OUR BRAND NEW 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID WITH ONLY 5,000 MILES, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SUNROOF EXPLODED ABOVE US -- SHATTERING GLASS FRAGMENTS UPWARDS AND OUTWARDS. OF COURSE, SOME MINOR FRAGMENTS LANDED UPON MY WIFE AND I -- BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE GLASS SHOT UPWARDS AND
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: GAS LIGHT COMES ON AFTER THE CAR HAS CONSUMED ~10 GALLONS. THE VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED HAVING 14.5 GALLON TANK WITH 580 MILE TRIP.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)