2020 Toyota RAV4 Reliability Report

Hybrid models will not take a full tank. The pump shuts off at roughly 8 to 11 gallons even though the tank is rated at 14.5, so real range runs around 370 to 430 miles instead of the advertised figure near 580. The problem appears from the first fill-up. Some owners say the distance-to-empty reading is wrong and they nearly ran out of fuel. Dealers often call it normal, and some owners say a tank replacement under the recall improved capacity only slightly or not at all.

Most of these filings concern a recall for a front passenger airbag that may not deploy because of faulty occupant classification sensors. Owners report waiting a year or more because the remedy parts are unavailable, and dealers keep telling them no fix exists yet. Separately, there are 7 crash reports in which airbags did not deploy, including frontal, side, and rear impacts, with 3 injuries. Some of these owners got the recall notice only after their crash.

Rear liftgate hinges bend, loosen, or tear away from their mounts, so the hatch sits crooked and will not close fully. One report puts this at about 22,500 miles, and owners say they paid for the fix themselves. Other complaints include door lock actuators failing on all four doors after the warranty, sunroof glass shattering on the highway, peeling hood paint on Blueprint-colored cars, water sloshing inside the doors, and costly front-end damage from a very low-speed bump.

An engine maintenance warning that will not clear leads these reports, traced to a failed coolant bypass valve between about 38,000 and 59,210 miles. The warning often shows up right after a routine service visit, and the powertrain warranty does not cover it. Hybrid owners also describe sudden power loss on the highway with a "Hybrid System Malfunction" warning, plus grinding in reverse. One car stalled on the highway and set off multiple warning lights. In one report, the car rolled and ran over its owner after they stepped out.

Electric power steering assist cuts out for a moment, a warning flashes, then clears. Some owners see this many times over a few months, mostly in the first minutes of driving. Others get an "Engine Stopped, Steering Power Low" message as the engine shuts off and the car will not move. Cars pulling left or right, with or without lane assist, is another pattern, along with grinding or crunching when turning. One owner says the car had the recalled failure but their VIN was not covered.

The same bypass valve fault shows up here, between about 30,000 and 66,000 miles. One owner needed the valve replaced twice, and others waited on backordered parts. Several owners cite an engine cooling recall whose parts were unavailable. More serious cases include overheating and shuddering at highway speed, white smoke from coolant intrusion that required a new engine at about 100,000 miles, and a car that caught fire while parked and unoccupied. The fire department blamed the electrical system or fuel pump.

Two crash reports describe the car surging forward at low speed in a parking lot and hitting a building, with 3 injuries between them. A hybrid lost all accelerator response in traffic after a hybrid system warning. Radar cruise control sometimes detects a collision that is not there and brakes hard, including in slushy snow. One dealer fixed this by cleaning the grille emblem that houses the sensor. Lane centering with cruise control can also drift toward the left edge of the lane.