The Toyota RAV4 has been serving the mass markets faithfully since 1994 and Toyota’s blessing of reliability has helped it retain a commendable spot despite the fierce competition. The SUV’s reliability aspect has not been blot-free in the recent past but the number of occurrences makes up only a fraction of the impressive sales volume of the vehicle. The common RAV4 issues include electrical system problems, powertrain problems, safety system issues, and issues with the headlights. The 2018 RAV4 problems reported by the owners are also mostly related to the exterior lighting, powertrain, and safety systems. The SUV fights off with rivals such as the Mazda CX-5, the Honda CR–V, and the Ford Escape.
Toyota RAV4 user complaints and problems
Engine problems
- Engine fire: Several serious cases of engine fires were officially reported by the owners. In all the cases, the engine fires started while the vehicles were being driven. The owners first noticed smoke coming out from the engine compartment and after a brief interval, the entire vehicle was destroyed by the fires.
- Sudden engine stall: Several reports of sudden engine stalls were reported. The owners complained that while driving, their RAV4s stalled suddenly. In most of the cases, further inspections did not reveal any problems with the vehicles.
- Sudden loss of power: A few users reported this issue with their vehicles. They mentioned that while driving, the powertrains of their vehicles lost power suddenly, nearly causing them to crash. In some instances, after the vehicles were restarted the engine failed to accelerate beyond a specific speed limit.
Electrical problems
- Battery failure: Numerous users complained about a battery failure on their 2018 Toyota RAV4s. The reports said that the batteries of the affected vehicles went dead much before the normal period. In a few cases, the owners had to replace the batteries multiple times but the issue recurred.
Safety problems
- Abnormal brake sounds: A lot of owners were troubled with this issue. Most of the complaints said that after covering a few thousand miles, the brakes started to make abnormal and grinding noises. In a few cases, the brake rotors and the pads were replaced while the issue recurred. A few owners also reported that the noises from the brakes developed only after a few months of owning the vehicles.
- Loss of braking power: A few owners were faced with this issue where they lost braking power to some extent. While braking, the brake pedals went all the way to the floor, or pumping the pedals was required to stop the vehicle.
- Brake failure: A few owners faced a complete brake failure. In one instance, the vehicle was only a couple of days old when the brake failure occurred.
- Airbag failure: There were several reports regarding airbag failures. The owners who faced this issue reported that despite being involved in head-on collisions, the airbags of their vehicles failed to deploy, causing injuries.
2018 Toyota RAV4 recalls
|
S.No. |
Recall Date |
NHTSA Campaign ID |
Issues noticed |
Additional remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
December 20, 2017 |
17V831000 |
Incorrect Load Information on Label/FMVSS 110 |
An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash. |
Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. |
|
2 |
June 28, 2019 |
19V503000 |
Incorrect Load Carrying Capacity Label/FMVSS 110 |
An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. |
SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on August 23, 2019. |
Should you buy a used Toyota RAV4?
The Toyota RAV4 is a genuinely value-for-money option in the segment despite facing fierce competition from its peers. However, in the recent past, the “trusted” Toyota SUV did run into some serious issues such as engine fires while the current 2018 iteration also faced the same fate. Hence, going with a used example of the RAV4 is not recommended by us. You can opt for the Subaru Forester or the Honda CR-V since they do have a better record than the RAV4 here.
