2025 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid Problems

On XXX; I drove to [XXX] from [XXX], with a friend for a luncheon. I pulled into the restaurant parking lot to park my car. It was a sunny day and the parking lot was paved. I made a right turn into a parking space, I was applying the brakes and coasting into the space. I was about 1/3 of the way into the space when I felt the loss of brake tension. Then the car revs loudly; suddenly and unexpectedly the car accelerates forward as I was still pressing down on the brakes. I pushed the brakes as hard as I could until the car stopped, but not until it had jumped a small curb, onto the dirt and bushes in front of the parking space. I stopped the car before it hit a fence behind the bushes. The impact bent my license plate but no other damage to the car was noted even though the front end of the car was more than halfway in the bushes. There were skid marks noted on the parking lot pavement from my car . I had held the steering wheel so tight that I tweaked my right wrist which is now sore. Had there been a solid wall facing us we could have been killed. I called SF Toyota to explain what had happened and to ask if they knew anything about the unexpected engine acceleration and brake failure. Their response was vague and they really didn't know. They did not ask that I bring the vehicle in for inspection; nor did they state that I should not drive it. After lunch, with much hesitation, I drove my friend and I back to [XXX]. The car was not driven again until the next morning when I took it to the Service Dept. of SF Toyota. On XXX SF Toyota advised they are awaiting vehicle inspection from a corporate Toyota representative. Toyota Corp. has assigned the incident Case Nos. XXX and XXX. I have asked both Toyota Corp. and SF Toyota for a free loaner. They will not grant this pending their investigation. No warning lamps, messages, etc. appeared. I do not know when Toyota Corp. will send their rep. No ETA for repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

With the car stopped & the transmission in the Drive or Reverse position with foot off the brake pedal: 1. Pushing the Power button once to turn the car off results in the transmission automatically shifting from Drive or Reverse to Neutral without automatically setting the Parking Brake. 2. If the car's front-end is on a slope pointed up-slope the car will freely roll backwards. If the car's front-end is pointed down slope the car will freely roll forward. The above sequence is very dangerous when on a steep slope. This problem was first experienced in a Home Depot parking lot that was uneven. Parked with the nose up-slope in a small depression. The Power button was pushed while the transmission was still in the Drive position & the car immediately started rolling backwards. Fortunately, nobody was behind the car. I quickly pushed the brake pedal to stop the rolling. The proper way to shut off the car, of course, is to put the transmission in the Park position first, which automatically engages the Parking brake, confirmed by a light on the manual Parking Brake switch. I also own a 2007 Prius, bout new. That car has a paddle trans lever, Parking Brake & Power switches. The parking brake is all mechanical with a parking brake pedal. Whereas the 2025 RAV4 does NOT have a parking brake pedal -- it has a switch. Pushing the Prius' Power Switch (off) automatically locks the transmission regardless of the trans mode (D, R, N) such that the front wheels lock& the car will not move, regardless of the parking brake setting. Thus, the Prius is intrinsically safe with locked front wheels unable to turn on a slope regardless of the parking brake setting. I discussed this with Toyota & my dealer. The dealer reported another customer had also complained about this problem. Toyota quickly closed my complaint #251006003193 with no explanation stated. See the attached PDF doc.

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid. The contact stated that while attempting to shift from drive(D) to park(P) in a parking spot with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and struck a tree. The contact stated that the passenger simultaneously opened the passenger’s side door but still had the seat belt buckled. While attempting to exit the vehicle, the vehicle crashed into a tree, where it came to a stop. The passenger sustained head and shoulder injuries. Medical attention was required. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that a technician would be sent to read the Event Data Recorder. The failure mileage was 75,000.

On XXX; I drove to [XXX] from [XXX], with a friend for a luncheon. I pulled into the restaurant parking lot to park my car. It was a sunny day and the parking lot was paved. I made a right turn into a parking space, I was applying the brakes and coasting into the space. I was about 1/3 of the way into the space when I felt the loss of brake tension. Then the car revs loudly; suddenly and unexpectedly the car accelerates forward as I was still pressing down on the brakes. I pushed the brakes as hard as I could until the car stopped, but not until it had jumped a small curb, onto the dirt and bushes in front of the parking space. I stopped the car before it hit a fence behind the bushes. The impact bent my license plate but no other damage to the car was noted even though the front end of the car was more than halfway in the bushes. There were skid marks noted on the parking lot pavement from my car . I had held the steering wheel so tight that I tweaked my right wrist which is now sore. Had there been a solid wall facing us we could have been killed. I called SF Toyota to explain what had happened and to ask if they knew anything about the unexpected engine acceleration and brake failure. Their response was vague and they really didn't know. They did not ask that I bring the vehicle in for inspection; nor did they state that I should not drive it. After lunch, with much hesitation, I drove my friend and I back to [XXX]. The car was not driven again until the next morning when I took it to the Service Dept. of SF Toyota. On XXX SF Toyota advised they are awaiting vehicle inspection from a corporate Toyota representative. Toyota Corp. has assigned the incident Case Nos. XXX and XXX. I have asked both Toyota Corp. and SF Toyota for a free loaner. They will not grant this pending their investigation. No warning lamps, messages, etc. appeared. I do not know when Toyota Corp. will send their rep. No ETA for repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

After purchasing a new vehicle, I have become aware of a persistent and widely reported problem with the Toyota/Lexus battery maintenance/charging logic for the 12V batteries in their HEV and PHEV vehicles. This results in chronic under-charging of the 12v battery due to low charging voltage even during normal use and produces a failed 12v battery within 6-24 months. The problems are so widely known and investigated by owners that there is now a complete white paper on the subject: [XXX] Toyota/Lexus needs to respond to this and provide a software patch that addresses the well-documented issue so that new owners like me are not confronted with a choice between (a) driving the vehicle and risking getting stuck in an unpleasant or dangerous situation when the vehicle fails to start; (b) modifying the manufacturer's system and risk voiding my warranty; or (c) spending additional money on diagnostic equipment for something that is a clear manufacturer error. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The headlights on my RAV4 do not shine far enough in front of the vehicle and have a straight line cut off at top of beam. While driving in rural areas of the California foothills this issue is dangerous. As you go up and down and wind around rural roads you cannot see far enough ahead to see what might be lurking in the dark. We've had this car Since August 2nd 2025, 3500 miles to date and don't believe it is safe to drive at night on winding roads. The lack of visibility in front of you gives you the desire to slow way down below safe speed limits because you can't see out infront of you. LIving in the foothills for many years with deer, other animals or fallen rocks, it has become very scary driving at night with our new RAV4. Searching for other consumer opinions I have found many online forums with simular experiences, suggesting going to the dealership to have the headlights aimed hirer. This would change the stock legal safety settings and I'm afraid of possible legal reprocusions if we get into an accident. I have gone to my Facebook RAV4 group also to ask if anyone else has had this problem. It was unanimous, this is an issue with everyone. Others stated they won't drive at night. I also have a GMC truck and a stock unaltered, low to the ground 2017 Chevy Volt. I've never experience this issue with any other vehicles, present or past.

With the car stopped & the transmission in the Drive or Reverse position with foot off the brake pedal: 1. Pushing the Power button once to turn the car off results in the transmission automatically shifting from Drive or Reverse to Neutral without automatically setting the Parking Brake. 2. If the car's front-end is on a slope pointed up-slope the car will freely roll backwards. If the car's front-end is pointed down slope the car will freely roll forward. The above sequence is very dangerous when on a steep slope. This problem was first experienced in a Home Depot parking lot that was uneven. Parked with the nose up-slope in a small depression. The Power button was pushed while the transmission was still in the Drive position & the car immediately started rolling backwards. Fortunately, nobody was behind the car. I quickly pushed the brake pedal to stop the rolling. The proper way to shut off the car, of course, is to put the transmission in the Park position first, which automatically engages the Parking brake, confirmed by a light on the manual Parking Brake switch. I also own a 2007 Prius, bout new. That car has a paddle trans lever, Parking Brake & Power switches. The parking brake is all mechanical with a parking brake pedal. Whereas the 2025 RAV4 does NOT have a parking brake pedal -- it has a switch. Pushing the Prius' Power Switch (off) automatically locks the transmission regardless of the trans mode (D, R, N) such that the front wheels lock& the car will not move, regardless of the parking brake setting. Thus, the Prius is intrinsically safe with locked front wheels unable to turn on a slope regardless of the parking brake setting. I discussed this with Toyota & my dealer. The dealer reported another customer had also complained about this problem. Toyota quickly closed my complaint #251006003193 with no explanation stated. See the attached PDF doc.

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota RAV4 equipped with Dunlop Tires, Tire Line: Grand Trek PT20, Tire Size: 225/60/R18, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the rear driver’s side tire. Upon inspecting the vehicle the following morning, the contact became aware that the tire was flat. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the tire was taken to a tire repair shop, and it was determined that the tire could not be repaired, and a stone was removed from inside of the tire. The tire was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 800.

The multifunction display does not automatically dim at night as indicated in the manual and in the settings. The display stays at the level manually set. This means that it can be so bright at night that the driver is blinded to the road ahead which could lead to an accident. It is very difficult and unsafe to try to dim it manually while driving.