RoadVitals

2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
37
Latest Jun 7, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
38%
of 98 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 37 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming electrical

The 25 most recent of 37, in the owner's own words

ElectricalFuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 7, 2026
Fire reported

Observed arcing noises and strong electrical fire smell upon plugging in L2 EVSE charging cable. MIL lit, Hybrid Vehicle Charging System codes active; vehicle refused to charge afterwards. Self-diagnosed and repaired defective 6.6 kW onboard charger. See pics of clear arcing damage withing charging unit - possible fire risk.

NHTSA ID
11742590
Incident
May 4, 2026
ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 29, 2026

The vehicle generated an error message "Plug In Charging System Malfunction" warning on the dash. The remedy is a Toyota T-SB-0021-21 which requires a software upgrade to fix the air fan sensor reading to the charging unit. This is only considered part of the 60 month/60,000 mile power train warranty despite it being part of the battery charging system which has a 150,000 mile warranty. It is also presumably caused by a software error Toyota has made. They should fix this at no cost to the customer, instead I was charged $215 plus tax.

NHTSA ID
11734723
Incident
Apr 28, 2026
Electrical
Filed Oct 7, 2024

I was driving along an expressway on a rainy night. The plug-in hybrid car was operating on battery power. Suddenly the motor went dead and it slowed to a stop. This was very dangerous because the expressway traffic had to swerve around me. I may have seen a hybrid system malfunction warning on the display, but I was so distraught that I didn't think to take a photo. After about 5 minutes, I was able to start the car and drive away. The Toyota dealer examined the car later and could find nothing wrong.

NHTSA ID
11618481
Incident
Oct 4, 2024
Electrical
Filed May 10, 2024

The manufacturer issued a recall 10 months ago warning of an electrical charging system issue. They still do not have replacement part available for dealers to repair/replace this. We paid $50,000 for a plug in vehicle that could potentially overheat and catch fire inside our garage. The manufacturer has not provided a repair in a reasonable amount of time.

NHTSA ID
11588041
Incident
Jul 12, 2023
ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 24, 2024

The manufacturer has not corrected the recall in 10 months

NHTSA ID
11584962
Incident
Jul 11, 2023
Electrical
Filed Apr 24, 2024

RE: RECALL # 23TA07 for 2021 Toyota Rav Prime. An interim recall notice was issued a year ago stating "We are currently preparing a remedy. We will notify you again when remedy is available." Initially Toyota claimed it would be remedied by 4th quarter 2023. Now Toyota Corporate has no information when this recall will be addressed. I paid an additional cost of $5000 over the cost of a regular hybrid to get a plug- in hybrid and now cannot use the plug- in feature when temperature is below 40 degrees in the winter. The car is useless as designed.

NHTSA ID
11584911
Incident
Jan 20, 2022
Electrical
Filed Apr 24, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11584904
Incident
Jul 12, 2023
Electrical
Filed Apr 24, 2024

RE: RECALL # 23TA07 for 201 Toyota Rav Prime. An interim recall notice was issued a year ago stating "We are currently preparing a remedy. We will notify you again when remedy is available." Toyota Corporate has no information when this recall will be addressed. I paid over $5000 to get a plug- in hybrid and now cannot use the plug- in feature when temperature is below 40 degrees in the winter. The car is useless as designed.

NHTSA ID
11584903
Incident
Jan 20, 2023
Electrical
Filed Apr 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11580601
Incident
Jul 12, 2023
Electrical
Filed Mar 19, 2024

Toyota dealerships stated that there is no fix for recalled issue and not to charge the vehicle with the charger and to park it outside my home due to a Potential fire concern We are going on almost a year on this recall and there is still no fix. Recall Code: 23TB07.

NHTSA ID
11578192
Incident
Mar 1, 2023
Electrical
Filed Feb 29, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11574671
Incident
Feb 29, 2024
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Feb 22, 2024

A recall on this vehicle has not been addressed since it came out in July 2023

NHTSA ID
11573512
Incident
Feb 22, 2024
Electrical
Filed Feb 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11572172
Incident
Feb 15, 2024
Electrical
Filed Feb 9, 2024

Intermittent issues with the power rear tail gate failing to open. The car will emit a loud beep and the door will stop operating. The dealer claims that there’s no issue even after being shown a video of the issue

NHTSA ID
11571080
Incident
Feb 9, 2024
Electrical
Filed Feb 9, 2024

Manufacturer has failed to resolve a safety recall issued in July 2023 where defective parts will cause the charging system to burst into flames

NHTSA ID
11571074
Incident
Feb 9, 2024
Electrical
Filed Feb 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11569207
Incident
Feb 1, 2024
Electrical
Filed Jan 29, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11568615
Incident
Jan 29, 2024
Electrical
Filed Jan 24, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11567580
Incident
Jan 24, 2024
Electrical
Filed Jan 10, 2024

RECALL HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN CARE OF IN A TIMELY MANNER. CAR MIGHT LIGHT ON FIRE! VERY UNSAFE!

NHTSA ID
11564618
Incident
Jul 12, 2023
Electrical
Filed Jan 3, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was opened. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11563408
Incident
Jan 3, 2024
Electrical
Filed Dec 28, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11562388
Incident
Jul 12, 2023
ElectricalFuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Dec 11, 2023

Toyota issued a recall in July 2023 stating the the DC-DC conversion system may have been damaged in manufacture, potentially causing a short, and possibly leading to a fire if charged at less than 41 degrees. Toyota indicated that a fix would be available in the 4th quarter of 2023. We are nearing the end of the 4th quarter and fix is still not available. Living in upstate New York, nighttime temperatures frequently are less than 41 degrees. As a result I am reluctant to charge overnight. This defeats the purpose of a plug-in hybrid, resulting in higher fuel costs and excess vehicle pollution, not to mention additional anxiety due to potential fire! This is an unreasonable period of time to wait for such a potentially serious defect.

NHTSA ID
11559489
Incident
Jul 12, 2023
Electrical
Filed Dec 11, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11559473
Incident
Dec 11, 2023
Electrical
Filed Dec 2, 2023

Toyota issued a recall in July 2023 for risk of fire, charging the vehicle below 41 degrees ambient temperature. It has been 5 months to remedy the situation. Over 40,000 vehicles are affected. In Western New York we are experiencing colder temperatures, making it impossible to charge without a risk of fire. I am now having to purchase gas at an higher cost, instead of home charging. My multiple calls to Toyota corporate have not given me a timeline for a solution. If I want to trade my vehicle, I will get a greatly reduced value due to the open active recall.

NHTSA ID
11558059
Incident
Jul 11, 2023
Electrical
Filed Nov 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V478000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID
11557741
Incident
Nov 30, 2023

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .