2014 Toyota RAV4 Body & structure Problems

Request for Investigation – 2014 Toyota RAV4 Airbag Non-Deployment On [XXX], at approximately [XXX]., the vehicle was involved in a traffic collision in Lakeland, Florida. The vehicle sustained a significant impact to the driver’s-side front area. Despite the nature and location of the collision, the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbags did not deploy. Law enforcement responded to the scene and completed Police Report. Emergency medical services also responded, and the driver was transported from the scene by ambulance due to injuries sustained in the collision. The primary concern is whether the airbag system, including the crash sensors and SRS components, functioned as designed during this crash. Based on the impact, I am seeking an investigation into whether the non-deployment of the airbags was the result of a defect or malfunction. I respectfully request that NHTSA review this incident, document it within its vehicle safety database, and determine whether similar complaints involving 2014 Toyota RAV4 vehicles exist that may indicate a broader safety concern warranting further investigation. Supporting documentation, including photographs of the vehicle damage, the police report, and any other relevant records, can be provided upon request. Thank you for your attention to this important vehicle safety matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11754652

Incident

Jul 31, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that during a rainstorm, rainwater leaked into the cabin of the vehicle from the A, B, C, and D pillars and the ceiling control center. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced several times due to the failure, but the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the rear passenger side carpet was previously replaced due to excessive water entering the vehicle. The contact was concerned that the leaks were near the curtain air bag housing and might cause the air bags to malfunction. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11691031

Incident

Dec 1, 2018

Mileage

100,000 mi

“The factory paint on my 2014 Toyota RAV4 (Blue ) is peeling in large sections on the roof and hood. The metal underneath is exposed. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting this paint color, and Toyota has acknowledged it in other models. I’m concerned about corrosion and long-term durability.”

NHTSA ID

11666831

Incident

Mar 1, 2025

In reference to Toyota Motor North America - Customer Support Program ZKG. My Toyota vehicle has experienced paint peeling on the exterior metal body panels. I have applied to receive coverage from Toyota for the paint peeling as part of the ZKG Program. Toyota has denied my request for coverage and did not provide me with notice of the ZKG Program. The paint color of my vehicle is the original factory applied Blizzard Pearl (070) paint color. The vehicle experienced noticeable paint peeling around 9.5-10 years from the Date of First Use of the vehicle. I reported the paint peeling to my local Toyota dealer service center around 5 months after the car was ten years past the Date of First Use. Because the ZKG program coverage had expired by the time I had reported the paint peeling, the Toyota dealer service center referred me to the Toyota Brand Engagement Center. The Toyota Brand Engagement Center denied my request for coverage because the vehicle was reported shortly after the Duration of Coverage. I did not receive notice of the Customer Support Program ZKG from Toyota. I became the owner of this vehicle three years before that the program notification was sent out, but the Toyota Brand Engagement Center representative and a Resolution Specialist both indicated that notices were sent to the previous owner. I purchased the vehicle directly from a Toyota dealership using Toyota financing. The paint peeling did not start until very close to time of coverage expiration for my vehicle. I was unaware that I would be required to report the paint peeling issue to Toyota by a certain date as I was never made aware of the Customer Support Program ZKG from Toyota.

NHTSA ID

11640949

Incident

Mar 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the paint on the hood, the front driver-side door, and the rear passenger-side door was peeling. No warning light was illuminated. The VIN was included in an unknown manufacturer's customer program related to the paint issue. The vehicle was taken to an auto body shop where it was diagnosed that certain areas of the vehicle needed to be repainted. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure still occurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11623965

Incident

Oct 7, 2020

Mileage

60,000 mi

In reference to Toyota Motor North America - Customer Support Program ZKG. My Toyota vehicle has experienced paint peeling on the exterior metal body panels. I have applied to receive coverage from Toyota for the paint peeling as part of the ZKG Program. Toyota has denied my request for coverage and did not provide me with notice of the ZKG Program. The paint color of my vehicle is the original factory applied Blizzard Pearl (070) paint color. The vehicle experienced noticeable paint peeling around 9.5-10 years past the Date of First Use of the vehicle. I reported the paint peeling to my local Toyota dealer service center around two (2) weeks after the car was ten (10) years past the Date of First Use. Because the ZKG program coverage had expired by the time I had reported the paint peeling, the Toyota dealer service center referred me to the Toyota Brand Engagement Center. The Toyota Brand Engagement Center denied my request for coverage because the vehicle was reported shortly after the Duration of Coverage. I did not receive notice of the Customer Support Program ZKG from Toyota. I became the owner of this vehicle in the same year that the program notification was sent out. The paint peeling did not start until very close to time of coverage expiration for my vehicle. I was unaware that I would be required to report the paint peeling issue to Toyota by a certain date as I was never made aware of the Customer Support Program ZKG from Toyota.

NHTSA ID

11599876

Incident

Jun 14, 2024

Power lift rear hatch shocks. It's no longer available for inspection because I had the parts replaced on Aug. 24, 2022. Date of first incident UNKNOWN. Before the pandemic began, the rear hatch became inconsistent on opening and closing. When I took it to the dealership, they would reset it. I also took it on 2 occasions to another dealership with the same results. In a day or in a few days, it wouldn't open or close. I was doing grocery pick up so it could have been a hazard not only to me but to the grocery store staff. I couldn't rely on it. I'm a senior citizen. 50% of the reason I bought the SUV was for the power lift hatch. I could have injured my shoulders or my back trying to force it open or closed. Or I could have been injured loading and unloading groceries onto the floorboards behind the front seats. On Aug. 23, 2022 I spoke with the Service Advisor at the dealership and said I need it to be repaired. Do you have the parts? They did the repair the next day. These parts didn't have lamps or messages that were available to the driver. I don't know if there were any for the service technicians. Service Advisor said they have replaced power lift rear hatch shocks on other vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11481267

Incident

Aug 23, 2022

Color stricken

NHTSA ID

11473081

Incident

May 15, 2022

AIRBAGS WERE NOT DEPLOYED AFTER A CRASH THAT LEFT THE CAR CONSIDERED A 'TOTAL LOSS'. THE CAR HIT A POLE AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT ALL. CAUSING DRIVER TO INJURE FINGER AND MISS TIME FROM WORK.

NHTSA ID

11366198

Incident

Sep 30, 2020

Mileage

83,098 mi

WE EXPERIENCED THE CLASSICALLY DESCRIBED SUNROOF EXPLOSION (A.K.A. SPONTANEOUS SUNROOF BREAKAGE) THAT SOUNDED LIKE A LARGE OBJECT CRASHED INTO OUR 2014 TOYOTA RAV4, OR AN OR AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS. MY GIRLFRIEND IMMEDIATELY ASKED 'WAS IT A BLOW OUT', AND I RESPONDED NO BECAUSE THANKFULLY, I HAD 100% CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT SWERVE OR BRAKE OR FEEL ANY MECHANICAL ISSUES BUT, APPARENTLY LET OFF THE GAS AND WAS SLOWING DOWN. THEN, THE DRIVER OF A PICK-UP TRUCK OVERPASSING US ON THE RIGHT GAVE US DIRTY LOOKS AND WAVED TO US LIKE WE NEEDED TO PULL OVER. WE EXITED ON THE NEXT EXIT (S. ACADIANA THROUGHWAY). THE SUNROOF VISOR WAS THANKFULLY CLOSED, AND UPON OPENING IT UP WE NOTICED THE CONVEX CRATER-LIKE SHATTERED SUNROOF, AND IMMEDIATELY SHUT IT WHEREUPON WE TOO NOTICED THE EXCESSIVE NOISE DUE TO WIND CONTACTING THE OPENING. THE SUNROOF EXPLODED OUTWARD, WITH A CONVEX, VOLCANO-LIKE CRATER, AND THOUSANDS OF STRESS CRACKS WITH HUNDREDS OF LITTLE GLASS SHARDS EVERYWHERE AROUND THE OPENING. THIS OCCURRED IN THE CENTER, WITH ABOUT OF THE TOTAL SUNROOF SURFACE AREA MISSING (EJECTED). THIS OCCURRED ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2018 TRAVELLING ROUGHLY 65MPH ALONG I-10 IN BATON ROUGE, LEFT-HAND LANE, WESTBOUND NEAR THE MERGER OF I-12, DURING LIGHT RAIN, NO VEHICLES IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF ME, SMOOTH SURFACES, NO CONSTRUCTION IN VICINITY, WITH NO OVERHEAD LAMPS OR OVERPASSES. WIDE OPEN DIVIDED HIGHWAY. TEMPERATURE WAS 76F, PER CAR.

NHTSA ID

11124602

Incident

Sep 1, 2018

Mileage

17,700 mi

THE HATCH WILL NOT CLOSE FULLY UNLESS I PUSH ON IT. IT'S A SELF CLOSING DOOR. NOW IT STOPS 3/4 OF THE WAY DOWN AND STAYS OPEN. THE VEHICLE IS BEING LOADED AND THEN CLOSED. IT IS STATIONARY.. I'VE HAD IT IN THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES. I'VE QUERIED ON-LINE AND OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11093365

Incident

May 11, 2018

Mileage

30,000 mi

THE PAINT ON THE TOP OF THE CAR IS PEELING.

NHTSA ID

11004137

Incident

Jul 10, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA RAV4. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO LOCK THE VEHICLE DOORS, BOTH THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR LOCKS FAILED TO LOCK AND UNLOCK ELECTRONICALLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DOORS HAD TO BE LOCKED AND UNLOCKED MANUALLY. IN ADDITION, THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR LOCK ALSO FAILED TO UNLOCK WHEN LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (DICK DYER TOYOTA, LOCATED ON 240 KILLIAN COMMONS PARKWAY COLUMBIA, SC 29203) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT DOOR ACTUATORS ON BOTH SIDES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,312.

NHTSA ID

11001934

Incident

Feb 18, 2015

Mileage

60,312 mi

RAV4 2014 BACK SEAT PASSENGER DOORS HAVE SHARP EDGES AND HAVE HIT MY 2.5 YRS OLD DAUGHTER MANY TIMES. IT IS A DANGEROUS EDGE AND IT COMES AT THE HEIGHT OF 2.5 TO 3 YEAR OLDS WHEN THEY TRY TO GET IN THE BACK SEAT. I HAVE TO BE ALWAYS LOOKING AFTER IT TO BE CAUTIOUS. IT COULD LEAD TO A DANGEROUS EVENT IF NOT PREVENTED. TOYOTA SHOULD PROVIDE GUARD TO COVER THOSE SHARP EDGES AS IT IS A FAMILY VEHICLE AND SAFETY SHOULD BE TOP PRIORITY. EVEN FOR ADULTS IT CAN CAUSE SHARP CUT WHICH WOULD BE A CASUALTY IF NOT PREVENTED. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK INTO THIS. APPRECIATE YOUR HELP ON THIS THANKS

NHTSA ID

10881642

Incident

Jun 10, 2016

CAR 1 CUT IN FRONT OF CAR 2, CAR 3 (OURS) STOPPED 1 CAR LENGTH AWAY, WHEN STARTED TO DRIVE PAST THE CRASH SUDDENLY CAR 4 SLAMMED INTO CAR 3 (OURS) AND PUSHED MY WIFE'S CAR INTO CAR 2 AND CAR 2 INTO CAR 1 AGAIN. AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY, SEAT BELT LOCKED AND EMS HAD TO GET MY WIFE OUT. WHEN THIS HAPPENED MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON I95 HEADING SOUTH JUST PASSING EXIT 60 HYPOLUXO DR AT ABOUT 45MPH WHEN SHE WAS ABLE TO STOP. SHE WAS GOING LESS THAN 5 MPH WHEN SHE WAS HIT BY CAR 4....UPDATED 11/05/15 *BF *JS

NHTSA ID

10787567

Incident

Oct 29, 2015

Mileage

20,000 mi

THE BOTTOM OF ALL FOUR DOOR WHERE THE DOOR AT THE BOTTOM MEETS THE HARDEN RUBBER OR PLASTIC. LOOKING AT THE DOORS FROM THE OUTSIDE IT WOULD ALWAYS BE IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNERS AT WHERE THE CURVED PART OF THE DOOR MEETS THE STRAIGHT PIECE RUNNING ALONG THE BOTTOM. EACH OF THESE CORNERS ARE EXTREMELY SHARP AND HAVE CAUSED UPON CLOSING BY WIND TO CUT THE CALF OF THE LED, WHICH LED TO OPENING TWO BLOOD VESSELS, REQUIRING EMERGENCY ATTENTION AND STITCHES. HAVE CHECKED AT LEAST 10 OTHER RAV4'S SAME MODELS SAME YEAR IN ADDITION TO FOUR ON TWO SEPARATE DEALER LOTS. ALL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10676527

Incident

Nov 16, 2014

Mileage

2,400 mi

ON BUSINESS AND VACATION, COMING FROM LA TO ATLANTA...I WAS DRIVING SPEED LIMIT IN FAR LEFT LANE, ON INTERSTATE, IN LAGRANGE ,GA, A TRUCK COMING ONTO THE INTERSTATE MERGING FROM FAR RIGHT LOSS CONTROL BECAUSE SHE WAS SPEEDING AND THE ROADS WERE SLICK FROM A LIGHT RAIN, SHE FISHTAILED FROM THE FAR RIGHT , CROSSING THE RIGHT LANE AND COMING HEAD ON IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAFFIC , HITTING MY RENTAL VEHICLE..RAV 4. HIT US HEAD ON...THE AIRBAGS POPPED OUT EVERYWHERE, BLOCKING ESCAPE EXITS, WE THOUGHT THE TRUCK WOULD CATCH AFIRE, BECAUSE OF SMOKE SMELL, WE TRIED TO GET OUT, ALL DOORS ON THE LEFT OF THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT OPEN, ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T HIT IN ANY WAY, HAD TO CRAWL OVER SEATS AND UNDER AIRBAGS TO ESCAPE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF VEHICLE. EVEN THE HATCH BACK DOOR AT REAR OF VEHICLE WOULD NOT OPEN AT ALL. WE JUST BARELY ESCAPED WITH OUR LIVES,AND INJURIES, BECAUSE IF WE DIDN'T PUSH THE RIGHT SIDE DOORS WE WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAPPED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10640943

Incident

Aug 1, 2014

I JUST GOT A LEASED A BRAND NEW RAV4-2014 ON JULY 1, 2014. I REPORTED TO THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING ISSUES: ON 7/6/14, I CALLED THE DEALER TO REPORTED. I WAS TOLD TO WAIT UNTIL FRIDAY, WHILE THEY ORDERED THE PART. HOWEVER, ANOTHER ISSUES I REPORTED: A( ON 7/1/14 WHILE DRIVING TOWARDS MY HOME THE LEFT FRONT HUBCAP, CAME OFF. IS DEFECTIVE. B) REAR HUBCAP, PASSENGER SIDE, WITH DAMAGE, ANYTIME IS GOING TO COME OFF WHILE DRIVING, MAY HIT A PEDESTRIAN OR ANOTHER CAR. C) REAR BACK BODY OF THE CAR, A PLASTIC PIECE IS PEELING BACK, MAY COME OFF WHILE DRIVING AND HIT A PEDESTRIAN OR ANOTHER VEHICLE. D) FRONT DOOR PASSENGER SIDE. BENEATH THE HANDLE THERE 2 LARGE WITHE, DEEP SCRATCHES. E) INTERIOR DOOR PANEL, PASSENGER SIDE, IT LOOKS DIRTY AND WITH SPOTS. F) TWO TIRES HAVE BEEN MARKED WITH BIG RED DOTS. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY, IS THE FIRST TIME NEVER ON MY OTHER PREVIOUS CARS. I AM AFRAID THAT THE DEALER GAVE ME A LEMON CAR. HOWEVER IS FULL THE MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THE CAR, AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER FUTURE ISSUES. FINALLY, NOBODY AT THE DEALER IS SHOWING ANY INTEREST TO TAKE CARE OF MY COMPLAINT. I'VE LEFT SEVERAL MESSAGES TO CALL ME BACK. UP TODAY NOBODY HAS TRIED TO CALL ME BACK, EITHER TO ANSWER THE PHONE WHEN I CALL ANY OF THE MANAGERS. LAST FRIDAY, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALER BUT ONLY TO PICK IT THE PLATES AND THE NEW REGISTRATION. I BROUGHT COPIES OF THE DAMAGES, NOBODY EVEN TRY TO TALK TO ME, WAS LIKE SAY, THEY JUST LOOK AT ME, AS IF SAYING "WHATEVER". I NEED YOUR HELP. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10614831

Incident

Jul 1, 2014

Mileage

6 mi