2014 Toyota RAV4 Powertrain (other) Problems

UPDATE TO PRIOR COMPLAINT — Filed April 2, 2026. VIN: [XXX] . 2014 Toyota RAV4 AWD XLE. Team Toyota Langhorne, 746 E Lincoln Hwy, Langhorne PA 19047. Vehicle remains out of service — 53 days as of April 10, 2026. SECOND REPLACEMENT VEHICLE — April 4-5, 2026: Dealership presented 2014 RAV4 VIN [XXX] as replacement. Upon visual inspection: valve cover leaking; blue silicone sealant on valve cover applied unevenly indicating prior engine disassembly or concealed active oil leak; catalytic converter flanges rotted top to rear requiring full replacement; oil on bottom of motor. Photographs available. Dealership declined to repair at estimated cost of $2,500 — April 6, 2026. DEALER RESOLUTION FAILED — April 7, 2026: Bill Sullivan, Pre-Owned Sales Director, offered buyback or trade. Both rejected as inadequate. No resolution provided. Two defective replacement vehicles presented — neither acceptable. Cases: [XXX] / [XXX] / [XXX] [XXX] — [XXX] — [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11730513

Incident

Jun 11, 2025

2014 Toyota RAV4 AWD XLE purchased June 2025. Multiple pre-existing safety defects confirmed by dealership personnel were never disclosed at time of sale. POWER TRAIN: Torque converter failure — vibration documented at pre-sale inspection, never disclosed or diagnosed. Axle bracket corroded so severely it was fused to axle and required cutting off — confirmed by service advisor on recorded call. BRAKES: Aftermarket brake parts installed pre-sale without disclosure. Brake system rated RED by dealership within 9,734 miles of purchase. Severe brake pedal pulsation confirmed on multiple invoices. ODY/STRUCTURE: Severe underbody and structural corrosion — subframe, crossmembers, fuel tank surfaces — never disclosed. Swollen lug nuts documented. Prior welded exhaust repair undisclosed. Exhaust flange separation and catalytic converter failure — repair quote $4,745. SEAT BELT: Rock found lodged in seat belt buckle — safety restraint failure — not noted on pre-sale inspection. RECALL 23V734000 / 23TA13: Aftermarket battery used as recall remedy — OEM replacement required — non-compliant — fire risk not disclosed at sale. All defects confirmed by dealership invoices, MPI video, and recorded calls. Vehicle out of service since February 2026. Complete documentation available.

NHTSA ID

11728692

Incident

Feb 17, 2026

Transmission fluid was serviced at Bill page Toyota, Falls Church, VA 22042 (102,468 miles on 11/2/2023) Transmission failed to operate at 104,771 miles. Car failed to go reverse, noise from transmission gear. Car was inspected at Toyota Ourishman, Fairfax, VA and concluded transmission problem failed.

NHTSA ID

11618381

Incident

Feb 15, 2024

This matter is not related to a accident. This matter is related to a bad transmission on our Rava4. This started at a little over 100.000 miles. Toyota did replace transmission filter and torque converter at 102.000 miles and now we have 152.000 miles at this time, and now our 2nd gear is going out and the transmission needs to be replaced but can't found a rebuilt transmission. Due to back ordered parts. So what are we to do? The Rava4 is worthless without good transmission .Has there been any other related problems like this ? Toyota's are suppose to be good reliable cars.

NHTSA ID

11566909

Incident

Jan 29, 2017

The contact owned a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, it was noticed that there was smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact arrived at the residence and the vehicle burst into flames causing the rear of another vehicle to melt. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. No one was injured. The vehicle was not towed or diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11543080

Incident

Sep 5, 2023

Mileage

120,000 mi

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THIS USED CAR WITH AROUND 90000 MILES IT STARTED VIBRATING WHICH LED TO DISCOVERING DRIVE SHAFT REPLACEMENT. ONE YEAR LATER IT NEEDS ANOTHER DRIVE SHAFT AT 118000. DOESNT GET DRIVEN MUCH IN WINTER. NOTICED CAR SHIFTED INTO A LOWER GEAR WHILE DESCENDING DOWN A STEEP HILL WHILE I WAS TRAVELING AT A HIGHER RATE AND HAD TO APPLY BRAKES QUICKLY TO MATCH THE LOWER GEAR. I FELT THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A PROBLEM IN CAR HANDLING OR DRIVE TRAIN REPAIR. THE REPAIR IS EXPECTED TO COST $550 TO REPLACE THIS SECOND DRIVE SHAFT. PARTS DEALER SAID HE SOLD LOTS OF THESE. I THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG

NHTSA ID

11541821

Incident

Aug 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop at 10-15 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle started shuddering, jerking, hesitated and responded in a surging manner. The contact stated that the failure stopped while driving above 25 MPH. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that she would need to pay a repair fee as Toyota Technical Service Bulletin Number: POL17-06 had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11488966

Incident

Jun 12, 2022

Mileage

130,000 mi

My husband made sure he took the car into the dealership before his current deployment & records showed nothing was wrong. About 2 months ago I noticed the vehicle would jump from 2 to 3 RPM. He changed the spark plugs and battery. The drive improved but soon started revving again. In September, I called the dealership & described the issue & noted that there was no check engine light or any light indicating anything was wrong. The maintenance personnel said to drop it off for further diagnosis. On October 15, I took the vehicle in for a diagnostic it came back with another clean report and was advised to bring it back in if the problem persist. The next morning, I noticed the vehicle was still behaving the same way. I called the dealership and told them I will bring the vehicle back in. I was insistent on finding out what the problem was & showed them a video of what I was describing the vehicle was doing. The dealership said they would keep it overnight to try & figure out what was wrong. The following evening October 21, I got a call stating that my transmission fluid was black with metal shavings and it was supposed to be red. The transmission fluid could no longer be changed at this point but instead the entire transmission needed to be replaced for $8,947.95! Keep in mind that the average cost of changing the transmission fluid is $250. If my vehicle was properly maintained when took it to Toyota dealerships since 2014 for ALL the recommended maintenance, we would not be having this issue. We TRUSTED the dealerships to tell us what maintenance was needed. The transmission fluid should have been replaced at 60,000 miles & it was not. Now we have to replace the entire transmission. Toyota needs to take ownership of their mistake; not properly maintaining our vehicle. It is no fault of our own that it was never indicated to us that the transmission fluid needed to be replaced. His family with no vehicle, exactly what he was trying to avoid before he deployed.

NHTSA ID

11439947

Incident

Oct 15, 2021

GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS. THIS COMMUNICATION IS ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF. I ACQUIRED THE VEHICLE AT ABOUT 33,000 MILES AND I NOTICED THAT IT HAD THIS PROBLEM OF A SLIGHT INTERMITTENT SHUDDER, WHAT SOME WOULD CALL A SHAKE OR VIBRATION, DURING ACCELERATION COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. IT DID NOT AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE SO I IGNORED IT MAINLY BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE THE TIME TO ADDRESS IT. AS TIME WENT ON THE CONDITION BECAME MUCH MORE NOTICEABLE AND TOYOTA SENT ME A LETTER EXPLAINING THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AFFECTING SOME OF THEIR VEHICLES AND THAT THEY WERE EXTENDING THE WARRANTY. I HAVE ATTACHED PHOTOS OF THIS LETTER WITH THIS COMMUNICATION. I FOUND OUT THAT THIS EXTENDED WARRANTY IS CONSIDERED A COURTESY AND CERTAINLY IT COVERED UP TO A CONSIDERABLE MILEAGE HOWEVER MY POSITION IS THAT BECAUSE THIS CONDITION EXISTED AT EARLY MILEAGE AND GREW CONSIDERABLY WORSE WITH EXTENDED MILEAGE AND TIME, THAT PERHAPS YOU MAY CONSIDER THAT TOYOTA SHOULD CORRECT THIS PROBLEM REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OR TIME. MY VEHICLE IS PAST THE ALLOWABLE MILEAGE IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. I KNOW TOYOTA DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR THAT BUT PERHAPS THIS PROBLEM THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF IS FOUND IN A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF VEHICLES THAT IT MAY NOT CAUSE THEM MUCH GRIEF AT ALL. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11388530

Incident

Aug 15, 2019

Mileage

170,000 mi

WHEN CAR IS IN MOVEMENT AT SPEED OF 20 OR30 MPG CHANGING CAUSE A SHIVERS INTO A JERKING FEELING

NHTSA ID

11382777

Incident

Dec 5, 2020

PURCHASED A USED 2014 TOYOTA RAV4 ON 01-2018 FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE OF $12,000. IT HAD 36,198 MILES AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AFTER PURCHASE, NOTICED A SHUTTERING WHILE AT CERTAIN SPEEDS. LOOKED INTO RECALLS AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THESE SYMPTOMS. CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY TOOK MY CAR'S INFORMATION. THEY SAID THAT MY CAR WAS 'ELIGIBLE' FOR THE REPAIRS TO BE DONE. HOWEVER, TOYOTA CALLED THE NEXT DAY AND SAID MY CAR DID NOT QUALIFY BECAUSE IT WAS A 'TOTAL LOSS' VEHICLE. I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THIS AS I PURCHASED IT WITH A BLUE TITLE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I FOUND THE VEHICLE HAD HAIL DAMAGE AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY OPTED TO ISSUE A TOTAL LOSS CLAIM BUT DID NOT FEEL OBLIGATED TO BADGE THE TITLE AS SALVAGE. I FILED COMPLAINT WITH TEXAS BOARD OF INSURANCE BUT THEY HAVE BEEN NO HELP. MY QUESTION TO NHTSA IS HOW CAN TOYOTA REFUSE TO PERFORM WORK ON A VEHICLE THAT HAS A BLUE TITLE? IT HAS NEVER BEEN DEEMED OR BADGED AS SALVAGE AND YET I AM LEFT TO CONTINUE DRIVING A POSSIBLY UNSAFE VEHICLE THAT I PAID FULL MARKET PRICE FOR.

NHTSA ID

11374185

Incident

Dec 14, 2019

Mileage

78,000 mi

THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 11/13/2019 @ 8:30AM. I HAD STARTED MY 2014 TOYOTA RAV4, PULLED OUT FROM UNDER THE CARPORT APPRX. 25FT AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND FULLY ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE I ALWAYS DO THIS IF I NEED TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE RUNNING FOR ANY REASON. IN THIS CASE I WAS HEATING THE INTERIOR AS IT WAS CHILLI. I WENT BACK INSIDE MY HOME TO GET THE ANIMAL CRATE THAT CONTAINED MY CAT WHO NEEDED TO GO TO THE VET. AS I WAS LOADING THE CRATE INTO THE FRONT SEAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN MOVING IN REVERSE. I WAS BETWEEN THE OPEN DOOR AND THE VEHICLE ITSELF AND AFTER FREAKING OUT A SECOND LOOKED TO SEE IF THE PARKING BRAKE HAD DISENGAGED. IT HAD NOT.AT THAT POINT I WAS ALONG FOR THE RIDE AND THE CAR DRUG ME TOWARD THE LAUNDRY ROOM AND I WENT UNDERNEATH THE OPEN DOOR HOLDING ONTO THE ARMREST. WHEN I HAD TO RELEASE MY TRIP I WAS LAID OUT ON MY BACK WITH MY ARMS AND HANDS RAISED. THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE CAME INTO CONTACT WITH FIRST MY LEFT ELBOW THEN WRIST THEN HAND WRENCHING MY LEFT SHOULDER AS IT DID SO. THIS ACCIDENT SHOULD NEVER HAVE OCCURRED. THE SAFETY MEASURES FAILED. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN OCTOBER 2017 AND HAD NO TROUBLE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING AS DESCRIBED MANY MANY TIMES. TOYOTA HAS BEEN NOTIFIED AND NOW NEEDS TO GO TO ANY LENGTHS NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE.

NHTSA ID

11281992

Incident

Nov 13, 2019

Mileage

74,815 mi

VEHICLE SHUDDERS AT BETWEEN 20-40 MPH WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS, UP AND DOWN, LOSES POWER BRIEFLY, BELIEVE IT IS A TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUE

NHTSA ID

11267775

Incident

Oct 9, 2019

Mileage

160,000 mi

AFTER STOP UPON TURNING RIGHT TO BLEND WITH TRAFFIC ENGINE LOOSES ALL POWER , RPM DROPS FROM 1500 TO 400 , THEN WILL CATCH IN ABOUT 4 TO 5 SECOND AND ACCELERATE , HAS HAPPENS 12 TIMES IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS CAR HAS 11000 MILES ON IT

NHTSA ID

11267320

Incident

Jul 20, 2019

Mileage

10,459 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTING TO PULL INTO A PARKING SPOT, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE BODY REPAIR WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $4,700. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT THE ACCELERATION MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE FRONT AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *JS

NHTSA ID

11162919

Incident

Dec 12, 2018

Mileage

32,000 mi

2013-2015 TOYOTA RAV4 TRANSMISSION SHUDDER WARRANTY EXTENSION ZE5. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED UNDER THIS WARRANTY EXTENSIONAT 0 COST TOME. THIS SHOULD BE A L. IT RECALIS A KNOW DEFECT BUT THEY WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO COMPLAIN BEFORE THEY DO THE FIX. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET TO FIND IT BEFORE I TOOK THE CAR IN SO THE ENTIRE PROCESS IS FREE INCLUDING A LOANER CAR. THE SPECIFIC COMPONENT(S) COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT IS/ARE AS FOLLOWS: *TORQUE CONVERTER KIT (INCLUDES TORQUE CONVERTER, GASKETS, ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION PAN MAGNETS) *UPDATED ENGINE CONTROL SOFTWARE

NHTSA ID

11101886

Incident

May 15, 2018

Mileage

32,000 mi

LA TRANSMISSION TARDA EN APLICAR EL DRIVE

NHTSA ID

11088608

Incident

Apr 21, 2014

Mileage

58,661 mi

RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING MY 2014 RAV4 NEAR DOWNTOWN TAMPA ON ADAMO DRIVE AND WAS TAKING A LEFT TURN, AND SUDDENLY I HEARD SOME KIND OF NOISE AND FELT LIKE MY VEHICLE WENT DEAD WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICAL POWER AND IT STARTED REVERSING ON IT'S OWN AND SPUN TO RIGHT. FORTUNATELY SINCE I WAS TAKING A TURN I WAS HARDY AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 10 MPH AND HENCE MY FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR & HEAD LIGHT ETC. GOT DAMAGED AND THERE WAS A VERY MINIMAL DAMAGE TO THE FRONT FENDER ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BEHIND OUR RAV4. FOR THE SAME REASON NONE OF US - EITHER MYSELF, MY FRONT CO-PASSENGER OR THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE BEHIND OUR RAV4 WERE PHYSICALLY HURT AND WERE VERY SAFE AFTER THIS INCIDENT. THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE BEHIND OUR RAV4 INFORMED THAT HE HEARD A KIND OF STRANGE SOUND AND SAW OUR RAV4 REVERSING & TURNING RIGHT, AND HE MOVED AWAY INTO THE RIGHT LANE. THE POLICE OFFICER, WHO HAS COME ALSO INFORMED THAT SHE HAS COME ACROSS THIS KIND OF INCIDENTS WITH TOYOTA VEHICLES RECENTLY, AND DID NOT GIVE ME CITATION AFTER REVIEWING MY INCIDENT FREE DRIVING RECORD AND ALSO SHE COULD NOT FIND REASON FOR THIS FREAK INCIDENT WHICH LOOKS MORE LIKE A MECHANICAL DEFECT OF MY RAV4, AND ADVISED TO TAKE TO TOYOTA DEALER FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION & RESOLUTION. ON FURTHER RESEARCH WE FOUND THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS RECALL - "ELECTRICAL POWER ASSIST SYSTEM" (EPS) FOR 2014 RAV4 WHICH WAS IDENTIFIED & DOCUMENTED BY TOYOTA ON 03/13/2015 BUT WAS NOT NOTIFIED TO THE CUSTOMERS. WE HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA COMPANY, COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, INFORMED THE RECALL AND WE ARE WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA AFTER A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, COMPUTER DATA ANALYSIS FROM OUR RAV4. I AM HEREWITH ATTACHING THE DOCUMENTATION FOR THE RECALL. I AM VERY MUCH WORRIED & CONCERNED ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, SINCE IT IS OF VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE REVIEW AND REPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10905635

Incident

Aug 11, 2016

Mileage

34,000 mi

THIS IS REGARDING RAV4EV - ELECTRIC CAR. I HAD ~50MILES LEFT ON THE BATTERY AND YET I LOST TRACTION MIDDLE OF THE ROAD A MONTH AGO. RADIO AND ALL OTHER THINGS WERE FINE. I HAD THE DASHBOARD SAY "CHECK EV SYSTEM". I HAD TO PULL OVER AND THANKFULLY I WAS ON THE RIGHT MOST LANE WHEN IT HAPPENED. SO I CALLED SOS AND HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO THE SERVICE CENTER. THEY REPLACED DRIVE UNIT, TRACTION MOTOR AND NEGATIVE MOTOR. WHOLE THING TOOK ALMOST GOOD 3.5 WEEKS. I GOT THE RECALL TAKEN CARE LAST AUG 2015 - SO THIS ISSUE IS AFTER THE RECALL. NOW, I DON'T HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE WITH THE VEHICLE. WHAT IF THIS THING HAPPENS ON THE FREEWAY? I AM PRETTY SCARED. I HAVE ONE MORE YEAR ON THE LEASE.

NHTSA ID

10823312

Incident

Jan 4, 2016

Mileage

24,973 mi

WHILE MAKING A TURN UNDER 10 MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITH THE FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES WITH 2 TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP RIGHT AFTER. DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. ONLY A QUICK REACTION ONTO THE BRAKE PEDAL STOPPED THE CAR FROM HITTING SOMETHING. 2 OF THE TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS TURNING UP A SLIGHT HILL. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED SINCE TOYOTA CAN'T FIND AN ISSUE, A UN-EXPERIENCED DRIVER MAY NOT REACT FAST ENOUGH TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

10807075

Incident

Nov 9, 2015

Mileage

9,800 mi