2019 Toyota RAV4 Owner Complaints

On October 12, 2026, the power back door on my 2019 RAV4 XSE Hybrid stopped closing all the way. It would come down and stop before it latched. The left side of the door (driver’s side) sticks out past the body and doesn’t line up anymore, and the two pieces of the taillight on that side don’t match up. The right side closes too tightly and rubs up against the taillight. It wont latch unless forced and pulled from the inside. I have only done this once to get it shut, and one more time when showing the autobody shop the issue. I don’t know what caused it. But it appears the hinges are pulling away from the body of the car. The latch looked ok other than some dog hair and dirt in it. The car is available if anyone needs to look at it. Since the door won’t close fully, I’m worried about exhaust getting into the car when I drive. I will have to get it fixed before we get into winter and it starts snowing. I called Toyota and they have no recall for the problem, even thought I have found numerous posts about it online and a class action suit from 2024. I first noticed it on October 12 when the door wouldn’t shut.

NHTSA ID

11777162

Incident

Oct 12, 2026

Both of my rear control arms failed on my 2019 rav 4. They failed at the same time, this is very unusual so I looked into it and found a recall Toyota's 2020 recall (20TA08 / NHTSA 20V-286). however it only involves the front control arms. I feel this needs to be looked into. I’m asking my mechanic to take pictures and document everything.

NHTSA ID

11775702

Incident

Oct 13, 2026

My transmission failed, torque converter. My check engine light came on with "AWD malfunction" on the dash on 10/21/26. I had to get it towed to the closest dealership. I was told it is covered under warranty to replace and repair, the following Tuesday 10/27/2 I havd to call and ask what was going on. They then informed me the part is on back order until end of December (they do not have a date) 2026- Leaving me with no vehicle for 2 months, Krause Toyota will not let me drive the car (not state legal with a faulty transmission) and only gave me a rental for 5 days. I am now forced to pay out of pocket for however long they will have my Rav4. I have called the Brand Engagement department and they have not been very helpful. The guys in the service department at Krause are extremely rude and bothered by the fact that I had questions. I did ask about the lawsuit regarding my 2019 Rav4 faulty transmissions and they said they didn't know anything about it. Any help regarding this very frustrating matter would be helpful.

NHTSA ID

11775498

Incident

Oct 21, 2026

2019 Toyota RAV4, Adventure model, AWD. Toyota issues a Toyota Customer Support Program "20TE03" which extends warranty coverage for the front transfer case electro-magnetic clutch in specific 2019–2020 Toyota RAV4 Adventure and Limited AWD vehicles. Toyota's "brand engagement center" says it covers Adventure models manufactured Mar 2018 thru Oct 2019 and my vehicle was mfgd Jan 10th, 2019, smack in the middle of the production period that is covered. Toyota says it's covered under the CSP, but my local dealers are denying it, saying when they try to process the work order, it denies it, saying the last vin KW013786 does not qualify, since the W digit can only be an A, B or C. But when the Toyota "brand engagement center" searches by using my VIN, it says my VIN is indeed included in the "20TE03" Customer Support Program ticket. Or said another way, Toyota says it's covered, the dealer says it's not.

NHTSA ID

11774766

Incident

Oct 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that while attempting to open the driver's and rear passenger's side doors from outside the vehicle, the exterior door handles fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a fractured rear exterior driver's door handle and rear exterior passenger's door handle. The contact was informed that the exterior door handles needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11773257

Incident

May 19, 2026

Mileage

130,000 mi

"I am filing a deceptive trade practices and fraudulent service documentation complaint against Rodland Toyota of Everett. I brought my 2019 Toyota RAV4 in for a critical drivetrain defect under an active corporate warranty program. The dealership returned the vehicle to me with official invoice documentation stating they inspected and test-drove the vehicle. However, the official paperwork provided by the dealer shows that the 'Odometer In' and 'Odometer Out' mileage are completely identical. The dealership committed consumer fraud by falsifying safety inspection records and failing to perform any diagnostic work, leaving me to drive an unsafe vehicle. Toyota Corporate Case Management is now using this fraudulent lack of replication to deny my coverage under Customer Support Program 20TE03."

NHTSA ID

11772583

Incident

Aug 27, 2026

Code P26CB likely a premature error on water pump causing overheating

NHTSA ID

11772456

Incident

Oct 13, 2026

The heated steering wheel in my 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid experienced a significant overheating incident that resulted in smoke, bubbling, and damage to the steering wheel's leather covering. Approximately 10 minutes after activating the heated steering wheel function, smoke began coming from the steering wheel. The material beneath the leather covering appeared to become excessively hot and began visibly bubbling and expanding. As the overheating continued, the leather covering ruptured, creating a hole in the steering wheel. Prior to this incident, the steering wheel was intact, with no punctures, holes, or visible damage. The hole developed during the overheating incident as the material beneath the leather bubbled and the covering ruptured. This occurred during normal use of the vehicle's factory-installed heated steering wheel feature. The sudden appearance of smoke and excessive heat created a serious safety concern, including the potential for burns, fire, driver distraction, and loss of vehicle control. The vehicle was subsequently taken to a Toyota dealership for inspection. The exact cause of the overheating has not been determined. I am reporting this incident because a heated steering wheel should not produce smoke, overheat to the point of damaging its exterior covering, or create a potential fire hazard during normal operation.

NHTSA ID

11772208

Incident

Oct 17, 2026

2019 Rav 4 car broke down in transmission just after 85k, the the hollywood toyota is asking for $7600 to fix it. The car was driven only like 20 miles per day office school. Family driven car. we wanted to fix this with other mechanics and got to know all new Rav4 are breaking down on transmission and needs a recall. Lot of people are buying those parts. why toyota service centers cannot fix the part and have to do complete transmission assembly change? they are asking 50% of the car value to fix the issue.

NHTSA ID

11771625

Incident

Sep 15, 2026

I am reporting a potentially recurring safety-related failure of the electric engine coolant/water pump on my 2019 Toyota RAV4 equipped with the 2.5L A25A-FKS engine. My vehicle recently developed DTC P26CB/P26CB71, indicating an electric engine coolant pump performance/speed problem. The failure caused loss of proper coolant circulation and resulted in my vehicle overheating while I was driving on the highway. An unexpected cooling-system failure at highway speed creates a safety hazard and can result in severe engine overheating, potentially catastrophic engine damage, and an unexpected need to stop near traffic. Approximately two months before this failure, my vehicle received a separate cooling-system repair from an authorized Toyota dealer under Customer Support Program 24TE04, which covers the flow shut-off valve/water-bypass assembly on certain 2019–2021 RAV4 vehicles. Approximately two months later, the vehicle developed the P26CB coolant-pump fault. Toyota previously documented electric water-pump problems involving P26CB71 on A25A-equipped vehicles. In Tech Tip T-TT-0614-20, dated May 28, 2020, Toyota identified P26CB71, P26CA14, and P26CA31 and/or coolant leakage from the electric water pump on A25A applications, including the RAV4. Toyota stated the issue was "currently under investigation." Toyota subsequently confirmed to me that the P26CB water-pump issue is separate from the 24TE04 repair and that there is currently no Customer Support Program or warranty extension covering the physical electric coolant pump on my 2019 RAV4. I request that NHTSA review complaint, warranty, repair, and manufacturer data to determine whether premature electric coolant-pump failures involving P26CB/P26CB71 represent a broader safety-related defect trend, particularly in 2019–2021 RAV4 vehicles equipped with the A25A engine, and whether further investigation or corrective action is warranted.

NHTSA ID

11767567

Incident

Sep 27, 2026

The wipers started acting up a few months ago, the low setting would cycle 7 times then stop randomly, the high setting would cycle 11 times then stop randomly. I could reset it by turning off, then on. On 9/22/2026 I was driving home when it started to down pour. The wipers at first did as previous. But at a critical moment they completely stopped and would not cycle again. I had to pull over to the side while in traffic and not being able to see. I have replaced the wiper motor and switch but to no avail.

NHTSA ID

11766456

Incident

Sep 22, 2026

Component: Engine — Engine Cooling System — Coolant Pump Summary: The electric water pump on my 2019 Toyota RAV4 failed prematurely at 64273 miles. The check engine light illuminated with diagnostic trouble code P26CB (Engine Coolant Pump Performance/Stuck Off). The engine coolant temperature fluctuated rapidly / coolant level dropped. The vehicle required immediate repair to avoid engine damage. This is a recurring failure pattern on 2019–2021 Toyota RAV4 and Camry vehicles equipped with the 2.5L A25A-FKS engine, where the electric water pump seizes due to an apparent defect in its plastic housing and rotor assembly. Failures are routinely reported at 30,000–60,000 miles—far below the expected service life of the component. Loss of coolant circulation creates an overheating hazard and can lead to sudden loss of propulsion and engine damage while driving. Toyota has issued technical service bulletins related to coolant seepage at the pump but has not recalled the component or extended warranty coverage, leaving owners to bear repair costs of $600–$1,300 for a premature defect-driven failure. I request NHTSA to evaluate this defect for a safety recall.

NHTSA ID

11764531

Incident

Sep 9, 2026

As soon as my vehicle hit 100K mileages and there's "AWD System malfunction" sign showed up on dash. Got it done replaced it cost roughly more than $500. After 2 days later another problem shows up on dash this time it was "engine maintenance required" show on dash again. Heard people had the same issue to whoever own 2019 RAV4 and they all had the same for those 2 issues. Toyota company should pay attention for these kind of problems or like some of of recall.

NHTSA ID

11763036

Incident

Sep 5, 2026

While driving in the mountains on a hot day, the car suddenly reported numerous faults, including check engine, parking brake malfunction, pre-collision system malfunction, AWD system malfunction, and secondary collision brake system malfunction. The car lost power and forced us to pull over on the side of a dangerous mountain highway. We powered-off the car for a few minutes and started it again and were able to proceed to our nearby remote mountain destination without another loss of power, but the faults remained. The next day we were able to get the car to a nearby NAPA store to read the check engine codes, which there were only 2 of the "P0087" code. I had them clear the fault codes in order to be able to safely drive the car (~120 miles) back home. Some quick research shows a known issue and TSB for that in our exact high-altitude and high-temperature situation - Toyota T-SB-0058-22, related to a known design flaw with the ECM and fuel suction tube. Luckily, it did not throw the errors again during our drive home. I made an appointment at our local AutoNation Toyota Arapahoe for the following week. I detailed the issue and provided pictures of the errors - including the code reader display. The dealer claimed to not find any issues and refused to address/execute the TSB, stating that the code must be active and present in order for them to fix it and that my pictures were not sufficient proof. I explained that it was an unacceptable safety risk to have left the car in that state and that the issue is known to only occur in certain conditions (e.g. high-altitude, high-temperature mountain driving). Issue remains un-addressed, which is highly unacceptable and poses a serious on-going safety risk.

NHTSA ID

11758893

Incident

Aug 7, 2026

We were driving down the highway passing another vehicle when we lost steering and the dash said "Steering Power Loss". We pulled to the side of the road where the vehicle stalled and would not restart. Probably 10-15 minutes later the vehicle started and we eventually made it to our destination. It was quite scary trying to get to the side of the road, in heavy traffic, and pulling over where there really was no shoulder, and not knowing whether the car would eventually restart or what. Although 2019 Toyota Rav4's have been recalled for this very issue, for some reason our VIN is not listed.

NHTSA ID

11758739

Incident

Aug 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle started shaking, jerking, and vibrating abnormally before stopping. Additionally, the exterior door handles on the front passenger’s side door, rear passenger’s side door, and rear driver’s side door had detached from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,053.

NHTSA ID

11754027

Incident

Jun 1, 2025

Mileage

69,053 mi

Display of RAV4 Hybrid is malfunctioning as it randomly turns on and off at frequent intervals, the screen turns on an off in a similar manner, the display controls are not operative even if displayed. This occurred right after the Dealer (355 Toyota of Rockville, [XXX] ) conducted a recall procedure on a wire harness. Immediately after these repairs, it was noticed that the display started to malfunction. It has never malfunctioned before. I went back to the Dealership and the manager said that the display problem was unrelated to the recall maintenance. So I am reporting it here. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11753863

Incident

Jul 30, 2026

While driving down a county road at approx 40mph, the glass of the sunroof of my 2019 RAV4 suddenly cracked, with shards falling down into the vehicle. There was no apparent cause or impact. After moving to a safe location to further inspect, I noticed the following details; - the rectangular glass of the sunroof is cracked through at multiple points along the edges of the pane, and a "web" pattern of partially shattered glass extends across the whole pane. - there is no pattern that I would associate with an impact spot and no evidence of impact from any falling object. At the time, I was driving under open skies in a rural area, not under any trees, overpasses, etc. - the glass appears to be buckled outwards, as though internal cabin pressure was a factor - the car had been parked outside my office all day, the day was overcast with a high in the 80s. There was no rain/hail/etc. Overall, the lack of apparent impact and outward-buckling pattern raise concern for a material or manufacturing defect. While no one was hurt in this incident, a similar failure could have been a significant problem if it occurred on an interstate or other location the operator could not pull over, or during adverse weather. The vehicle is being taken for inspection at Stapp interstate Toyota, Frederick CO on 29 July 2026.

NHTSA ID

11753279

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

While driving the 2019 Toyota RAV4, I found that the steering wheel was getting hard to turn and the car kept making grinding sound when turning. Due to I was short on time, I asked an old mechanic friend to check the RAV4 out before my road trip. He was unable to get the vehicle back; therefore, I used my other vehicle. While I was out of town the Mechanic contacted me, and ask if the car had been in water and I replied no. He suggested that I might want to see if there’s a recall. I googled recall for RAV4 vehicles and found that a recall had been issued for certain groups of power, steering boxes. This may allow water to enter the box that could corrode and cause loss of power steering that could cause an accidents. I’ve reached out to several Toyota representatives with this issue, but have been unsuccessful and getting them to see that this car may have been overlooked.

NHTSA ID

11752178

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an orange steering symbol appeared on the instrument panel accompanied by the message: "Power Steering Malfunction, Steering Power Low, Visit Your Dealer." An initial inspection by an independent mechanic indicated that the electrical power steering and the rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. Subsequently, the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where diagnostic testing confirmed a defective power steering system. Following a software update performed by the dealer, the warning symbol transitioned to red, accompanied by an audible alarm and a significant increase in the physical force required to steer the vehicle. Restarting the vehicle temporarily reverted the warning light to orange and restored steering functionality. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V373000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 105,857.

NHTSA ID

11750513

Incident

Jun 17, 2026

Mileage

105,857 mi

Rav4 2019 - We lost engine power while driving on the highway at 75 mph. We were in the #2 lane and were fortunate to be able to coast to the side of the road. Quite scary as there were semi trucks behind us.We had been driving for approximately 3.5 hours on the highway at 70-75 MPH. The outside temperature registering on our vehicle began at 110 and continued to increase on up to 118 degrees at the time of the incident. When we lost engine power, the following errors began flashing on the dashboard: PKSB Malfunction, Pre Collision System Malfunction, Secondary Collision Brake System Malfunction. We cleaned the sensors, turned the car off for 5 minutes and then turned it back on. Same warnings appeared. Got towed to the Toyota dealership. Next day all malfunction warnings gone. Car was behaving normally. Toyota service team was unable to reproduce the problem. They inspected the electrical, battery, sensors, etc. but could not find anything. Ultimately the service lead stated that the intense heat could have caused sensor malfunction. Scary!! We fortunate!

NHTSA ID

11749733

Incident

Jul 9, 2026

transmission went out at 109,217 k miles had to pay for it out of pocket Toyota doesn't recommend transmission fluid replacement until 120k miles

NHTSA ID

11747648

Incident

Nov 29, 2025

Door locks failed to lock or unlock via the key fob, intermittent problem

NHTSA ID

11742987

Incident

Jun 6, 2026

I am having issues with my 2019 RAV 4 rear hatch. The struts/hinges issue is not allowing my rear hatch to open. I feel like one issue caused the other, but warranty will only cover the struts. There is a potential class action lawsuit right now over this issue. Toyota will not do anything about it.

NHTSA ID

11741621

Incident

Jun 11, 2025

The infotainment system of my 2019 RAV4 hybrid will randomly turn off while driving. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11740856

Incident

May 29, 2026