2019 Toyota RAV4 Driver assistance Problems

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

Infotainment Center turns on and off, and will not work. Because the screen turns on and off, the camera for back up intermittently works. May 2025 i took it to Karl Malone Toyota in Sandy Utah. They said to buy a 3rd party, after investigation I confirmed that no display has the options to reset maintenance, change clock on the dashboard, and communicate with the car. Yes radio, navigation, carplay, etc work with a 3rd party system, but the functions that talk with the car do not work on any 3rd party system.

NHTSA ID

11714421

Incident

May 1, 2025

My check engine light is on due to O2 sensor being dirty. While this light is on some features in the car are disabled like cruise control. It might also be that the ABS braking system is turned off! I am not sure but once when the car in front of me abruptly stopped I was surprised my emergency braking did not kick in.

NHTSA ID

11692489

Incident

Oct 2, 2025

The car transmission hesitates to accelerate at slow speeds and jerks or lurches forwards in a uncontrollable way. Dangerous at stop signs or on slow or hilly roads. Dealership does not directly acknowledge this issue, despite mechanic mentioning very clearly it is related to T-SB-0107-19 which Toyota dealerships charge to repair. No warning messages. Issue has existed as long as I have owned the vehicle 1.5 years from 61,000 miles to 71,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11691199

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started swaying in and out the lane. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact linked the failure to the lane keep assist feature. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact continued to drive the vehicle and the vehicle violently jerked, forcing the contact to pull over. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was accelerating unintendedly upon releasing the accelerator pedal. The contact immediately pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact turned off the lane assist feature and proceeded to drive the vehicle at a slow speed. The contact stated that while accelerating above 35 MPH, the abnormal jerking returned. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

NHTSA ID

11661798

Incident

May 18, 2025

Mileage

62,000 mi

While driving or stopped at a light, car will switch drivings modes to “mud and sand” turning off the vehicle stability control and pre-collision system warning light will illuminate. After pressing desired mode, car will switch back to “mud and sand” at varying intervals resulting in me pressing the desired mode constantly while driving.

NHTSA ID

11657593

Incident

Apr 29, 2025

A Hybrid System Malfunction warning appeared about 1 week ago. The car was taken to the Toyota dealer who said that the car was safe to drive and that they would need to order a part and it will probably be weeks before they get it because so many other cars have the same problem. Three days later the car will not start with several errors including Brake Power low, PKSB Malfunction, and Precolllision System Malfunction. Toyota is not providing any coverage for any of our repair, car rental or now the need to tow the car.

NHTSA ID

11656662

Incident

Apr 24, 2025

My 2019 TOYOTA RAV4 ADVENTURE is groaning, especially when accelerating or decelerating, particularly with the AWD system engaged. Plus, there no or slow forward collision warning. Toyota seems to ignore these issues related to the Adventure RAv4 of 2019 and 2020. Thanks

NHTSA ID

11648906

Incident

Feb 3, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and making a left turn, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to approximately 45 MPH unintendedly. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the brake pedal, and the accelerator pedal felt stuck, causing the front of the vehicle to crash into a building. There was no property damage. There was no warning light illuminated. The air bags deployed. The contact was able to exit the vehicle. The contact sustained bruising and a fractured rim on the right hand. The emergency units transported the contact to the hospital, where the contact underwent surgery. A police report was filed but the contact did not have the police report information available. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled by the insurance company. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would have the vehicle inspected. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11632084

Incident

Dec 9, 2024

Mileage

70,000 mi

The contact owned a 2019 Toyota Rav4 XLE. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive lane assist efforts. The contact stated while driving at various speeds near a right turning lane, the lane assist engaged erroneously, causing the vehicle to jolt and pull towards the right turning lane. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the contact was informed that the lane assist was operating as designed. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with cruise control mode a rainstorm suddenly started. The contact stated he disengaged the adaptive cruise control mode and allowed the vehicle to decelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle jolted to the right. The contact stated while attempting to correct the steering wheel, the vehicle hydroplaned. The vehicle veered off the road at 50-60 MPH and hit several trees, was stuck in the trees, and became crushed. The air bags deployed. The driver's side windshield was shattered. The contact was able to push the door open and to climb out of the vehicle. The contact also received assistance from bystanders. The ambulance examined the contact but was not immediately transported to the hospital due to cost. The contact later went to the hospital where he underwent a brain scan, but no brain damage was found. The contact sustained nerve damage in left arm, injured leg, left arm twitching, head trauma, back, neck, and heart injury. The contact also sustained significant PSTD. The contact stated that a branch that pierced the engine was initially pointing toward the driver's side cabin. A police report was filed but the contact was irate and could not provide the information over the phone. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The manufacturer was notified of the incident, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 11,386.

NHTSA ID

11629926

Incident

Nov 20, 2020

Mileage

11,386 mi

Initially thought a seal on the windshield was faulty, so contacted the business who replaced the windshield. Business owner came to owner’s house Mon, Nov 4, 2024. He did a thorough inspection of all areas where water was identified by owner (dash, under the dash, on the driver side floor) and confirmed it was not the windshield. He then inspected the roof rack and determined the roof rack was defective and leaking water from the ceiling of the vehicle, down into the dash, and ultimately onto the floor. He recommended contacting Toyota because this was a known issue. By 12pm on Mon, Nov 4, 2024 owner contacted Toyota alerting them to the issue. An appointment was made to bring the vehicle in for inspection on Mon, Nov 11, 2024. Owners do not have a garage or carport, so a canopy was pitched over the car in an effort to prevent any further water damage and moisture absorbing canisters were placed in the car. The vehicle was not driven in the rain during the period after first noticing the leak and bringing it in to the dealership. Evidence of Electrical Damage: On Friday, November 1, 2024 the driver side seat became extremely hot, to the point of needing to pull over and turn the car off. The seat heater was not turned on at any point during this time. On Saturday, Nov 9, 2024 and Nov 11, 2024 while driving on the highway, the car (normally driven in Eco Mode) unexpectedly switched into Mud&Sand mode and all safety features switched off. Owner was unable to manually override this occurrence. The “Normal” button did not work. After a few minutes, the vehicle switched into the default setting and owner was able to put it back into Eco Mode. On Nov 11, 2024 owner brought vehicle into Toyota for diagnostics. Owner requested that the electrical components also be inspected and was told it was not covered under the Customer Support Program.

NHTSA ID

11624987

Incident

Nov 1, 2024

I was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green and I pressed the gas, the engine sputtered and almost shut off. Just before I came to a stop, the engine revved up and the vehicle accelerated. The uneven acceleration is concerning. I recently replaced the gas cap and serviced the fuel system, which leads me to believe there is a defect with the engine. Later in the day, the check engine light went on and AWD system, cruise control, and lane assist were disabled.

NHTSA ID

11620817

Incident

Oct 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that upon accelerating from a stop, the vehicle lunged forward. The vehicle was uncontrollable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that there were no open recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ID

11581101

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

Mileage

36,000 mi

The vehicle is a 2019 Hertz rental RAV4 Hertz. On October 12, 2023, when I moved the gearstick to reverse the vehicle accelerated uncontrollable at extremely high speed and crashed into a wall. Braking did not stop the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11559958

Incident

Oct 12, 2023

In line at a restaurant drive through around 2pm, raining, wipers on. engine cut off and power steering low message displayed. Car would not restart for several (30 minutes) Cause unknown. All battery, starter, alternator test came back fine.

NHTSA ID

11556855

Incident

Nov 26, 2023

Pre-Collision System (PCS) failed. My daughter during sunset (sun glare) struck the vehicle in front of her, that suddenly braked due to sun glare. Toyota hasn't look at PCS system yet and the car is at the repair shop, but I did open a case with Toyota to investigate failure and access onboard data. Auto repair shop will check the system, but no malfunction warning on the car's warning display. There were no warning present prior to accident or post-accident.

NHTSA ID

11553792

Incident

Oct 27, 2023

Unintended acceleration.

NHTSA ID

11545192

Incident

Sep 11, 2023

Driver was in the process of parking. While driver had foot on brake and about to put vehicle in park, vehicle suddenly lurched forward uncontrollably, jumped the curb, ran over thick bushes, and ran into the front window of a store. as soon as vehicle stopped, driver placed the vehicle in park. None of the safety features prevented this.

NHTSA ID

11527230

Incident

Jun 15, 2023

Sudden Unintended Acceleration....ONCE AGAIN! I was pulling into a parking stall of a shopping center at about 2-3 mph. I started to apply the brakes. Simultaneously, the car lurched forward hitting a retention pole. In an attempt to stop the car from going any further, I continued to press down on the brake pedal and shifted into reverse. The EDR shows that the gasoline engine reached 2200 rpms, while the hybrid electric motor reached 2300 rpms. The car performed a backward semi circle maneuver, eventually hitting a cement wall and coming to a stop. Even though there were two (2) impacts (one going forward and one going backward) no air bags were deployed. If there had been people in the area, they easily could have been killed. The damage to the car was extensive and the car was "totaled". The car manufacturer inspected the car and downloaded the Event Data Records. SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CAN'T BE REPRODUCED!! There were/are no error codes and all car manufacturers, including my automobile's, refuse to acknowledge the issue. At the very least, could NHTSA PLEASE REMIND THE PUBLIC THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS, ALBEIT INFREQUENT, DANGER?

NHTSA ID

11523353

Incident

Mar 31, 2023

Received multiple malfunction alerts. BSM & RCTW. Other safety features also inop. Dealership told me it was due to non-factory installed Cross Bars, faulty gasket allowed water into vehicle and flowed down onto the Engine Control Module. There was no way the amount of water said to have been in vehicle could have come from that 1 gasket, over 1" above roof. After $825+ and removal of cross bars water still leaking into car. Concerned issue will re-occur making safety features worthless, as well as damage side air-bags. These issues would all need to be corrected via out-of-pocket expense. Believe the issue is design flaw from Toyota.

NHTSA ID

11520843

Incident

Apr 22, 2023

Many things

NHTSA ID

11519375

Incident

Mar 15, 2023

Vehicle stalled while driving 60mph , vehicle overheated upon restarting

NHTSA ID

11517941

Incident

Apr 19, 2023

A couple of months ago, I noticed water had somehow entered the inside of my car, collecting along the interior roof panel and inside the C-pillar close to the top of the driver door. I did a little research to see if I could figure out what the cause of it was. I found that many other owners of 2019 and 2020 Rav4's had similar problems. Their findings indicated that Toyota had equipped poor quality gaskets, along the the area in which the roof rail trim were fastened to the roof of the car. I also read that this problem could be fixed by the owner, but was unaware that the water leakage would come in contact with electrical components. Yesterday, I experienced first hand the result of this situation. When starting my car, the display board was indicating a multitude of warnings for system malfunctions. These included power steering malfunction, brake system malfunction, pre-collision warning malfunction, lane-monitoring, and on top of this the RPM gauge and engine temperature gauge were both malfunctioning. These warning/indicators persistently flashed and caused a loud beeping sound to go off. The warnings also informed me to not drive the car and see a dealer immediately. After taking it to the dealer, the technicians were able to confirm that water has leaked through the roof rail panels from the area I previously specified. They found water on fuse box/junction connectors. They also found corrosion on pins on driver front door connector, under dash harness connector and body harness connector. While the water damage did not lead to a car accident, it did cause serious concern for the potential risk of car malfunctions. This information will be soon be reviewed by my insurance provider.

NHTSA ID

11511682

Incident

Mar 12, 2023

I have had my RAV 4 since it was brand new. Today while i was driving, the mud and sand screen popped up automatic with traction control light, later i was able to turn it to normal then the light would go off for a while and it comes back again. It all happened while i was driving in I 355 going down to Lemont, IL from Palatine IL. I had the same problem but not with the mud and sand but with snow back in 2019 when it was a brand new, took it to a dealership and they said they have never seen like this before and they just reset the computer and it went off. I am pretty sure when I first bought it, even i push each and every button of either snow, sports or mud, the traction light wouldn’t come off. While driving on i 355 today, my car slide for a while which was the most scary part, first I assume it was raining but after when the rain stopped too, it was skidding while applying the brake. I have the regular maintenance, just did the brakes with rotors, changed tires, oil change every 3-4k miles. I tried to talk to Toyota 800 number but wasn’t able to connect with them.

NHTSA ID

11500042

Incident

Jan 3, 2023

This vehicle has continued to have issues. The most recent and dangerous issue is the electrical problems due to water leakage. Water getting into the vehicle's interior can be hazardous with all the solenoids, modules, and wires. The roof rack leaking is a common issue for these vehicles. It does not become an issue until they have been exposed to rainy environments or washed. The water in our vehicle leaked down the driver-side A-pillar, behind the steering wheel, and into the floorboard. This caused a shortage in wiring for the mud/sand terrain modes and the safety systems for the vehicle. This would happen at random times, including down the freeway at 70mph. The adaptive cruise control would shut off and emergency braking would be defective if needed. The water does flow across the airbag in the A-pillar which could cause a more serious issue. Now, there is a possibility of the airbag not deploying in the case of a collision. The racks leaking is something Toyota should be recalling or publishing a TSB.

NHTSA ID

11498501

Incident

Dec 7, 2022