2022 Toyota RAV4 Body & structure Problems

My 2022 Toyota RAV4 has experienced failures of the power door lock actuators on both front doors. Neither the driver's side nor the front passenger door consistently locks or unlocks using the key fob, interior power lock switch, or automatic locking system. This creates a significant safety concern because the doors may remain unlocked when the vehicle is parked, creating a security risk, or they may fail to unlock quickly during an emergency. In addition, occupants may believe the doors are secured when they are not. The problem has occurred on both front doors, indicating this is not an isolated component failure. The issue developed under normal use and was not caused by an accident, abuse, or modification to the vehicle. Multiple Toyota owners have reported similar failures involving door lock actuators in the same generation of vehicles, and there is pending litigation alleging Toyota has long been aware of this defect but has not issued a recall. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this defect presents a safety risk and warrants investigation by NHTSA

NHTSA ID

11748820

Incident

May 22, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds during rainy weather conditions, water would leak inside the front driver-side door and puddle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a deteriorated sealant. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds during rainy weather conditions, water would intrude into the rear driver-side door and would accumulate inside. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to costs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ID

11740660

Incident

Feb 15, 2026

Mileage

40,000 mi

The driver side door lock actuator makes a long click noise. Also when I unlock my car it makes the same sound

NHTSA ID

11729110

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

When I put my car on park. The driver side (left door) lock actuator makes a long click noise. Also when I press on unlock it makes that sound as well

NHTSA ID

11729109

Incident

Apr 3, 2026

Rear lift gate hinge bent. No known cause other than hinge may be faulty

NHTSA ID

11712892

Incident

Jan 16, 2026

The Panoramic Sunroof Shattered on its Own out of nowhere. It just made loud noise. we thought it was tire, but car did not make move, looking above we saw the panoramic section of sunroof shattered. I went to dealer, they said there is a point of contact (means something has hit the roof) and they told me i have to file with insurance company. Insurance company is asking a million questions. It seems they are both passing it to each other. TO my opinion it is manufacturing flaw. very unsafe!

NHTSA ID

11700925

Incident

Nov 20, 2025

When it rains, the water goes inside the door. So I have lots of water in my door. Toyota didn’t properly seal the outside of the door.

NHTSA ID

11664036

Incident

May 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that after heavy rainfall, there was a swishing sound coming from the passenger’s side rear door. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the contact inspected the vehicle, and became aware of water build-up in the passenger’s side rear door. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,512.

NHTSA ID

11659680

Incident

May 7, 2025

Mileage

9,512 mi

Every time it rains our Rav 4 gets water in the back doors. It sloshes around and you have to manually pull the seal back to drain. It happens every time. my understanding is this is a known issue.

NHTSA ID

11658516

Incident

Dec 1, 2024

Tailgate will not close when button on the back or by the driver's seat is pressed. After pressing the close button at tailgate or driver's seat with tailgate open, it will lower an inch then beep several times and lift open again. Toyota dealer claims this is a known issue and the solution is to "reset" the tailgate, which they would do for me. Resetting immediately failed, and the issue persisted. Toyota service department said, "there is a button on the hatch that will reset it. you will hold that button until it does a sequence of beeps (beeeeeeeeepp, beep beep beep) then let go an press it again like you would want to close it and you should be good to go! :)" (sic). This solution worked once and immediately failed the second time I attempted to close the tailgate. This is a daily issue that was replicated at the dealer but not fixed.

NHTSA ID

11644294

Incident

Feb 8, 2025

APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. SIDE DOORS BACK AND FRONT FILL WITH WATER. WINDOWS ROLLED UP AND DOWN HAVE STREAKS OF WATER(WET ALL THE TIME). WATER POURS OUT OF DOOR FRAMES. SLOSHING OF WATER IN DOORS. CAR HAS NO MORE THAN 15,000 MILES ON IT. ALWAYS KEEP COVERED IN GARAGE. CAR DOES NOT ACCUMULATE DEBRIS OR LEAVES. HAVE TAKEN INTO TOYOTA PALO ALTO TWICE NOW. NO REAL HELP. CANNOT SEE WELL FROM WINDOWS - SAFETY ISSUE AS SIDE WINDOWS STAY STREAKED OBSCURING VIEW AND MOLD CONCERNS WITH WET INTERIOR DOORS.

NHTSA ID

11643227

Incident

Feb 10, 2025

Power lift-gate lowered on its own as I was putting groceries in the back compartment. My hands were nowhere near the button you press to lower the lift-gate. If I hadn't quickly ducked out of the way, I could have been seriously injured or killed. This has never happened before. Now I'm reluctant to use the back compartment for fear the lift-gate may lower on its own again. This incident happened this morning in a Target parking lot about 9:30 AM.

NHTSA ID

11638085

Incident

Jan 23, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the driver's side rear door. The contact stated that the sound was a "sloshing" sound of water. The contact stated that when she had parked the vehicle on a road with an upgrade with the front of the vehicle facing up, she observed that water was leaking out from the bottom of the door. The contact stated that when it rained, the noise and water leak were more noticeable. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

NHTSA ID

11621924

Incident

Sep 13, 2024

Mileage

26,000 mi

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while either driving at various speeds or coming to a stop, a moving water sound would emit from both the rear driver and passenger side doors. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions to have the doors drained to prevent mold from developing inside the vehicle. The contact was also informed by the dealer that the failure was a result of the vehicle's design and that no other repairs could be made to address the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

NHTSA ID

11620340

Incident

Apr 17, 2024

Mileage

12,000 mi

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, there was a sound of moving water coming from the rear driver's side and passenger's side doors. The contact stated that upon opening the doors, she was able to partially drain the water; however, water was still leaking inside the rear driver's side and passenger's side doors during rainy weather. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

NHTSA ID

11612314

Incident

Jun 15, 2024

Mileage

42,000 mi

Rear passenger door does not drain and holds water. This is a potential mold issue which is a health problem. This will also cause the doors to rust.

NHTSA ID

11606352

Incident

Jul 27, 2024

My wife and I were traveling down SR74 mp 12 and rear ended a cow at 68 miles per hour. The airbags did not deploy from impact and yet the car is totaled the hood started through the safety glass of the windshield.

NHTSA ID

11577399

Incident

Mar 4, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while rolling down the driver's side window, the window made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who removed plastic debris and tightened unknown screws on the driver's side door; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that it was a common failure in similar vehicles. The failure mileage was approximately 600.

NHTSA ID

11527249

Incident

Mar 15, 2023

Mileage

600 mi