2025 Toyota RAV4 Body & structure Problems

The moonroof on my car spontaneously shattered while I was driving on the highway. It made a very loud noise like a large object hitting the top of my car. There was no prior warning and no other vehicles were close to me at the time. I was not driving under a bridge or overpass. The sliding roof panel was closed, but I heard wind and there was shattered glass on the top of sliding roof panel. If it had been open, passengers would have had been showered in broken glass. The glass pieces went flying across the roof and scratched the paint. I took the car to a glass shop and the Toyota dealership. Toyota inspected it for defects in the seal/gasket that holds the moonroof, but found nothing. Our insurance company did cover replacing the moonroof glass and the paint damage. This happened at the end of February on a very cold & clear day (about -15 degrees), so I had auto-started and warmed up my car before driving.

NHTSA ID

11760742

Incident

Feb 27, 2026

I purchased my vehicle new from the dealership in 2025. After driving the vehicle for several months I noticed the back seat floors were filling with road dirt and debris. I also noticed water was getting into the doors frames. This will certainly cause rust to the doors early on. I made an appointment with the dealership to investigate the problem, and looked forward to them resolving the issues. The dealership had the regional tech person (FTS) come out to look into the matter. I was told there was nothing they could do it was part of the car design. I expressed it was a design flaw that needs to be addressed. I have reached out to Toyota Brand Engagement Center (7/29/26), and received no follow-up to date. I would to request an investigation into these issues.

NHTSA ID

11759163

Incident

Nov 5, 2025

The left mirror is a blind site when making a left turn at stop signs. The front hood is too high. In a parking lot you can't see the curbs. Toyota said jack up the seat. That does not help. kids can't be seen in front of the car. This is a safety issue. The number of selections to set the car for driving don't work for older people. The gas and break petal don't work for disabled people.

NHTSA ID

11731326

Incident

Oct 29, 2025

When driving our Rav 4 we heard loud bang type noise. We stopped and pulled over and looked all around the Rav 4 and didn't see anything. When I checked the roof I found our sunroof had shattered. The sunroof was closed at the time. No one was injured at the time.

NHTSA ID

11713460

Incident

Jan 24, 2026

I discovered early rust formation on my vehicle shortly after purchase. The dealership only proposed painting over the rust instead of investigating the underlying cause. This may indicate a factory-related structural defect and could pose a long-term safety risk. I am requesting an investigation.

NHTSA ID

11700805

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

The power rear liftgate will close on a person or object and cannot be stopped except if one presses on a very specific part of the edge of the liftgate, towards its center. This happens no matter how much upward force is applied to the area of the pull handles and the edges. When my wife pulled the handle, the liftgate closed with force that she could not resist. This obviously creates a serious safety hazard for small children, pets, or really anyone trying to close the liftgate or who may have inadvertently hit the button or pulled the handle.

NHTSA ID

11698009

Incident

Nov 4, 2025

I noted the body is made up of soft materials that slightly bend when push lightly with hand. I put a magnet to see if it’s made up of metal but noted a weak attraction of the magnet to the body. When I used my buttock to push the door to close ( my hands were not free and held several grocery bags), my buttock sunk to the part of the area I pressed on. I heard and felt the bending and clicking sound of plastic then it lifted back to its shape. I almost lost my balance since I’m not expecting the door that soft. I was scared that I dented the door. So how safety is this 2025 RAV4 ? We also have 2023 RAV4 of same model XLE AWD Premier. I wonder what will happen if it has accident with another vehicles on the road. With this body materials will save me from any kind of collisions ? I just noticed this brought by my experience today.

NHTSA ID

11681180

Incident

Aug 17, 2025

Enter water when open doors after to rain. All the doors. Dealer in Puerto Rico not resolver problem.

NHTSA ID

11662941

Incident

May 1, 2025