Complaint volume
324 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Toyota RAV4 Complaints
324 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Toyota RAV4, grouped by component category.
324 Total complaints
30 Crash reports
32 Fire reports
13 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are electrical system, unknown or other, exterior lighting. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 30 crash reports, 32 fire reports, 13 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 143 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 25,416 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to electrical system, unknown or other, exterior lighting?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Toyota RAV4?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Toyota RAV4
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Toyota RAV4 complaints?
30 Crash
32 Fire
13 Injury
0 Fatality
31 Towed
10 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Toyota RAV4 complaint categories?
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 84
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 47
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 17
SERVICE BRAKES 13
VISIBILITY/WIPER 13
POWER TRAIN 12
AIR BAGS 11
ENGINE 9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8
STRUCTURE 8
324 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Vehicle check engine light comes on, followed within 20 minutes by emergency alerts stating that multiple systems are failing or unavailable. It then says to get to a safe place within .3 miles. The car shuts itself down after .3 and is bricked until it is towed to a mechanic.this has happened 6 times this year. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was water leaking from the driver's side visor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that water was entering the vehicle through the sunroof and traveled throughout various areas of the vehicle including the visor, dashboard, and door panels. The vehicle was not repaired. After receiving the diagnosis, the contact's insurance provider was informed, who then sent an appraiser to inspect the vehicle. Upon a visual inspection of the vehicle, the insurance appraiser discovered toxic mold throughout the interior panels of the vehicle including under the dashboard and door panels. The mold presence was extensive, and the vehicle was declared a total loss by the insurance provider. The contact stated that she and her husband had experienced unexplainable periods of illness that were later attributed to the presence of mold in the vehicle but were at the time unaware of a possible cause. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 55,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 55,000 |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I received the recall notice a long time ago (DEC 2023?) I contacted Toyota 07/08/24 and they advised that a remedy was still being sought with a solution mid 2024? We are now in October and I have been told my battery should be replaced before it doesn't start. How long can they work on a solution? It seems the Toyotas affected will be retired before they do anything. Please address this concern for Toyota owners. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | There has not been a remedy for this recall for almost a year now. We were notified of the recall in Nov23'. Toyota said they'd have a remedy by mid 2024. It's now Sept2024 with no remedy in sight. It's not fair to the paying customers that we're just driving around vehicles that have the potential to actually explode. When discussing with my local Toyota dealership (in their defense, this was around Feb24' ), they said they'd be charging me for the pre-remedy inspection despite Consumer Advisory 21TG01. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | My car caught on fire due to the battery shifting in February. I have all documentation of the process it took for Toyota to ever reach out just to tell me there was nothing they could do. I had to file a claim through insurance and pay some out of pocket for a fix. All for them to still have no remedy almost a year later. I can’t trade it in or else I’ll be under and have nearly 4-5k in negative equity since the car is now worth nothing due to the safety recall. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Back rear window on truck door just shattered. Was sitting outside and just popped and shattered. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | I was driving my car through the mountains on a very hot day. The speed limits are 65-70mph. After driving for a couple of hours, a warning light/message appeared: Hybrid system overheated Reduced output power The car began to have trouble maintaining speed. At one point I had to pull over and wait a while because the car became unresponsive to the accelerator. After waiting a bit, I was able to continue, but only at speeds around 40mph. I put my blinkers on because I was afraid of being hit by the other vehicles/trucks going 70. I took the car to a dealer outside of Pittsburgh and they could find nothing wrong, and no indication in the car's computer that anything had happened. I took the car to my local dealer when I got back home to Maryland, and they could find nothing. If they can't find what's wrong, they can't fix it. I have been in contact with Toyota customer service and they have no answers other than "see if it happens again". I am concerned that the car is no longer safe to drive if the temperature outside is high, and I need to go up steep hills. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | See attached document for complaint | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4 The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal had to be depressed with excessive force after being cut off by another vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, the steering wheel seized, and the instrument cluster went black. The contact was able to pull off the roadway. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle and became aware that there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that there were flames coming from under the hood on the driver's side near the fire wall. The contact was able to smother the flames. The contact stated that the Fire Department arrived, and examined the engine compartment, and informed the contact that the battery was loosened, causing the cables to detach from the battery terminals, caused the short circuit and flames. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: Yes Towed | 180,000 |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Basically the car keeps short circuiting and causing so many electric problems, it has caught a small flame. It randomly shut off on us while driving . I contacted my Toyota dealer and the manufacturer and i have not received any help. It is very dangerous to be driving my family in this vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electric System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electric System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Toyota issued a recall in November of 2023, claiming there would be a rememdy in December, but I have had no more communication and the dealers still can't offer a fix. It is May 2024 and I feel uncomfortable driving me car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | I tried breaking and was on a hill with a small incline stopping behind a car as a pedestrian was crossing. When I pushed on the breaks lightly the car didn't break. So I pushed harder as the car in front of me was a few feet. When I pressed harder on the breaks the car actually accelerated and hit the car in front of me. The car made a strange noise and the warning that I was close to another car flashed on but the breaks failed to work at all. I had my breaks checked about 2 months ago when I had the tires changes and they said they were fine for now and just to have them looked at next tire rotation to evaluate. I've nver had issues with my breaks and my car took some damage. It was pretty terrifying. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |