Complaint volume
620 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
2020 Toyota RAV4 Complaints
620 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Toyota RAV4, grouped by component category.
620 Total complaints
16 Crash reports
5 Fire reports
10 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 engine, fuel/propulsion system, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 16 crash reports, 5 fire reports, 10 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 191 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 14,165 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, fuel/propulsion system, unknown or other?
- 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 2020 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.
2020 Toyota RAV4
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Toyota RAV4 complaints?
16 Crash
5 Fire
10 Injury
0 Fatality
15 Towed
10 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Toyota RAV4 complaint categories?
ENGINE 119
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 78
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 69
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 62
STRUCTURE 41
AIR BAGS 39
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 20
POWER TRAIN 15
STEERING 15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 12
620 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Not | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE | Under normal use, the rear Lift gate hinge appears to be failing for no reason. A gap on passenger side of the rear lift gate and body appears to widen and the hinge is squeaking as if it's failing. This causes the power lift gate to not close from time to time. This is still an issue and has not been addressed yet. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Despite the upkeep of maintenance the light warning light won’t go off. I follow rav4 groups this is a common problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Coolant bypass valve failure my car has less than 50k Dealerships informed me that they fix around 10 a month for that part there is a defect regarding this pump | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE | Sunroof shattered while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ENGINE | In my 2020 Toyota RAV4, a "Engine Maintenance Required: See Dealer" message came onto my dashboard and would not go away when I cleared it. I took it into the dealership, and they stated that they had many RAV4's come in with this same message. They said it was most likely the engine's coolant bypass valve. After diagnosing the problem, the dealership confirmed it was the coolant bypass valve. This was very expensive to fix, and for a car that is just over 3 years old it seems unusual for this to occur so soon and to so many other card within the same year and time period. This part needs to be recalled and reimbursement should be provided to those who had to pay hundreds of dollars to get this fixed when it is very likely a faulty part. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS | SRS AIR BAG MLFUNCTION | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ENGINE | This is a common issue for the 5th Generation Rav4. It doesnt read fault codes on the OBD2 scanner, but the ENGINE MAINTENANCE alert continuously comes up because of a faulty coolant bypass hose/valve. Toyota OEM Part # 16260-f0010. This should be a recall. Instead, we are paying out of pocket to get this fixed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On or about 8/21/23, we were driving from Vermont back to our home in New Jersey when the sound system started malfunctioning. First, we lost all sound (safety warnings, as well as radio). The sound returned and then cut out again repeatedly. Then, the speakers emitted loud (full volume) static and popping sounds despite the audio system being "off." At the time, we were driving at approximately 65 mph on a highway with our two young children. The noise was so loud that it was difficult to focus on driving. The static and popping sounds continued until we pulled over and shut the car off. These failures have continued and increased in frequency since that time. Our safety was put at risk in two ways: 1) all of the safety warnings were and are muted and ineffective and 2) a full-volume static/popping sound while driving at highway speeds could have caused an accident. Subsequently, we did the following: -Googled the issue and found a relevant Technical Service Bulletin published by Toyota in September 2020 that applies to our make/model and VIN. It is labeled T-SB-0086-20 and can be found here: [XXX] . This suggests the issue applies to multiple Toyotas. The Bulletin indicates the VIN number where the issued stopped -- suggesting Toyota took steps to fix it. There has been no recall related to this issue and we were never notified of this issue. The issue is apparently related to a defective amplifier. -Brought our vehicle to our local Toyota service center (Paul Miller Toyota of West Caldwell NJ). An employee there was able to reproduce and confirm the issue and recommended replacing the amplifier. -Called Toyota to report the problem and register a complaint given the safety issues, failure to notify us of the problem even though it was known to Toyota, and the cost of repair ($2640). There were no warnings, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure on or about 8/21/23. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Toyota engine coolant bypass trouble code. Seems to be wide spread reports amongst customers with newer generation 5 Toyota vehicles. Dealer quotes the 20 minute repair will cost $700-900 USD & the part itself is on back order due to the increasing failure rate of the part. The faulty part seems to affect the cooling system of the car but due to the increasing amount of reports & failures of the same part, the dealer should be recalling & replacing the part for free rather than billing customers $700+ dollars. For reference, my vehicle is a model year 2020 & has 19,000 miles & the part has already failed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Power steering light is on and possibly due to water penetration from recent heavy rainfall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Na | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | High Voltage Warning and Low Power to Steering reading on the dashboard. Service engine warning! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ENGINE | Coolant Bypass Valve on my 2020 RAV4. There needs to be a recall; even Toyota dealerships in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex say that there needs to be a recall. Service advisors say this is a big problem they see daily and with all cars and at all mileage. The cost to replace the Coolant Bypass Valve in my car = $855- RIDICULOUS!! In addition, due to the constant “Engine Maintenance Required” message on the screen triggered by the Coolant Bypass Valve needing to be replaced, that can’t be removed, all other car related information and/or service issues, is unable to be seen…which is dangerous!! Toyota used to be one of the best car manufacturers for quality and reliability, but now, their quality has tanked… | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Coolant value had to be replaced apparently this happens more than we realize and if it’s a repetitive issue for many I believe it should be looked into. Thanks | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | POWER TRAIN | Engine stalled on highway, was fortunate other drivers allowed us to get to the inside lane and on the shoulder. It bucked a couple times a few minutes earlier. A host of warning lights came on the dash. car did restart after ignition cycled off and on. Had over 1/2 tank fuel. Dash warnings that remained on CEL yellow. parking assist Radar and lane assist. Power steering seemed weak. No cruise control. Over the next 550 miles with engine shut offs during fuel stops dash warnings went out and car returned to normal. No longer trust this car with 70,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Fuel tank fill up only 9-10gal wherein published rating to 14gal tank. There should be a recall on changing fuel pump but my VIN does not show any recall | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | There is a recall for the roof rails leaking water which can damage the air bags and electrical components. They will not fix the roof with new gaskets unless you actually see the water coming in. My concern is that it is leaking and I'm just not seeing it because the 110 degree weather. I do not want to be in an accident with my wife and kids in the car and have the air bags not work. They should fix the gaskets before it leaks and leads to further potential damage or even life threatening results(air bags being wet and not deploying). They will not fix my roof until it actually starts leaking even tho there is a recall in place. This is ridiculous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | I was driving and out of nowhere this warning came on engine maintenance required, and this now a normal maintenance required that means an oil change. The problem with this warning is the coolant bypass valve, and I’m not the only one with this issue, my car has only 32100 miles only, this a ridiculous for a new car. Plus it seem that this issue only comes on with tha A/C on | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ENGINE | My car is leaking coolant and needs a new coolant bypass valve. It seems like it is happening to every rav4 and camry. They put in faulty parts. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My Engine Maintenance Required light had appeared on dashboard and found out that is my coolant bypass valve that needed to be replaced. had on online, to find that this is a issue with Toyota, that people had to have this replaced. I had purchased my vehicle back in 2021, and just had this issue 2023. I took to the dealership and was told that it was that part. they are replacing the part going through the extended warranty insurance, but this is concerning, that if this OE part has a defect, that once my warranty expires that I will have this problem again and have no way on coverage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power while accelerating. The contact heard a ding and became aware of an irregular voltage spike, steering power, and other unknown messages were displayed before quickly disappearing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,600. | Crash: No Fire: No | 172,600 |
| Aug 2023 | ENGINE | Coolant Bypass Valve failure at 41K miles. Confirmed by dealership. "Engine Maintenance" warning light came on before taking to dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The engine maintenance light came on to visit the dealer. It's because of the Coolant Bypass Valve. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | POWER TRAIN | Got an oil change Monday 8/7/23 When I left the dealership & arrived home the “engine maintenance required” light came on. Contacted dealership next day (service was done at Maita Toyota of Sacramento) let them know about what happened they told me they’d do a diagnostic on the vehicle. Car was at 43,772 miles when I dropped it back off at dealership. They ended up letting me know the diagnosis was the coolant by pass value / hoses were bad and needed to be replaced. However - Toyota would not cover the repair because of their current powertrain warranty expiring on my vehicle. After researching online this seems to be a common issue with this year of rav4. I was luck enough to have extended warranty and only had to pay a $200 deductible but had I not it would be been almost $800 I would have had to pay. Toyota should be made aware of this issue. As an overheating issue can cause dozens of other problems with the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |