Complaint volume
626 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
626 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Toyota RAV4, grouped by component category.
626 Total complaints
17 Crash reports
5 Fire reports
11 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 17 crash reports, 5 fire reports, 11 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 194 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 15,183 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?
17 Crash
5 Fire
11 Injury
0 Fatality
16 Towed
10 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Toyota RAV4 complaint categories?
ENGINE 119
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 78
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 70
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 62
STRUCTURE 42
AIR BAGS 39
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 20
STEERING 16
POWER TRAIN 15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 12
626 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | This is regard to 2020 RAV4 XLE with 7,000 mileage battery dead issues twice due to software issue based on Toyota dealership reports. I do drive my car daily and car not sat in garage more than 2 days! On evening of July 24th I wan’t able to turn on the vehicle. It was totally dead. Had to request road assistance for jump then took the car to Toyota Sunnyvale for check. They mentioned the issue was the battery and then having hard time with them to replace it with a new one. They Assured and Confirmed with me couple of times on the phone and at the Service Center this issue will never ever happen again. I was told it was a software issue that was consuming the battery and company fixed the software and they updated on my car and it won’t happen again for sure. Morning of November 16th while was heading to work same story repeated again. Faced with a totally dead vehicle, called again for road assistance for a jump and car is now sitting at Toyota Sunnyvale Service Center for analysis. I cannot trust to Toyota Service Centers any more and now I cannot relay on my vehicle. I look forward for a reasonable response from Toyota Motor Corporation. Why customer has to face with dead battery, ask roadside assistance and visit the dealership to identify the problem? What if I was out of town or in situations that cannot get roadside assistance? Why if this software issue it was not software recall and customers was not informed? Why this issue happened twice? What guarantees this will never happen again? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | VISIBILITY,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My name is [XXX]. My wife, myself, our 2 month old baby and our dog were driving back from a family vacation when our moon roof spontaneously exploded outward. It was an extremely loud noise and then sounded like it was raining glass. Our baby started screaming and crying from the noise. We were able to immediately and safely pull off the freeway to examine the vehicle. Upon inspection we noticed the remaining glass on the edges of the moon roof looked as if it were being pulled upwards. We are very lucky the screen was shut and nobody got hurt. The incident occurred on a sunny & clear, early afternoon while we were on the freeway going 55mph, there were no cars in front of us or beside us for more than a half mile, we were not near or passing under a bridge or an overpass. There were no warning lights or other symptoms before the incident happened, as well as no warning lights after the fact. There was absolutely no reason this should have happened or anything that we did to cause it or to stop it from happening. I took photos of the damage immediately after and it shows the remaining glass lifting outward. I did some online searching and found that this has happened to multiple other drivers with this exact make & model of vehicle, as well as multiple other years. I brought our car into Toyota within an hour of the incident occurring. One of their employees working said that she has heard of this happening before. I see this as a recurring incident with this model of car and it is extremely dangerous. We bought this vehicle with only 5k miles on it, less than 3 months ago from a Toyota dealership. We bought this car because we have a new baby and wanted a safe family vehicle. We are now terrified that this will happen again. We never would have imagined that anything like this would happened in the first place. From my recent research I am shocked that this vehicle issue has not been recalled. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I want an investigation on Toyota Rav4 hybrid 2020 .It has a faulty traction control system . It kicks in on every bump and start the emergency braks vehicle jerks and driver gets confused . its a safety issue and may start causing accident on high speed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | STEERING,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE | the car simply a LEMON big time was bought on 08/2020 thru the Santa Monica city Toyota Dealers...they are awful too. let my dad, 80, buy all extra insurances when its brand new car and has 3 years bumper to bumper warranty. he and me his daughter that is dedicated driver sometimes keep complain that its get bazuka after 35--39 and move up miles per hours, power steering wheel Out of control basically. can be turn 65 to 90 degree angle without even sorry to say spitting on it..., the UGLY safety feature that will help you to change the lane on freeway, we wouldn't even will be mentioning that. I think its million dollars case here as a LEMON LAW against Toyota Corporation | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the mirror housings of the vehicle were melting. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the failure was a manufacturer defect. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure advised the contact that they would follow up with the dealer. A case was opened. The contact stated the dealer took photographs of the failure. The contact stated the manufacturer contacted her and informed her that their field experts determined that the failure was not a manufacturer defect but an environmental issue called solar conversion. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000 | Crash: No Fire: Yes | 10,000 |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the mirror housings of the vehicle were melting. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 8,500. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | 8,500 |
| Sep 2021 | SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I am reporting a PROBLEM - the headrests on the front driver and passenger seats will NOT stay down on my 2020 Toyota Rav4- they always slowly keep moving upwards- I guess from the natural vibrations of the road. I complained at the Toyota service department (at Wilde Toyota in Milwaukee Wisconsin) and they said that is how their headrests work in the Toyota Rav4 - they don't stay down. While this may not be an issue for a tall person, an average person of 5 ft 5 inch tall or shorter would have a serious problem with their head being smacked around when the headrest won't stay down - I have never experienced a headrest that won't lock in place and stay there- I think this could be terrible if I got into an accident and my headrest was in the wrong position. I am shocked that Toyota does not care. I think you should check into this. A manager there did acknowledge he has heard of this problem before and has had a few people complain about it but they don't think it is a big deal. - they were tall men so they didn't care - they like the headrest all the way up as far as it goes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My car’s distance to empty never goes above 420 miles, despite a visit to the Lexington MA Toyota dealership with this complaint. Published range is about 580 miles. The dealership reset values in the car, but this did not make any difference, and at no point during my ownership of the car (which was bought new) has the range on the dashboard when the tank is full exceeded 430 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | AIR BAGS | The contact owned a 2020 Toyota RAV4.The contact stated while stopped at a red light the vehicle was struck from behind by a Ford F-150 which resulted in none of the air bags deploying. The contact sustained a broken nose, cheeks, dislocated shoulders, and back injury. The contact was transported by ambulance from the scene of the collision. A police report was taken and the vehicle was towed to a junkyard where it was determined to be destroyed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was awaiting a reply. The failure mileage was approximately 54,354. The malfunction airbags according to Toyota Manufacturer. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 54,354 |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Car sat for 4 days while we here hiking. Battery went dead. We were 15 miles up a gravel road and thankfully someone came by who had jumper cables. Reported issue to Toyota today and will take to dealer. Apparently, Toyota has no current fix for the battery drain when vehicle is off. Searched online and found 100s of reports of this same issue from 2019, 2020 rav4 owners, both hybrid and non-hybrid. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving on the freeway, the panoramic sunroof exploded. I have photos showing the glass exploding up & outward (away from the vehicle), rather than downward as one would see if the glass had been impacted by a foreign object. Had I not had the sunroof screen closed glass would have come down onto myself along with any other passengers who could have been inside the vehicle, and possibly caused an accident with other vehicles. Currently the vehicle is at the Toyota dealership and I am awaiting inspection from Toyota's corporate department and my insurance company. There was no warning prior to this event occurring. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | I have had issues with my 2020 rav4. I have had kickbacks during acceleration, antifreeze/coolant loss, abnormal amount of blow-by, engine runs loud at times, car shakes when I start it, weird noise from under the hood, the dash lights and screen lights went dark once. I have been to multiple dealerships not long after I bought it and they said they “could not duplicate the issue”.. when I went to them regarding the antifreeze leak they said it is normal in new cars which I know is absolute lies. I need help as they are not willing to find the issues. I have pictures and videos to back this up. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | STEERING | Ongoing problem with an intermittent steering issue. The problem is that this is an intermittent issue and hard to get to dealer during time of concern, and while they could troubleshoot the issue before the issue fixes itself. The concern ALWAYS happens upon starting vehicle. Never happens when you are already going and issue is not present. Steering wheel will pull right, or left, upon start up, and then at some point it fixes itself and problem is no longer an issue. Could happen at any time upon start up, cold or hot weather, fresh start, or going back out after having been on road already, just no rhyme or reason for it. The safety issue is that when turning, when it is pulling, is that it pulls you towards the curb/shoulder, or towards oncoming traffic. Additionally, it will also not return the wheel after a turn, so if it was pulling left, and you are turning left for example, you have to manually get that wheel back or it'll just keep going left. I've experimented with turning off lane keep assist, lane centering (cruise control), put it in different modes like trail, sport, etc. and even stopped on the shoulder, and tried to re-start the vehicle. Nothing can stop it consistently. And it fixes itself within a 10 minute period. I have checked the AWD monitor screen to see if a wheel is pulling harder than the others based on the display of power going to wheels, no luck. It has been doing this since day one. Not every trip. Not even every week. Sometimes it could happen 5x in a week, and sometimes it could be 2 weeks before it happens again and then again in another couple of weeks. Not the road either. Must be paying attention when starting out because it could happen on any trip, during a trip if stopping and re-starting vehicle while on a trip, etc. because it can/will pull you. I have a video, albeit hard to really see much but shows car pulling. Also note this is NOT a torque steer because it could happen on acceleration OR not. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | A different problem that involves steering is when using speed control (cruise control). I only have attempted this while on the PA Turnpike at faster speeds, or a highway with a higher speed limit, but when engaging speed control with lane centering assistance, vehicle will sometimes pull you too close to the left side of your lane. In some cases, it will almost appear to others you are drunk as it is working to keep you centered in your lane, but at times it will just pull you to the left side of your lane, so close to others that traffic will beep and I'll want to poop my pants, because it harder to pull back to center when this is doing the steering for you in cruise control mode. Have turned off lane center assist and the speed control works fine, including slowing you down as traffic slows. But with lane center assist on, and using cruise control, this is when erratic behavior exists. Dealer could not duplicate the issue - would require taking this on a fast moving highway, like the PA turnpike, and hope it happens while out on that trip. Does not always do it, and have to been able to figure out why it does it (I.E. double yellow line vs. white intermittent line). When it happens, it puts you too close to traffic next to you and could cause other vehicles to either impact with you or make them swerve out of the way thinking you are coming into their lane. Very serious when it happens, moving at high rate of speed, and lane centering when using speed control is very strong and harder to override vs. the small bump it gives you when not using speed control and too close to the shoulder for example. That lane correction works well, albeit a bit weak to correct. Has happened since new, August 2020. And continues to happen sporadically. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | STRUCTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | I bumped the car in front of me when starting from a red light at an intersection. Impact speed was less than 3 MPH. The damage from this impact resulted in repair cost of almost $4,200. This is outrageous and an example of poor design on the part of Toyota. It is my understanding that the standards require vehicles to absorb up to 5 MPH frontal impact with no damage. Had I known this vehicle was so poorly protected I would have chosen to purchase something else. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My computer car shows these messages: 1. Pre-Collision System: A malfunction in the System has been detected. do not relay on this system. 2. Vehicle Stability Control System: A malfunction in the VSC, TRAC, or hill-start assist control system has been detected. Do not relay on these systems. I ask to another costumer who have the similar car and he said he has the same messages. My Toyota dealer could not detected in all the PM..!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Went to start car and received warning that smart key was not working Unable to turn on car followed instructions in manual car would not turn on and all power lost Unable to open doors Called AAA and technician stated front battery was drained no power and that battery bad Took to dealer who stated it was computer problem that caused battery to be drained This is a safety issue as this appears to be a recurring problem Should not be occurring in new car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2020 Hybrid Toyota RAV4 would not turn on, indicating "Smart Key System Malfunction" - has less than 7,000 miles on it, is driven daily, and no lights or other electrical components were left on in the vehicle between the last time it was driven and when it failed to start. Toyota Roadside Assistance was able to jump the 12V battery and get it started, but warned that it is not a long-term fix. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I purchased this vehicle in 2020 and from then this has happened twice and no information was provided when I serviced my vehicle or when the vehicle was repaired last time. The battery died earlier with a warning but this time, the battery died again without a warning. The battery was changed in August within 7 months of purchasing the vehicle and after that in the next 8-9 months, the battery died. I am scared to use this vehicle anymore because you never know when the battery will die and the service center people have no information about why the battery got drained out. I saw few more similar complaints online. The vehicle was idle or not used only for 3 days. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY | THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SUN ROOF GLASS WAS SHATTERED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SUN ROOF GLASS SHATTERED WITHOUT INCIDENT OR IMPACT. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS CONTACTED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE INSPECTED HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS EXTREMELY BUSY AND WAS UNABLE TO INSPECT OR REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 14,000 |
| May 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | SINCE OWNING THIS VEHICLE, WHICH I PURCHASED IN JUNE 2020, THERE HAS BEEN A STRONG SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT OF THE VEHICLE. THE SMELL ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT IS WARM AND THE AIR CONDITIONER IS RUNNING. I DO NOT SMELL IT INSIDE THE CABIN. THE SMELL IS VERY STRONG. I HAVE TAKEN IT THE DEALER 5 TIMES AND AFTER MANY SYSTEMS TESTS, THEY HAVE TOLD ME THE SMELL IS "NORMAL" AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,972 |
| May 2021 | WHEELS | TWO RIGHT HAND SIDE TIRES BLEW OUT WHEN EXITING THE FREEWAY. THERE WAS NO WARNING ABOUT LOW TIRE PRESSURE AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, THIS IS A BRAND NEW 2020 LEASED VEHICLE (1 YEAR OLD). ALL FOUR TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,500 |
| Apr 2021 | STRUCTURE | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, WATER LEAKED INSIDE THE VEHICLE FROM THE ROOF RACK INTO THE INTERIOR CABIN AND A BY THE A-PILLAR. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE WATER COULD CORRODE THE AIR BAGS CAUSING THEM TO NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RAY BRANDT TOYOTA (2460 VETERANS BLVD, KENNER, LA 70062) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE ROOF RACK SEALS NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,100. | Crash: No Fire: No | 8,100 |
| Apr 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | TOYOTA HAS A SERVICE BUILTIN ON A DCM FIRMWARE UPDATE THAT FIXES AN ISSUE WITH REMOTE START AND WILL KILL THE 12V BATTERY EVEN BUT REFUSES TO NOTIFY OWNERS OR EVEN STATE PUBLICLY IF THEY INSTALLED THIS DURING THEIR INSPECTION ON MY CAR. HAVE BEEN INTO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAD AT LEAST ONE BATTERY REPLACED IN A 1 YEAR OLD CAR. HTTPS://WWW.RAV4WORLD.COM/THREADS/REMOTE-START-SOS-APP.309804/ | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2021 | SEATS | UNLESS ALL BACK PASSENGER SEATBELTS ARE FASTENED, THE 'FASTEN SEATBELT SEAT' LIGHT AND BEEPING CONTINUOUSLY GOES OFF. THIS HAPPENS WHEN NOTHING IS ON THE SEATS AND NO ONE IS SEATED IN THESE SEATS. THIS HAS BEEN CONTINUOUSLY ONGOING, WHILE DRIVING, SINCE THE DAY I DROVE IT OFF THE DEALER LOT IN MAY 2020. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5 |