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 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | CAR HAS APPROX 900 MILES AND HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES AND JUMP STARTED 3 TIMES. TOYOTA SVC DEPT IS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE OR IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM, I WAS TOLD I'M NOT DRIVING THE CAR ENOUGH AND THAT THEY CAN'T FIX A PROBLEM WHEN THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, I NEVER KNOW WHEN THE CAR WILL START OR NOT, VERY FRUSTRATING. | Crash: No Fire: No | 750 |
| Nov 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | THE GAS TANK IS RATED AT 14.5 GALLONS. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET MORE THAN 10 GALLONS OF GAS AT FILL UP ONCE I HAVE GONE 30 MILES AFTER I HAVE 0 MILES REMAINING TO FILL UP. I CAN NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR 580 MILES AS TOYOTA HAS STATED. I DO GET AROUND 43 MPG DRIVING IN CITY TRAFFIC ONLY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,500 |
| Nov 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK IS LISTED BY TOYOTA COMPANY AS 14.5 GALLON CAPACITY AND, IN REALITY, THIS TANK'S SHAPE ONLY ALLOWS IT TO FILL TO APPROXIMATELY 9 GALLONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE FUEL GAUGES "MILES TO EMPTY" DOES NOT APPEAR TO READ THE AMOUNT CORRECTLY. I HAVE ALMOST RUN OUT OF FUEL ON THE HIGHWAY AS A RESULT OF THE VEHICLE'S IMPROPER READING. THE ACTUAL GAS IN THE TANK WAS MUCH LOWER THAN THE VEHICLE ITSELF TOLD ME. THE RANGE IS ADVERTISED BY THE MANUFACTURER AT APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES WHEN IN REALITY IT APPEARS TO BE UNDER 300 MILES DEPENDING ON DRIVING CONDITIONS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 600 |
| Nov 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | REFUELING ALLOWS ONLY AROUND 10 GAL. BEFORE THE PUMP AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF. THIS CAUSES SIGNIFICANT (100+ MILES) REDUCTION IN POSSIBLE MILEAGE COMPARED TO REPORTED DTE FROM TOYOTA, AND DOES NOT MATCH THE 14.5 GAL. FUEL CAPACITY REPORTED. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | REFUELING FROM EMPTY ALLOWS ONLY AROUND 10 GAL. BEFORE THE PUMP AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF. THIS CAUSES SIGNIFICANT (100+ MILES) REDUCTION IN POSSIBLE MILEAGE COMPARED TO REPORTED DTE FROM TOYOTA, AND DOES NOT MATCH THE 14.5 GAL. FUEL CAPACITY REPORTED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,500 |
| Oct 2020 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | NEW 2020 RAV4 HYBRID MAKES LOUD GRINDING NOISE SOMETIMES WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE AND EV MODE IS ENGAGED. APPEARS TO BE FAILURE OF SPRAG-TYPE DEVICE TO DISENGAGE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION FROM ELECTRIC DRIVE SYSTEM. MULTIPLE MEMBERS OF FRANK TOYOTA SERVICE DECLARED IT TO BE NORMAL AND REFUSED TO MAKE ANY WRITTEN ENTRIES EVIDENCING THE COMPLAINT. THEY CLAIMED I WAS MISTAKEN WHEN I POINTED OUT THAT IT DID NOT BEGIN UNTIL THE VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY 600 MILES ON IT. | Crash: No Fire: No | 600 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | CAN NOT FILL FUEL TANK TO FULL. ONLY ABOUT 11 GALLONS WHEN IT SHOULD BE AT 14.5. CAN NOT GET MILEAGE TOLD IT SHOULD GET | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,000 |
| Oct 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I JUST BOUGHT A TOYOTA RAV4 2020 HYBRID LIMITED LAST AUGUST 8, 2020. I BOUGHT IT AT BEAVER TOYOTA LOCATED IN ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. 2. PROBLEM: I FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS NO HOOK OR HOLE ATTACHED TO THE SOLID FRAME OF THE CAR THAT THE TOWING CABLE CAN BE ATTACHED TO IN CASE I GET STUCK IN A MUD, SAND, OR SNOW BANK. I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TOW OR PULL SOMETHING OUT BECAUSE THERE IS NO HOOK OR HOLE TO ATTACH THE CABLE TO. 3. EXPECTATION: THIS IS THE FIRST CAR THAT THIS FEATURE IS ABSENT. ALL OF THEM HAD THE CONVENIENT HOLE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME THAT THE CABLE CAN BE HOOKED INTO. I EXPECT TOYOTA TO CORRECT THIS DEFICIENCY. I BELIEVE IT IS A DEFECT THAT IS EASILY CORRECTED. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE TWICE AND ASK THE PERSON TO TAKE A PICTURE (IN CASE I MISSED IT) UNDERNEATH THE RAV4 2020 HYBRID AS TO WHERE THE CABLE HOOK SHOULD GO INTO. I WAS GIVEN A NUMBER - TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC. CASE FILE #2010151369. THEY SAID THAT THEY CAN NOT TAKE A PICTURE, THEY REFERRED ME TO THE MANUAL. THE MANUAL DOES NOT SHOW CLEARLY WHERE TO PLACE IT. I TALKED WITH MANAGER OF BEAVER TOYOTA AND HE SAID THAT HE COULD SHOW ME WHERE TO PUT THE CABLE WHEN I GO THERE. I ALREADY INSPECTED THE UNDERNEATH AND THERE IS NO CONVENIENT/SAFE/STURDY PLACE TO ATTACH IT. 4. RECOMMENDATION: TOYOTA SHOULD ADD THE HOOK OR HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR THE TOWING CABLE. IT SHOULD BE WHERE THE HITCH WOULD BE ATTACHED TO. DID TOYOTA MISS ATTACHING THIS FEATURE AT THE FACTORY ? 5. THIS IS BEYOND WHAT THE DEALERSHIP COULD CORRECT. IT IS MORE IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. 6. I AM SENDING THIS COMPLAINT TO THE NHTSA BECAUSE THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT SIMILAR 2020 RAV 4 HYBRID LIMITED ARE AFFECTED WITH THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER A PRODUCT DEFICIENCY AS MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE CRITERIA. STATIONARY | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WHEN THE VEHICLE REACHES A SPEED OF 60MPH A GRINDING NOISE COMES FROM THE AREA BETWEEN THE GAS PEDAL AND DRIVER SIDE DOOR. THE NOISE SOUNDS LIKE A RAPIDLY SPINNING METAL DISC IS FREQUENTLY BUMPING INTO A METAL WALL AS THE CAR VIBRATES NATURALLY AT THE HIGHER SPEED. IT IS UNKNOWN IF THIS CAUSES A SAFETY ISSUE OR NOT BUT IT DOES BOTHER ALL PASSENGERS AS IT IS A HIGH PITCHED GRINDING NOISE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 25 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | GAS TANK WILL NOT FILL WITHIN TWO GALLONS OF CAPACITY AND GAS GAUGE DOES NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT FUEL REMAINING. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT CORRECTLY SHOW VOLUME IN THE GAS TANK. WHEN GAUGE READS EMPTY AND LIGHT COMES ON ONLY 9-10 GALLONS OF FUEL WILL COMPLETELY FILL THE TANK. SUPPOSEDLY CAPACITY IS 14.5 GALLONS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100 |
| Oct 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | APPLE CAR PLAY ISN'T WORKING CORRECTLY, MALFUNCTIONING FREQUENTLY. IT DISCONNECTS OR STOPS WORKING RANDOMLY, CREATING A DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING. EITHER ITUNES STOPS PLAYING OR NAVIGATION DISCONNECTS WHICH CAUSES A DRIVER TO START FIDDLING WITH THE APPLE CAR PLAY ON THE DISPLAY SCREEN AND TAMPERING WITH THE MOBILE DEVICE OR THE WIRING BETWEEN THE MOBILE DEVICE AND THE USB PORT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. THROUGH DOING RESEARCH ONLINE (RAV4WORLD AND OTHER SITES), I HAVE NOTICED MULTIPLE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS WITH THIS SAME 2020 XSE HYBRID MODEL OF THE RAV4. THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT THE ISSUE IS TO PULL OVER, TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART THE CAR, BUT THE ISSUE HAPPENS TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THE MALFUNCTION OF THIS HANDS-FREE FEATURE IS GOING TO LEAD TO DISTRACTED DRIVING AS DRIVERS ATTEMPT TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM AND WILL LEAD TO PEOPLE GETTING KILLED DUE TO THE MANUFACTURING DEFECT. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL IMMEDIATELY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 180 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | SO I KNEW BEFORE BUYING THIS CAR THAT IT HAD A DEFECTIVE FUEL TANK DESIGN. THE SHAPE OF THE TANK DOESN'T ALLOW FOR THE FUEL VAPOR TO CIRCULATE PROPERLY WHICH IN TURN MAKES THE FUEL WAND THINK THE THE TANK IS FULL WHEN IT REALLY ISN'T EVEN CLOSE. THAT BEING SAID, I TOLD MYSELF IF I NOTICED THIS DEFECT, THAT I WOULD SUBMIT THIS REPORT BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY WAY TOYOTA IS GOING TO FIX IT FOR LATER CUSTOMERS. THIS ISN'T A SAFETY ISSUE SO I FULLY EXPECT TO NEVER SEE A RECALL OUT OF THIS AND ALL OF US ARE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT. THE FIRST SIGN THAT I RECEIVED A DEFECTIVE FUEL TANK WAS WHEN MY FIRST TANK OF GAS ONLY GOT ME 400 MILES. THIS VEHICLE, IF FILLED COMPLETELY SHOULD GET YOU AT LEAST 500 TO 530 MILES ON MIXED DRIVING. SO I PULLED INTO THE STATION AND SURE ENOUGH, THE FUEL HANDLE STOPPED AT 12 GALLONS. THAT'S WITH ABOUT A GALLON IN THE TANK ALREADY SO REALLY ABOUT 11. I THEN PROCEEDED TO FILL THE TANK THE REST OF THE WAY AT ABOUT 1/4 GALLON INCREMENTS AND AFTER 10 MINUTES, I FINALLY GOT IT TO 14.5. NOT TOPPED OFF AT ALL, JUST TO THE TOP OF THE TANK + OR - A QUARTER GALLON. SO AGAIN, MY REASON FOR POSTING THIS IS NOT THAT I'M MAD OR SURPRISED THIS HAPPENED, IT'S JUST SIMPLY TO DO MY PART IN TRYING TO GET TOYOTA TO DO RIGHT BY THEIR CUSTOMERS AND FIX THIS ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO PUTS A SMALL BUT STILL ANNOYING BLACK MARK ON AN OTHERWISE AMAZING VEHICLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 402 |
| Oct 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | CAR BATTERY DISCHARGES RANDOMLY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,135 |
| Oct 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | MY FUEL TANK ONLY FILLS TO 10-11 GALLONS. IT IS A 14 GALLON TANK. | Crash: No Fire: No | 900 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I HAVE BEEN HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE GAS TANK OF MY 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID LE. THE TANK CAN NEVER BE FILLED TO IT'S FULL CAPACITY OF 14.5 GALLONS. I CAN ONLY ADD 9 OR SOMETIMES 10 GALLONS AND THE GAS TANK GAUGE SHOWS ONLY 3/4 OF THE TANK FILLED AFFECTING THE MPG AND THE RANGE OF THE VEHICLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 300 |
| Oct 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | SMART KEY MALFUNCTION-- 2020 RAV4, PURCHASED MAY OF 2020. FIRST INCIDENT: OCCURRED AFTER VEHICLE SITTING IN A PARKING GARAGE AT AN AIRPORT FOR 4 DAYS. CAME BACK AND VEHICLE WOULDN'T START AND LIGHTS ON DISPLAY PANEL WERE FLICKERING. DOOR LOCKS WERE MALFUNCTIONING, AND UPON JUMP STARTING EVERYTHING WAS OK. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD BATTERY WAS BAD, THEY REPLACED BATTERY. SECOND INCIDENT: OCCURRED AFTER CAR PARKED FOR 11 HOURS. VEHICLE WOULDN'T START AND LIGHTS ON DISPLAY PANEL WERE FLICKERING AGAIN. DOOR LOCKS WERE MALFUNCTIONING AGAIN AS WELL.. HAVE ALSO SEEN THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME ISSUE.. BASED OFF OF A GOOGLE SEARCH AND RESEARCH, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. ELECTRICAL ISSUE OR SOME SOFTWARE MALFUNCTION IS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO DRAIN ITS OWN BATTERY AT RANDOM TIME INTERVALS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 6,000 |
| Oct 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | THE FUEL INDICATOR SHOWS HALF ONLY. THE TANK DOES NOT REGISTER THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL. THE COMPANY ITSELF NEVER CONTACTED US RE THIS DEFECT. WE TURNED THE CAR IN TODAY AS WE DIDN'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING A CAR WITHOUT AN ACCURATE FUEL GAUGE READING | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | FUEL GAUGE/FUEL TANK PROBLEM. TANK HOLDS 14.5 GALLONS, BUT AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF ALLOWS ONLY 10 GALLONS. FUEL GAUGE THEN SHOWS "FULL." DISPLAYS AND FUEL-LOW WARNINGS COME ON AFTER ABOUT 400 MILES, WITH FUEL GAUGE SHOWING "EMPTY." | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,100 |
| Oct 2020 | POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | THE VEHICLE IS HESITATING, JERKING WHEN COMING TO A SLOW STOP AND WHEN GIVING IT GAS. WHEN PUTTING GAS IN THE CAR THE PUMP AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON IT SHOWED THAT THE TANK WAS ONLY 3/4 FULL. I PUT MORE GAS AGAIN AND THE GAS TANK OVERFLOWED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | THE GAS TANK IS NOT ABLE TO BE FILLED. ONLY 9 GALLONS CAN BE ENTERED. THE DRIVE RANGE IS ONLY 400 MIKES VS THE 540 OF THE TANK COULD BE COMPLETELY FILLED | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,000 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | MY 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID IS SUPPOSED TO GET 4.5 GALLONS OF FUEL, BUT I AM ONLY ABLE TO FILL UP TO 9 GALLONS FROM EMPTY. WHEN GETTING FUEL, I TOP OFF AND AM STILL ONLY AVERAGING 9 GALLONS PER FILL UP. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA, BUT NO FIX. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | BOUGHT A 2020 TOYOTA RAV4 IN EARLY SEPTEMBER,BUT AFTER 1 MONTH IT BEGAN SHOWING, "BATTERY IS CHARGING" FREQUENTLY. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT COULD BE WRONG. THEY STATED THAT IT IS NORMAL. IT NORMALLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU APPLY THE BRAKES AND THE MESSAGE WILL BE SHOWN ON THE DASHBOARD, "BATTERY IS CHARGING". I PLAN IN TAKING THE CAR AGAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET THIS RESOLVED, SINCE I KNOW FOR A FACT IT IS THE BATTERY THAT IT'S MALFUNCTIONING. | Crash: No Fire: No | 895 |
| Oct 2020 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2020 RAV4 HYBRID VEHICLE IS RATED FOR AND ADVERTISED AS HAVING AN APPROXIMATELY 580 MILE FUEL RANGE. PURCHASED NEW, AND DROVE OFF THE LOT WITH A FULL TANK AND 7 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, THE EMPTY FUEL TANK LIGHT CAME ON AT JUST LESS THAN 370 MILES OF NORMAL HIGHWAY AND CITY DRIVING. WENT TO "FILL UP" THE VEHICLE AND IT TOPPED OFF AT ONLY 11 GALLONS. THE TANK CAPACITY IS ADVERTISED AS 14.5 GALLONS. MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT EITHER THE FUEL GAUGE IS DEFECTIVE, OR THE FUEL TANK IS SMALLER THAN ADVERTISED. EITHER WAY, THIS MAKES THE ACTUAL FUEL RANGE OVER 200 MILES LESS THAN ADVERTISED. I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE "RESERVE FUEL" AMOUNT IS 3.5 GALLONS, HOWEVER, TOYOTA USA HAS TOLD ME THE RESERVE AMOUNT IS 2.2 GALLONS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE - IIN ORDER TO GET THE FUEL RANGE I NEED, I HAVE TO DRIVE IT NEARLY 200 MILES PAST THE LOW-FUEL INDICATOR, WHICH PUTS ME AT INCREASED RISK OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL ON THE INTERSTATE. ADDITIONALLY IT'S NOT CLEAR WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF/WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS DEPLETED. TOYOTA HAS CHOSEN NOT TO INFORM BUYERS OF THIS FUEL GAUGE DEFECT PRIOR TO PURCHASE, AND INSTEAD ACTIVELY ADVERTISES THE LONG FUEL RANGE - THIS FITS THE DEFINITION OF FRAUD, AND IS COMPLETELY UNVERIFIABLE UNTIL YOU PURCHASE AND DRIVE THE VEHICLE HUNDREDS OF MILES. HAD I KNOWN, I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE, BECAUSE OF THIS FUEL RANGE SAFETY ISSUE, AND NOT KNOWING HOW MUCH FUEL IS LEFT IN THE VEHICLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 370 |
| Oct 2020 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, WHEN I FOOT OFF THE BRAKE FOR ACCELERATION THE VEHICLE JERKS EVERY TIME. | Crash: No Fire: No | 25 |