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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota RAV4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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 |
| Dec 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | •August 19, 2022: All emergency/error code lights came on the dash while driving on highway. The vehicle was taken to Don McGill Toyota for service. In that time, all error codes came back and went away a few times on their own. Vehicle was taken on 08/20/2022 (please refer to service records) in which it was originally deemed there were no issues with the vehicle. Toyota recommended that if the problem persists, bring the vehicle back in. •August 26, 2022: Vehicle emergency lights came back on while driving on the highway again. The vehicle was taken back to Don McGill Toyota for a service emergency. Was told the Vehicle needed a sensor replaced. Got the vehicle back on September 15, 2022. •September 6, 2023: Vehicle emergency lights come back on. The vehicle was taken to Don McGill Toyota. Another part was replaced (please refer to service records) and the vehicle was returned on September 9, 2023. •August 2024: Vehicle emergency lights come back on. The vehicle was taken to Don McGill Toyota for a break service as well as getting this emergency lights issue resolved. The vehicle was picked up 5 hours later, however upon driving a little in the dealership parking lot, emergency lights came back on. Immediately went back and brought it up to the service advisor, who then took the car back for another 1 hour and deemed the vehicle needed to be “recalibrated”. This recalibration was completed, then left the dealership. •September 3, 2024: Vehicle emergency lights come back on. This time the vehicle struggled to brake when the lights came on. The vehicle was taken into Don McGill Toyota for immediate service. Breaks were looked at and recalibration was completed. Vehicle returned on September 6, 2024. •September 14, 2024: Vehicle emergency lights come back on. The vehicle was taken to Don McGill Toyota for emergency service. Brakes were checked and the vehicle was driven around to bring the lights up. The vehicle was given back on October 1, 2024, after the ser | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I started receiving error message, “Engine maintenance required Visit your Dealer“. I contacted the dealership and spoke with someone in parts and service. They advised me that the issue is the coolant bypass valve and the cost to replace it would be approximately $800 with parts and labor. They also stated that unfortunately this is a known defect and they can’t guarantee how long the repair would last because they would just be installing the same defective parts. In addition to that, they don’t have the parts and don’t know when they will get them because they are on back order. They said not repairing the problem could cause permanent damage to my vehicle. This should be a recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | AIR BAGS | Toyota sent a letter saying there would be a solution by end of Q3. There isn’t. I asked them for a replacement and they sent me a letter saying no. I do not feel safe driving my car with a safety recall. They also suggested I can get a loaner vehicle but the dealership says there would be some out of pocket expenses because Toyota pays up to $40 a day and the loaner vehicle is over $40/a day | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | My Toyota 2020 RAV4 has a dangerous design flaw. It rolls when turned off and in drive mode. For example, my driveway is on an incline, and a couple times I have pulled into my driveway, gotten distracted, and I forgot to put the car in Park. When I hit the on/off button, the car rolls backwards, accelerating due to gravity. If you're not quick, you can end up rolling out into traffic, or running someone over that is behind your car. All the other cars I've ever owned didn't roll when the car was turned off unless you were in neutral. I believe this is a design flaw because I've spoken to a few other RAV4 owners that have experienced the same thing, and on one occasion, I tested it on another RAV4 and it was the same. I can see this being very dangerous. If you are standing outside of the car and hit the on/off button while it's in drive, you would get knocked down by the door, and your car would be rolling without you in the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | AIR BAGS | There has been a promise to rectify this issue by Q3 2024 re: the outstanding recall for OCS sensors in passenger seat airbag. This has not been rectified yet. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the driver's side seat belt sensor was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to exceed 1,000 RPM while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); 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. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Known coolant bypass valve issue dealership declining to cover it although it’s impacting a ton of people. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ENGINE | Service engine message coolant bypass valve circuit short to battery or open code P268115 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | STRUCTURE | What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? THE HINGES ARE BROKEN ON THE HATCH How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? MY SAFETY AS WELL AS OTHERS IS PUT AT RISK BECAUSE THE HINGE IS BROKEN. THE HATCH WILL NOT CLOSE THEREFOR COULD FLY OFF WHILE DRIVING Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? THE ISSUE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP BUT THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM, ANOTHER APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED TUESDAY10/22 Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NO Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? NO This is not a rare issue. I have seen dozens upon dozens of articles on Google, Facebook and Reddit of others dealing with the same exact issue. Examples: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | AIR BAGS | I'm not sure but this remedy is taking almost a year so I'm reporting it again. I did over the phone last month. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | Engine Maintenance Light on. After inspection at dealership, the cause was determined as Coolant By-pass valve stuck closed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was making a turn into a turnaround on the turnpike and ended up sliding into a guardrail. I believe the brake assistance failed because although I slowed down and braked going into the turned, the vehicle felt like it had lost control and continued towards the guardrail rather than into the pathway I was turning into. My safety was at risk from going into the guardrail when my car didn't slow down as much as I would have expected. As of now, a braking problem with 2020 RAV4's has not been confirmed by Toyota but they are set to inspect the facility within the next couple weeks to collect information from the Event Data Recorder. It's currently at a State Farm holding facility. There were no messages or symptoms of this issue prior to the incident. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Broken- Coolant bypass valve My safety was put at risk as the coolant bypass value broke leaking coolant over my cars electrical components and not keeping my engine cool. This could have resulted in my engine, overheating, exploding while operating the car and putting my life at risk. Also “engine maintenance alert” that couldn’t not be dismissed by the driver, obstructed the view of my dashboard. This problem was confirmed by the the Toyota dealership There is currently a class action lawsuit against Toyota for this specific issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | I have had an "Engine Maintenance Required" warning light on since I purchased the vehicle (used) and have had it checked out by my local mechanic and the Toyota dealer. It is due to the coolant bypass valve malfunctioning. Apparently this is an extremely common issue according to the class action lawsuit and should NOT be put on the customer to pay for this when my odometer has not even hit 60k. A recall needs to be issued for this once and for all. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | Coolant Bypass Issue. Engine Maintenance and contact dealer on the dash board. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I replaced my battery a little over a year ago and have come back to my battery completely dead and unable to turn the engine over. The first time it happened my vehicle had sat for 4 days. It has done it sporadically and sometimes within 2 days of incidents. I have checked to make sure no components were left on to cause this issue. It has left me stranded multiple times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | STEERING,SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES | Since I've owned the vehicle it has made loud squeaking, scraping, popping, and clicking noises in the suspension and steering. When I first turn the vehicle on and use the brakes they are very loud as if they are worn. I've had the brakes checked and the dealer said the brakes are fine. When I turn the steering wheel it makes a loud crunching rubbing noise that I can feel in the floor board. My vehicle is less than 5 years old and less than 60,000 miles. I've never had a vehicle made so many noises and it's terrifying to wonder if something is just going to break off or stop working. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | The coolant bypass valve is needing to be replaced. The vehicle only has 52k miles and just happened after warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | While driving with the air conditioner on a message appears on the instrument panel ENGINE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED. From researching this message on the internet it appears this is due to an engine coolant bypass valve problem. From this internet search it appears to be happening to many other peoples Rav4. The cost of having this valve replaced appears to be close to $1000. It appears that this problem is a common thing. Toyota needs to have a recall on this problem. Most people report this happening at various mileage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | STRUCTURE | This vehicle is equipped with a power back door (PBD) that has begun to malfunction. March 29, 2024 was the first occurrence of the PBD malfunction when the opened back door would not fully close after clicking the appropriate button on the electronic key switch. There were no warnings that preceded the malfunction. The PBD would only close the back door a few inches before stopping. Additional clicks only closed it a few more inches and manual closing (requiring significant pressure) was required to fully close the door. Additional random occurrences of this PBD malfunction have happened over the past six months and have now become so frequent that on September 30, 2024 I turned off (via the multi-information display) the PBD function and must now resort to fully manual opening and closing of the back door. Based on multiple other complaints filed with NHTSA for this particular vehicle (2020 Toyota RAV4; NHTSA ID Numbers 11572353, 11572802, 11573768, 11579590, 11585733), I inspected the edges of the back door, the body's back door cavity, and the two back door spindles for damage, foreign objects, dirt, etc. that might impede PDB operation and found none. I also inspected the two back door hinges and saw no damage, no warping, no corrosion, and no movement of the hinges from their original installation locations. This PBD malfunction affects safety as the force required to manually open and close the back door is significant and operation of the back door might be impossible for people not physically able to effect the force needed. The vehicle is available for inspection and has not yet been inspected by the Toyota dealer where I purchased the vehicle in August 2020 or by others. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Toyota vehicles, namely RAV4’s are having a coolant bypass valve defect. And Toyota is denying this claim and charging to diagnostic and repair. This is a defect and should be set to recall as many owners are experiencing the issue. Mine began on a out of state trip with a engine maintenance light, and leaking fluid from the coolant valve, which can lead to engine stalling and issues while driving. Very dangerous! I took mine to my mechanic and had it repaired since I am beginning not to trust Toyota. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ENGINE | Premature coolant bypass valve failure. Vehicle has less than 70k miles, but past warranty, "Engine Maintenance Required-See Dealer" light randomly came on one day and would not go off. Scanner pulled no codes as to what the issue would be. Found out it is a known issue as hundreds, if not thousands of Toyota drivers, have experienced this and that specific warning message indicates that it is due to the coolant bypass valve having failed. Clearly this is a known issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the passenger’s side rear side door became flooded after inclement weather. The contact stated that while attempting to open the door, there was a slushing sound coming from the door. The vehicle was not taken to be inspected. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 68,000 |