2018 Toyota RAV4
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 331 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 9th highest complaint count among 26 RAV4 model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 31 involved a crash and 32 involved a fire. 18 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Electrical system, 12v/24v/48v batteryNov 1, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.
A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
Campaign 23V734000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, other, labelsJun 28, 2019
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Campaign 19V503000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, other, labelsDec 20, 2017
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
Campaign 17V831000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
129 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Nov 25, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Nov 15, 2024
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 contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to jump-start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the battery was not holding a full charge and needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 25,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 2, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Oct 9, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Sep 27, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Sep 27, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 17, 2024, fire
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.
Electrical system, Sep 9, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Sep 6, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Aug 29, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Aug 5, 2024, fire
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.
Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system, Aug 5, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Electrical system, Aug 5, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Aug 1, 2024, fire
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.
Electrical system, Aug 1, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Jul 29, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Jul 17, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Jul 17, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Jul 9, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Jul 2, 2024
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.
Electrical system, Apr 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine, power steering, traction control, ABS, and battery warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle stalled. The contact also noticed white smoke coming from the engine area. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove with the white smoke to the nearest independent mechanic and replace the battery. The failure had been recurring. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who related the warning lights failure to an electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no solution. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 180,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Apr 8, 2024
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 and confirmed the parts were not yet available. 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.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 31, 2024
Had issue with intermittant engine light and all warning lights going on with certain maneuvers. When lights on, car would turn off, while driving, if washers turned on. Dealer replaced alternator and thermostat, supposedly fixing, however, 3 days later same problem recurred and car turned off while traveling 70+ mph on major highway. Luckily, despite harrowing "near death" experience, we were able to maneuver off the road to await a tow.
Electrical system, Mar 5, 2024
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 confirm parts not available.
Electrical system, Jan 26, 2024
I have recently attempted to exchange my current vehicle for another. However, I have discovered through a thorough examination of the carfax report that there is a recall on this particular vehicle. Unfortunately, no solution has been provided for this issue. As a result, the value of my car has been significantly impacted and the offer I have been given is considerably lower than its true value. In an effort to address this matter, I have reached out to Toyota and was informed that they are unable to take any action on this vehicle at the present time. This car is regularly used by my wife to transport our daughter to school, thus its safety and reliability are of utmost importance. Consequently, I am in urgent need of replacing this vehicle with a suitable alternative.