2019 Toyota RAV4
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Fuel/propulsion system is the leading concern among 879 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 RAV4 model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 25 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 21 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpNov 4, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
Campaign 20V682000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, electric power assist systemJun 24, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and 2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Water may enter through the steering gear box cover and cause a loss of electric power steering assist.
A loss of power steering assist could increase steering effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear box, free of charge. The recall began August 17, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB11 / 20TA11.
Campaign 20V373000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, front, control arm, lower armMay 20, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. The front lower suspension arms may have cracks, which may result in the suspension arm separating from the front wheel assembly.
If a suspension control arm breaks, it can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower suspension arms, free of charge. This recall began August 10, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's interim numbers for this recall are 20TB08 / 20TA08.
Campaign 20V286000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine coolingFeb 6, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines. Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.
A coolant leak can cause the engine to overheat and cause a vehicle stall in conventional gasoline vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, for all involved vehicles, the engine may get damaged mechanically, possibly resulting in an engine oil leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine including the engine block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 3, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA04. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA02.
Campaign 20V064000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraAug 6, 2019
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Due to a damaged electrical connector, the back-up camera may not activate when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply to Federal Motor Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
If the backup camera system does not activate and the driver does not check his/her surroundings while reversing, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the back-up camera system and replace the audio display unit, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 27, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is K0N.
Campaign 19V576000 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, labelsMar 27, 2019
Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
Campaign 19V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
214 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Aug 1, 2023
Engine maintenance notification came on and car was taken in for diagnosis. It seem the coolant bypass valve was the issue and this seems to be an issue for Camry's, Corrolas, and the RAV4s. Toyota wanted to charge an outrageous amount to fix this when it is a known issue across the board and is widely talked about online through research.
Engine, Jul 29, 2023
Vehicle had been in for routine maintenance 6 weeks prior. Around 46k miles, the check engine light came on requiring me to bring it back to the Toyota dealer. I wasn't able to bring it to the dealer for about 6 days after it came on due to appointment availabilitly. Once I brought it in, they told me the coolant bypass valve had a circuit short and needed to be replaced. This part was replaced and is unable to be inspected. This is a safety issue especially during the summer as this short could cause the engine to overheat.
Engine, Jul 25, 2023
2019 Vehicle with less than 45K miles Got a message to take the car to the dealership. Dealership tells me that the coolant bypass valve needs to be replaced. Dealership representative tells me this is a common issue with cars like mine and the part is back ordered for an indeterminate amount of time. After doing some research, I see this is a major issue with quite a few Toyota models, not just Rav4.
Engine, Jul 24, 2023
Warning Engine Maintenance light popped up on 2019 RAV4 Adventure, with notification to see dealership. Took vehicle in and was informed that the coolant bypass valve has internal circuit failure. Vehicle has has 23,000 miles, this should not be happening to a relatively new car. Appears to be a widespread defect per the Internet: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Jul 20, 2023
The problem for Toyota is well known on the engine bypass valves. Several Toyotas owners are experiencing this issue on replacement, even service team members are suprised this part isn’t recalled yet.
Engine, Jul 17, 2023
Engine maintenance required visit your dealer alert on screen. Seems to happen when the A/C is in use. Took it to a Toyota dealership for a diagnostic test and they said it was the Engine coolant bypass valve. The diagnostic test was $180. They mentioned the part was on backorder and I have been waiting for the part for a month now. The alert will not go away at all if the A/C is in use. The dealership mentioned this has been happening frequently with RAV 4s. It will cost approximately $771 to repair and $189 for a coolant flush.
Engine, Jul 14, 2023
Getting the following issue: 2019 RAV4 : P268115 Engine Coolant Bypass valve circuit short to battery or open This is happening to a lot of other cars - it seems like Toyota has a faulty coolant valve
Engine, Jun 19, 2023
Engine maintenance required light came on. Vehicle was diagnosed with needing a new coolant bypass valve. Researching online and in Toyota groups, this is a widespread issue. Even the dealer said they have had many of these repairs yet Toyota has not issued a recall. This is a repair with a cost of $500-$1000 and a safety concern but Toyota has not addressed it.
Engine, Jun 11, 2023
On May 13, 2023, ‘Engine Maintenance Required-Visit Your Dealer’ warning appeared on my console. I immediately brought the vehicle to the Toyota dealer. I was told the Coolant Bypass Valve went bad. This was at roughly 45,000 miles. I had previously purchased a ‘No deductible extended warranty’ from this same Toyota dealer. Now they tell me this ‘Valve’ is not covered under warranty. I was charged $887.99 for repair of this ‘Valve’. As this could cause the engine to overheat, causing additional damage, it most certainly is a safety issue.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 7, 2023
Engine repair light keeps coming on RAV4 HYBRID SMELL OF GASOLINE is present at times NOISES LIKE GRINDING OR SCRAPING from WHAT SOUNDS LIKE UNDER the CAR WHEN BRAKING AND akso WHEN accelerating
Engine, Jun 7, 2023
Engine Bypass Coolant Valve. Issue could cause coolant leak and cause car to overheat. Issue confirmed by Toyota dealership. Also many individuals confirming the same issue. Component inspected by dealership. No issues until component failed and now a constant engine repair message.
Engine, May 17, 2023
2019 Toyota Rav4 Premium Engine Maintenance light visit dealer popped up on the vehicle. Researching online apparently the coolant bypass valve malfunctioning is a recurring issue with the 2019 Toyota Rav4, not sure why a recall has not been done yet for this vehicle. Went to the dealer to have the vehicle looked at, before having it diagnosed the service person stated it is probably the coolant bypass valve and that the part is on back order, vehicle was put on the machine to have it diagnosed and confirmed that the Coolant Bypass Valve will need to be replaced. The only warning light that it gave me was Engine Maintenance light came on. The service advisor said the vehicle is perfectly fine to drive till they get the part in, which still concerns me because of the engine. I am having to pay out of pocket to get it repaired but after talking to the service people and researching online from other people, there really should be a recall for the Coolant Bypass Valve.
Engine, May 11, 2023
We have a 2019 Toyota Rav4, win VIN JTMK1RFV8KD******, about a week ago this message appeared: "ENGINE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED. VISIT YOUR DEALER." The Mileage was still 74,104. After a week, I took it to a mechanic shop; I had the oil changed and discovered that the message cannot be removed. I had the vehicle system scanned and one of the items that came up is "Engine and engine cooling". My mechanic went on line to find out if there's a RECALL issue on my vehicle with its VIN. There are 8 Recall issues on the KELLY BLUE BOOK website but not on the Toyota website. We called the dealership and they confirmed that my VIN is not included in the list. Toyota is charging $180 or more just to Diagnose. WHY do we have to pay for the Manufacturer's defects?
Engine, May 8, 2023
The Coolant Bypass Valve went bad, and apparently it’s been happening frequently to a lot of peoples Toyotas. Also unsafe because I have to wait for the part, which is on back order, because so many of them are faulty. This need to me recalled!
Engine and engine cooling, Apr 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Engine Maintenance Required, Take to Dealer" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V064000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000. The contact wants to cancel this complaint.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Apr 19, 2023
Vehicle stalled while driving 60mph , vehicle overheated upon restarting
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Mar 26, 2023
Driving home from work on 3/25/23 at 9:15 pm my dash lights starting going on and off flicking. “Power steering malfunction. Steering power low visit your dealer” “abs” also multiple dash lights came on at the same time. Brake light steering light. Got home and took video while parked to safely show the issue
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 9, 2023
The engine on my Rav4 suddenly stopped without any notification while I was driving it on the freeway. I could have been severely injured from the risk of being rear ended by vehicles behind me. I have experienced this twice now, and both times, I have been on a busy highway in the middle of rush hour traffic. While driving, the engine would start sputtering and the vehicle will jolt and shake, eventually causing a warning message to appear that says power steering low, engine shutting off, place vehicle in Park. Then, when I turn the engine off, and try to restart it, it would flash a message that read Not ready to drive. After towing the vehicle to a service department, the vehicle would start up like normal, and the techs could not get vehicle to duplicate the issue. No codes would come up when they place it on a scanner, either. I researched the issue online, and it appears I am not the only one who has experienced this issue with the Rav4. Please reference https://www.rav4world.com/threads/engine-stopped-steering-power-low.323916/ This incident happened twice, once on 3/6 and again on 3/8. I thought the issue was fixed after having my vehicle towed on 3/6 to Freeman Toyota Service where they determined the issue was due to a recall on the fuel pump. However, the incident occurred again on 3/8, and I had to have the vehicle towed as the engine shut off while I was driving on the freeway blocking one lane of traffic on the interchange that connects one freeway to another. I was very fearful of other vehicles crashing into me as some of them were squeezing by between my vehicle and the retaining wall to get around me. It took the wrecker over an hour to get to me due to high traffic time. I have uploaded 2 tow bills I had to pay, and the service invoice for the recall work done. My vehicle is currently at another Toyota Service department where they are telling me they are unable to duplicate the issue.
Engine, Oct 6, 2022
I received an alert on my vehicle that engine maintenance was required. I conducted a code reader scan of the vehicle. There was no codes that were activated or shown. I took my vehicle to a Toyota dealership. I was advise that my vehicle which only has 42k miles had a bybass coolant value issue. I further saw YouTube videos and read forums on my vehicle and the issue. A lot of individuals are reporting similar issues with their vehicle. An interesting remark, which I noticed was that a lot of the Rav4s from 2019 and newer had the same issue. These cars are not even above the 100k miles, which makes me wonder and worry how safe will my vehicle be. The part is on backorder around 1 month to 3 months. My vehicle begin to display the message around 40k miles. I believe a recall should occur.
Structure, Engine, Sep 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the roof rack clips were fractured and water was leaking into the vehicle, causing the vehicle to shut off intermittently, electrical failures, and air bags malfunction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the headliners were leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 24, 2022
I have a 2019 all-wheel-drive limited and for the last two months it has been slipping into mud and sand mode. It happens when I shift from driving to park or drive to park, and if I’m standing idle it will slip into mud and sand mode and switch off a few minutes later. Dealership says it’s the sensors but I had my sensors checked and there is no issue there.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 14, 2022
My vehicle 2019 Toyota Rav 4 Limited has transmission and engine issues as well as a roof rack leak. I have reported this to Toyota via 1-800-331-4331, which was not helpful. Israel stated that there is nothing that Toyota Cooperate can do about this issue. Both the transmission and engine had been previously repaired at Toyota of Laredo to no avail. Currently my vehicle is awaiting repair at Cavander Toyota in San Antonio. No loaner was provided despite me being a home health therapist who needs her vehicle to work.
Engine, Jul 3, 2022
I got a “Engine Maintenance Required” warning message. I check with the dealer, the dealer inspected and told about a faulty coolant bypass valve which the dealership told us a common problem for Toyota RAV4 model year 2019,2020,2021. The dealer told to always check if the engine temperature is shooting. They asked me to order the part and it took close to a week to get the part and then to replace it. A faulty coolant bypass valve risked my vehicle of a failure of the cooling system and so the engine. I had to pay $126.25 for the part and $658.08 labor charge to replace the part. Since it is a common problem the manufacturer has to recall and replace the faulty part and pay the cost of the part and labor for replacing the faulty part.
Engine, Jun 23, 2022
Maintenance requires message appeared. Coolant bypass valve/tube needs replacement. 2 Days from the end of factory warranty.
Engine and engine cooling, Jun 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the coolant valve bypass had malfunctioned. The contact was informed that the parts were back-ordered. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was not available.