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: structure
89 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Air bags, Structure, Apr 6, 2023
Outside water (rain, carwash, etc) is leaking through the roof into the A-pillar and C-pillar areas and into the interior. Water is likely entering the air bag components in the front A-pillars on both sides, potentially causing a safety issue. Also concerned that water could be entering the electrical components in the dashboard. When researching the issue, found multiple complaints of this issue and also at least one class action lawsuit. Dealer is pushing back on covering this under the "Certified Pre-owned Comprehensive Warranty". https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2023/toyota-rav4-roof-rail-leaks-class-action-lawsuit.shtml https://www.classaction.org/toyota-rav4-leaking-lawsuit https://www.motorbiscuit.com/lawsuit-alert-toyota-rav4-roof-leak-causes-water-damage-electronics-airbags/
Electrical system, Structure, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 14, 2023
A couple of months ago, I noticed water had somehow entered the inside of my car, collecting along the interior roof panel and inside the C-pillar close to the top of the driver door. I did a little research to see if I could figure out what the cause of it was. I found that many other owners of 2019 and 2020 Rav4's had similar problems. Their findings indicated that Toyota had equipped poor quality gaskets, along the the area in which the roof rail trim were fastened to the roof of the car. I also read that this problem could be fixed by the owner, but was unaware that the water leakage would come in contact with electrical components. Yesterday, I experienced first hand the result of this situation. When starting my car, the display board was indicating a multitude of warnings for system malfunctions. These included power steering malfunction, brake system malfunction, pre-collision warning malfunction, lane-monitoring, and on top of this the RPM gauge and engine temperature gauge were both malfunctioning. These warning/indicators persistently flashed and caused a loud beeping sound to go off. The warnings also informed me to not drive the car and see a dealer immediately. After taking it to the dealer, the technicians were able to confirm that water has leaked through the roof rail panels from the area I previously specified. They found water on fuse box/junction connectors. They also found corrosion on pins on driver front door connector, under dash harness connector and body harness connector. While the water damage did not lead to a car accident, it did cause serious concern for the potential risk of car malfunctions. This information will be soon be reviewed by my insurance provider.
Structure, Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was water leaking into the driver's side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that the failure persisted, and he noticed the water was leaking from the roof rack and had entered the air bag compartment area. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water was entering through the headliner; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.
Other or unspecified, Structure, Mar 6, 2023
Hatch hinge cracking, bending, and breaking causing hatch door to pull to one side. Hatch door pulling to one side caused the door to rub on the tail light when opening and closing and door doesn’t not seal when shut. This issue was not caused by any foreign objects or accidents. The issue is available for inspection. The issue has been seen by a dealership. The issue has not been inspected by any other entities. The first sign of the issue occurred in January 2023 with visible evidence the door was pulling to one side. The issue has continued to worsen.
Electrical system, Air bags, Structure, Jan 29, 2023
I was recently driving my 2019 RAV4 when it started switching to mud and sand mode and turns of all my safety features. This would occur at random when I was parked and driving. I was able to find several discussion boards about this issue by searching ‘ 2019 rav4 switching to mud and sand mode.” I took it to the dealership and they discovered that there is a leak from the roof racks that is causing water to get in my car and is now impacting the driving ability and safety features on this car. I was able to find many discussion boards and even YouTube videos on how to fix this issue by searching “2019 rav4 roof rack leak.” It was reported in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and the US. Many reported they had this issue fixed for free under warranty but now warranty has run out on the car and to fix the roof rack costs approximately $5000. Fixing the roof rack does not cover potential water damage that my airbags may have experienced as well and does not ensure there is not permanent water damage to the driving mode buttons
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jan 26, 2023
Vehicle has absolutely no safe way to hook up to tow. My wife got the car stuck in the snow and needed a tug out with a tow strap. The owners manual states that only some vehicle of this model are equipped with a towing eye. Mine is not, and from what i hear all subsequent year rav4 are not equipped. I crawled underneath the car front and back and dug snow out to find there is no place to hook to. No holes, frame members, nothing to put a hook on, a clevis around, or a loop of rope to loop to. All plastic and smooth sheet metal. I had to strap around one wheel and drag it fighting the allwheel drive system, against my owners manual instructions. How can this be that there is absolutely no recommended way to tow/recover this vehicle or secure it to a towtruck? I have heard stories of tow companies refusing to tow Rav4’s because of this.
Visibility, Structure, Jan 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that she initially noticed that the headliner was stained and later realized that rainwater had leaked into the driver's and passenger's side front cabins from the roof rail. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was caused by a previous windshield replacement. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Structure, Dec 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle through the roof rack. The water entered the compartment where the air bags were located. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
Structure, Nov 9, 2022
Water was entering inside the front of the cabin from the roof rack. Water entering inside the wiring can cause short circuit and cause fire
Electrical system, Air bags, Structure, Oct 11, 2022
This as well as many many other 2019, 2020, & 2021 Rav4s develop water leaks in the roof (due to inadequate gaskets in the rood rails) which result in water entering in vehicle very close to the side curtain airbags. Toyota updated the parts on the current model year but refuses to issue a recall. This is dangerous due to the strong possibility of water contacting the airbags and or the electrical connections.
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, Air bags, Structure, Aug 19, 2022
There is a known issue with 2019+ Toyoya RAV4 where the Roof Rack Rails seaks leak water into the Driver and Passenger SRS A Pillar, i don't understand why there isn't a TSB for this, im concerned that the water intrusion will damage the Airbags or Electrical components and cause the airbag to deploy or cause improper SRS A pillar airbag operation. I'm also concerned about rust, A Quick google search and youtube will show the issue occuring but toyota is only fixing it under warranty, i don't think this should happen on a car under 3 years old with less than 50,000 miles. I do notice a foul odor in the car which led me to find this related TSB T-SB-0094-21 for a similar issue but none for Roof Rack Seals. Toyota has updated the Seals to thicker ones from the flimsy paper gasket to thicker plastic since 2019 so they know about the issue and have corrected it but only under warranty. i did see complaints on carcomplaints.com also but i'm out of factory warranty.
Structure, Aug 13, 2022
The rear hatch trunk doorr does not operate correctly. The hinges holding the door on could fail leaving the door to fly off the vehicle. Apparently this is a known problem on this make and model of this vehicle and toyota is unwilling to repair the problem
Structure, Jun 22, 2022
This Rav4 developed a leak in the roof by the front and back windows. Found many references to this on the internet. It is a known problem for this vehicle that is not being addressed by Toyota. This problem can cause mold and damage to the side air bags. This is clearly a safety issue.
Air bags, Structure, May 31, 2022
Water is entering vehicle from roof rack over the driver side A-pillar. The headliner is getting wet, and the side curtain airbags are located in this area. The concern is that the water will affect airbags, along with issues with mold and rust.
Structure, May 7, 2022
Hi. A couple months ago I bought a certified 2019 Toyota rav4 adventure. I'm happy with the purchase however there is an issue that I'm concerned about and is a leak that comes from the roof. I checked my rav4 and I did notice some stains in the roof, by the roof pillars. I love my rav4 and I've subscribed to different rav4 chat forums and I noticed that many people especially the one's who own the 2019 rav4 adventure have the same issue with the roof leaking, that originates from the roof racks. I noticed that there's not a recall on this issue and I would like to know if Toyota does offer a solution to this problem.
Air bags, Structure, Apr 9, 2022
Lots of people including me are having issues with 2019 or newer Toyota RAV4 the roof guard rails seals start letting water in on both the driver side and passenger side near the airbag. This a YouTube link that explained it well. https://youtu.be/DbKHfLtI2Sc . I am worried my air bags will not function since they might be getting wet.
Structure, Mar 18, 2022
Vehicle purchased two years ago developed a failure of the mechanism that opens and supports the rear hatch with no warning. This led to cracking of hinges and brackets, and mis-alignment of the hatch which prevented it from closing and latching. The original estimate for repairs would have made the owner liable for thousands of dollars. After reviewing evidence that this was not due to an accident or other abuse, Toyota agreed to a one-time 'goodwill' financial adjustment that reduced owner financial liability. But as reported in various Toyota owner forums, this is not an isolated incident: hatch opening mechanism failure has been experienced by owners of other Toyota products with various models and model years. A fundamental design flaw requires a remedy, not just repair to return it to its original, flawed, state.
Air bags, Structure, Feb 22, 2022
The factory installed bike rack is not sealed properly and leaking water when rains,etc… into the SRS airbag on passenger and driver side
Air bags, Structure, Jan 9, 2022
The roof rack rails have begun leaking due to failed weather sealants around them. Water is seeping through when it rains, getting water on the airbags, headliner, and moves along the top frame. I’m scared the electrical components will become damaged. Issue began happening right around 45,000 miles when I noticed. I have only owned vehicle for 2.5 years.
Electrical system, Structure, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 21, 2021, crash
Around 2:30 pm on Thursday, December 2, 2021, my wife and I were on our way to the gym for a workout. I was pulling my auto out of my garage. It was in reverse when it stopped half way and did not finish backing out. I put it in drive and then in reverse and I was able to back out. Once out of my driveway, I backed out into the street in reverse. From reverse, I put my car in Drive to start driving on the street. At this point, the car spun out of control and I could not control its movements. The car turned around on the street and drove into my yard. It ran through the yard, spun around through some hedges, onto my driveway and continued back into the yard. At this time it hit a tree in the yard, went back on the road, turned into my driveway before coming to a stop. We got out and inspected the damage. The entire front bumper and the assembly was hanging from the body of the car. The damage was extensive. Thankfully, no one was on the road and the only damage was to my car and my yard. shrubs and tree. This car is a Limited Edition with cameras and braking functions that stop the car if an object comes in its way. The car kept accelerating and did not brake to avoid collision. Note: We bought this 2019 RAV4 in March 2019. It was brand new, full loaded with many safety features. In October of 2019, we heard sounds coming from the front of the car. We took it to Toyota dealership to have it diagnosed. They determined that the Electromagnetic Clutch Assembly needed to be replaced. The car had 7100 miles on the Odometer.
Air bags, Structure, Nov 29, 2021
My roof rack rail assembly is leaking water down my A and C pillars, and into the inside of my vehicle. When it leaks into my car it also leaks down into my side curtain airbags to the point if I were to get into an accident where the side curtain airbags needed to deploy because of my windshield, they would not which could cause me to lose my life. I have asked my dealership about it and they told me they had numerous roof racks replaced because of the leaking but because my vehicle is no longer under warranty, I have to pay to have the roof racks replaced. I have tried to reseal my roof racks but did not work. The Toyota dealership told me that if resealing didn't work, the only other option was to replace. I cannot drive in the rain, even when it is just sprinkling or wash my car because any sort of water will leak into my vehicle. Toyota will not send a recall out for this issue but is known to be a safety issue with the Toyota dealership and numerous people that own a 2019-2021 Toyota Rav4.
Structure, Nov 9, 2021
Was driving on the freeway and heard a loud pop noise. upon pulling over, i noticed a hole in my in my sunroof (punctured from the inside out)
Air bags, Structure, Oct 19, 2021
Roof headliner leak due to poor design and/or water proofing materials on the clips of the roof top bar. This causes concerns about potential damage to the side air bags and electricals.
Structure, Oct 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that whenever it rained, water would enter the cabin of the vehicle. The contact was concerned that it might cause an electrical failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.