2020 Toyota RAV4
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 635 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 26 RAV4 model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 17 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 14 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationDec 20, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
Campaign 23V865000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalNov 25, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Toyota Avalon and 2020 Avalon Hybrid, RAV4, and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Breakaway pins within the steering column, designed to absorb energy and reduce injury during a crash, could have been damaged during production, possibly affecting the performance of the driver's air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not perform as designed can increase the risk of injury.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB17/20TA17.
Campaign 20V734000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
121 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Sep 7, 2022
I want to file a complaint against Toyota for their design of air conditioner placement. My 2020 RAV4 just had to have repair including condenser replaced. Toyota's design allows rocks/foreign objects/debris to get behind the grill and damage the air conditioning system. There is no guard to stop these. This is on regular highway/rural road driving. I understand that the RAV4 is not the only Toyota car that has this design. My car is still under warranty, but this was not covered as it was deemed road hazard. I am unsure of the date this happened as I just started to notice it was not cooling efficiency and at first attributed it to Florida weather but as the days went on realized that there was something wrong. Estimate from Toyota Dealership was $1300.00
Other or unspecified, Aug 11, 2022
I was driving at about 65mph with a few windows down and the sun roof closed. The temperature was around 80degrees, when all of the sudden there was a huge POP sound. I opened the sun roof cover and saw that it was the sun roof that shattered. All the glass was broken.
Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 7, 2022, crash
On May 12, 2022 I was driving our 2022 Rav4 Hybrid. At about 10 am that morning I arrived at the Sherwin Williams store in Chandler, AZ. I applied the brakes and put the car in park. But the car did not stop! It continued to forge ahead, smashing into the building barrier and even then it kept trying to move forward. 1.The whole front end was smashed. 2.The first responders had to pry open the door to extract me from the car. 3.It was later determined that I had broken a rib. (I was lucky it was not more.) 4.The car was later declared “totaled” by the insurance company. By -standers immediately called the police. 1.The police officer confirmed that the car was in park, at the time of the accident. 2.The officer also confirmed with witnesses that the car was in park but was still moving ahead. 3.The officer recorded the witnesses’ names and contacts. 4.I have a copy of the police report, Before the accident, both my husband and I had noticed that the car had a tendency to jump ahead even after putting it in park. Since that time I have connected with other Rav4 owners on social media and have discovered that this “ jumping ahead” has been experience by a lot of other owners.
Other or unspecified, Jun 19, 2022
Sunroof spontaneously shattered, with no vehicles close enough for a rock chip to be the probable cause. The only sound was a pop, of the window glass shattering - not of a rock or other object making contact. Upon examining the window, it had popped up, shattering first along the entire perimeter.
Other or unspecified, Jun 18, 2022
Vehicle has a automatic function that shuts off the engine when sitting in traffic, then restarts the engine when you press the accelerator. This function can be overridden by depressing a switch on the dashboard. It is easy to forget to push the switch and override this function. I believe this can present a safety issue. I was sitting in traffic waiting to make a left turn, this function I had forgotten to override. When an acceptable gap in traffic was recognized I pressed the accelerator, the vehicle took time to restart the engine and propel me into the path of oncoming traffic. At this time the gap in traffic had diminished to an unacceptable gap and I was almost struck by oncoming traffic. In the past we had asked our Toyota dealer to disable this function, they refused. I believe a more acceptable logic path would be for this function to be disabled when the vehicle is started and then the operator has the choice to engage this function if desired. I was told the purpose of this function is to save gasoline when sitting in traffic. There is also a second engine starter that completes this function. Having a second engine starter is one more item that could malfunction and need replacement.
Other or unspecified, Jun 3, 2022
The design of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on this vehicle is dangerous and fundamentally flawed. When the system has a warning for the driver, it beeps and the driver must take his / her eyes off the road to look at the dashboard to understand the problem. For many years, voice response messaging has been available and should be implemented in addition to or instead of text messages to warn of serious, possible imminent problems.
Other or unspecified, Apr 8, 2022
The windshield shattered without anything hitting it.
Other or unspecified, Feb 9, 2022
I was driving down the highway and without warning, my sunroof completely shattered. I did not go over any bumps, there were no trucks around me, and I did not hear anything hit my window. I just heard a very loud pop and all of a sudden there was glass everywhere inside the vehicle. Luckily I did not get into an accident but this was completely startling and I could have easily gotten into an accident or had glass injure myself or passengers (luckily no one else was in the car). I brought the car into a local Toyota dealership in Colorado and they mentioned that someone who had about the same mileage on their car (17,000-18,000) miles came into that same dealership a few weeks ago with the exact same issue. They told me that Toyota would not consider this a defect or under warranty if it happened after 1,000 miles. I also sent a follow-up email to a service manager at the same dealership and he said that they have seen this before and a field technical specialist has looked into it and determined that it could not be a defect if it happened after 1,000 miles. This does not seem like a freak accident if there have been multiple incidents. This is a serious safety concern.
Other or unspecified, Jan 25, 2022
Driving on the freeway and when randomly we hear a big bang, very loud and scary. Pulled the sunroof cover back to see that the sunroof had exploded/shattered into a million pieces. We were in alot of traffic heading to the mountains, my daughter was sitting in the back seat and this happened right above her head. Its been almost a month, sunroof on back order, didnt realize there was such a thing as exploding sunroofs until I searched the internet. My car is a lease and under warranty, but yet I am stuck with a $500 deductible to get this fixed. After reading all of these complaints how has this not been recalled? At the time of this happening, I had a few rocks also hit my windshield, for it to bounce off windshield and break a sunroof into a million pieces, this seems like a manufacture defect. We have turned this into our insurance company, but I feel like Toyota should cover this cost, as I had to come out of pocket for deductible and rental car
Other or unspecified, Jan 19, 2022
The windshield on this vehicle is extremely fragile and cracks very easily. Many drivers of this vehicle have reported the same issue online with the windshield on the newest Toyota RAV4. Toyota simply refuses to do anything using the guise of "external influence" being the cause of a windshield crack - this same logic would apply to a small pebble or a tapping of a finger to cause a windshield crack.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2021
On Sunday,11/21/2021, sitting in my Toyota Rav4 TRD Off Road with my wife in an outside parking lot to a medical office, when we heard a loud pop/bang. We got out of the vehicle and discovered that the sun roof had shattered. Nothing hit my car. We were parked in it it for 15 minutes. There was nothing around the vehicle. I taped the window with Gorilla Tape. Dealership inspected the car and told me the warranty does not cover glass. Dangerous situation! Potential for flying glass! There is no warning system for this type of incident.
Visibility, Other or unspecified, Nov 9, 2021
My name is [XXX]. My wife, myself, our 2 month old baby and our dog were driving back from a family vacation when our moon roof spontaneously exploded outward. It was an extremely loud noise and then sounded like it was raining glass. Our baby started screaming and crying from the noise. We were able to immediately and safely pull off the freeway to examine the vehicle. Upon inspection we noticed the remaining glass on the edges of the moon roof looked as if it were being pulled upwards. We are very lucky the screen was shut and nobody got hurt. The incident occurred on a sunny & clear, early afternoon while we were on the freeway going 55mph, there were no cars in front of us or beside us for more than a half mile, we were not near or passing under a bridge or an overpass. There were no warning lights or other symptoms before the incident happened, as well as no warning lights after the fact. There was absolutely no reason this should have happened or anything that we did to cause it or to stop it from happening. I took photos of the damage immediately after and it shows the remaining glass lifting outward. I did some online searching and found that this has happened to multiple other drivers with this exact make & model of vehicle, as well as multiple other years. I brought our car into Toyota within an hour of the incident occurring. One of their employees working said that she has heard of this happening before. I see this as a recurring incident with this model of car and it is extremely dangerous. We bought this vehicle with only 5k miles on it, less than 3 months ago from a Toyota dealership. We bought this car because we have a new baby and wanted a safe family vehicle. We are now terrified that this will happen again. We never would have imagined that anything like this would happened in the first place. From my recent research I am shocked that this vehicle issue has not been recalled. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Other or unspecified, Oct 29, 2021
I want an investigation on Toyota Rav4 hybrid 2020 .It has a faulty traction control system . It kicks in on every bump and start the emergency braks vehicle jerks and driver gets confused . its a safety issue and may start causing accident on high speed
Seats, Other or unspecified, Sep 9, 2021
I am reporting a PROBLEM - the headrests on the front driver and passenger seats will NOT stay down on my 2020 Toyota Rav4- they always slowly keep moving upwards- I guess from the natural vibrations of the road. I complained at the Toyota service department (at Wilde Toyota in Milwaukee Wisconsin) and they said that is how their headrests work in the Toyota Rav4 - they don't stay down. While this may not be an issue for a tall person, an average person of 5 ft 5 inch tall or shorter would have a serious problem with their head being smacked around when the headrest won't stay down - I have never experienced a headrest that won't lock in place and stay there- I think this could be terrible if I got into an accident and my headrest was in the wrong position. I am shocked that Toyota does not care. I think you should check into this. A manager there did acknowledge he has heard of this problem before and has had a few people complain about it but they don't think it is a big deal. - they were tall men so they didn't care - they like the headrest all the way up as far as it goes.
Other or unspecified, Jul 9, 2021
While driving on the freeway, the panoramic sunroof exploded. I have photos showing the glass exploding up & outward (away from the vehicle), rather than downward as one would see if the glass had been impacted by a foreign object. Had I not had the sunroof screen closed glass would have come down onto myself along with any other passengers who could have been inside the vehicle, and possibly caused an accident with other vehicles. Currently the vehicle is at the Toyota dealership and I am awaiting inspection from Toyota's corporate department and my insurance company. There was no warning prior to this event occurring.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 4, 2021
I have had issues with my 2020 rav4. I have had kickbacks during acceleration, antifreeze/coolant loss, abnormal amount of blow-by, engine runs loud at times, car shakes when I start it, weird noise from under the hood, the dash lights and screen lights went dark once. I have been to multiple dealerships not long after I bought it and they said they “could not duplicate the issue”.. when I went to them regarding the antifreeze leak they said it is normal in new cars which I know is absolute lies. I need help as they are not willing to find the issues. I have pictures and videos to back this up.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 1, 2021
Went to start car and received warning that smart key was not working Unable to turn on car followed instructions in manual car would not turn on and all power lost Unable to open doors Called AAA and technician stated front battery was drained no power and that battery bad Took to dealer who stated it was computer problem that caused battery to be drained This is a safety issue as this appears to be a recurring problem Should not be occurring in new car
Other or unspecified, May 20, 2021
I purchased this vehicle in 2020 and from then this has happened twice and no information was provided when I serviced my vehicle or when the vehicle was repaired last time. The battery died earlier with a warning but this time, the battery died again without a warning. The battery was changed in August within 7 months of purchasing the vehicle and after that in the next 8-9 months, the battery died. I am scared to use this vehicle anymore because you never know when the battery will die and the service center people have no information about why the battery got drained out. I saw few more similar complaints online. The vehicle was idle or not used only for 3 days.
Other or unspecified, May 16, 2021
SINCE OWNING THIS VEHICLE, WHICH I PURCHASED IN JUNE 2020, THERE HAS BEEN A STRONG SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT OF THE VEHICLE. THE SMELL ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT IS WARM AND THE AIR CONDITIONER IS RUNNING. I DO NOT SMELL IT INSIDE THE CABIN. THE SMELL IS VERY STRONG. I HAVE TAKEN IT THE DEALER 5 TIMES AND AFTER MANY SYSTEMS TESTS, THEY HAVE TOLD ME THE SMELL IS "NORMAL" AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG.
Other or unspecified, Apr 6, 2021
BAD BATTERY- MY 2020 RAV4 WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR 4 DAYS WITHOUT BEING DRIVEN. WHEN TRYING TO START IT, THE BATTERY WAS DEAD (NOTHING WAS LEFT ON). JUMPED BATTERY AND IT RAN FOR A FEW HOURS. IT SAT AGAIN FOR 2 HOURS AND THEN THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AGAIN.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Mar 15, 2021
WHEN VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND IN COVERED CARPORT SUNROOF SPONTANEOUSLY POPPED AND SHATTERED
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 7, 2021
AFTER THE CAR SITS FOR 3 OR 4 DAYS I DRIVEN THE BATTERY DIES AND NEEDS TO BE JUMPED TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN. NO LIGHTS LEFT ON OR ANYTHING. ON COLD START THE ENGINE MAKES A TICKING NOISE THAT HAS BEEN GETTING LOUDER OVER THAT LAST FEW MONTHS.
Other or unspecified, Feb 15, 2021
AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS ON THE DRIVEWAY FOR LESS THAN 24 HOURS, IT WOULD NOT UNLOCK DOORS, DISENGAGE THE SHIFT FROM PARK, OR START THE ENGINE. THE BATTERY APPEARED TO HAVE CHARGE AS THE LIGHTS WOULD GO ON. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. TOYOTA UPDATED THE SOFTWARE, BUT THIS FIX DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 12, 2021
LEASED MY 2030 RAV 4 XLE AWD IN LATE NOV 2019 IN JULY 2020 THE ENGINE STOPPING WHEN BREAKING FEATURE WOULD NOT WORK. MESSAGE SAID BATTERY CHARGING. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG THAT DIDN'T DRIVE IT ENOUGH. TOOK IT HOME. A WEEK LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN.DEALER KEPT IT OVERNIGHT TO CHECK THE FULL ELECTRIC SYSTEM. FOUND NOTHING WRONG TOLD YOU DRIVE IT MORE. HAPPENS EVERY ONCE AND AWHILE. JUMP TO FEBRUARY 2021. DRIVING IT MORE PARKED CAR OUTSIDE 30 DEGREE NIGHT. NEXT MORNING WENT TO TAKE MY SON TO WORK AND THE CAR WAS TOTALLY DEAD. NOTHING WORKED. DIDN'T LEAVE ANYTHING ON, EVERYTHING LIKE IT ALWAYS WAS. CALLED TOYOTA SERVICE WHO SENT SOMEONE TO JUMPSTART IT. THAT WORKED. I WAS TOLD TO LET IT RUN FOR 30 MINS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TOYOTA OF MASSAPEQUA NY. THEY CHECK THE BATTERY AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT TO PREFORM A FIRMWARE UPDATE. I AM JUST READING THAT THE CAR BATTERY SHUTTING DOWN IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS. I HOPE THE FIRMWARE UPDATE WORKS BUT KNOWING WHAT I KNOW NOW I'M NOT SURE. WISH THE UPDATE WAS DOWN BACK IN JULY. TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL ALL 2020 RAV 4
Steering, Other or unspecified, Jan 24, 2021
1.OCCASIONALLY STEERING ISSUES, CAR WANTING TO VEER LEFT OR RIGHT WHILE DRIVING MAINLY NOTICE ON HIGHWAY. 2. SECOND INCIDENT WHERE BATTERY DEAD AFTER NOT DRIVING CAR FOR THREE DAYS.