10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
5,167 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2021 Toyota RAV4 engine problems

engine problem

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2021 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments

problem #6

Jan 272023

RAV4

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was pulling into a parking space with my foot on the brake, had just touched the parking bar, and the engine started racing. The car went forward over the parking bar before I cold stop it by stomping on the brake. The only thing stopping me from going over the side of the hill was a chain link fence. Luckily the brakes worked. This is a 2021 RAV4 and I have never had this problem before. I am scheduled to go into the Toyota dealer to have them look at it.

- La Canada, CA, USA

problem #5

Dec 132022

RAV4

  • miles
Since I bought my brand-new car 1. the engine has stopped 5 times. 2. My windshield cracked. 3. There is low tire air pressure indicator that appears once in a while. A new battery was replaced, and it now cannot start. The message on the screen indicates: "IGNITION ON, Voltage abnormality steering power Low. Visit your Dealer." I took it the Dealer and now they are not able to find out what the problem is because I had to jam started the car for it to be towed.

- Essex, MD, USA

problem #4

Nov 302022

RAV4

  • miles
2021 Toyota REV4 with just over 5,000 miles. I got off from a parking lot and drove 1/2 miles, The screen shown "Vehicle Alert" and asked to check engine with message "A malfunction in the electronic control of the engine, throttle, or automatic transmission has been detected". I smell very strong gasoline, then stop the vehicle. I check the gas tank, it's normal. I opened the hood and saw a puddle of gasoline on engine part, between the battery and the engine but lower than the battery. It's so dangerous to drive with leaking gasoline so I park my car on a street

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #3

Jan 292021

RAV4

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle stumbles on moderate acceleration from slow speed, hesitates shifting also. Problem has persisted since new. Dealers rep "they're all like that. can't find any problem. No warning lamps. I think there is a TSB but it seems well hidden. I feel it is a safety issue - acceleration from low speed compromised. We have 2 more 2021 rav4s in the family that do not do that. I believe Toyota knows about this problem. Also had a problem with vehicle slamming violently into lower gear when coming to a stop. Dealer could not find problem. I checked vehicle and found air filter housing not properly secured. I latched it properly and that seemed to solve slamming into lower gear problem. Dealers mechanic (?) must have not latched it properly after 12 month service. No telling how much dirt was sucked into engine while that was happening. The stumbling/ drivability hesitant shifting problem persists. Several people have reported this problem. One was fixed by a dealer attending to a software problem. This is a known problem that is being ignored. This has happened since new Jan 29, 2021.

- Leesburg, FL, USA

problem #2

Jul 102022

RAV4

  • 30,000 miles
The contact stated that the owner of a 2021 Toyota Rav4 was driving approximately 35 mph when the odor of burning rubber was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. After stopping and exiting the vehicle flames were present coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed during the incident. A fire report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The contact indicated that the vehicle had recently been repaired after a front-end crash had occurred. The contact also references an NHTSA open investigation(PE21005) for the same failure that had occurred. The failure mileage was 30,000

- Arcadia, CA, USA

problem #1

Nov 162020

RAV4

  • 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, there was an abnormally loud grinding sound coming from the engine. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to cabe Toyota (2849 long beach blvd, long beach, ca 90806, (562) 595-7411) where it was diagnosed with nothing needing to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer replaced the battery however, the failure persisted. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

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