9.6

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
792 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2021 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments

problem #13

Feb 212023

RAV4

  • miles

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

I purchased car in 12/20. The car has a 14.5 gal sized tank, and gets avg 42 mpg -calculated by miles driven to empty divided by gas pumped when empty- as well as on dashboard display. Since purchase the car registers empty 150 or more miles sooner than the 560 dashboard estimate and than 14.5 mpg. I am only able to fill less than 11 gallons when the fuel Guage reads empty with less than 20 miles remaining. The service dept assures me the car is able to drive 560 on a full tank, as the fuel Guage and miles-to-empty ignore a "buffer " of several gallons in the tank. It is unsafe to drive over 150 miles with the car registering no miles remaining. It is unsafe to plan a trip based on dashboard or tank size/gallons mileage, where I could run out of gas in an unsafe region.

- Hampton, NH, USA

problem #12

Jan 272023

RAV4

  • miles
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 #11

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 #10

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 #9

Jun 052022

RAV4

  • miles
2021 RAV4 Hybrid exhibits fueling problems, consistently. Parked on level concrete, shut off, in "Refuel" status, at the fuel island, it dependably suffers abject failure at attempts to refill the gasoline tank at the fuel pump. With the fuel pump nozzle set to lowest flow setting, at any moment, the fuel being pumped down the filler tube surges back up the filler tube, occasionally spilling out onto the side of the car and the ground. Other times, with the pump nozzle set to lowest flow settings, it may automatically and arbitrarily shut off after 1 gallon or 4 gallons, when the miles driven along with the fuel gauge indicates the tank requires at least 10 gallons. It is impossible to know from one fill-up to the next fill-up if the tank is full, close to full, or several gallons shy of full. Refueling the RAV4 Hybrid is a challenge that defeats the best mechanical and fluid dynamics aware person trying to fill the tank. This issue is ongoing and has been occurring since the vehicle was purchased NEW with 9 miles on the odometer in November 2020. Toyota even sent out a letter to get to dealership to have this fixed, it did nothing to solve problem.

- Redmond, WA, USA

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problem #8

Nov 142021

RAV4

  • miles
Toyota of Portland sold me a used 2021 RAV4 hybrid XSE with a defective gas tank. The gas tank does not carry the 14.5 gallons as advertised, the gas gauge cluster is inaccurate, and the mileage remaining on the dash cluster is inaccurate. These defects were not disclosed to me prior to the sale. Immediately after seeing the problem, I brought the vehicle in for service at Vancouver (WA) Toyota. They botched the repair job and the vehicle is emitting gas vapors non stop. Over the weekend, my house was inundated with gas vapors and my household and I experienced dizziness, irritability, poor eyesight, and nausea.

- Camas, WA, USA

problem #7

Mar 192021

RAV4

  • miles

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

Since buying this 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vehicle in 12/2020 gas tank only takes about 10-11 gallons of fuel when refueling, whereas tank capacity is 14+gallons. This leads to trickle filling to get a full tank which Toyota advises against as unsafe. Toyota has agreed to pay for fixing this manufacturing defect for 2020 model RAV 4's with the same manufacturing defect, but so far Toyota holding back issuing authorization to fix the 2021 RAV4 Hybrids. Car available for inspection upon request. Toyota dealer wants me to pay for diagnosis, manufacturer unwilling to pay for inspection of this safety risk despite paying for it in 2020 RAV4's with same defect.

- Wilbraham, MA, USA

problem #6

Mar 082021

RAV4

  • 905 miles
Car had a low fuel indicator on (approx. 15miles distance to empty left on a dashboard). Upon refueling, the car only took about $11.38 gallon of fuel to refill the empty tank. This is very annoying as I just bought this car new thinking it has 14.5 gallon fuel tank capacity but in reality it has a defective fuel tank and it only takes about 11 gallon of fuel.

- Allentown, PA, USA

problem #5

Mar 072021

RAV4

  • miles
The gas tank of 2021 Rav4 hybrid does not fill in as advertised. Toyota advertises that it can take 14.5 gallons of fuel, however when the fuel low warning light is on and you try to fill the full tank, it never takes more than 10 gallons, thus there's discrepancy of 4 gallons. This reduces the car's advertised range from 550 miles to less than 400 miles. Toyota claims this is a design mistake and doesn't offer any fix.

- Redmond, WA, USA

problem #4

Jan 302021

RAV4

  • 8,000 miles
Cannot fill fuel tank completely full. Had some tests run by Toyota and they found that there were only 12.5 gallons in the 14.5 gallon tank when the pump shuts off. I was told this was "within the spec" and offered no further help.

- Randolph, WI, USA

problem #3

Jan 022021

RAV4

  • 485 miles

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

Have a 2019 ams 2021 Rav4 hybrid xse that will not fill to its 14.5 gal capacity. Toyota needs to make a formal announcement here to acknowledge the issue and a timeline on a fix. With noting, the dealership said it took 14 gal on initial fill when purchased, so not sure what to think here - can provide photos as well

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #2

Jan 132021

RAV4

  • 400 miles
When the low fuel light comes on it only takes 10 gallons to refill. This gives me a range of 400 miles on a tank of fuel. I was expecting a reserve amount of fuel after the low fuel light comes on to drive to a fuel station but only using 10 gallons out of a 14 gallon tank seems wrong.

- Keizer, OR, USA

problem #1

Sep 082020

RAV4

  • 502 miles
With 4 miles left on hv range/dte, I filled my first full tank at costco. Pump read $10.82 gallons. Now hv range is showing 544 miles. I got about 39.9 mpg on first tank (without ev) which is in line with epa. But my real hv range from full to empty was only 10.9 X 39.5 = 430 miles. If you add ev miles of 42, then you get around 472 miles. Not 600. Their mpg claims are valid. But their gas tank/ range claims are clearly overstated. Real range is only 472. Not 600. Which is disappointing, you might go on a road trip with your family, and be stuck in middle of no where because their range claims were overstated. They marketed this to be close to being 600 mile range. When it can hardly go 472 when gas tank shows empty. Toyota is callous and negligent in resolving this issue so far. I was dissed by my Toyota dealer for the same issue with prius prime. Now Rav4 prime has he same issue, and I am hearing the same with Rav4 hybrid owners. You can only fill in 10+ gallons. Not 13 or 14 gallons as they falsely claim. Real range of your Rav4 prime/hybrid is only 470 miles not 600!!

- Camas, WA, USA

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