There are 9 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2012 Toyota RAV4in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The small pipe that's part of the Upper Radiator Coolant Hose Connector Adapter broke off and drained coolant from the vehicle. This small pipe had deteriorated and become brittle leading to the failure.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine, traction control, and 4WD drive warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring for approximately two months. The dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure and a service appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Auto Zone, where it was scanned with an OBD2 scanner and DTC: P0607, P1603, and P1604 were retrieved. The vehicle was taken to another local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an unknown electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000
AS I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY GOING STRAIGHT WITH A SPEED OF APPROX. 60 MPH, I HEARD A STRANGE ENGINE NOISE. I SAW THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT FLICKERING AND THEN I EXITED THE HIGHWAY, PARKING ON A NEARBY STREET. I CHECKED THE OIL AND THE DIP STICK WAS DRY. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A AUTO SHOP. THE FIRST SHOP ( NOT TOYOTA) DETERMINED THE OIL LEAK WAS FROM THE OIL FILTER CAP O-RING WHICH PART OF IT FLATTEN AND EXTENDED OUT CAUSING A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL TO LEAK OUT. THE SECOND SHOP( NOT TOYOTA) WHO DID THE LAST OIL CHANGE ( UNKNOWN BRAND OF FILTER KIT USED) REPLACED THE ORIGINAL PLASTIC OIL FILTER CAP WITH AN AFTER MARKET METAL ONE AND REFILLED APPROX. 3 QUARTS OF OIL. I WAS NEVER TOLD WHAT CAUSED THIS PROBLEM WITH THE OIL FILTER CAP O-RING. SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FINE BUT I'M CONCERNED THIS MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN.
MY 2012 RAV4 MAIN EVAP CANISTER WENT BAD AT ONLY 77,113 MILES. IT ALMOST COSTED ME $1550 TO GET THIS PART REPLACED, BUT THANKFULLY WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE THE DEALERSHIP TO GET ME A DEAL ON THE REPAIR. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS PART TO GO BAD SO QUICKLY. I DO NOT TOP OFF MY GAS AND I HAVE HAD IT IN FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED. TO MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE, WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THE 4WD AND TRACTION CONTROL UNITS TURN OFF, MAKING MY CAR HARD TO CONTROL IN THE SNOW. I WAS TOLD BY TUFFY THIS IS A COMMON THING AND THAT WAS A PREVIOUS RECALL FOR OLDER VEHICLES. THE CODE WAS ON FOR A FEW WEEKS, DIDN'T CLEAR. I HAD IT DIAGNOSED AT TUFFY AND THE DEALERSHIP, SAME DIAGNOSIS. I HAVE ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION JERKING WHEN I PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE, EVEN IN WARM WEATHER, WHEN IT'S THE FIRST DRIVE OF THE DAY. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WITH 40K ON IT.
I WAS WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT ON NORRISTOWN ROAD TO CROSS BETHLEHEM PIKE IN SPRINGHOUSE, PA AT APPROXIMATELY 5 PM ON 5/22/15. I WAS FIRST IN LINE TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION IN THE DIRECTION OF PICKING UP 309 SOUTH IN ABOUT 1/2 MILE. I HAD BEEN WAITING AT THE LIGHT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO WHEN MY CAR SURGED FORWARD. I PUT BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE BUT I WAS MOVING INTO THE INTERSECTION NONETHELESS. THERE WAS SPARSE TRAFFIC AND IT WAS SAFE FOR ME TO TURN RIGHT ONTO BETHLETHEM PIKE. ALMOST AS SOON AS I MADE THE TURN ONTO BETHLEHEM PIKE THE SURGE DISSIPATED AND THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE WHOLE INCIDENT TOOK ABOUT 30 SECONDS TO A MINUTE. IT WAS PROBABLY ILL-ADVISED, BUT I CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO MY DESTINATION, HOME. UPON REACHING HOME AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENNED I HAD THE CAR TOWED THE NEXT MORNING (YESTERDAY) TO A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THE CAR AT THIS MOMENT IS THERE AWAITING REPAIR, I HAD TO ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF MILES ON THE ODOMETER. ON THE FIRST LEG OF MY ERRAND ON THAT DAY (FRIDAY 5/22), I DROVE NORTH ON RT 309. I NOTICED THAT AT FREEWAY SPEED THE TACHOMETER WAS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 3000 RPM. I HAD DONE A LONG TRIP WITH THIS CAR THE PREVIOUS SUNDAY, 5/17, AND AT CRUISING SPEED THE TACHOMETER WAS IN THE VICINITY OF 2100 RPM.
ON FEB 26, 2015 I TURNED LEFT INTO MY BANK GOING MAYBE 5 MPH. THEN I TURN LEFT AGAIN INTO A PARKING SPOT. I PUT ON MY BRAKE TO STOP AND THE ENGINE STARTED ROARING AND PUSHING THE BRAKE WITH BOTH FEET THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. GOING ABOUT 7 TO 10 FEET UP CURB AND BUMPING INTO A FLOWER BARREL PLANTER. AS SOON AS IT HIT SOMETHING THE CAR DISENGAGED AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP CAR AND PUT IN REVERSE. LOWER FRONT END DAMAGE OCCURRED. IT HAPPEN ONE OTHER TIME LAST AUGUST 2014. I WAS PULLING INTO A GAS STATION AND THE SAME THING. ENGINE ROARING AND WOULDN'T STOP WITH BOTH FEET PUSHING HARD ON THE BRAKE. THE CAR STOPPED WHEN IT BUMPED INTO THE STEP UP THAT THE GAS PUMPS WERE ON ALLOWING ME TO BACK UP AND DRIVE AGAIN. NO DAMAGE OCCURRED. *TR
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP FOR STOP SIGNS OR TRAFFIC LIGHTS, THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING AT A HIGH RPM. IT REQUIRED SHIFTING OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL TO KEEP THE CAR FROM ACCELERATING FORWARD. OCCURRED ABOUT 5 TIMES OVER A TWO MONTH PERIOD. *TR
WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF PURCHASE OF NEW TOYOTA RAV4 VEHICLE, WE HAD ONSET OF ACID SMELL WHENEVER AIR-CONDITIONER TURNED ON. AFTER ABOUT 3 MINUTES, THE ODOR DISSIPATES, AND AIR-CONDITIONER FUNCTIONS ADEQUATELY. THERE IS NO ODOR WHEN HEAT IS TURNED ON. WE HAD NO TIME TO DEAL WITH IT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT ABOUT A YEAR AFTER PURCHASE WE WENT TO TOYOTA DEALER (WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR) TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ODOR. THEY CHANGED THE AIR-CONDITIONER FILTER, BUT STILL THE ODOR PERSISTS. ONLY THE DEALER HAS WORKED ON OUR CAR. IS THE ACID VAPOR HARMFUL TO THE OCCUPANTS OF OUR CAR? WHY DOESN'T IT GO AWAY? THE DEALER DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT...WHAT SHOULD WE DO? IT HAS NOW BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 1.5 YEARS! *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026