2021 Toyota RAV4 Electrical System Problems

This complaint is being filed as a follow-up to a previously submitted NHTSA complaint regarding door lock failures on my 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Since the original complaint, a second door has now failed. In addition to the front passenger door, the rear passenger-side door will no longer lock or unlock electronically using the key fob or interior power lock button and must be locked manually. When attempting to lock the vehicle, the vehicle emits a warning beep indicating a door is unsecured, even though some doors appear locked. Upon inspection, the rear passenger door was found unlocked. This issue appears to be progressive, affecting multiple doors. Doors may appear locked when they are not, creating a security concern.

Driver door lock actuator. When using the vehicles remote key, the driver door does not lock and unlock with the rest of the vehicles locks. This failure can cause theft of personal property in the vehicle or theft of the vehicle itself. The problem has been confirmed by other toyota owners with similar models. No warning lights of the problem appeared.

I am reporting a safety defect involving the front passenger door lock actuator on my 2021 Toyota RAV4 XLE Hybrid. The front passenger door will not lock or unlock using the key fob or the interior power door lock button. The door must now be locked manually. This defeats the vehicle’s automatic locking system and creates a safety and security concern. This condition prevents all doors from being secured properly when driving or when parked. A passenger may believe the door is locked when it is not, increasing the risk of unauthorized entry, theft, or passenger safety issues. The failure occurred during normal use and without warning. The vehicle has been properly maintained. I have learned that multiple Toyota RAV4 owners have reported similar door lock actuator failures, indicating a potential widespread defect. This issue occurred shortly after the factory warranty expired. Due to the safety implications, I believe this issue warrants investigation and possible recall or manufacturer repair program. “This failure occurred without warning and with no dashboard alerts.”

Message "Voltage Abnormality Steering Power Low" was displayed several times while stopped at traffic lights and the auto stop/start engine feature was engaged. Took vehicle to dealership nothing was done since they could not replicate the issue.

While parked in a commercial lot on [XXX] around [XXX], I noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle while sitting inside. There was a strong burning rubber smell. I exited and saw flames coming from beneath the front left bumper, directly under the fog light area. I had arrived at the location about 30 minutes earlier. I opened the hood from inside the vehicle, stepped back, and called 911. The fire rapidly engulfed the front of the vehicle. Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes and extinguished the fire. Police responded and created a report. Three nearby vehicles also sustained fire damage. The vehicle had previous front-end repairs (driver side bumper and fog light) and was well maintained. The vehicle had not shown any warning lights or messages prior to the fire. I believe the fire originated from an electrical or engine component and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. GEICO insurance has been contacted and a claim has been opened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Steering power low message appears and engine completely stops.

On May 1, 2025, my 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid displayed an SRS Airbag malfunction warning (Recall 23TA15). The passenger airbag was disabled, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. Toyota had announced this recall in December 2023, but I never received any notification. When I contacted Toyota on May 9, 2025, I was told there were no parts available and was even offered a $200 paid inspection instead of a free recall repair. My vehicle remained at the dealership from May until September 29, 2025, without any available remedy. During this period, I continued paying my auto loan and insurance for a car I could not use. Toyota also failed to disclose my right to a free rental vehicle; I only received temporary rentals (Camry, later Tacoma) after repeated demands, and they did not meet my transportation needs. While the airbag recall was still unresolved, a second safety recall (25TD01 – Rear Traction Motor Cable Corrosion) was announced in mid-September 2025. This meant my vehicle had two active safety recalls at the same time while in Toyota’s custody. Both defects were only repaired at the end of September and early October 2025. Toyota failed to notify me in time, delayed the remedy for nearly two years after the recall announcement, concealed rental rights, and allowed my vehicle to remain unsafe under multiple recalls for months. An independent arbitrator has already issued a repurchase decision, confirming Toyota’s responsibility. This demonstrates a systemic failure by Toyota to comply with recall and safety obligations.”

The High voltage floor underwire harness and rear traction motor cable corroded. This caused many if the vehicles sensors to fail completely including the tire pressure monitor system, adaptive cruise, collision avoidance, and more. Toyota is aware of this problem and attempted to do a silent warranty extension. This is a safety hazard and all of the known vehicles affected should be recalled!

Hybrid system failure resulting in vehicle not being drivable at all. Failure is due to corrosion from connector between high voltage harness into rear traction motor. Failure occurred 8,000 miles past warrantee cut-off (100,000) and will require weeks to months to fix 2/2 parts on backorder.

Several malfunction warnings (pre-collision system malfunction, AWD malfunction, engine malfunction, parking brake malfunction) as well as several warning lights appeared on my dash. Took vehicle to a Toyota dealership for repairs. Fuel pump was replaced. Drove car a few days later and all the same warnings and lights came back on and this time the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road while driving. Was able to restart but had as soon as vehicle was stopped it would stall. Had to restart the vehicle several times while driving 2 miles just to get it home.

Dear NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, I am writing to formally report a safety concern with my 2021 Toyota RAV4 XSE Hybrid regarding its fuel tank capacity and refueling issue. Despite the advertised fuel tank capacity of approximately 14.5 gallons, my vehicle only allows me to fill around 9 gallons before the pump automatically shuts off. This significantly reduces my driving range and forces me to refuel much more frequently than expected. After researching, I discovered that Toyota issued Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0109-20 acknowledging this issue, along with Customer Support Program 20TE04. However, my local Toyota dealership refuses to acknowledge the issue or perform the necessary repairs, despite my vehicle clearly experiencing the problem. I believe this poses a safety risk because: •The incorrect fuel level readings can lead to drivers miscalculating available fuel, potentially resulting in unexpected stalls or breakdowns. •It suggests a defect in the fuel tank design, which Toyota has acknowledged but has not proactively addressed with a recall. •Many other Toyota RAV4 Hybrid owners have reported similar issues, indicating this is a widespread manufacturing defect. Additionally, my wireless charging pad malfunctions and blinks constantly, raising concerns about potential electrical issues in a hybrid vehicle. Given the combination of fuel-related and electrical concerns, I am worried about possible safety risks that could arise from these defects. I am requesting the NHTSA to: 1.Investigate this issue further to determine if it qualifies for an official recall. 2.Require Toyota to take accountability and provide a permanent fix for affected vehicles at no cost to owners. 3.Ensure dealerships honor repairs for vehicles experiencing these known defects. I appreciate your time in reviewing this complaint. Please let me know if any further information is needed to assist in your investigation. Thank you.

I've seen this error message (voltage abnormality steering power low) a few times whenever we are at a stop light and begin to go. This only happens whenever the Start/Stop function is active so the engine is stopped while not moving. Then once we start going, it will show up for a second and then disappear. We have taken the car to a local shop where they said that the alternator was beyond normal use and we received a quote as they believed it was worth replacing. When we went to Toyota dealership as the alternator is still under warranty they said they didn't see anything, they would not allow us to drive the car or hold onto the break in their shop. Problem continues to persist.

Cruise control suddenly quit working, alarms for hybrid system malfunction, cruise control malfunction. This is a known issue for Toyota, high voltage leaking out because of a corroded ground. This repair is going to cost around $7,000 out of pocket.. My car is 3 years old.

We’ve had the car for three months had it to the shop of the Toyota place seven times for the electrical issue the car will shut off going down the road when you give a gas when you let off the gas, it will start back up spitting sputter, the instrument cluster The gauges will stick in one spot and not budge and you lose all power to the vehicle to drive

A warning message came up that the HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION contact dealer. This was confirmed by the dealer. According to the dealer and message boards at various web sites, the Hybrid System Malfunction is NOT uncommon. To fix the problem, a wire harness must be replaced with a replacement cost of $2000-$4000. When I asked what changes have been made to the replacement part to address the corrosion problem, the response was there might be a new coating but we do live in New Hampshire.

I received an error message “Engine stopped, steering power low” after driving an hour in the rain, sat in my car for about 20 mins with wipers on, engine began to jerk aggressively then shut off. I could not gas it or move the car. I let the car sit after being towed, it ran fine as if nothing happened. I got a battery test and it was at 100% charge according to Autozone. The check engine light, battery light and steering light came on. No prior indications of this problem.

The front passenger door started to "not unlock" when using the keys or door buttons to unlock it, you would have to manually unlock the passenger door by reaching across from the driver's side of the car. For about a week, that was happening, then that same door started to "not lock" using the key fob, handle or door buttons, so both locking and unlocking could only be done manually. Then the most concerning incident, while driving and while a passenger was seated in the front seat, upon rounding a corner (moving less than 20 mph) in a very busy town full of parked cars and pedestrians, the closed front passenger door flung open while the vehicle was turning and moving, almost striking a pedestrian and parked car. The passenger was able to safely close the door, but this would have been impossible had there only been a driver in the car at the time. The door had been shut properly, and there were no indicator lights that the door was not fully closed. The door also "auto-locks" when moving, so there were multiple failures of the lock/door system when this occurred. The car was on the road more than 5 minutes when this happened with absolutely no warnings until the door flung open and the car made lots of warning noise at this point. We called the dealer and made an appointment and on the day of the appointment the locks magically started working again. The dealer just charged us $90 to perform a "lock diagnostic" to which they said there are no issues found. Well, let me just say, I feel a door randomly opening in a moving vehicle is a major safety problem and it is a grave concern for me to drive or ride in this car when I am not sure when or if this is going to reoccur at any given moment.

The vehicle was left parked for 7 days and battery was found to have discharged and would not start or provide any displays on the dash board. No map lights were were found to have been left on and no accessories were connected.

I was in a bad car accident last Wednesday July 26, 2023 It was very scary and Bizarre; My car accelerated (started racing)and when I stepped on brake, it accelerated more. I saw a message flash up on my GPS screen but obviously couldn't read it as I was trying to stop my car. The Auto brakes didn’t work, I crashed into a tree; air bags didn’t deploy and I got this message ("CHECK ENGINE! A MALFUNCTION IN THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL OF THE ENGINE,THROTTLE, OR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN DETECTED.CONTACT YOUR TOYOTA DEALER IN ORDER TO HAVE YOUR VEHICLE INSPECTED." (See attached). Luckily I was in an almost empty parking lot when this happened, if not i could have been killed or killed someone else. All the safety back ups failed. I took a picture of the message-will attach it to this report. I was taken to Huntington Hospital ER and had a cat scan to make Sure my sternum and ribs aren’t broken-showed Soft tissue abdominal swelling and bruised sternum and ribs from my seat belt. Pain to chest, ribs an right side. I believe my car is totaled Just had it inspected and serviced a few weeks ago at the Toyota dealership where I purchased it and it only has 10,000 miles on it! I am Fighting with insurance company to make sure the car's computer is interrogated before they do anything else.-The insurance company was pressuring me to release the car to Copart without this being done and I refused. My car was towed to and remains at Combined Auto Collision 4035 Jericho Tpk, East Northport, NY. This incident could have resulted in a catastrophic outcome and loss of life. Aa investigation needs to be taken to insure this does not happen to anyone else. Thank you for your kind assistance The consumer stated that the dealer identified the problem being that the water drainage pillars short out the electrical system.

The contact rented a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a vibrating sound coming from the front driver’s side windshield. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle was a rental and could not be diagnosed. The contact was informed to return the vehicle to Avis Car Rental. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle after several minutes. The contact stated that due to the loss of motive power, the front driver’s and passenger’s side headlights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be diagnosed since the vehicle was a rental. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.