2018 Toyota RAV4 electrical system problems

“All warning lights came on and started flashing, steering wheel locked completely and total system failure. Car suddenly died and I had no control of it. Engine started smoking with black smoke. I got out of car and engine immediately caught fire starting at the bottom left driver side of engine and within a few minutes vehicle was completely engulfed with flames. It exploded and car was gone.”

“Before o had taken my RAV4 into Toyota for the recall a AAA tech. had replaced the battery after jump starting it. There was nothing wrong with the sensors or anything else but after the battery was replaced all the electric sensors that are for lane change warnings and cruise control etc. stopped working. I took vehicle into Toyota of Santa Maria and was told that I needed to pay for the sensors that had failed. They told me that I was responsible and I do not believe I am when AAA had just replaced my battery and only after that did the sensors have an issue. I do not feel safe driving my car now because all the sensors aren’t working anymore.”

“While I am driving my Toyota RAV4, the car will suddenly shut off and I can restart it and keep driving as the month is going on. The incidents are happening more often and now the dashboard is going black. I’ve had a couple of warning signs on the dashboard. I brought the car to Toyota and Pep Boys. Both of them checked the electrical systems and everything looks good according to their testing.”

“The contact owned a 2018 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a defect with the key fob and the door locks for the passenger doors. When starting the vehicle, the brake locking mechanism could not detect the key, and a message was displayed indicating that the key was not found. The contact stated that he had to open and close the door for the vehicle to engage and recognize the key. Additionally, the vehicle failed to lock automatically, which forced the contact to lock both the driver and passenger sides manually. Early corrections were made in an attempt to resolve these issues, but the problems persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,968.”

“Severe, chronic rainwater intrusion through the vehicle's front cowl and body seams, resulting in catastrophic flooding of the passenger-side cabin floorboards. This issue occurs even when all sunroof drains are completely clear and functional. Toyota has issued Technical Service Bulletin 0055-24 acknowledging body seam and cowl leaks for this vehicle type. The passenger-side floorboard houses critical electrical wire harnesses and sits adjacent to the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS/Airbag) control module. Chronic standing water on the floorboard presents an immediate risk of electrical short-circuits, potentially causing sudden vehicle stalling, electrical component fires, or the uncommanded deployment/failure of the vehicle's airbag safety systems. Furthermore, the thick foam insulation beneath the carpet remains saturated, creating an immediate, toxic mold hazard within an enclosed passenger cabin, severely impacting occupant health and air quality. The manufacturer and dealership have left the vehicle unrepaired for over 30 days, refusing to remediate this safety hazard.”

“On October 27, 2025, I was housesitting and watching a friends' son and dropped him off at school. I returned to their house, shut off the car, went into the house, started cleaning home in preparation of returning to my home. I was in downstairs master suite on opposite end of home when I heard a car horn. I went to the door, looked out and saw fire emitting from under the driver’s side wheel well, front of engine, from under the engine hood and half way up the windshield of the RAV4. I called [XXX] and informed the dispatcher that my car was on fire. The [XXX] fire department responded and extinguished the vehicle. I called my insurance company and also reported the incident to Toyota BEC, they assigned the incident Liability Case# XXX. I had also received 2 recall notifications from Toyota (NHTSA# 23V734). The car had been serviced by Grappone Toyota (now known as McGovern Toytota) in [XXX] on August 14, 2025 and the recall was documented as fixed on that date. The vehicle was a total loss and towed to a Coparts Salvage Yard in Candia NH. An inspection was performed by an inspector assigned by Toyota. I later received a letter from Toyota stating that the…”