2024 Toyota RAV4 Problems

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

After driving my 2024 RAV4 in rain for about an hour, I was then parked for about 5 minutes in a parking garage and the engine shut down and warning light came on for power steering, and white smoke /steam came out of the engine. Engine would not restart, even after tow truck arrived thirty minutes later. Once dealership received my…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal sound was heard coming from under the hood and would shudder towards the front-passenger side. In addition, the contact stated that the failure caused her to crash into a rail guard, and the rear driver-side tire had deflated, and…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 40,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the Headlight System Malfunction, Pre-collision System Malfunction, Road Sign Assist (RSA), and Lane Tracing Assist (LTA) warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The contact stated that the remedy for Special…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 48,000 miles

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that on several occasions while attempting to start the vehicle, the message to "Place Key fob Next to Start Button" was displayed. The contact placed the key fob on the start button, and the vehicle started. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 11,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

I own a 2024 Toyota RAV4. At approximately 38,300 miles, an authorized Toyota dealership diagnosed a failed rack-and-pinion/steering rack assembly that required replacement. Before the repair, I began noticing a squeaking noise when turning the steering wheel. The noise became progressively louder over time. The symptoms continued to…Owner complaint, filed 2026

2024 RAV4 XLE Premium will randomly pull to the left or right after start-up, or cold soak, and has been doing so since new. The Dealer has verified that the alignment is correct and there are no mechanical issues. When the vehicle is shut off and restarted, the symptoms will likely change and will often correct itself, but this…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Parts named most: Automatic emergency braking (9), Warnings (8).

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

My 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has intermittently displayed multiple safety-system malfunction warnings at the same time. The messages include “LTA Malfunction, Visit Your Dealer,” “Pre-Collision System Malfunction, Visit Your Dealer,” “RSA Malfunction, Visit Your Dealer,” and “Headlight System Malfunction, Visit Your Dealer.” This has…Owner complaint, filed 2026

forward recognition camera malfunctioned which turns off all front camera associated systems including the entire toyota safety sense system. Precollison system malfunctions, lane tracing, adaptive cruise, and headlight system all malfunction when this camera is out. The car is only 2 years old and had to have the entire camera replaced…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Parts named most: Body (13).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

On 9/06/2026 my 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid was involved in a severe collision where the impact occured on the drivers side at the passenger door. The vehicle spun several times before coming to a stop. During the spins the front passenger door flew opening. My wife was sitting in the passenger seat her seatbelt successfully restrianted her…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Vehicle trunk fails to respond and doesn’t open. Inside button and trunk button do not work all of the time. Safety issue when having animals crated in back.Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

break in the rough road the brake is not working. The car is shaking before break. Looks like break is sleeping. always happen when you drive in the rough road if you need to break, the brake is not working properly. Something is off. It happens always when you drive in the rough road and you need to breakOwner complaint, filed 2026

Vehicle rolled backwards in reverse while brake pedal was pressed all the way down. Claim was filed with Toyota. After two months, they have said it is a non-issue.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 14,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving forward into a parking space and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated at a high rate of speed, almost causing the vehicle to crash into a building and other parked vehicles before the failure was self-corrected. The vehicle was towed to…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 27,000 miles

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while attempting to park and making a turn, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated and collided with a 3 1/2 cement block wall. The contact sustained hand and chest bruises as a result of the incident; however, no medical attention was provided. The contact stated that the air…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 13,600 miles

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact's daughter owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 35 MPH, she had crossed an intersection when she was crashed into by another vehicle making a U-turn from a cross street. The other vehicle's front end crashed into the driver's side tire and front door. The contact…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 10,000 miles

During a head-on collision with a tree, the vehicle sustained major front-end damage and the airbag deployed, resulting in a cracked sternum, three fractured ribs, and a three-day hospitalization. No warning lights or prior symptoms were present, and the incident has not been reproduced or confirmed by a service center. The vehicle is…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 75 MPH, as an occupant seated in the passenger’s side seat, the contact became aware that the rear passenger’s side window shattered without impact. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 18,000 miles

Driving on [XXX] merging onto [XXX] heading north, the sun roof exploded at approximately 70 mph. There were not vehicles near us at the time nor any obvious shrapnel or ricochet marks indicating an object struck the glass causing the break. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 2, 4 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle was uncontrollable. The vehicle drove onto a sidewalk curb and crashed into a concrete post before coming to…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 51,020 miles

Car is one year old, 13k miles and is having transmission issues, most likely related to e-CVT system. When braking you can hear grinding sounds from under the middle of the car. Acceleration is sluggish going up hills and engine seems to slip or race going down hills. Car is being taken to dealer Tuesday July 15 for diagnostics. No…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

This was a rental car. The center rear seat harness is locked so it cannot be used. Pulling lightly, or with any degree of resistance, will not allow the shoulder strap to be loosed so it can be used. As a result a passenger cannot be seated in the center of the rear bench seat. Also, the cover assembly for the rear cargo area was…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Airbags, seats, and headrest all failed. State Farm insurance currently has the vehicle. I do not know if the people has been inspected by anybody. The vehicle had no warning lamps message or other symptoms of problems or failure before the collision. I was traveling in the far left lane when traffic came to abrupt stop and I was able to…Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

Tire size 225/65R17 On [XXX] the front tire on the passenger side blew out on [XXX] just west of the exit to [XXX] as I was driving from Warren MI to Horseheads NY. I was able to safely steer off the highway to the shoulder. A man stopped to help, he put the donut on the car and put the blown out tire in the cargo space. I have the tire…Owner complaint, filed 2025

- Passenger side rear tire failed - Tire is at dealer and available for inspection - Extremely dangerous situation, tire failed on a section of interstate highway under construction. Only 2 lanes available and they were narrower than normal width. Part of the shoulder was converted to driving lane so almost no shoulder to pull off on.…Owner complaint, filed 2024

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

After parking car in driveway, a puddle of fuel is left directly under fuel tank. Girlfriend thought it was ac condensation. I stuck my finger in puddle and smelled the gasoline. Girlfriend is taking car to dealer.Owner complaint, filed 2024

I have had multiple instances where the vehicle has failed to accelerate when making a left hand turn. Each time this has occurred, my car has rolled into the intersection from a stop at a small decline, but the gas seems to do nothing. My car silently rolls forward and then I have no power or gas and am trapped with no acceleration. I’m…Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

* The suspension camber is extremely off from the factory * The tires are wearing abnormally, causing the steel mesh to become exposed while the tire still appears healthy from the outside * Yes, the problem has been reproduced, and is widespread * Yes, it's been inspected by the dealership, and Toyota corporate is doing everything they…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Refusing to replace bad suspension components under warranty due to Toyota being above the law and more concerned about profits than safety on the road ways.Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• Ask for a hybrid battery health report from a dealer or hybrid shop.
• Watch for warning messages at startup and on the test drive, and confirm the car switches between gas and electric smoothly.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle in a parking space, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The vehicle crashed into a tree while the contact's foot was firmly depressed on the brake pedal. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact did not suffer any…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 4,600 miles