Note: This is a fully electric vehicle. It was made by Toyota, but the drive train (electric motor, battery, etc.) is made by Tesla. Earlier this summer (Around June 2021) while starting the vehicle from a stop, the vehicle either shifted to neutral (halfway through an intersection) or stalled. The vehicle displays a message saying "Check EV System". We have since taken it to two Toyota dealerships. The first (Toyota of Tacoma in Tacoma WA) said the 12V battery needed to be replaced, but the issue happened again almost immediately after we took the vehicle off the lot and completely stalled in the middle of a busy intersection. We brought it back to the same dealership who then said nothing was wrong with the vehicle. We also took the vehicle to a local auto repair shop that specializes in electric vehicles where they were able to recreate the issue but unfortunately were unable to work on the car as Tesla had locked the codes needed to diagnose the issues. The second dealership (Titus Will Toyota in Tacoma WA) was able to reproduce the issue, but they didn't have the equipment to work on the vehicle. They said that they spoke to the Toyota engineering team who told them that the speed sensor had moisture on it, and the coolant on the right side was low which indicates that coolant was leaking into the electric motor and the vehicle needed a new drive train. Toyota said that since the drive train was made by Tesla, they are unable to work on the vehicle and we would need to figure out how to get the vehicle from Washington to California to find a shop that could service the vehicle and completely replace the entire drive train - a diagnosis made and given over the phone. We purchased the vehicle just over a year ago in Washington and now it has a dangerous safety issue that neither Toyota nor Tesla is wanting anything to do with and that local repair shops cannot address.
2013 Toyota RAV4 engine complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 31 of 31, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav-4. The contact stated the while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated they noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood from the engine. The contact got out the vehicle and called 911. The vehicle engulfed in flames and no one was injured during the fire. The fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was not inspected or diagnosed by insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2013 toyota rav-4. The contact stated that vehicle was parked in a parking space when she shifted the gear shifter into reverse and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle restarted itself. The contact drove the vehicle around the corner and the vehicle stalled once more. The contact looked up and saw gray smoke coming from under the hood and all of the warning lights illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle when she saw gray smoke billowing and within seconds of exiting the vehicle, it was engulfed in flames. The police and fire rescue were on the scene and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a lot and the insurance company deemed it totaled, but couldn't diagnose what the failure was since the vehicle's exterior frames were only left. The contact informed charles maund toyota (8400 research blvd, austin, tx 78758) of the failure. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a claim, however they later informed the contact that the claim was denied since there was no indication that a defect caused the fire. The manufacturer informed the contact that upon inspection, the j hook was missing and the positive battery cable was welded to the battery hold down bracket as the failure. The contact stated that she saw a news article that the federal safety agency was probing engine compartment fire for 2013-2018 toyota rav4, and believed the failure was related. The failure mileage was 39,187. *bf
I saw article in USA today. Exact same thing was happening to my rav4 a month ago. I brought back to dealer and they changed the battery- but I paid for it.
Driving my 2013 toyota rav4ev when the vehicle shifted into neutral and would not shift back to drive and lost power while driving on the freeway at 70 MPH. Lucky to be able to pull over to the side of the freeway. There was a message in the display of "check EV system. Have your vehicle checked by dealership immediately"
While driving, the vehicle started to shut off while driving with all lights coming on on the dash board. It cuts on when you put car back in park then turn the key, but still turns off again when you take it past a certain speed or when stopping to hard.
The rav4 2013 is not even 5 years old yet. The car does not speed up when pressing gas and jerks suddenly. Per dealer, there is a problem with the computer connected to the transmission and had a lot of customers with the same problem.
While stopped at a traffic light with the transmission in drive, the engine shut off without warning, and the steering wheel locked. The radio and headlights remained on. This the second occurrence within 6 weeks.
The engine started on fire under normal driving conditions. The car was not involved in any accident. The rav4 limited was totaled. It was less than 3 years old and had 17,500 miles on it. The car was serviced regularly by toyota. The last service was about 4 months prior to the fire. Toyota has not honored their 3yr/36,000 mile warranty coverage on the car. Toyota has not offered a replacement car, rental or anything. Every time we call our toyota case manager or legal department managers, we have to leave a message and they never return our calls.
Our toyota 2013 rav4 had a sudden acceleration. While driving on the highway, the gas peddle suddenly dropped to the floor, and the RPM's went from 3-8 instantly. Upon braking, the accelerator went back to normal, but as soon as the brake was released, the problem immediately happened again. At this point, the brakes were applied again, and the car was pulled over. The car was shut off, then restarted. At this point the car drove normal from then on.
While backing out of my garage, saturday 12/12/15, my foot was on the brake, suddenly the engine speeded up radically and I sped backward to the end of my drive. I braked and shifted to neutral and switched off the engine. It stopped and upon restarting, was ok. This could be deadly if it happened in traffic.
On at least 5 different occasions since owning this toyota rav4 I have experienced a serious engine control problem. It happens in the economy mode of the car which is the default mode you start the car up in. What happens is when pulling into traffic and you push down on the accelerator to get fast speed to merge into traffic the engine stalls. You can have the accelerator pushed all the way down and the engine gives you no power. This creates a very dangerous condition on the road as my car is actually stalling when it should be accelerating. I have tested and done the same thing in the 'sport mode' of the vehicle and it does not create the same stall situation. Thus my conclusion is the problem rests in the 'economy mode'. I have asked the dealer about this and they say they do not know why. I am going back tomorrow to as them to take back this car, as it is dangerous and is not predictable or dependable in driving.
Within the first few months after purchase the engine of my vehicle would sometimes hesitate during a turn. It for a moment will loose power and then have a burst of acceleration. It seems that this happens most often after it has been driven, then parked for a short time and then started and turned but it may also have happened at other times. It seems to be happening more often lately and makes turning dangerous if there is a vehicle approaching across the curve of thee term. I know others have experienced this same problem with the 2013 rav4. I asked the dealer's service department if then could fix the problem and was told no. This problem is dangerous.
While backing up, vehicle accelerated rapidly hitting a parked vehicle doing much damage. Wife driving many years, never hitting accelerator when she meant to hit the brakes. Do not know why rapid acceleration occurred. Has not happened moving forward.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled several times without warning. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,800. Updated 6/8/2015
I was preparing to make a right turn into an exit driveway. About 12 feet directly in front of me was a cement brick wall paralleling the driveway. As I took my foot off the brake, the car rocketed into the cement brick wall. Fortunately,, air bags deployed and I was not injured badly nor was anyone else. $ 13,000 to fix my car and I don't know if this will happen tome again. I will be like driving a time bomb. I plan to take the car to toyota and have them check my systems and certify, this will not happen again. I am very fortunate that this did not happen in traffic.
After reading several news stories today (04/09/14) about the recall of 27 toyota models (including 2013 rav 4), for: ?cables for the driver air bag module that can be damaged, disabling the bag, though a warning light will come on (3.5 million vehicles, 1.67 million in the u.s.). ?seats that don't lock in place (2.32 million, 670,000 in north america) ?steering column brackets that may become loose or fail (760,000, europe and asia only) ?windshield wiper motor (160,000, asia only) ?starter motor fire hazard (20,000, asia only) I called the dealer where I bought my car - toyota of rock hill. I was informed that recalls are "coming," but they didn't have specific information from toyota yet. I should be getting a letter in the mail and then I take the car in for service. Frustrating to see that the media has more information on the actual recalls than the toyota dealer. So, if something happens between now and the time I get "my letter," (my air bags fail or the seats become dislodged during an accident), I'm pretty much screwed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav 4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the entire instrument panel illuminated as the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,600.
I purchased the 2013 rav4 in april, 2013. Within a few months, I began to smell an odor coming from the AC when I start the car. The dealership states that the box that holds the AC condensation is too small due to manufacturing changes. On my second trip to the dealership with this complaint, they sprayed AC freshener in the part underneath the car. This helped with the odor but only temporarily. I am concerned that what I am breathing is mold and that this will only get worse as long as I keep the car. I believe this could harm my health over time. The dealership rep stated that this is a problem on these cars from time to time. I like my car (my 5th toyota) but I would not recommend it to anyone due to this issue.
I have brought my 2013 rav 4 back to the toyota dealer twice for this problem. There is a damp and musty smell coming thru the air vents. Toyota has replaced the air filter and sprayed some air freshener but the smell is still there. The service rep had explained to me that there is a drain and this drain allows water to build up and that is what causes the odor.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving at any speed, the vehicle accelerated then stalled without warning. The engine, the traction control, and the four wheel drive light illuminated after the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. The dealer performed a diagnostic that was unable to locate a failure code. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100 and the current mileage was 2,120.
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