2015 Toyota RAV4: sudden loss of power

Filed Jun 25, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 189,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the radio was inoperable. The contact stated that the gauges failed to properly operate. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. Additionally, the rearview camera image was reversed before becoming inoperable. The ABS, AWD, and engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and an undisclosed fuse was replaced. The mechanic made the contact aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V144000 (Steering). The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and scheduled an appointment with the dealer for the recall repair of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.

Filed Nov 6, 2025 · Steering · MA

There is an intermittent loss of the electric power steering assist. The car can't be steered during this loss of power, leading to an extremely high risk of a crash. Toyota issued a recall for the 2015 RAV4 for this exact problem, but they did not include my car's VIN in the recall. The problem has not been confirmed, as Toyota informed me that this could only be done at my expense. The vehicle or component has not been inspected for this problem. There have not been any warning lamps, but it's very obvious while driving that the power steering has failed.

Filed Jul 29, 2024 · Steering · 118,000 miles · OK

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the power steering became functional. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the failure was linked to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V144000 (Steering); however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

Filed Aug 10, 2023 · Electrical · GA · fire

I drove all day for work without issues and when I made a right into my neighborhood, I lost power and power steering. I pulled over and parked my car. I noticed smoke coming from it and popped the hood. The wired connecting to the battery caught fire. It seems the battery could have shifted and grounded itself.

Filed Aug 24, 2022 · 110,000 miles · GA · fire

The contact owned a 2015 Toyota Rav-4. The contact received notification of Customer Service Campaign: 21TG01 (12-Volt Battery Size and Installation Inspection). The contact stated that she inspected the battery and confirmed that it was the correct battery size prior to the failure. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, she drove to her friend's residence at an undisclosed speed when the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist and the air conditioner and radio inadvertently turned off. The contact arrived at her friend's residence and parked the vehicle for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove down the driveway when the vehicle lost motive power with smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact and her friend exited the vehicle before it caught fire. A police officer was driving by when he witnessed the fire. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Filed May 23, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · UT

Power to the vehicle was lost while making a turn under a stop light. Emergency flashers were used. All dashboard lights came on at the time the vehicle lost power. Radio stopped. The car was turned off and was able to be restarted after several seconds. The danger was having a vehicle stopped under a stop light for several seconds. The problem has yet to be repeated. It happened just this morning 5/23/22. No other warnings were given before loss of power. We have not yet had an inspection by any other parties but will plan on it as we are aware there had been an issue with a 12 volt battery case in the past on this model.

Filed Feb 22, 2022 · Steering · 77,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 50 MPH, the steering wheel seized while the power steering warning light was illuminated intermittently. The contact mentioned that the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted and operated as designed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V144000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.

Filed Mar 17, 2021 · Electrical · 77,600 miles · FL · fire

The vehicle stalled while I was driving on a highway at approximately 55 MPH. I had been driving for 15 minutes. I lost power at the dashboard, lost power steering, and the engine stopped running. I coasted to a side street and stopped the car. I opened the hood, and discovered a fire in the engine compartment. The battery cable closest to the engine was on fire, and had melted one corner of the battery. A passerby helped extinguish the fire, and the fire department was called to inspect and make sure the fire was out. Earlier that day, the vehicle stalled in the same way while driving approximately 5 MPH in a parking lot, but the power came back in a few seconds. Immediately preceding that was a 1-hour drive at interstate highway speeds with no troubles.

Filed Jan 20, 2020 · Engine · 6,000 miles · CA

Temporary loss of power. On a trip from san francisco to cypress, ca on the I-5 freeway cruising at 70 MPH a sudden temporary loss of power occurred at least 30 times (this with odometer in 6,000 mile range). I had reported this problem to my toyota dealer at approximately 3000 miles. They said their technician could not find any problem. Around 1/3/2020 I took it to dealer and said I would leave it there until they repaired it. I purchased an 8 year extended warranty in oct., 2014. After. 4 days dealer called for me to pick it up. Was told there was no problem, their computer read my car computer and found that while right foot was on gas and left foot either near or on the brake pedal when it occurred. Since my left foot was resting on mat without any movement why didn't the loss of power happen constantly! They said it was a safety feature. I say it is a danger.. I have had it happen making right or left turns & starting when signal turns green. On line I have seen same complaints. One mechanic suggested it could be a mass air flow circuit malfunction. Another said it could be air fuel ratio sensor intermittently failing which could test ok. Notice we only have around 6,000 miles on car we bought in oct. 2014 because problem cannot be predicted.

Filed Jun 17, 2016 · Electrical · 9,000 miles · AR

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of power. The failure was sporadic. The contact stated that the vehicle would sporadically restart independently. The anti-lock brake system, air bag, traction control, and all wheel drive warning indicators illuminated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be replicated. The failure occurred approximately six times. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000. Updated 08/31/16*lj consumer stated the light o he cruise control stalk blinks off and on cruise control drops out unexpectedly. The engine shuts down while driving down the highway and you lose all electrical power. It will sometimes not restart for up to 15 minutes. The engines shuts down for a few seconds to a minute and then restarts on its own. It leaves the warning lights for the ABS, awd and traction control on and they don't go off until you cycle the ignition switch. The radio/ navigation screen also locks up when this happens. The car has been looked at a total of seven times for this problem. Car has spun 9 times because of this problem. Updated 6/12/18