2018 Toyota RAV4: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Mar 5, 2026 · Lights · NE

Both headlights and taillights are stained on the inside of the lens with a white residue. My headlights are very streaky and it makes it difficult to see out of. Not the outside of the headlight, because when i rub my hands along the outsides, i do not feel any grabbing, scratches, film, etc.

Filed May 1, 2023 · Electrical, Lights · MT · fire

We bought our Rav4 fresh of the lot in 2018, since then e we have replaced the headlight bulbs 43 times. Now our fog lights and license plate light are out. This time the bulb (installed by a professional) melting the actual socket and we have to built the entire thing out and replace it.

Filed Aug 3, 2022 · Lights · VA

Wiring harness in many vehicles defective. Letter sent, but not a recall. I drove from NY to VA unaware that a headlight was out- I had to change bulbs several times, and ended up having to pay $500 for a new lighting system because I put the bulb in (apparently) wrong the 5th time. Accident could have happened due to bad lighting, but fortunately did not. Toyota did not make this issue easily known, or easily fixed.

Filed Jul 21, 2021 · Lights, Visibility · NY · crash

The headlights on my Rav4 are dangerous. When driving at night there is a dark line with no visibility. There is no reaction time if objects are in the roadway. I live in a rural area, on my way to work there was a pine tree that fell across the road way,I crashed straight into it. I did not even see it until I hit it.

Filed Dec 4, 2020 · Lights · 40,000 miles · KY

I have an auto shift off for high beam lights, I turn my high beams on and they don't work, and when I pull the switch back like I am trying to flash my high beams at someone they work but when I turn them on to keep them on they do not work and my auto high beam light does not come on either. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Feb 2, 2020 · Lights · 2,000 miles · CA

There is not particular incident to report. The headlight beams are to low on low-beam use, with a hard edge at the top so it is impossible to see far down the road. The high beam setting it too high, so the light goes 30 feet above the roadway, and does not illuminate the road further ahead. This is a faulty design. I was able to adjust the bulb housing to lower the high beam so it actually showed more road , and the problem of deer on the roadway in the mountains. There should be separate adjustments for high/low beams, and the lower beam should show more roadway ahead.

Filed Aug 14, 2019 · Lights · 10,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the high beam headlights were faulty and would not operate when activated. The contact drove the vehicle to don joseph toyota (1111 w main st, kent, oh 44240, (330) 673-2200), but the failure could not be duplicated and no failure codes were found. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired four times within six months for the same failure, but the failure continued. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the regional team was responsible for handling the situation. The failure mileage was 10,000.

Filed Mar 16, 2019 · Lights · 7,870 miles · NC

Auto light feature does not work properly: on many occasions (about 2-3 times per week), while car is in motion early in the morning and at night, with the headlights in the "auto" mode and the automatic high beam feature enabled. When starting the car, the auto light function seems to be delayed. It does not work initially but starts working after the car is in motion for several minutes. The auto light feature is not staying on after car is in motion at night, lights turn off by themselves for a few seconds causing me to drive without lights before they turn themselves back on. Luckily I was driving slowly, otherwise it could have caused a serious accident. I took the car to the dealer a few times to fix the issue but they couldn't figure out the cause of the problem. No solution. They sugguested that I manually operate the lights. I do not think that I or any other car owners should pay money for a brand new car that offers convenience features that do not work. I was told that there is a mechanic at this particular dealership that owns the same car model and is having the same issue with his car. This issue is new and to my knowledge, there is not a technical service bulletin. Also, there are times that I smell gas in the car while the car is in motion. The dealer couldn't find any gas leaks when checked.

Filed Mar 11, 2019 · Lights · 14,000 miles · DE

Repeatedly, while in motion, with the headlights in the "auto" mode, and the "automatic high beam feature enabled (which switches the headlights from high beam to low beam automatically based on the presence of oncoming headlights/tail lights ahead/ambient light levels) the auto highbeam feature will disable itself, generally tied to the passing of a car with bright lights. When this feature disables itself it prevents all use of highbeams. The only way to get highbeams while the feature is "disabled" (even in complete darkness) is to "rotate" the stalk control away from "auto headlight" to "manual headlight". The feature eventually re-enables itself, but usually takes a number of minutes, leaving me without the safety of highbeams for that period, unless I go through the cumbersome act of turning headlamps to "manual". This is particularly dangerous during my commute where I drive a number of miles on unlit state roads. I rely on highbeams to alert me to the presence of deer and other animals crossing the road which occurs routinely. Not having highbeams for a number of miles exposes me to the risk of not seeing these hazards in time to react properly. In addition, having to divert my attention to whether this feature has disabled itself and taking manual action to circumvent the issue is a distraction while my focus should be on possible hazards. I have reported the issue to toyota. Case number [xxx] has been assigned. A toyota case manager contacted me and stated that she experiences the very same issue with her 2018 rav4 but there are no fixes identified by toyota for the issue, so therefore there is nothing she or the dealer can do. I strongly feel this is a safety issue in that there is a risk that an accident will occur, possibly the striking of a pedestrian, due to poor visibility or distraction trying to override the feature while driving. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Mar 1, 2019 · Lights · 11,000 miles · AZ

I have a new xle and the headlights are dangerous. These are projector headlights that cast a very focused beam forward. It is frigtening when you drive in some roads without a lot of ambient light. With the low beams on, it is like someone painted the top half of my windshield black. There is little peripheral illumination, so I can see what is directly in front of me, and nothing else. Where the road inclines down, the illumination cuts out just a few feet off the ground, below the level of things like stop signs. There is absolutely no peripheral illumination right at the front of the car, so when I turn, I can't see what I'm turning into until it's directly in front of my car, like pedestrians. To make matters worse, the dealership told me not to use LED bulbs, because it could cause electrical issues with the car.

Filed Jan 13, 2019 · Lights · VA

The auto high beam feature has been choosing to disengage and turn itself off at random. There are also times that at night, upon start-up, the auto high beam system will refuse to engage (light switch turned to auto and stalk pushed forward, driving over 25 MPH).

Filed Nov 27, 2018 · Lights · 4,200 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 toyota rav4. While driving at night or after dusk, the headlamps provided insufficient illumination to operate the vehicle safely. The contact was concerned that the failure was due to a feature on the vehicle where the headlights dim when approaching oncoming traffic. The vehicle was taken to uebelhor toyota (located at 788 w 12th ave, jasper, in 47546, (812) 482-2222) to be diagnosed and they stated that the vehicle performed as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that the illumination was inadequate in rural areas, but was not affected in an urban setting. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 4,200.