2020 Toyota RAV4: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed May 22, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · NJ

Toyota made a defective coolant valve in their 2019-2021 cars that leaked spontaneously in these vehicles. Over 950,000 cars have been affected to date, including my 2020 Rav4. They are aware of the issue and made a customer support program for this issue which led to engines overheating/electrical code problems, which can cause a severe safety issue if left unrepaired. The program however has a limitation until November 2025 or 100,000 miles whichever comes first. When I was alerted of this, I brought my car to the dealer for service, but they wouldn't replace the part because it wasn't leaking too much at the time to need repair. However, just 4 months after the primary coverage expired, my engine code went off and when I brought my car, the coolant valve turned out to be defective and leaked into the electrical wire harness which then also had to be replaced in addition to the coolant valve. The repair cost was $1200 and both were required to keep the car driving safely and reliably on the road. Because my car had 120,000 miles and the known issue presented after Nov2025, Toyota refuses to cover the service, although it is a known manufacturing defect. Toyota is committing fraud to avoid covering this safety issue. The repair is expensive and if left unrepaired, the cars can spontaneously catch on fire on highways and in parks leading to wild fires and endanger others on the road. The toyota technician specifically informed me the issue was similar to other cars and known and the defect led to the destruction of the wire harness. To avoid a safety recall, Toyota reached a private settlement against class action lawsuit and created a limited CSP to avoid covering the defect in cars like mine to maintain their reliability status in consumer reports so cars like mine with little higher mileage won't be reported. It is fraud. I believe they are skipping on consumer repair bills that consumers on entitled to for their manufacturing defect.

Filed Jun 25, 2024 · Engine · CA

Engine Maintenance Required indicator turned on at around 42K miles. My oil change was not due until 45K miles. I had my oil changed at around 43K miles and the indicator still remained on. Issue was the coolant bypass valve need to be replaced. Many other Rav4 owners have had the same issue. The faulty coolant bypass valve if failed while driving could of caused my car to overheat and possibly catch on fire depending on how sever the overheating is while I'm driving.

Filed Jan 3, 2023 · CT · fire

After 20 minutes of driving, the vehicle caught fire under the hood and was completely destroyed. When I first started driving the car that morning, I noticed an odd smell coming from the heater. It didn't smell like smoke or burning; I best equate it to the smell of a hair dryer. This is the first time I'd ever smelled that odor in this car. At this point there were no warning messages or alerts on the dashboard that would indicate an issue. After driving for around 20 minutes, I noticed smoke coming from under the hood. There were still no warning lights on the dashboard. I immediately pulled over into an open parallel parking spot on the side of the road (busy city street) and shut the car off. While I was assisting the other 2 passengers out of the car, flames became visible coming from under the hood. The source of the flames appeared to be the top driver's side under the hood (in front of steering wheel). We called 911 and stepped back to a safe distance. The fire was extremely aggressive and the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames in just a couple minutes. The fire was so intense that it caught the car parked in front on fire (which also became completely destroyed). The fire department responded after roughly 5 minutes and put out the fire. Fortunately, no injuries resulted from this incident. There was so much damage to the vehicle that the fire investigator was not able to offer a definitive opinion as to which specific engine/battery component likely started the fire. The remains of the car are currently in possession of GEICO. I was the original owner of the vehicle, which had no history of accidents, repairs, or modifications. It had been regularly serviced for routine maintenance at the local Toyota service department, most recently in early December 2022 (approximately 3 weeks prior to the fire).

Filed Nov 18, 2022 · Engine · 35,500 miles · WA · fire

The contact owned a 2020 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked for approximately nine hours and unoccupied, it spontaneously caught fire without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire. The fire department informed him the fire was due to a failure with the electrical system or fuel pump. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or police reports filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company adjuster deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,500.

Filed Jan 18, 2022 · Electrical · TX · fire · 1 injury

On 8/25/21, Toyota Rav 4 Vehicle was parked in garage and caught fire burning down garage and house, minor injuries to occupants in house. Vehicle had recently 7/01/21 been repaired at dealership for battery discharge when parked by installation of new update to DCM Software according to TSB-0095-20 Rev2. The vehicle has been inspected by police, Hidalgo County, Texas Fire Marshall and Progressive Insurance Company Progressive. Origin of fire started in vehicle but cause of vehicle fire undetermined by Fire Marshall, Insurance Company related fire to charger plugged into dash of vehicle.