2022 Toyota RAV4: engine stalls while driving

Filed Oct 31, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · FL

Re: Formal complaint — dealer billed for unperformed work, uncompleted Special Service Campaign 26TC03, $6,000 transmission quote with zero diagnostic codes, lifetime powertrain warranty not honored On RAV4 stalled while I was driving. I brought it to the above dealer. The service advisor told me a sensor was replaced. It was not: the mass air flow sensor in the vehicle is dust-covered with inspection paint marks and is clearly not new (photo attached). Worse, the advisor's own TIS screenshot shows Special Service Campaign 26TC03 — Incorrect Mass Air Flow Sensor Reading — with Completion Status: NOT COMPLETED on my VIN. The campaign was never performed, yet work was represented as done. The dealer is now pushing a $6,000 transmission replacement, which I declined. Their own diagnostic scan shows 0 engine codes and 0 transmission codes — there is no diagnostic basis for this recommendation. The vehicle carries a lifetime powertrain warranty; the dealer has not filed a warranty claim and has provided no written denial citing a specific exclusion. I am requesting that Toyota: 1. Open a case and assign a regional case manager; 2. Investigate this dealer's representation of completed campaign/warranty work versus the TIS record and photographic evidence; 3. Ensure the [XXX] remedy is properly completed on my VIN at no charge; 4. Confirm how the lifetime powertrain warranty claim is being handled. Attachments: repair order / $6,000 estimate, sensor photograph, advisor's TIS screenshot, advisor's scan results, warranty contract. I expect a written [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 5, 2026 · Engine · 10,000 miles · NJ

The contact’s uncle owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. While the uncle was driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. During the failure, the instrument panel remained illuminated, but the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. While with the local mechanic the vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was immediately driven to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.

Filed Aug 20, 2026 · Steering · 50,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power, and the "Low Steering" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The check engine warning light was illuminated, the vehicle shuddered, and then stalled as the contact pulled into a parking lot. The failure had occurred on several different occasions. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to return to normal operation. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with an inoperable port fuel injector. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another dealer and was diagnosed with inoperable port fuel injectors. The contact was informed that the port fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Filed Jun 24, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · MN

After driving for approximately 30-minutes in a heavy rain i pulled over and the automatic engine shutoff feature activated while i was waiting to go inside for an appointment. When attempting to restart the car, the engine would start but then shut off showing a "low power steering" warning message on my dash. The problem persisted for approximately 15-20 minutes. Eventually after about 10 attempts to restart the engine, the car started back up and drove fine the rest of the day. I have heard of this happening to many other rav4s on the Autosafety.org website and it causes me concern, especially if this problems causes the car to stall in high speed traffic in the rain. It is my understanding that this maybe a problem with the Mass Airflow Sensor getting wet in heavy rainfall.

Filed May 29, 2026 · Engine · RI

TSB T-SB-0010-24 P0303 code 163,000 miles Toyota denied goodwill assistance Cost: $2,549.65 Check engine light came on with vehicle hesitation on acceleration almost caused to stall with reduced power while driving , the dealership diagnosed the issue as TSB T-SB-0010-24 with cylinder #3 misfire requiring exhaust valve lash adjuster to be replaced. Contacted Toyota corporate to request help with goodwill or discount , was denied , was told they couldn't help no reason given .This issue is a well know Toyota RAV4 defect and even though they claim it only happens when is cold this happened to my SUV at 60*F. Please help.

Filed Feb 21, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · CT

I was driving home in the rain for about 75 minutes and when I arrived in my driveway I saw steam coming from the front grille area. It wasn't due to a high engine coolant temperature so I decided to carefully open the hood and check for the source. I saw water inside the bottom of the engine bay behind the radiator steaming from the heat of the engine. A few seconds later, the engine stalled and the following message appeared: "Engine Stopped, Steering Power Low" which came on with a check engine light, red battery light, and steering light. I used my scan tool and obtained the code: P0171, System Too Lean. After doing research, I've come up with a conclusion to the potential cause. Starting with the 2022 model year RAV4 non-hybrid (and onwards to the 2025 model year RAV4), the air intake inlet was redesigned from the prior one in the 2019-2021 RAV4 non-hybrid models, as seen in numerous comparison images online. This new design presents a dangerous fault. When driving in rainy conditions, especially at higher speeds with mist kicked up from cars in front, the air intake will take in water. The water will flow to the air filter and then reach the Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF). The MAF sensor monitors the amount of air entering the engine and sends signals to the car's computer to help determine how much fuel to send to the engine to maintain an ideal ratio for optimal efficiency. Considering that water is getting to the MAF sensor, it thinks that the water is excess air, so less fuel is sent to the engine as a result. Since I came to a stop in my driveway, the engine is now at its idle speed and only commands a small amount of fuel to remain running. Now, when combined with the water, that lower fuel flow is practically cut off, leading to the stall. This happened to me before when driving in the rain, but in more dangerous conditions in stop-and-go traffic. Toyota must follow up on T-TT-0763-24 because it has been well over a year since their initial investigation.

Filed Jan 23, 2025 · Engine · NY

On [XXX], I was driving in a rain storm on [XXX]. I pulled off the highway into a parking lot and the car stalled out. The check engine light and the power steering light came on. I tried to start the car 3-4 times over the next fifteen minutes and it did not start. I waited a few more minutes and the car started and the lights cleared from the dashboard. I was able to drive 120 miles home with no issues with the vehicle. I called the Toyota of Massapequa dealership service department the next morning and they offered to inspect the car. I declined as the dashboard lights were gone and the car seemed to be running fine. I did have them check out the car when I brought it in for the annual NYS inspection and oil change in August 2024. The technician found no issues with the engine and there were no codes in the computer. The car has not given me a problem since this happened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 21, 2023 · Electrical · CT

I was driving on I-91 in stop-and-go traffic when, all of a sudden, my RAV4 stalled. A warning chime sounded and the battery light, check engine light, and power steering light all illuminated. In the 4.2 inch screen in the gauge cluster, the following message displayed: "Steering Power Low"..."Shift to P". A second message displayed and said: "Engine Stopped"..."Shift to P". I attempted to restart the vehicle up to 8 times and it finally restarted. I quickly drove the car to the shoulder and out of the way of traffic. There were three of us in the car (myself and my two kids) and we almost got hit two times because visibility was poor due to rainy conditions and mist from passing cars. Throughout all this, I had the Auto Start/Stop feature disabled, so the car should not have shut off on its own. We had to get the car towed because we were worried that the problem would reoccur. We hope the problem could be rectified by our local Toyota dealer, because we do not want to drive it again in fear of the problem reoccurring while on the roadway. We are reporting this to bring awareness to this issue, and to make sure nobody else will have to face this situation and potentially be put in harm's way. (The attached photo is a general picture from somebody else, but my car had the same EXACT warning lights and messages. We could not take a picture because we were focusing on trying to get the car to turn on and move it to the shoulder by any means possible).