2014 Toyota RAV4 UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
All four of my door lock actuators are not working properly. All four usually don’t work, however once in a great while they will actually lock or unlock. This is a big safety issue because when I think they lock, they don’t. When I drive at night with my daughter in the backseat I do not feel safe. I always have to check all 4 doors a couple times, because sometimes they will unlock but not lock. Also note that they do not work all at the same time. It always varies by the day. I was going to pay for them to be fixed myself, but it was too costly.
My 2014 Toyota RAV4 (Blizzard Pearl, paint code 070) began experiencing hood paint peeling in early 2023. I first assumed it was simply a disappointing paint quality issue. However, this past weekend, the problem significantly worsened when large sections of paint on the roof suddenly flaked off completely, leaving exposed metal vulnerable to rust and corrosion. After this severe flaking occurred, I researched the issue online and discovered this problem is widespread among Toyota's with paint code 070. Toyota acknowledged this known manufacturing defect through their Customer Support Program (ZKG), but I was never notified of this program, despite receiving other recall notices. Additionally, my local Toyota dealership did not inform me about ZKG during a service visit before the program expired in 2024. On March 28th, 2025, I called Toyota’s customer service line to request goodwill assistance and was informed that they are not willing to offer any support or extend the program. I was told that the only thing they could do was “document” my case, and that if enough complaints were received, Toyota might reconsider extending the program in the future. I believe this response is quite unreasonable, especially given that this is a clear manufacturing defect now manifesting in catastrophic failure for many customers shortly after the 10-year ZKG window closed. The cost of a full repaint is commonly quoted around $4,000 to $5,000. For many RAV 4's currently valued at approximately $10,000, that repair cost represents nearly 50% of the car’s value—essentially totaling the vehicle due to a known paint defect. It’s an extreme hardship for customers that a widely acknowledged exterior manufacturing issue can result in such significant devaluation and repair costs. For this to happen to so many people just outside the expiration window (which only ended recently in 2024), and for Toyota to decline any extension or support, does not seem fair. Thank you for your time.
Lift gate struts quit working.The lift gate is no longer is accessible or responsive to the proximity key commands to open or close, even after changing proximity key batteries. You cannot open the lift gate by hand because of the resistance of the hydrolics of the struts. I have complained to Toyota, and the dealership where it was purchased. Both said they would contact me if there was a recall and suggested I file a complaint, which I am doing now. The is a huge inconvenience when grocery shopping, or traveling to spot events, or trying to get the dog to the vet. Luckily I don't use a wheelchair yet. I'm very late in filing this complaint, as the liftgate failure took place in April of 2021. I cannot afford to get them replaced on my limited income. I'm just looking for a little help.
i have just driven the car for about 15 minutes and pulled in a driveway to wait for someone. My car was in park but running, and white smoke started to come out from under the hood. I turned the car off and got out. I walked around to the front of the car and it immediately went up in flames. I called 911 and a police car just happened to be going by and called the fire department. They block off the street and put out the fire but the car was completely trashed.
My car was glitching and stuttering, then one day the transmission did not engage and the car would not move forward or in reverse. This only happened one time, we were told it is not the transmission, it is the torque converter. I checked on this NTHSA site and found that many Rav4s throughout the years have had torque converter problems and that the warranty has been extended.
I left to go to work, and the transmission would not engage. I pulled out of the garage, the engine was revving but the car just slowly rolled. I thought it would warm up, but it did not. I was in the street, and I was able to slowly rev and roll the car back into the garage. It was very frightening and dangerous. My husband drove the car, the transmission worked, but sometimes it is still slipping. I'm afraid to drive it. It is only 8 years old and has 126k miles and we maintain it very well. I am so disappointed, we have been driving Toyotas for over 30 years, never had a big problem like this.
Vehicles transmission torque converter has issues and makes entire vehicle shake while driving. It causes issues when going up and down hills and shifting gears to maintain appropriate speeds. Vehicle shakes aggressively when at high speeds making highway travel impossible and unsafe. Toyota dealerships quote $3000 in repairs to replace defective part.
RUSTING INSIDE VEHICLE AND BOLTS FOR HATCH BACK IS RUSTING OUT
THE RADIO SCREEN ONLY DISPLAYS THE TOYOTA SIGN. IT WILL CHANGE STATIONS WITH THE PRE SET ON THE STEERING WHEEL BUT YOU CAN NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE CUZ THE SCREEN DOES NOT DISPLAY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE TOYOTA SIGN.
MY RAV4 2014 XLE RADIO/BLUE TOOTH STOPPED WORKING ABOUT 3 YRS AGO. I CALLED TOYOTA, BUT THEY REFUSE TO FIX. THE RADIO SCREEN IS BLUE , AND KEEP REBOOTING. IT WAS ONLY 3 YRS OLD AND WE ARE TAKING CARE OF THE CAR VERY GOOD. IT COST 1500 TO REPLACE A NEW ONE, BUT I THINK IT'S NOT CUSTOMER FAULT, AND I'M STILL DRIVING WITHOUT THE RADIO. I FEEL THAT IT'S NOT CUSTOMER FAULT AND TOYOTA MAY GET THE DEFECT RADIO TO INSTALL IN THE CAR. I DID RESEARCH AND SEE LOTS OF CUSTOMER HAS SAME ISSUE. I SEE THERE IS FEW RECALLS FOR RAV4 2014, BUT I NEVER GET A LETTER FROM TOYOTA TO GET THE CAR FIXED. *TR
RADIO IN MY 2014 RAV4 WON'T TURN ON OR OFF. THE SCREEN LOOKS LIKE IT IS TRYING TO REBOOT BUT GETS TO A CERTAIN POINT THEN STOPS AND STARTS AGAIN. IT CREATES SAFETY ISSUES AS IT DIVERT DRIVER EYES WHAT HAPPEN AND HAVE TO USE CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING TO CHECK ROAD CONDITIONS. IT PREVENTS DRIVERS FROM UP TO DATE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND CAR CONDITION. EVERYTHING USED TO DISPLAY IN RADIO SCREEN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE NAVIGATION/INFORMATION SYSTEM SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED. THE SCREEN TURNED A BLUE COLOR AND THE SYSTEM BECAME INOPERABLE. SCREEN KEEPS ATTEMPTING TO RELOAD BUT IT FAILS. RADIO OR NAVIGATION INOPERABLE BUT THE REAR VIEW CAMERA DOES WORK. OCCURRED AT 60,000 MILES.
RADIO NAVIGATION QUIT WORKING AFTER BATTERY REPLACEMENT. IT IS CONSTANTLY REBOOTING. DEALER SAYS NEED NEW RADIO WHICH WILL COST ABOUT $1200.00. CANNOT USE BLUETOOTH, HANDS-FREE, CD PLAYER, OR RADIO. TOYOTA WILL NOT REPLACE EVEN THOUGH MANY OTHERS HAVE SAME ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE.
RADIO NAVIGATION QUIT WORKING AT 52000 MILES.ITS CONSTANTLY REBOOTING. DEALER SAYS NEED NEW RADIO WHICH WILL COST ABOUT $1200.00
MY CAR RADIO WENT ON A LOADING SCREEN LOOP, AND NOW IS STUCK ON A LOADING SCREEN . I WENT TO DEALER TO FIX IT OR UPLOAD NEW SOFTWARE BUT THEY SAD THAT RADIO WOULD NOT TAKE. I CAN'T USE CELL HEANDS FREE
I HAVE A TOYOTA RAV4 2014 XLE AWD. THE RADIO SYSTEM WENT OUT SHOWING A PICTURE ON THE SCREEN OF THE RADIO AND WHAT SEEMED TO BE A REBOOTING OF THE SYSTEM CONSTANTLY. THE USB PORT IS ALSO SHORTING OUT. TO NOTE WHAT I WAS DOING, I WAS TURNING THE CAR ON IN MY GARAGE TO LEAVE AND RUN ERRANDS FOR THE DAY. THIS ALL HAPPENED ON THE SAME DAY. I ONLY USE THE SYSTEM FOR CD PLAYING, RADIO PLAYING, AND OCCASIONALLY NAVIGATION. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THE FIRST RESPONSE WAS I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $98 EACH FOR A SYSTEM CHECK ON BOTH PROBLEMS. ALSO, I GAVE THE VIN NUMBER TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE REP AND HE STATED THERE WAS AN UPDATE AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO ME. I DROPPED THE CAR OFF AND THE REP CALLED ME AND SAID HE MADE A MISTAKE; THERE WAS NO UPDATE AND THE RADIO IS NOT WORKING AT ALL. THE COST WOULD BE $1200. HE WANTED TO KNOW HOW MANY MILES I HAD ON THE CAR AND IF BOUGHT IT NEW, WHICH I DID BUY IT NEW AT HIS DEALERSHIP. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER RAV4 VEHICLES WITH SAME YEAR. ALSO, OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES WITH SAME TYPE RADIO SYSTEM AND THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL OF THEM DOING THE SAME THING MINE IS DOING. I FEEL A VEHICLE THAT IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS TYPE OF ISSUE AND IT SHOULD BE FIXED WITH AN UPGRADE, NOT THE FACT THE RADIO IS BROKEN AS WELL AS USB PORT NOT WORKING. I TAKE CARE OF MY CAR. IT STILL LOOKS NEW! I HAVE OWNED TOYOTA VEHICLES SINCE I WAS 16 AND I AM NOW 54. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE FACT THE TYPE OF RADIO MOST OF THE NEWER TOYOTAS HAVE INSTALLED ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE AND TOYOTA IS NOT ADDRESSING IT AS THEY SHOULD. I KNOW THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT I FEEL IT IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA AS I FEEL THERE IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM.
DUNLOP GRAND TREK TIRES TREAD SEPERATION
THE ROOF RACK CROSS BARS DO NOT STAY IN PLACE WHILE BEING USED AND CAR IS IN MOTION. WE PURCHASED A ROCKYMOUNT FOR OUR BIKES THAT CONNECTS TO THE ROOF CROSSBARS AND WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE STOCK CROSS BARS MOVED BACKWARDS SO THAT OUR BIKES WERE HANGING OVER THE BACKSIDE OF THE CAR.
LARGE BLACK AREA AT TOP OF WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. MAINLY ON DARK ROADS. THIS IS WHILE DRIVING WITH HEADLIGHTS ON.
WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 65 MPH AT AROUND 9 AM WHEN WE HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A BOOM ON TOP OF OUR 2014 RAV4. THERE WERE OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT WE SAW FLY UP OFF THE ROAD AND IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO SEE WHAT MIGHT HAVE FLOWN OFF THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE AND SAW NOTHING. WE WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE FREEWAY AND FIND A PARKING LOT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR VEHICLE. OUR SUNROOF HAD A BIG HOLE IN THE MIDDLE AND ALL THE REST OF THE GLASS WAS CRACKED LIKE A SPIDER WEB. THERE WAS NOTHING FOUND SUCH AS ROCK OR OTHER OBJECT IN THE GLASS THAT COULD HAVE HIT THE VEHICLE AND NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE ROOF. THANKFULLY THE COVER WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME. WE DID NOT HAVE A CHOICE BUT TO BREAK OUT ALL THE REMAINING GLASS AFTER CONTACTING THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP/AND INSURANCE COMPANY, SO AS NOT TO SPRAY GLASS ON THE ROAD OR DRIVERS ON OUR 45 MILE DRIVE BACK HOME. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TOLD US IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER OUR WARRANTY AND WOULD HAVE TO BE AN INSURANCE CLAIM. WE FEEL THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.
WHILE DRIVING AT 60MPH, MANUFACTURER INSTALLED SUNROOF EXPLODED. OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS 88DEG. SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT, AND CAUSED ME TO SWERVE OFF ROAD THINKING MY CAR HAD BEEN HIT. NO OTHER CARS OR PEOPLE ON ROADWAY AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. NO OVERPASSES OR TREES, EITHER. NO ROCKS OR DEBRIS WERE FOUND IN THE BROKEN GLASS. COVER WAS CLOSED, OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED IN GLASS. TOYOTA HAS HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AND REFUSES TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS KNOWN DEFECT.
ON MAY 2, 2015, AT ABOUT 10:00 A.M. WE WERE DRIVING TO THE SCRANTON, PA, AREA. WE HAD JUST ENTERED THE ON-RAMP TO I-81 NORTH FROM RT. 309 WHEN WE HEARD A VERY LOUD BANG AND ROARING SOUND SIMILAR TO A DOOR ON A JET BLOWING OFF MID-AIR IN A MOVIE. THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE ROAD TO RUN OVER AND THE CLOSEST VEHICLE TO US WAS A TRUCK TRACTOR AT LEAST 500 YARDS AHEAD OF US AND NOT DRIVING ON AN ANGLE THAT WOULD SEND ANYTHING AIRBORNE TO OUR AREA; NOR WERE WE NEAR AN UNDERPASSR. WE PUT OUR FLASHERS ON AND PULLED OVER AT THE FIRST SAFE AREA. UPON CHECKING OUR VEHICLE, WE DISCOVERED OUR SUNROOF GLASS HAD 'EXPLODED' WITH AN APPROXIMATE 8-10 INCH CIRCULAR HOLE DEAD CENTER AND THE REST OF THE GLASS FRACTURED. WE HAD THE INTERIOR SUNROOF COVERING PULLED CLOSED WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE EDGES OF THE HOLE WERE BENT SLIGHTLY UPWARD INDICATING AN UPWARD FORCE. WE DIDN'T RUN OVER ANYTHING AND NOTHING STRUCK US, SO WE WERE FAIRLY SHOCKED. WE CHECKED OUR CELL PHONES AND DISCOVERED INDEPENDENCE TOYOTA, HAZELTON, PA, WAS ABOUT 5 MINUTES AWAY AT OUR NEXT EXIT. WE PULLED IN AND BOTH THE SALES PEOPLE AND SERVICE PEOPLE EXAMINED THE DAMAGE AND WERE AS SURPRISED AS US. NOTHING WAS FOUND IN THE GLASS DEBRIS THAT WOULD INDICATE SOMETHING STRUCK THE GLASS. INDEPENDENCE TOYOTA WAS GREAT BY CLEANING UP THE GLASS, PLACING TWO LAYERS OF HEAVY PLASTIC OVER THE SUNROOF OPENING AND TAPING IT SHUT. I AM A RETIRED POLICE LIEUTENANT. I KNOW WHAT IMPACT DAMAGE LOOKS LIKE AND THIS WAS NOT IT. UPON CHECKING ONLINE, THIS OCCURRENCE APPEARS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN ONE WOULD THINK IN VARIOUS MAKES OF VEHICLES. PRICE TOYOTA IN NEW CASTLE, DE IS DECLINING TO COVER THIS UNDER WARRANTY CITING THIS IS NORMAL GLASS BREAKAGE. I HAVE HAD WINDSHIELDS STRUCK BEFORE. THIS IS NOT REMOTELY CLOSE. IT IS NOT OKAY TO BE DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE AND SUDDENLY HAVE THE SUNROOF "EXPLODE" WITH NO CAUSING FACTORS PRESENT. *TR
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Quick Summary
The 2014 Toyota RAV4 has 22 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.