68 complaints reported

2020 Toyota RAV4 UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
68
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Feb 2026

I am submitting this complaint regarding a structural failure of the rear liftgate hinges on my 2020 Toyota RAV4 XLE. The liftgate began opening and closing crooked, and I noticed the door was no longer aligned evenly. After inspection by Toyota dealership, I was informed that the metal hinges attached to the liftgate and body are cracked and must be replaced. This failure is not the result of an accident, misuse, or impact. I have never been in a collision involving the rear of the vehicle. I was told this damage is considered “wear and tear,” so my insurance company declined coverage. The Toyota dealership also declined to cover the repair, stating it is not covered under warranty so I will have to pay out of pocket. However, after researching this issue, I found that many other Toyota RAV4 owners have reported the same hinge cracking and liftgate misalignment problem. This appears to be a widespread manufacturing or design defect rather than normal wear. This is a serious safety concern. If the hinges continue to crack, the liftgate could fail completely and fall, potentially causing injury. The misalignment also prevents the liftgate from opening and closing properly, which affects vehicle safety and usability. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue and consider whether a safety recall or technical service bulletin is necessary to protect drivers and passengers. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Feb 2026
Sep 2025

Power rear hatch does not always open all the way, sometimes stops after 1" of rise. I must then manually close the rear hatch and try again and again.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Feb 2025
Sep 2025

We bought a 2020 Toyota Rav4 Limited with Sunroof. When we were driving in freeway, we noticed that a glass shattered somewhere in my car. We realized that the sunroof was completely shattered. There was no accident, just a heavy rain. We didn't know what to do, we didn't know if we have to call police in a matter as it was a potential safety hazard. We have seen a lot of complaint about this and there is no option to completely sealed it off or get rid of sunroof. We are now scared of driving this car in long distance, we will be trading this vehicle soon because of the incident.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Sep 2025
Jul 2025

When attempting to open the rear lift gate wither from the dash or from the key fob rear lift gate partial opens followed by multiple beeps rear lift gift then has to be manually opened or closed

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jul 2025
May 2025

The flow shut off valve coolant it was recall from Toyota

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Sep 2024
May 2025

Water by-pass hose failure

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: May 2025
Feb 2025

I am told my DCM is not functioning properly. I learned this when my remote start function was no longer working. The dealership ran a diagnostics then wanted me to pay almost another $200 to restart the DCM with no guarantee that would work. If that didn’t work then I would have to pay another $300 for them to do a more involved process. I declined because I feel this should not be a problem that I have to pay to fix. They indicated that my key fobs could eventually stop working at which point I decided to submit this complaint. The DCM seems like a pretty core function that should not have problems at this point (5 year old car) and if it does, it seems like something the manufacturer should be responsible for repairing.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2025
Nov 2024

I started receiving error message, “Engine maintenance required Visit your Dealer“. I contacted the dealership and spoke with someone in parts and service. They advised me that the issue is the coolant bypass valve and the cost to replace it would be approximately $800 with parts and labor. They also stated that unfortunately this is a known defect and they can’t guarantee how long the repair would last because they would just be installing the same defective parts. In addition to that, they don’t have the parts and don’t know when they will get them because they are on back order. They said not repairing the problem could cause permanent damage to my vehicle. This should be a recall.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Sep 2023
Nov 2024

Coolant bypass valve replacement has been happening to many new Toyotas and needs to be recalled

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2024
Sep 2024

My mechanic could not clear the "Engine Maintenance Required. Visit the Dealer." message after a routine oil change on my 2020 Rav4. It turns out that the coolant bypass valve is defective. I am now aware of the many, MANY issues other Rav4 owners are having with this same part and that a class action suit has been filed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Sep 2024
Aug 2024

While under warranty, my vehicle's “engine maintenance required” alert came on. I called Toyota immediately and the customer service representative (not a mechanic) said it’s a common issue - coolant bypass valve. This is without me bringing the vehicle in for diagnostics. Shortly after the alert disappeared. Took it to the dealer and they said they didn't have any issues when they ran diagnostics. A few days later it came on again. I went to the nearest mechanic and they said that it should be recalled because there was no alert by the time I got there. I reached out to the dealership again and when they checked the vehicle they said the car alert needed to be reset. It’s been almost a year now and it’s back on and the dealership now wants $800+ to change the coolant bypass. The vehicle drives as it should with no issues other than the alert. I’ve read multiple forums where this is a common issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2023
Jul 2024

I had a message on my dash for "engine maintenance required" but my check engine light was not on. Coolant bypass Valve failed, it is definitely a known issue and the dealership knew the likely issue before the car was seen by any technician.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jul 2024
Jul 2024

Engine maintenance required message. Need to replace coolang bypass valve known to be common issue with rav4 2019 up models

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Dec 2024
Jul 2024

This issue involves the lock/unlock system: Front passenger door does not respond to lock/unlock command by either approaching the door and/or pressing the remote button. This is a constant problem and is not random. Front drivers door has started doing the same thing but randomly.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2023
May 2024

Coolant Bypass Hose had to be replaced on a vehicle that only had 80,000 miles and only 4 years old. “Engine maintenance required” displayed. Took to dealer and code popped up with an issue with the coolant bypass hose. Nothing occurred to trigger replacement…it was a faulty part to begin with.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: May 2024
May 2024

Vehicle popped up Engine Maintenance Required. Not an oil change reminder as I’d just had that done a week ago. RAV4 XLE is at 60,820 and this is a common issue from the looks of it. Dealer wants $800 to fix but no physical codes came up

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 9999 TBD TBD, Manufacturer: ODI Demo Co
Incident: May 2024
May 2024

Engine Maintenaince Required, Visit Dealer message came on, googled problem and Coolant Bypass Valve keeps popping up.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: May 2024
May 2024

Toyota RAV 4 vehicles prior to their 2023 versions are subject to CAN bus injection attacks resulting in the theft of the vehicle. I demand that Toyota provide the encryption fix to all previous years of vehicles and/or provide a physical method for protecting vulnerable spots where CAN bus attacks can occur. Methods like air gapping connections to devices accessible to the outside of the vehicle as well as better encryption for their keys.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: May 2024
Apr 2024

I began having problems with my liftgate, i would press the button either in my vehicle or on top of the liftgate and it would only go up & down a little bit and stop. I took it to the dealer and was told the hinges are bad and I had to pay almost $500 to repair! Within a few days, I had the same issue again. After doing research I saw thousands of people complaining about the same issue and fee I completely wasted my money to the dealer as its worse then ever! Also, the several of the other owners of these vehicles are stating that after they paid to repair the hinges and took vehicles back to dealer, they are being told the need a motor and thats about $3500! I would love to see a recall as I am far form the only person with this issue, I will also be calling Toyota Customer Care as I will request a fix again or a complete refund. Thank you Please contact me if you have any questions.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2024
Apr 2024

Coolant bypass valve

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2024
Mar 2024

Engine maintenance required, visit your dealer. There are a lot of Toyota owners with this issue and they said it is the coolant bypass valve. Toyota needs to fix/recall this issue. They want to charge us 700 dlls but it should be free.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Mar 2024
Mar 2024

I have 48,000 miles on my 2020 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium, received an Engine warning system light on vehicle, I took the vehicle to my local Toyota dealer in Gastonia, NC, to be told it was a faulty coolant bypass valve. I have noticed online that this has been a reoccurring problem with 2019-2020 RAV4. They quoted me a price of $619.00 to fix. With my car being newer and only having 48,000 miles, I feel this is a fault of Toyota, not mine. Faulty equipment failure on their part.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Mar 2024
Jan 2024

The engine coolant bypass valve was faulty. The car would not start so I was left stranded 15 miles from home and had to have car towed to Toyota dealer. The problem was confirmed by dealer and they were aware that it was a known issue. The vehicle was inspected by multiple Toyota dealerships. My vehicle displayed an engine maintenance light. The dealerships found the code P268115: Engine Coolant Bypass Valve Circuit short to battery or open

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2023
Jan 2024

I was driving along at 70 mph on I80 near Park City, UT and heard a noise like a window was rolled down. Check the windows and none were down. Opened the sunroof cover and saw a large hole in the sunroof. It looked like it exploded outward. I duct taped the entire sunroof so it wouldn’t leave the vehicle. I noticed the edges of the sunroof are cracked. Toyota dealer wanted $11,000+ to repair. Insurance company wants us to use Sunroof Express to repair.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Dec 2024
Nov 2023

Coolant bypass valve less than 40k miles and there is hundreds of them going bad this needs to be a recall issue

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA RAV4, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2023

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Toyota RAV4 has 68 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.