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2023 Toyota RAV4

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 Toyota RAV4 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 258.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 12 of 153 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports1 fire reports9 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

41 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jul 1, 2025
Air BagsElectrical SystemService Brakes

My 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has had squeaky brakes for many months (from 4,000 miles onward and consistently continues to be an annoyance, nuisance, and safety hazard while intensifying in frequency), but despite taking the vehicle to the Toyota dealer more than 4 times, they have been unable to repair the issue. At least twice t…

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My 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has had squeaky brakes for many months (from 4,000 miles onward and consistently continues to be an annoyance, nuisance, and safety hazard while intensifying in frequency), but despite taking the vehicle to the Toyota dealer more than 4 times, they have been unable to repair the issue. At least twice the air bag sensors have come on for the backseat when there was nobody seated in the backseat, distracting me from safely driving. Toyota has done nothing to right the wrong mechanically, refund me for the vehicle (a lease) or offer a replacement. I have a 14 page document filed with the Florida Attorney General Lemon Law Division thoroughly indicating why these ongoing mechanical failures, safety hazards, nuisances and distractions to me the driver substantially impair the use, value, and safety of the vehicle—fulfilling key criteria under Florida Statutes § 681.102 and § 681.104, which I am happy to provide all consumers and attorneys willing to launch a CLASS ACTION against Toyota. Florida law defines "impairment of value" not by market collapse, but by any reasonable reduction in consumer confidence. Consumer disclosure laws require honesty about defects. Florida Statute § 681.102(15) defines a “nonconformity” as a defect that “substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the motor vehicle.” My vehicle has been subject to repair more than 4 times for the same defect within 24 months and thus qualifies for relief. The manufacturer’s failure to permanently correct the squeaky brakes—even after attempted repairs—demonstrates a pattern of unresolved nonconformity. The squeaky brake issue is not a cosmetic inconvenience—it affects the vehicle's functionality, resale integrity, and safety assurance. Toyota acknowledges the problem exists (via TSB) but has failed to provide a lasting solution. If unresolved, this defect would materially concern any reasonable consumer and diminish confidence in the vehicle’s reliability and safety.

NHTSA ODI #11670424

Mileage unknown · May 29, 2025
Electrical SystemEngine

During a rain Storm water was able to leak into my air intake box causing my air filter to become soaked. This caused my car to malfunction, come to an abrupt stop, alerting me of a "engine and steering failure" shutting my car off and becoming stranded on the highway.

NHTSA ODI #11663790

Mileage unknown · May 9, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineSteering

I was driving down [XXX] The car was moving along fine then when I pushed the gas it would jerk back and shake. I pulled off the highway and was able to coast into a gas station, but the engine stopped working as I was driving while cars were coming behind me. I could have been stopped in the middle of traffic with no way to ge…

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I was driving down [XXX] The car was moving along fine then when I pushed the gas it would jerk back and shake. I pulled off the highway and was able to coast into a gas station, but the engine stopped working as I was driving while cars were coming behind me. I could have been stopped in the middle of traffic with no way to get out. The power steering light came on as well as a light that said the engine was cut off. We just bought the car used with 22k miles on it and put an additional 3k miles on. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11659981

Mileage unknown · May 6, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

Was sitting in my car in the rain and all of a sudden the engine cut off. The check engine light came on and the error message on the dashboard said " Engine Power Reduced". If I try to put it in anything but Park, it won't let me. I have never had this issue, or any issue with this car. If I had been driving, this would have ru…

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Was sitting in my car in the rain and all of a sudden the engine cut off. The check engine light came on and the error message on the dashboard said " Engine Power Reduced". If I try to put it in anything but Park, it won't let me. I have never had this issue, or any issue with this car. If I had been driving, this would have run me off the road.

NHTSA ODI #11659158

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

While raining, noticed smoke coming from under the hood, engine seemed as if it didn’t have any power. Car shut off. While attempting to restart I seen a message in dashboard that said Engine stopped: steering power low. Took a while to get car cranked again after multiple attempts. Message in dashboard disappeared after multipl…

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While raining, noticed smoke coming from under the hood, engine seemed as if it didn’t have any power. Car shut off. While attempting to restart I seen a message in dashboard that said Engine stopped: steering power low. Took a while to get car cranked again after multiple attempts. Message in dashboard disappeared after multiple attempts to restart nor is there a message in remote application health status section.

NHTSA ODI #11659025

Mileage unknown · Apr 27, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

The multimedia screen powers on and off consistently.

NHTSA ODI #11657041

Mileage unknown · Apr 25, 2025
Electrical SystemEngine

I was sitting in a drive thru with my car in drive , foot on break and all of a sudden it starts to shake and struggle to stay on . Then it stalls out , engine shuts completely off and my check engine light came on! The error messages on the screen read : Engine stopped , power steering low , precollision system malfunction , an…

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I was sitting in a drive thru with my car in drive , foot on break and all of a sudden it starts to shake and struggle to stay on . Then it stalls out , engine shuts completely off and my check engine light came on! The error messages on the screen read : Engine stopped , power steering low , precollision system malfunction , and parking brake malfunction. As I tried to restart it , It wouldn’t start back up and stay on at all. After a good 20 min or so , and after being pushed out of the drive thru and my order canceled, my car starts back up as if nothing happened. Had my car checked for codes , and guess what ? NOTHING ! It’s happened to me about 6 times in about a year and two month of owning it ! Nobody can figure out what the problem is . I also have issues randomly with my radio screen . When my phone is hooked up to CarPlay , it will sometimes kick me out and reconnect by itself , the screen completely shutting off and turning back on by itself , there’s times I was listening to pandora and it won’t allow me to click my station and show the song playing , and other issues. Had this happen too many times to count and within the first couple months of owning it , I took it back and they couldn’t figure out the issue. It never happened while they had it .

NHTSA ODI #11656674

Mileage unknown · Apr 19, 2025
Electrical SystemSteeringUnknown Or Other

I went to start my car , the engine turned off stating power steering low engine off . Then tried again and got more errors likes brake engaged power off also the lane monitor was not working.

NHTSA ODI #11655638

Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2025
Electrical SystemLane DepartureSteering

This vehicle is going to kill someone. Not only does it have this unintentional steering issue, but the electrical system keeps going out. The dash has been replaced and there are still issues. The adaptive cruise control used to hard brake now it pulsates when lane changing which isn’t cool if you’re passing people because then…

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This vehicle is going to kill someone. Not only does it have this unintentional steering issue, but the electrical system keeps going out. The dash has been replaced and there are still issues. The adaptive cruise control used to hard brake now it pulsates when lane changing which isn’t cool if you’re passing people because then you’re turn in front of them and braking right away. The radio requires the vehicle to be turned completely off, wait, and then turn back on. The unintended steering will take you into incoming traffic, in the opposite lane, or even off-roading even when there is nothing in front of you. The compass randomly disappears. The Tim roof literally exploded while we were doing 80mph down the interstate. The curtain was closed or we would have had glass all over. The window blew out and up. If something hit the window it would have blown in and down. I have reported these safety issues to Toyota and they keep telling me that nothing is wrong. The steering issue has happened at least 7 times since I owned it. I have provided Toyota with pictures and videos showing these things and they’re still telling me that nothing is wrong but they even have a form that talks about the “unintended steering” issue.

NHTSA ODI #11653710

Mileage unknown · Mar 13, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineSteering

I came to a stop on the highway due to a law enforcement traffic slowage. As I began moving again with the rest of traffic, my car suddenly started shaking and struggling to stay on. My check engine light came on and an alert popped up for “Engine stopped, steering power low” “pre collision system malfunction” and “parking brake…

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I came to a stop on the highway due to a law enforcement traffic slowage. As I began moving again with the rest of traffic, my car suddenly started shaking and struggling to stay on. My check engine light came on and an alert popped up for “Engine stopped, steering power low” “pre collision system malfunction” and “parking brake malfunction”. I felt fearful for my safety as I was unsure if my car would safely allow me to brake and move over to the shoulder of the road. I was really scared and had so much anxiety that I wouldn’t be able to make it out safely. The dealer was not able to find any record of these codes popping up and could not recreate the check engine. I have pictures showing the codes to support my claim.

NHTSA ODI #11648158

Official recalls

3

25V744000 · Back Over Prevention:display Function

Oct 30, 2025

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.

25V595000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Sep 11, 2025

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.

23V485000 · Tires:valve

Jul 11, 2023

Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota RAV4 vehicles equipped with 17" black alloy accessory wheels. During installation of the alloy wheels, the tire valve stem may have been improperly installed or damaged. In addition, the load carrying capacity label may state the incorrect weight. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged or improperly installed valve stem may allow air to leak and/or the tires to be underinflated, increasing the risk of tire failure and a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wheel valve stems and replace the load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 18, 2023. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 23R1.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Toyota RAV4 problems