Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The passenger side mirror and the collum that holds the windshield on the right side makes a complete blind spot that you can't see anything on that area. If you are turning you can't see even a whole car. The left side mirror and collum that holds the windshield is ok, but not the right one. I got into an accident with the fire hydrant at a parking lot in town because I could not see it. I was turning right into the street and hit the fire hydrant.
The headlights on my Rav4 are dangerous. When driving at night there is a dark line with no visibility. There is no reaction time if objects are in the roadway. I live in a rural area, on my way to work there was a pine tree that fell across the road way,I crashed straight into it. I did not even see it until I hit it.
Our 2018 RAV4 windshield spontaneously cracked starting at the point where the windshield camera is mounted on the front with rear view mirror attached. We do not recall that anything hit the windshield, and the crack appeared on the car overnight while parked in our driveway. The crack starts at the top of the windshield where the safety sense 2.0 camera is mounted, and extends down almost halfway to the bottom, and then makes a 90 degree turn toward the driver's side door, extends for about 1 1/2 ft., and then makes another 90 degree turn down toward the windshield wiper for approximately 3". The photo does not show how long the crack is, but mostly where it begins. We have added red lines to show the first 90 degree turn, and dotted line to show the extended crack that is not visible, and the 2nd 90 degree turn. …
The evening of Sunday, March 28th, 2021 I was driving on interstate 84 in idaho near wendell, at approximately 83 MPH when the sunroof of my 2018 RAV4 exploded without any warning. Luckily the shade panel was drawn, so no glass debris went into the car. My husband was in the passenger seat, and our 16 yr old daughter was sitting behind him. When I first heard the explosion, I thought we had a tire blowout, but I didn't feel a pull on the steering wheel. My next thought was that the rv next to me had a blowout, but they kept on driving. We could hear a lot of wind coming from the sunroof, so I pulled over at the next exit, which was close, and assessed the situation. The sunroof was gone! The remaining glass around the edges was all cracked and curved upwards, so it was obvious that it had exploded from the inside out. There was also a lot of glass debris inside the shade panel. …
The windshield cracked after being struck by a small rock during normal driving and then the crack went across the drivers side of the windshield right across my field of view as a driver. The windshield was cracked on June 1st and I contacted 4 glass replacement companies and was told the part was on back order 3 to 8 weeks. I contacted the dealership and Toyota and I was told they will order the part. I got contacted on June 26 by john from Toyota that the windshield was in at copeland Toyota in brockton ma. I contacted the glass company and they were advised the part was not in at copeland. I contacted Toyota today and was told by them that they were given the information from anthony at copeland Toyota that the windshield was in. I asked to speak with the supervisor at Toyota and was told that they were unavailable. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Toyota RAV4. While attempting to drive the vehicle, all the warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to checkered flag Toyota (located at 5301 virginia beach blvd, virginia beach, va 23462, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the soy wires attracted rodents who were eating the wires. The dealer replaced the wires. In addition, the contact stated that the washer fluid hose was eaten by the rodents. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the washer fluid hose was replaced. The contact was informed that they could not use anything else to prevent the rodents from eating the wires and advised the contact to get an exterminator. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: [redacted]. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000. …
Purchased 2018 rav 4 adventure three day's ago and it is impossible to drive at night on a road with no other available lighting. Extremely dangerous. It appears as though a veil covers 1/2 to 2/3 of windshield making visibility nearly impossible. The beam angle of the headlights barely cover the road in front of you and nothing above the height of the vehicle hood. You can see nothing in front of you and even less on the sides of the road.changing the setting from auto, on and high beam to not change result. I want to return the vehicle. There is no point in having a vehicle you can only drive during the day. Extremely dangerous and very disappointing! I hope no one suffers injury or death as a result of this poor design.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Toyota RAV4. While driving 75 MPH, the sun roof exploded with a loud noise. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to lowe Toyota of warner robins (located at 375 s houston lake rd, warner robins, ga 31088, [phone]). The deaker stated that there May have been a small crack in the glass that could have caused the explosion once the glass became hot. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was later taken to beaman Toyota (located at 1525 broadway, nashville, tn 37203, [phone]), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened case number: 1810023189. The approximate failure mileage was 4,400.
The windshield developed a very large crack, the crack appeared while the car was parked. It seems to have started from a tiny rock chip - the chip was not previously noted. The crack grew significantly over the course of 2 days. The glass company has contacted the dealership and was advised that there is a nationwide backorder for the glass - 331 backorders as of today, June 30. They do not have a date when the glass will be available, possibly several weeks to several months. A large backorder is concerning as it would suggest a large volume of people experiencing this exact or similar issues with the windshield.
Driving south on country road in bright sun. The sun was reflecting off the horizontal dashboard. Causing a reflection off the inside of the windshield. Hampering my vision, almost causing me to hit a person on a bicycle. My vision was impaired by the reflecting light from the dashboard onto the inside of my windshield. Preventing a clear vision of the road ahead of me. See photos. I fixed my problem by installing a black felt cloth and laying it on the dashboard. The sun does not reflect from the black felt. My problem was solved.
Window & Wiper complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2018 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2018 Toyota RAV4, 6% of the model year's 333 complaints. The component named most often is sun/moon roof assembly (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Toyota RAV4 window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2018 Toyota RAV4, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2018 Toyota RAV4 window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 9,000 miles, and 81% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to windows, wipers & sunroof problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.