Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2020 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked for approximately nine hours and unoccupied, it spontaneously caught fire without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire. The fire department informed him the fire was due to a failure with the electrical system or fuel pump. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or police reports filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company adjuster deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,500.
On May 12, 2022 I was driving our 2022 Rav4 Hybrid. At about 10 am that morning I arrived at the Sherwin Williams store in Chandler, AZ. I applied the brakes and put the car in park. But the car did not stop! It continued to forge ahead, smashing into the building barrier and even then it kept trying to move forward. 1.The whole front end was smashed. 2.The first responders had to pry open the door to extract me from the car. 3.It was later determined that I had broken a rib. (I was lucky it was not more.) 4.The car was later declared "totaled" by the insurance company. By -standers immediately called the police. 1.The police officer confirmed that the car was in park, at the time of the accident. 2.The officer also confirmed with witnesses that the car was in park but was still moving ahead. 3.The officer recorded the witnesses' names and contacts. …
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, coolant was observed leaking from the engine compartment with no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine casing had failed, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but denied the engine replacement request because the vehicle had previously been serviced by an independent mechanic for engine maintenance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V064000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 34,678.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the message "Engine Maintenance Required - See Dealer" was display on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. In addition, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that soon after he had the vehicle serviced at the dealer, the "engine maintenance required" message was displayed. The contact stated that the warning advisory remained displayed, which rendered the speedometer unviewable. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and was diagnosed with a defective coolant bypass valve. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The parts to repair the vehicle was on backorder. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant bypass valve failure. The contact was informed that the coolant bypass valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that coolant bypass valve had been replaced twice. The contact stated that previously in August 2024, the failure had occurred, and the coolant bypass valve was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 65,793.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke and an abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V064000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a failure code was retrieved for an engine coolant bypass valve circuit short, and it was diagnosed that the bypass hose and valve needed to be replaced. The local dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V064000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and the engine was overheating. The message "See Dealer for Maintenance" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that an unknown cooling system valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle briefly lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the coolant temperature sensor, requiring that the coolant temperature sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine including the engine block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 3, 2020.
Engine complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2020 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 193 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2020 Toyota RAV4, 30% of the model year's 635 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2020 Toyota RAV4 engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-064 (engine and engine cooling, Feb 6, 2020). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2020 Toyota RAV4 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 27,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 2 injuries to engine & cooling 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.