2022 Toyota RAV4 Engine Problems

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2022 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

We were traveling across country from Michigan to Arizona. We were 50 miles outside Tucson, AZ on [redacted]. Traveling 80 mph in a 75 mph zone, in passing lane and felt like car exploded and all airbags deployed and we came to a quick stop. No major injuries to either of us. One vehicle incident, did not collide with anything or hit any debris. It was a clear day, road conditions good, no noises, lights etc. My husband was able to keep from rolling and we came to a stop with many semi's etc flying by, very scary. When we were able to safely get out and call 911, there was significant drivers side front end damage around tire area and inside near axle. Looked like something broke inside car, sheered off bottom of tire. Police arrived and had to push vehicle on to shoulder of road. …

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the economy feature disengaged while driving. While the lane assist was activated, the vehicle drifted over into another lane. The engine was revving and backfired. The vehicle lost motive power while driving at undisclosed speeds. The driver's side windshield had a glaze or wax on the outside. While idling, the vehicle surged forward. The driver hovered a foot over the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to several dealers, AutoNation Toyota Winter Park Service Center (225 N Semoran Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792); Claremont Toyota (601 Auto Center Dr, Claremont, CA 91711); and Miracle Toyota (37048 US-27, Haines City, FL 33844); but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. …

The contact's uncle owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. While the uncle was driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. During the failure, the instrument panel remained illuminated, but the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. While with the local mechanic the vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was immediately driven to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.

At 2:05 pm on March 21, 2023 my car suddenly lurched forward and to the left as I was pulling into a parallel parking place. The vehicle was operating in electric mode on "ECO" with the the gearshift in "D" at the time, but I heard the starter motor kick in and the engine rev up simultaneous with the sudden lurching. The lurching was so fast that it threw my head against the head rest. The vehicle jumped an 8 inch concrete curb leaving a skid mark on the right side and traveled 10-12 feet across a side walk and into dirt landscaping. Upon slamming on the brake, the car came to rest and the engine died. There were no prior incidents. The odometer read 4648 at time of incident. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer or police. No injury to the driver or pedestrians occurred.The incident has not recurred since yesterday's incident. …

The Engine Coolant Bypass Valve is a known issue across the 2019-Present RAV4 generation. We have taken our RAV4 to the dealership numerous time for the "Maintenance Required Soon" message that comes up when the car starts. The dealer always says that is is just a reminder for us to get our vehicle serviced at 20,000. The service interval message is supposed to only come on at every 5,000, not every 3,000. We took it by our local auto parts store, and the man that works there has a 2019 RAV4 that has the same problem. They had to take theirs to the dealer and have the Coolant Bypass Valve replaced. If not addressed soon, it could cause the engine to overheat. The man at the auto parts store said it doesn't hurt to drive it but it is best not to prolong it. There needs to be an investigation of a recall started on this, as it can be a very confusing situation. …

Safety issue: "Engine Stopped/Started: Due to Steering Power Low" Yesterday, it was heavy rain. My new 2022 RAV4 shut down and would not start due to the warning sign "Steering Power Low." I restarted a few times, but the whole car was jerking and the rpm's were fluttering up and down. The yellow check engine light and the orange warning signs, followed by an exclamation point, came on, along with the messages "Engine Stopped Steering Power Low" and "Not Ready to Drive." then shut down the car. I called for a pickup instead and was not able to start the car until the next day. It was so terrifying, and I was fortunate that the accident did not occur. What would happen if it were to happen as I or other RAV4 owners were in the middle of the road or nowhere for help? …

After driving for 35 minutes (in the rain), I pulled up to work and let someone out. While car was sitting there in park, it bucked in the back, I then put it into park and almost immediately, it shut off with this on the display "Engine Off, Steering Power Low, Do Not Drive". My lights and windshield wipers remained on. I tried to turn it back and and it shut off again. I waited a few minutes, turned it on and went to pull out onto main road and the car shut off again with the same message. Thankfully I was turning onto the main road so close to shoulder and able to keep my car pretty close to side of the road. I called the Toyota dealer who told me not to drive it and it would need to be towed. I towed it to the closest dealer and when they checked the codes (the next day), they said there were no codes and they could not replicate the problem. …

On [redacted], I was driving in a rain storm on [redacted]. I pulled off the highway into a parking lot and the car stalled out. The check engine light and the power steering light came on. I tried to start the car 3-4 times over the next fifteen minutes and it did not start. I waited a few more minutes and the car started and the lights cleared from the dashboard. I was able to drive 120 miles home with no issues with the vehicle. I called the Toyota of Massapequa dealership service department the next morning and they offered to inspect the car. I declined as the dashboard lights were gone and the car seemed to be running fine. I did have them check out the car when I brought it in for the annual NYS inspection and oil change in August 2024. The technician found no issues with the engine and there were no codes in the computer. The car has not given me a problem since this happened.

It's been raining for about 4-5 hours by now, I drove to church (1 hour drive) left my car outside in the parking lot in the rain while I was there. Then drove home (another 1 hour) and when I came home just now I sat in my car parked with the engine on for about 5 minutes when suddenly the car started shaking and then it turned off with a message "Engine Stopped - Power Steering Low, ignition on" on my 2022 Toyota RAV4 XLE. I think this issue needs to be investigated ASAP as it is a big safety concern, what if it happened when I was driving on the highway in the rain, at night? My Google and Reddit search revealed that a lot of people are experiencing this issue and this is a place to help start an investigation. I had a full inspection on my car at the Toyota dealership just a few weeks ago and everything including the battery was fine.

After driving for approximately 30-minutes in the rain I pulled over and the automatic engine shutoff feature activated while I was waiting to pick somebody up. When attempting to restart the car, the engine would not turn over and I got a low power steering warning message on my dash. The problem persisted for approximately 15-20 minutes. Eventually after about 15 attempts to restart the engine, the car started back up and drove fine the rest of the way home. The dealership was unable to find anything wrong with my car, but I have heard of this happening to many other RAV4s and it causes me concerning, especially when I need to drive my car in the rain.

Engine complaints in other RAV4 years