2023 Toyota RAV4: What to check before buying

Stalling is the most common report. The engine shuts off at stops, in drive-thrus, or at highway speed, and the dash shows "Engine Stopped, Steering Power Low." Many stalls happen in heavy rain. Restarting can take 15 to 20 minutes. Dealers often find no trouble code. The instrument cluster can also go black or flicker, and federal recall 25V595000 covers a panel that fails to show safety information, though the repair part was not yet available. Other reports describe screens rebooting, false driver-assist warnings, and brakes squealing before 5,000 miles. One crash report says the SOS button failed.

Most reports here describe the same stall. The engine dies in drive, at a stop or on the highway, and the dash reads "Engine Stopped, Steering Power Low." Steering turns heavy. Many owners connect it to heavy rain with the wipers running. Some see smoke or smell burning. Often the car will not restart for 20 to 30 minutes, then runs normally. Dealers usually cannot duplicate it. Reports range from nearly new cars to 35,100 miles. One crash involved ABS activating and the steering locking at 75 mph. The fire report came from a crash at over 120 mph.

Three crash reports describe the car surging forward at parking-lot speed while the brake pedal does little or nothing. One car was totaled. Gas-only models jerk and stutter under light throttle between 15 and 40 mph, at 1500 to 2500 RPM. Other cars fail to pick up speed below 40 mph while the RPM climbs. Some stall at stop signs with every warning light on, and dealers cannot replicate it. Separately, a car rolled backward after being shut off in Drive. Toyota said that was normal because the shifter was not in Park.

Paint chips down to bare metal on the front of the car, in one case before 8,000 miles. Other owners see paint bubble and peel across the hood, roof, and doors after about a year and four months, and dealers warn it may rust. The panoramic sunroof shatters on the highway, starting from a crack around the seal. The rear passenger door fills with water and sloshes. Technical Service Bulletin 0084-21 addresses that noise, and one car got it at 19,100 miles. The one crash report blames brakes, but Toyota's inspector found no brake fault.

On hybrid models, the gas tank stops taking fuel well short of full. The pump nozzle clicks off near the 3/4 mark, and owners get about 10.5 of the rated 14.5 gallons, with range on a full tank dropping to roughly 413 to 430 miles. Replacing a sensor has not fixed it. One owner says the dealer has had the problem under investigation for months. A crash-flagged report describes a strong fuel smell in the cabin from a leaking fuel line that had been over-tightened. The dealer repaired it free.

Four of the five reports are crashes from sudden acceleration while easing into a parking space. The car jumps from walking pace, climbs curbs, and hits signs, railings, landscaping, or another car. Drivers say they were on the brake. In one case bystanders stood within six feet. A separate pattern involves adaptive cruise control braking hard on an empty interstate. Pressing Cancel, the gas pedal, or the brake does not switch it off. The only fix is pulling over and restarting the car.

Braking cuts out for 1 to 3 seconds when the car hits a bump while slowing. The pedal grinds like ABS, the VSC light flashes, and some cars show a slippery-road warning on dry pavement. Owners describe rolling into intersections. Dealers cannot reproduce it, though one confirmed in the car's computer that ABS triggered each time. Two crash reports describe the car moving forward while parking with the brake held, ending at a garage wall and a parking meter.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious collisions, including a head-on crash and a sideswipe that sent the car into a hydrant and a pole. No airbag warning light showed beforehand. In one non-deployment the driver hit their head on the steering wheel. In another, the vehicle's crash data was copied and sent to Toyota. All three reports are crashes, with 2 injuries. The third describes a surge while parking, with neither the airbags nor the crash warning going off.