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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2014 Toyota RAV4 EV

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

10

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2014 Toyota RAV4 EV have filed 10 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2014 and December 2018. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 5 of them (50%). The typical failure was reported at 17,000 miles, the median across the 9 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER

16V096000 · February 19, 2016

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured July 28, 2005, to December 19, 2012, and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the event of a frontal collision, the rear seat belts for the outboard seats may be cut by the seat cushion frame.
The risk
A cut seat belt may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a protector over both rear seat cushion frames, free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0F.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 1,123,752 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY/WIPER

15V577000 · September 18, 2015

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 27, 2008, to December 19, 2012 and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, water may drip onto the joint that connects the wiper linkage to the wiper motor.
The risk
Over time, the dripping water may cause corrosion and wear at the joint, potentially resulting in the separation of the wiper linkage. Once this occurs, the wipers would not function, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water diverter channel. In addition, a new wiper linkage with a wiper motor crank arm will be installed. The wiper linkage will have a protective cover over the wiper linkage joint to minimize water splash and a retainer ring to prevent the wiper arm from separating from the wiper motor. The recall began on November 7, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service number at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 423,456 vehicles across all model years covered

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

15V143000 · March 13, 2015

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Rav4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. Due to a software issue within a component of the Electric Vehicle Traction Motor Assembly, the electric propulsion motor may shift to "neutral" resulting in a possible loss of drive power.
The risk
A loss of drive power may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the Electric Vehicle Traction Motor Assembly software, free of charge. The recall began on September 10, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 2,497 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 10.

POWER TRAIN 5 50%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 30%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 20%
ENGINE 1 10%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 10%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2015 at 5.

2014 2015 2018
2014 to 2018

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
SOMETIMES WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS IT DOES NOT RESPOND AND I HAVE TO LIFT MY FOOT OFF OF THE PEDAL AND PRESS THE GAS PEDAL AGAIN. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint 11163026. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

26,500 miles

STARTING AROUND 24,500 MILES, TOYOTA RAV4 EV 2014 STARTED TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE WITH ACCELERATION. THIS NOISE WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER AS AN ISSUE WITH THE DRIVE MOTOR MADE BY TESLA, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT AT THAT TIME THE NOISE IS "NOT LOUD ENOUGH" TO GET ANYTHING DONE BY TOYOTA/TESLA. SINCE THEN, ANOTHER 2000 MILES HAVE PASSED AND THE NOISE IS ONLY LOUDER. THE DEALER HAS AGAIN DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS THE DRIVE MOTOR, SUBMITTED RECORDING OF NOISE TO TOYOTA/TESLA BUT STATES THAT TOYOTA/TESLA NOT READY TO REPLACE DRIVE MOTOR. THIS IS CLEARLY AN ISSUE WITH A VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVER NOTICED MY OVERALL RANGE IS BEING AFFECTED AND DOWN BY 10%. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE

NHTSA complaint 10888225, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

28,000 miles

WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH ON A 45 MPH 2 WAY LANE, THE CAR SUDDENLY DISPLAYED WARNING "CHECK EV SYSTEM" ADVISED ME TO PULL OVER AND INFORM DEALERSHIP ASAP. I KEPT DRIVING (ABOUT 1 MILE FROM MY HOME) WITHIN MINUTE SYSTEM SEEMED TO RESTORE ITSELF. ONLY STILL DISPLAYS "CHECK EV SYSTEM" THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN LAST 6 WEEKS. TOYOTA REFUSES TO HANDLE MY CASE BECAUSE OF "AFTER MARKET MODIFICATIONS" WHICH ARE NOT LIMITED TO : TRAILER HITCH, VOLT/AMP METER TO MONITOR CHARGING (VERY IMPORTANT TO CALCULATE HOW LONG YOU HAVE TO WAIT TO CHARGE AN EV) BOTH THESE THINGS HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SHOWN PROBLEMS. THIS IS AFTER MY CAR WENT BACK FOR THE "SAFETY RECALL" FOR EXACT THE SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint 10823316, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

27,217 miles

WAS DRIVING IN CITY AT ABOUT 30 MPH , CAR STOPPED HAVING PROPULSION, STOPPED WITH A SHUDDER AND WARNINGS LIGHTS POP UP. "CHECK EV SYSTEM" WAS ABLE TO RESET THE COMPUTER BY POWERING OFF/ON FOR 3 CYCLES TO MAKE IT OVER TO THE CURB. CALLED TOW TO TRANSPORT TO THE DEALER. SEND ME AWAY AFTER RESETTING THE ERROR MESSAGE IN THE COMPUTER. WEEK LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT. NOW TOYOTA IS BLAMING MY ADD ONS LIKE CHARGE INDICATOR (SHOWING VOLTS/AMPS OF THE J1772 INPUT) AND THE FACT I FITTED A TRAILER HITCH (FOR A BIKE RACK). WHICH HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ELECTRICAL PROPULSION SYSTEM.

NHTSA complaint 10812047. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

4,916 miles

LOST DRIVING POWER ON HIGHWAY AT 45MPH. CAR SWITCHED AUTOMATICALLY TO NEUTRAL. DISPLAYED "CHECK EV SYSTEM. TAKE TO DEALER" WARNING. WAS ABLE TO TURN POWER ON AND OFF AND REGAIN MOTOR, BUT STILL DISPLAYED MESSAGE. DROVE HOME. TOOK TO DEALER NEXT MORNING.

NHTSA complaint 10733217. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

17,000 miles

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND WAS APPROXIMATELY AT 70 MPH ON CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY INTERSTATE 880 JUST NEAR THE JUNCTION ON I580, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND CAME TO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT SHIFT TO DRIVE, WITH A MESSAGE ON THE DASH BOARD CHECK EV SOON TAKE IT TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER.IT WAS PRETTY SCARY AND FINALLY I MANAGED TO STEER IT TO THE LEFT SHOULDER WHICH WAS VERY NARROW AND HALF OF MY VEHICLE WAS STILL ON THE FAST LANE, EASY CHANCE OF A CRASH. CALLED CHP THEY HAD TO STOP THE TRAFFIC AND PUSH ME TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER, FINALLY ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE SHOWED UP AND TOWED IT TO OAKLAND TOYOTA DEALER. ITS JUST A YEAR OLD. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10706363. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other 2014 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 272 vehicles, 370 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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