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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

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

15

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid have filed 15 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2018 and August 2025. The most complained-about system is the fuel and propulsion system, named in 2 of them (13%). The typical failure was reported at 13,000 miles, the median across the 12 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

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 15.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 33%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 13%
POWER TRAIN 2 13%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 13%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 13%
AIR BAGS 1 7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 7%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 7%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 7%
STRUCTURE 1 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 7%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 7.

2018 2025
2018 to 2025

In owners' own words

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

POWER TRAIN

1 injured · crash · 6,300 miles

I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT. IT WAS SLOPED BACKWARD. THE CAR WAS STOPPED COMPLETELY, AND SILENT. I WAS DISTRACTED BY A MINOR TASK, AND THEN EXITED THE CAR, INADVERTENTLY WITH THE POWER ON AND THE TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE, NOT PARK. WHEN I NOTICED THAT I COULD NOT LOCK THE CAR, AND REALIZED THAT THE CAR WAS STILL ENERGIZED, I REACHED OVER AND PRESSED THE ON BUTTON TO TURN-OFF THE CAR-- WHICH IT DID. AT WHICH POINT THE CARD IMMEDIATELY HEADED BACKWARDS, DOWNHILL, CROSSED A STREET WHILE I WAS TRYING TO SLOW THE CAR FROM OUTSIDE THE DRIVERS DOOR, AND FINALLY HIT A LAMP POST AND STOPPED WITH DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER. I TRIED TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE, WITH THE SAME RESULT: THE CAR CAN APPEAR TO BE

NHTSA complaint 11204012, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed · 2,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND A GUARDRAIL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (THOMPSONS TOYOTA, 140 FORNI RD, PLACERVILLE, CA 95667), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO WAIT FOR THE DEALER'S DIAGNOSIS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

NHTSA complaint 11088495. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

52,700 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the messages "Pre-Collision", "Braking Power Low", and "AWD System Malfunction" were displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on the previous two model years of the same vehicle, but no cause for the failure was found when the vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 52,700.

NHTSA complaint 11680176. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

115,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that while receiving an oil change by a certified mechanic, the contact was informed that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The mechanic confirmed that the radiator, hoses, and thermostat had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. While the contact was checking the coolant levels, the coolant level was always lower than expected. The contact was continually adding coolant. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified

NHTSA complaint 11667638, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

32,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. The contact recharged the vehicle and the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to Toyo Cars, where it was diagnosed with an auxiliary battery failure. The dealer was contacted to order the part, but the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the part was not available due to the global pandemic. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

NHTSA complaint 11642781. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

15,000 miles

WHILE DRIVING ON LONG TRIP GOING SOUTH ON HWY 101, VEHICLE STARTED BUCKING AND JERKING GOING 70ISH MPH. EV LIGHT WOULD COME ON LIKE IT WANTED TO SWITCH TO EV MODE. IT HAPPENED GOING DOWN A STEEP GRADE NEAR SAN LUIS OBISPO. IT STOPPED WHEN WE GOT TO FLAT GROUND. ABOUT 25 MILES LATER IT DID IT AGAIN AND I WAS ABLE TO RECORD A QUICK VIDEO OF INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. TOOK IT TO ONE TOYOTA IN OAKLAND CA AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE CONCERN. WIFE WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ON ANOTHER LONG TRIP A FEW MONTHS LATER AND IT HAPPENED TO HER FOR ABOUT 1 1/5 HOURS. SEEMS LIKE SYSTEM RESETS AFTER CYCLING IGNITION AND SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT AT THAT TIME.

NHTSA complaint 11210210. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

26,500 miles

WHILE ACTIVELY BRAKING AT LOW SPEED TO LINE UP TO A TICKET DISPENSER IN A PARKING GARAGE, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS FLOORED. I SLAMMED THE BRAKE AND THE CAR STOPPED AT ABOUT 10 FEET. THE PARKING ARM WENT OVER THE HOOD ABOUT HALFWAY. WHEN I TRIED TO REVERSE I SAW THE GEAR SHIFT HAD MOVED AND THE ENGINE WAS OFF.

NHTSA complaint 11194412. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 22 1
2020 13 5
2019 22 3
2017 14 0

Other 2018 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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