2014 Toyota Rav4 Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (5) · Fuel/Propulsion System (1) · Engine And Engine Cooling (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Rav4 Ev model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Seat Belts:rear/Other 2016-02-19 · campaign 16V096000 · 1,123,752 vehicles
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.
Risk: A cut seat belt may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
Visibility/Wiper 2015-09-18 · campaign 15V577000 · 423,456 vehicles
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.
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.
Fix: 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.
Hybrid Propulsion System 2015-03-13 · campaign 15V143000 · 2,497 vehicles
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.
Risk: A loss of drive power may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (277)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Showing the 6 most recent of 277 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2018-12-21 · 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.…”
2016-07-25 · Power Train · 26,500 mi“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 …”
2016-01-31 · Unknown Or Other · 28,000 mi“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 …”
2015-12-24 · Power Train · 27,217 mi“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 hap…”
2015-07-10 · Power Train · 4,916 mi“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.…”
2015-04-17 · Unknown Or Other · 17,000 mi“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…”
2015-02-11 · Power Train · 19,050 mi“whilst driving at 70mph on the hov lane of the freeway, the car switched into neutral and coasted to a stop. because this happened at night, and on a lane that does not have a stopping lane, it was grossly unsafe as cars whizzed by. the car was towed to a dealer for repairs. the dealership, toyota carlsbad, has informed me that a new drive motor…”
2015-02-01 · Power Train · 1,319 mi“i was driving on the freeway going about 65mph in the hov lane when the accelerator pedal stopped working and a warning light came on the dashboard. i was not able to get over to the shoulder due to not having power and all of the cars on the freeway. i came to a complete stop, powered off the car and then powered it back on again hoping it would w…”
2014-12-22 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 2,223 mi“while backing to my driveway, car lost power and stopped. after turning it off and back on, power restored. there was a message on dashboard: "check ev system have your vehicle checked by a dealership immediately" which later (after few off/on cycles) disappeared. *tr…”
2014-07-02 · Electrical System · 3,650 mi“while charging the car at a schneider public charging station, extreme heat and electrical arcing resulted in heat/burning damage to the vehicle and damage to the charging station. prior to the incident, while charging at the same public schneider charging station, on many occasions, i noticed an electrical burning smell and heat. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.