2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid Recalls & Complaints

Incident: October 28, 2026 · Filed: October 29, 2026

I am writing to report a safety concern involving the rear seatbelts in the 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) updated moderate overlap front crash test (conducted at 40 mph with 40% overlap), the rear lap belt on the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid slid upward from the pelvis onto the lower abdomen of the rear dummy during the crash. This is known as submarining. IIHS rated the rear restraints and dummy kinematics as Poor for this reason, resulting in an overall Marginal rating for the vehicle in that test. In the same test, the non-plug-in hybrid version of the 2026 RAV4 kept the lap belt properly positioned on the pelvis and received an Acceptable rating. The only significant difference noted between the two vehicles is the additional battery weight in the plug-in hybrid, which appears to alter the motion of the rear of the cabin and the performance of the belt system. Submarining can increase the risk of serious abdominal injury by allowing crash forces to act on soft tissue and organs rather than the stronger pelvic bones. As an owner of a 2026 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid, I am concerned that this design or calibration issue may pose a higher injury risk to rear-seat passengers, including children, in a real-world frontal crash.

Incident: September 29, 2026 · Filed: September 29, 2026

While driving in heavy traffic, the engine shuddered then dashboard warnings: "Hybrid System Malfunction Output Power Reduced, Drive-Start Control Malfunction, AWD System Malfunction." I pulled over, parked, then the transmission wouldn't shift to drive or reverse.

Incident: July 15, 2026 · Filed: September 24, 2026

The sunglasses holder above and between the driver and passenger suddenly opened while on the interstate, causing the sunglasses to fall out, creating a sudden distraction. The sunglasses could have also fallen by and interfered with the pedal assembly. The sunglasses holder continues to pop open while driving even when there is nothing inside of it.

Incident: September 19, 2026 · Filed: September 24, 2026

If I could select everything under the adaptive driver assistance details, I would. Upon startup, every warning light lit up on the car and messages popped that all of the safety systems were disabled on the car with a message to visit the dealer stating there was a "system malfunction." I turned the car off and turned it back on and all warnings remained and passenger airbags and other safety features remained disabled on the car.

Incident: August 29, 2026 · Filed: September 1, 2026

The front windshield on my new 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid XSE, which is equipped with a head-up display (HUD) and uses HUD-specific laminated glass, appears to have an optical clarity/distortion issue. The original factory-installed windshield is still on the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. From the first day I drove the vehicle, I noticed persistent optical artifacts when looking through the windshield. The issue is most noticeable around high-contrast objects, such as white lane markings against dark pavement, white vehicles with dark trim, signs, and other sharply defined edges. Instead of appearing clean and sharp, these edges can look slightly fuzzy, gritty, pixelated, or surrounded by fine irregular lines. I am concerned that reduced optical clarity in the driver's forward field of view could interfere with clearly distinguishing road markings, signs, vehicles, pedestrians, or other roadway objects, especially under high-contrast or nighttime conditions. No crash or injury has occurred. I reported the issue to the selling Toyota dealer. Dealer personnel stated they could not clearly reproduce what I was seeing, but the dealership nevertheless agreed in writing to replace the windshield at no cost. I have temporarily deferred replacement, so the original windshield remains available for evaluation. I have since found multiple reports from other 2026 Toyota RAV4 owners describing similar windshield waviness, distortion, fuzzy or diagonal line patterns, and reduced clarity. Several reports appear to involve HUD-equipped vehicles, and some owners report similar issues even after OEM windshield replacement. I am requesting that NHTSA review this complaint with similar reports to determine whether there may be a recurring optical-quality issue involving HUD-equipped 2026 RAV4 windshields that could affect driver visibility.

Incident: August 30, 2026 · Filed: August 30, 2026

On two separate occasions, the hatch has opened all by itself. One time was in public, and another time while sitting in my driveway overnight with the vehicle locked. This is a safety hazard as opening by itself could cause things to fall out of the back while driving, or theft/weather damage when just sitting in my driveway. I did not receive any notifications via the app, which alerts me if a door or hatch is opened. My last notification indicated that the car was locked. When I went outside this morning, the hatch was wide open and would not close using the fob or any buttons designated to close the hatch. I had to force it closed for it to work again. Based on my research, this is an issue that is experienced by others as well, but Toyota has been unable to reproduce it. I will be logging this with the Toyota dealership where I bought the vehicle and where I service the vehicle (Toyota of [XXX]), but they are closed today. I will report this to them tomorrow morning (Monday XXX). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: August 9, 2026 · Filed: August 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with an EV inverter and transmission failure. The vehicle was pending repairs and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60.

Incident: May 15, 2026 · Filed: August 13, 2026

A few weeks after purchasing a brand new Toyota Rav 4 we had three incidents of "ghost braking". The first was sometime between XXX and XXX. While traveling about about 35 MPH the car suddenly braked hard and the warning light came on.. No cars of objects were in the road on any side, Then on XXX, we were traveling onXXX in the far left lane heading south in [XXX]. We were traveling at 70 MPH with no cars in front of us and a semi slightly to the right and behind and a car in our lane behind us. The car suddenly braked hard and the warning light went on. Fortunately, my husband was able to steer into the shoulder to avoid a collision by the car behind us. We narrowly escaped. We called the dealership and, although they expressed concern, nothing was done. I called Toyota directly and was put in touch with an advocate. We took the car in twice and then the car was returned to us without resolution.Then on XXX, we were traveling east on [XXX] near [XXX] and the car again braked hard and the warning light came on. Again there was no car in front of us and the car behind us was far enough back to be able to brake. The car is now at the dealership awaiting a repair of answer. It is under investigation by Toyota's team of engineers. THe problem has not been reproduced to my knowledge. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: August 10, 2026 · Filed: August 10, 2026

On XXX, my wife, who is [XXX] pregnant, was driving our brand new 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid (approximately 20 miles on the odometer) at 45 mph on a highway when the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of propulsion. What failed: The hybrid powertrain system shut down while the vehicle was in motion. The instrument cluster displayed "Hybrid System Malfunction Do Not Tow This Vehicle" along with check engine light / a multitude of other warnings. The vehicle lost all propulsion and would not restart. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request and is currently at a Toyota dealership. Safety risk: The vehicle lost motive power in active traffic on a 45 mph roadway. My wife was forced to coast to the shoulder with traffic approaching from behind. Sudden loss of propulsion at highway speed created a substantial risk of a rear-end collision and serious injury to my pregnant wife and our unborn child. Reproduction/confirmation: The vehicle was flatbed towed by Toyota Roadside Assistance to an authorized Toyota dealership, where it is being diagnosed. Other inspections: A case has been opened with the Toyota Brand Engagement Center. Police and insurance have not inspected the vehicle. Prior warnings: There were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to the failure; the warnings appeared simultaneously with the loss of propulsion. I am aware of at least two other publicly reported incidents of 2026 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid vehicles displaying hybrid system malfunction warnings or losing power at under 2,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: July 26, 2026 · Filed: August 2, 2026

Purchased brand new vehicle. At the time of incident vehicle had 168 miles. I was driving approximately 20 miles per hour on a parkway entrance ramp with no vehicle in front of me and no vehicles approaching from behind. I accelerated gradually to merge onto the parkway. The engine kicked and the dashboard lit up with several warning indicator lights including the check engine light (see attached images). The dashboard also had the following messages displayed “ system malfunction visit your dealer, drive start control malfunction visit your dealer, AWD malfunction 2WD Mode engaged visit your dealer, check engine visit your dealer, hybrid system malfunction visit your dealer, hybrid system malfunction output power reduced, visit your dealer”. I was able to drive the vehicle home about 1 mile. Called pickup truck and had vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer kept vehicle for 6 days. In that time dealer was in communication with Toyota headquarters. On the 6th day, a mechanic from the service department called and said the vehicle was ready for pick up. When I asked why this occurred, the only thing they could attribute the incident to was the brand new battery was slightly low.