2021 Toyota RAV4 gas XXX Vehicle suddenly stopped while driving Busy roadway in [XXX] Wife and young children were passengers Dashboard displayed “ENGINE STOPPED” Dashboard displayed “STEERING POWER LOW” Police responded Police determined waiting for the insurance tow was unsafe Police arranged emergency towing Vehicle subsequently inspected by Beaver Toyota Dealer drove approximately 26 miles attempting to reproduce the issue No fault code/history found Problem could not be reproduced You remain concerned about a potentially recurring safety defect INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11763945 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

The front driver-side door lock and opener (actuator) stopped working using the key fob and needs to be manually locked from the inside. When I try to access the door after manually locking driver side and using my key fob for the remaining 3 locks, the unit won't automatically open. This causes a safety risk considering I need to access the driver's side back or front passenger side to open the door. According to what I've read this is a known issue.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11745416 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

My wife was pulling her car into a parking area consisting of a few small storefronts. When pulling in, the brakes completely failed as did the forward collision warning system and the automatic emergency braking system. As she continued to press the brake pedal it just went to the floor of the car. The end result was that the car struck one of the storefronts causing damage to the building as well as her car. Fortunately the store was closed at the time and no one was injured, nor was she. There were not any warning lamps or messages prior to the brakes failing. The brakes worked fine in the approx. 15 minute drive prior to the accident. I realize that drivers sometimes press the accelerator in error instead of the brakes and I can assure you that this was not the case (we wife is not elderly and is a very safe driver). We spoke to the auto body shop who will be repairing the car and they told us that the brakes currently seem to work. A online search revealed that this problem as been reported / discussed by others in the past. We expect to have the car repaired and returned to us in the next week but are very concerned with driving it as another accident could be fatal.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11711075 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

The steering light comes on , and "engine stopped, steering power low" comes on. The car just stops, usually when I've braked and come to a compete stop, and just completely shuts down. It's done it in the middle of traffic, I don't know why it's an issue.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11729879 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

I have been unable to get my vehicle inspected and repaired by a dealer despite months of waiting and asking two different Toyota dealers to order the necessary part or parts. This recall has been in place for years. For several years I was told it was only being done in certain states and that New Mexico would be last on list due to climate. Probably six months ago the message changed from Toyota and it was now ok in every state. Only problem is still no parts according to dealer. Last contact was on June 2, 2026 with the second dealer to order part. No call back and no contact. First effort was in Santa Fe NM where car was purchased new in 2021at Toyota dealer. Last effort over a month ago was at Albuquerque Larry Miller Toyota. So safety recall for faulty air bag sensor on my wife's side of car has been in place about 900 days without parts to fix a potentially deadly problem. VERY DANGEROUS

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11748297 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

I am reporting a serious safety concern involving the sunroof glass on my 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited AWD. On July 3, 2026, at approximately 37,350 miles, I was driving the vehicle when the entire sunroof glass suddenly and catastrophically shattered. There was no traffic around me, there was no debris in the roadway, I was not traveling under an overpass, and I am not aware of any impact or other event that could have caused the glass to break. The failure was completely unexpected. I heard a very, very loud sound, similar to a gunshot. Immediately afterward, the entire sunroof glass had shattered into small granules. A very small piece of shattered glass also flew off the vehicle. I was able to quickly close the interior sunroof visor, which fortunately prevented the majority of the shattered glass from falling into the passenger compartment and prevented injury. There was nevertheless some glass that fell into the roof liner. I immediately contacted my insurance company and the car was towed to my Toyota dealership. The sunroof was replaced with a Toyota original part and the replacement was paid by my insurance company. This incident created a significant safety hazard because the sunroof glass failed suddenly and violently while the vehicle was being driven. The extremely loud explosion-like sound and the sudden loss of the sunroof glass could cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle or could result in glass striking occupants. In this instance, I was fortunate that the visor was closed quickly and that there was no surrounding traffic. I believe NHTSA should investigate whether there is a defect or other safety-related problem with the sunroof glass or its installation in this vehicle, particularly if similar spontaneous breakage incidents have occurred in other Toyota RAV4 vehicles. I am reporting this incident because the glass appeared to fail spontaneously, without an apparent collision, road debris, overpass, or other external impact.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11763943 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

The driver’s seat adjustment mechanism failed and the seat became stuck, unable to move forward or backward. We initially went to a Toyota dealership and told them we believed the issue was a broken gear in the seat rail assembly. The dealership stated they needed to complete their own diagnostic assessment before proceeding, which would cost approximately $275 and add delay, despite already being told the likely cause. We instead took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who confirmed the cause was a broken gear/synchronizing mechanism in the seat rail assembly. The mechanic confirmed that Toyota is the only source for this replacement part — it is not available from third-party or aftermarket suppliers — and has ordered the part directly from Toyota, at a cost of approximately $1,500, to install himself. This creates a safety risk because the driver is unable to adjust the seat position to reach the pedals and steering wheel properly, and cannot reposition the seat in the event of an emergency requiring rapid exit from the vehicle. Seating position also affects airbag deployment safety, since proper occupant positioning relative to the airbag is a factor in crash protection. There were no dashboard warning lights or error messages prior to the failure. The seat simply stopped moving on one side during normal, everyday adjustment. This appears to be a widespread and recurring issue rather than an isolated incident. Numerous other owners of 2019–2024 Toyota RAV4 vehicles have reported the identical failure — a broken gear in the seat rail mechanism — on Toyota owner forums and online community discussions, many describing the same high repair cost tied to the fact that only Toyota sells the necessary part. The vehicle is a 2021 Toyota RAV4 with approximately 56,000 miles at the time of failure. The component is available for inspection upon request.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11756026 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov