2012 Toyota Rav4 Other Problems

Your engine, 4WD, and traction control warning lights came on while driving, and your truck felt like it was slipping gears before suddenly shutting down and smoking near a railroad track. The top radiator hose coupling broke, spilling antifreeze everywhere. After replacing the hose and refilling the antifreeze and water, your truck won't start—it just sputters when you try to crank it. The repair may involve checking the engine for damage caused by overheating, replacing spark plugs, and ensuring the cooling system is properly bled of air.

Your engine maintenance light came on, and then your RAV4 unexpectedly accelerated on its own multiple times while driving home, lurching forward toward other vehicles even when you weren't pressing the gas pedal. You pressed the brake firmly and put the car in neutral, but the engine continued revving to 4,000–5,000 RPM. This happened four times during your drive and created serious safety risks, though it hasn't happened since and mechanics haven't been able to reproduce the problem. The issue likely involves the fuel system's throttle control or electronic engine management system and may require diagnostic scanning or replacement of accelerator components.

Your car's windows fog up constantly regardless of which climate control setting you use—defroster, fan, fresh air, or AC. The problem gets worse when you use the front defroster in bad weather, and rolling down the windows is the only temporary workaround, creating a serious safety hazard since you can't see clearly while driving. This issue likely stems from excessive moisture buildup inside the vehicle cabin that the ventilation system isn't removing properly. A mechanic will need to diagnose whether the problem is caused by a failed HVAC blend door, clogged cabin air filter, or an issue with the heating and air conditioning system itself.

Your car has multiple issues: the brakes require constant service and attention, the sun visors won't stay in place and keep breaking, and your engine is consuming a lot of oil without any visible leaks. You may notice the oil on the dipstick looks black and burnt shortly after you add fresh oil or get an oil change. These issues likely require brake system inspection, sun visor replacement, and engine diagnostics to identify why it's burning through oil so quickly.

Your RAV4's roof has severe paint chipping that becomes a hazard at speeds over 40 mph, as pieces of paint can fly off and hit other vehicles. This appears to be a paint defect on the roof surface that needs professional repair to prevent damage to other cars and ensure safety.

The mechanism that controls the up/down position of the sun visors breaks after a few years of use. As a result, the sun visors will not stay in a 'closed' position (against vehicle roof) and constantly fall halfway down obstructing proper view of the road. The drivers side sun visor broke several years ago. When I took it to the Toyota dealer they stated the only way to fix this was to replace the visor (at my expense). The cost to replace one visor was >$200. The passenger side visor has now failed to hold in place as well. Toyota assumes no responsibility for this design defect (plastic part in the visor mechanism wears or breaks). This is a safety issue due to poor design on Toyota's part. Consumers should not have to pay $200 to have these replaced.

Driver's side sun visor falls down blocking view of road.

DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR HAD TO BE REPLACED A COUPLE YEARS AGO BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT STAY IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION AND HUNG IN A LOOSE DROPPED POSITION.THE PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR IS NOW DOING THE SAME THING. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IT CAN DROP UNEXPECTEDLY AND BLOCK THE DRIVERS VISUAL FIELD.

MY 2012 TOYOTA RAV4 DRIVER SIDE VISOR STARTED FALLING DOWN ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO, LATER WOULD FALL DOWN AND WOULDN'T GO BACK UP AND STAY. THEN IS WAS VERY LOOSE. I WOULD MOVE IT TO THE SIDE BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE TO DRIVE. THIS LAST TIME I TRIED TO MOVE IT TO THE SIDE IT COMPLETELY FELL OFF. MY PASSENGER SIDE IS DOING IT AS WELL AND MAKING IT HARD FOR THE PASSENGERS TO SEE AND EVEN MYSELF BECAUSE IT'S CONSTANTLY BLOCKING MY VIEW OF THAT SIDE. I'M VERY AGGRAVATED BECAUSE I CALLED CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY HAZARD. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA! MY VEHICLE WASN'T CHEAP BUT APPARENTLY THE PARTS THEY PUT IN THEM ARE. I AM INCLUDING THE FIRST PICTURE OF ME AT A 4WAY RED LIGHT TO SHOW MY VIEW DRIVING AND AT A RED LIGHT, I CAN'T SEE AND HAVE TO BEND DOWN TO DO SO. ALSO THE LIGHT NO LONGER WORKS ON THE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT. I ALSO INCLUDED PICTURES OF THE FABRIC BUBBLING OFF. MY VEHICLE WAS GARBAGE KEPT FOR 6 YEARS AND FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO IT'S BEEN OUTSIDE. ALSO, MY WIPERS POP AND GET STUCK WHEN TRYING TO USE THEM. EVEN IF IT'S RAINING OR JUST CLEANING MY WINDSHIELD OFF. THEY WILL GO AND THEN IT'S LIKE IT CAN'T AND GETS STUCK BUT IT LITERALLY WILL MAKE A POP SOUND AND BOUNCE WHEN TRYING TO USE THEM. IT SOUNDS RIDICULOUS AND EVERYONE COMPLAINS ABOUT THEM WHEN RIDING WITH ME. I'M SO FRUSTRATED WITH IT. THEY HAVE DONE IT THE WHOLE TIME I'VE OWNED IT AND I'M THE ONLY OWNER OF IT.

SUN VISOR ON DRIVER'S SIDE WILL NOT STAY UP. HANGS MIDWAY DOWN CAUSING HAZARD IF I LEAN FORWARD

DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR WOULD NOT STAY UP ALL THE WAY, OBSTRUCTING VIEW. CAR IS NOT OLD ENOUGH OR DRIVEN HARD ENOUGH FOR SUCH A COMMON COMPONENT TO FAIL SO QUICKLY. IT'S NOT A CHEAP FIX - DEALER QUOTED ME $174 THOUGH THERE ARE SOME YOUTUBE VIDEOS THAT SHOW HOW TO BUY THE PART AND FIX IT YOURSELF. HAVING READ ABOUT OTHER RAV4 OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE, IT SEEMS LIKE A TOYOTA QUALITY CONTROL ISSUE.

SUNROOF GLASS CRACKED WITH A LOUD BANG WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, AT ABOUT 55 MPH. WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND WARM (NOT VERY HOT). NO OTHER VEHICLES CLOSE BY. NO FLYING DEBRIS OBSERVED PRIOR TO LOUD BANG. ENTIRE PANE WAS RIDDLED WITH CRACKS. DURING SUBSEQUENT TRIP INTO TOWN, SOME OF THE GLASS PIECES CAME LOOSE AND FLEW OFF, LEAVING A LARGE HOLE SURROUNDED BY UNSTABLE GLASS.

PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR EXPLODED SPONTANEOUSLY LEAVING BEHIND ONLY ITS ASSEMBLY. VEHICLE WAS DRIVING AT 15 MPH THRU A SMALL TOWN WITH NO TURNS.

TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ICON HAVE BEEN SHOWING AFTER I GOT NEW SET OF TIRES, ALL TIRES GOT THE PROPER AIR, 2 MONTHS AFTER OF THE NEW TIRES INSTALLED, THIS ICON SHOWED AGAIN SO, I BROUGHT MY CAR FOR OIL CHANCE ABED ASKED TO CHECK THE AIR ON THE TIRES, THE MECHANIC PUT THE MANDATORY AIR ON EACH TIRE, THE ICON STILL SHOWING IT, IT DID NOT GO AWAY SO, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS. I AM VERY CONCERN... THANKS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*JB

THE DOOR LOCKS WONT LOCK WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE..THEY USE TO WORK BUT NOW I HAVE TO LOCK THEM WITH THE BUTTON AND I HAVE A 21/2 YEAR OLD GRANDDAUGTER WHO SITS IN THE BACK AND AM AFRAID WHEN THE CAR IS GOING CAN OPEN THE CAR WHEN IT IS GOING DOWN THE ROAD IF THE DOORS ARE NOT LOCKED. THIS IS A HAZARD AND DEFECT.

THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT THREE TIMES. WHEN I AM STOPPING THE CAR WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REVS UP AND I HAVE TO REALLY EXERT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT THE CAR FROM LURCHING AHEAD. AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF BRAKING, THE ENGINE STOPS REVVING.

THE DRIVERS SIDE VISOR KEEPS FALLING DOWN AND BLOCKING MY VIEW WELL DRIVING. THE VISOR SEEMS TO BE DEFECTED OR POORLY MADE.

Unable to provide a translation — the complaint contains no description of the actual problem. Please review the original complaint for specific details about what issue the owner experienced with their vehicle.