The 2014 Toyota RAV4 has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,968,751 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 275 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.
Consequence
A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. …
STEERING15V1440002015-03-13110,085 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2015 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid, and 2014-2015 Rav4 vehicles. A component of the electric power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may have been damaged during the manufacturing process. Over…
Consequence
An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number of the EPS ECU or steering column assembly. If the number is within the affected range, the EPS ECU will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
TRAILER HITCHES15V0110002015-01-161,140 affected
Defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Toyota Rav4 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2013, to December 29, 2014, and equipped with an accessory trailer light module. The software within the module may incorrectly detect an electrical short and preventively turn off the…
Consequence
If the system incorrectly detects an electrical short and turns off the trailer lights while the trailer is being towed at night, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer light module with a new unit with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-15A.
EQUIPMENT14V8280002014-12-303,958 affected
Defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner, Tacoma, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, RAV4, Scion FRS, and XB vehicles. The affected vehicles may have accessories installed by SET, such as running boards or other items, that were incorrectly installed. The accessory…
Consequence
Accessories that detach from a vehicle may result in a vehicle crash and/or personal injury.
Remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the affected bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-14B.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
66
3crashes16fires2injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
45
1crashes4fires
ENGINE
31
2crashes14fires
POWER TRAIN
20
1crashes1fires1injuries
STEERING
19
3fires
SERVICE BRAKES
15
4crashes1fires2injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
12
4crashes8injuries
AIR BAGS
11
11crashes11injuries
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
8
1fires
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
7
1fires
Total complaints275
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I am filing a complaint regarding toyota’s handling of a known paint defect affecting my 2014 toyota rav4 limited in blizzard pearl paint. Over the past several years, the paint on my vehicle has progressively peeled and deteriorated. Approximately 50% of the vehicle’s paint is now damaged.…”
“I was in a car accident and the side and steering airbags deployed. While the main steering airbag deflated successfully following the accident, the driver's side door side airbag never deflated. Once I was trying to get out of the car and had the door open, this meant it was much harder and took…”
“The contact owns a 2014 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph and turning right at an intersection, the steering wheel seized with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact completed the turn, and the steering wheel started functioning normally, and…”
“2014 toyota rav4 awd xle purchased june 2025. Multiple pre-existing safety defects confirmed by dealership personnel were never disclosed at time of sale. Power train: torque converter failure — vibration documented at pre-sale inspection, never disclosed or diagnosed. Axle bracket corroded so…”
“2014 toyota rav4 awd xle purchased june 2025. Multiple pre-existing safety defects confirmed by dealership personnel were never disclosed at time of sale. Power train: torque converter failure — vibration documented at pre-sale inspection, never disclosed or diagnosed. Axle bracket corroded so…”
“2014 toyota rav4 awd xle purchased june 2025. Multiple pre-existing safety defects confirmed by dealership personnel were never disclosed at time of sale. Power train: torque converter failure — vibration documented at pre-sale inspection, never disclosed or diagnosed. Axle bracket corroded so…”
“The contact owns a 2014 toyota rav4. The contact’s son stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start and became inoperable, and lost power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the…”
“Year: 2014 make: toyota model: rav4 approx. Mileage: 60k 2. Incident details date of most recent incident: [xxx] problem: vehicle stalls and loses power steering while turning. Engine shuts off suddenly, causing complete loss of steering control. Consequence: on [xxx], my son lost control of the…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE21005 Opened 2021-02-25 · closed 2024-08-12
Battery Hold Down Bracket Thermal Events
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to understand the contributing factors and frequency of vehicle fires originating from the battery region of the engine compartment in Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles on 25 February 2021. At the time of opening, ODI…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2014 Toyota RAV4 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.