Problems with 2013 Toyota RAV4 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am entering a safety complaint regarding the headlights on my toyota 2013 rav4. today, i went to my local car repairman to fix a headlight that blew out. this is the 3rd time in 6 months. in september, we had to completely change both headlights because parts in the headlights were melting. yet, less than 6 months later, my passenger headlight blew out and needed to be replaced. there is something systematically wrong with my headlights. according to my car mechanic, it looks like they are going to continue to burn out. this creates hazardous driving conditions for me and my passengers.

Car won't start. panel turns on but it won't engage the starter. can hear a buzz noise, like a magnetized coil going off. shifter is locked. steering wheel is locked. brake impossible to push down. only way i can start the car is with the emergency procedure pushing the start button for 15 seconds. but still the shifter is blocked in parking and to be able to drive the car i need to use the little switch under the button size cover next to the shifter. toyota has no clue what is going on. vehicle has 45k miles

2013 rav4 limited w/ 63,000 miles. vehicle equipment with smart key push button start. for two years this vehicle has had a intermittent ignition failure. scenario: car is unlocked, key fob is recognized, foot on brake, push start and nothing happens. the anti-theft column lock will not release and the car will not respond to its start command. then it will. there is no consistent pattern to when it will fail or when it will "fix" itself. recently it has reached a level of failure that its too risky to take any place and expect to start and get home safely. the car has been in and out of dealer service 12 plus days in the last 30. dealer has experienced the issue and has done extensive diagnosis, conclusion is, its normal. i purchased the extended warranty in 2013 and what toyota has proven is they are unwilling or unable to repair. i now resort to disconnecting the battery before putting car in park or closing the doors so the anti theft won't lock. doors and steering wheel won't lock so when i reconnect the battery it will start. it however runs really badly until it recalibrates. a related concern of mine is this intermittent unlock problem may suddenly lock while driving. i have reported this to toyota corporate and have a claim. i have reported to local attorney general claiming violation of service contract. i have read on line other toyota owners have experienced this but i've not read of a solution. i service records, emails and related claims documents. this first occurred in 2017 and has grown from an annoyance to unacceptable. thank you

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 2 mph and slowing down to park, the vehicle accelerated. the maintenance required and horseshoe warning indicators illuminated. the contact quickly cut off the engine to stop the vehicle. while driving approximately 60 mph on the highway, the failure recurred. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure recurred twice. the contact also stated that the key intermittently did not unlock the doors. the failures were not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

Both power locks for the driver and passenger side have stopped working. the fuses are fine. it seems it's an actuator issue common with toyotas.

In may, 2017 the front passenger door lock actuator quit working. i paid over $600 to have it fixed. this week, the front driver's side actuator has quit. on both doors, they will only lock if i manually push the lock. we have had many cars over the years and have never had this problem. i do some research online and find out it's a common problem with toyota. not happy! i can upload a picture of the invoice from the first lock if you need it, but that's all i have.

Squirrels crawled into the hood and chewed the battery cable wire and turn signal wire, this happened 2 days in a row after repairs were done the first time. the soy based coating of the wires is attracting a swarm of squirrels.

While stopped at a traffic light with the transmission in drive, the engine shut off without warning, and the steering wheel locked. the radio and headlights remained on. this the second occurrence within 6 weeks.

Mechanism that allows doors to lock and unlock started failing one by one. i am the first owner of my car and it was only 3 years old when this began. i can no longer open several doors from the inside. i have taken it to the dealership and apparently this is a known issue.

The engine started on fire under normal driving conditions. the car was not involved in any accident. the rav4 limited was totaled. it was less than 3 years old and had 17,500 miles on it. the car was serviced regularly by toyota. the last service was about 4 months prior to the fire. toyota has not honored their 3yr/36,000 mile warranty coverage on the car. toyota has not offered a replacement car, rental or anything. every time we call our toyota case manager or legal department managers, we have to leave a message and they never return our calls.

La pintura de la guagua se esta saliendo. las puertas delanteras tienen problemas cuando quieres abrir o cerrar las mismas con el llavero. se le dao a ambas puertas delanteras el motor o lo que le llaman "actuator" a una semana de diferencia y cuando intento abrir la puerta desde adentro para bajarme se queda cerrada y no me permite abrirla tengo que estar dndole lock/unlock hasta que me deja quitarle el seguro para poder bajarme de la guagua; esto asunto en particular me preocupa en caso de algn accidente no pueda abrirla. otro problema que tiene es que cada 3 meses, es que las bombillas de "stop" del lado derecho se daa y tengo que estar cambindola. esto ha sucedido desde aproximadamente diciembre 2015. the paint is coming out. the front doors have problems when you want to open or close them with the key ring. both front doors damaged the what they call the actuator a week apart and when i try to open the driver's door from the inside to get out the car it is closed and i can't open it i have to be hit the lock/unlock button until it lets me remove the lock to get off the car; this issue in particular worries me because in case of an accident i won't be able to open the door fast. another problem that has is that every 3 months, the bulbs light for stop on the right side has to be change because it damage and i have to be changing it. this has been appening sing around december 2015.

Manufacturer: toyota motor corporation vehicle identification no. (vin): xxxxxxx. bought a toyota certified at dealership, (push button) however in six occasions, car engine would not turn on. indicator light for steering was on. after several tries, and once i pulled the steering hard then car started fine. took car to dealer to check it, they said nothing was wrong with car. the last time, the car did not start even with the toyota road assistance staff/towing, was unable to get it out of garage, area was too low. ended up leaving car at garage overnight. next day, i returned the car, did a trade in for new toyota. however, dealer or toyota co. did not admit problems with car. battery was functioning fine as everything else would turn on, ie, radio, ac ..fan, lights.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the battery failed. as a result, the door failed to unlock when using either the key fob or doing so manually. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 20,005.

When making a legal u-turn on a busy road i rapidly braked the car (from 45mph to 2-3mph) to a partial stop rolling through the intersection while turning the wheels to a hard left. i pressed on the accelerator expecting to accelerate out of the u-turn and instead the car hesitated and slowed feeling like there was a momentary loss of power to the wheels. i pressed harder on the accelerator with no immediate effect in acceleration. approximately 2-3 seconds passed as oncoming traffic approached in the lane i was drifting into when suddenly all acceleration resumed normally. this incident occurred just once. eco mode was turned on and my rav4 is an awd model. i consider it to be a reportable incident since the hesitation was not expected and increased the probability of collision with traffic in the driving lane i was turning into. *tr

The "power brake actuator" went out on my 2013 toyota rav-4 three times while i was driving the vehicle. every time this happened, all of the warning lights on the dash board would come on. at the same time all of the gauges including the speedometer, the vehicle stability control, anti lock brakes, traction control system and power steering would all stop working on the vehicle. this would make it almost impossible to stop or control the vehicle what so ever.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the instrument cluster failed several times and all the gauges and warning lamps flickered. the dealer was notified of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v143000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available for several months. the dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 8,000.

It is nearly impossible to see the navigation screen from the normal driving position in the sunlight due to glare. this causes the driver to take his eyes off the road for an extended time. this is unsafe and could cause and accident. toyota service claims the system is operating as designed. *tr

The navigation screen is totally unusable in daylight. screen is flat and exposed to sun. driver has to lean over and hold right hand over the screen to get any visibility at all. even then you can barely see it, not to mention the danger of leaning over, using the right hand to screen, and staring at the screen rather than the road. terrible terrible design. toyota will not address the problem. $1500 mistake for anyone who purchased this add-on. you have to completely rely on the voice for navigation. *tr

Car started actin g up on may 4th. didn't want start right away it stated after 4 5 tires after 3 days of that i took the car to local dealer they told me battery was low and they charged it. i brought this car brand new it has only 14 mile and i brought in march 31 2014. this problem started again yesterday ( 05/18/2014). *js

While i was driving, the car's electric system started rebooting itself a few times, and the car eventually stalled on a busy street! the power was completely shutdown and i couldn't even turn the flash light on. i had to have police officer come to the location where the car stopped to protect other drivers (until a towing track arrived). this incident appended on 4/24/12 on eastbound carmel valley road right before the intersection with el camino real. i had a similar issue with the electric system two months prior, and had a toyota dealer look at the issue. however, they couldn't identify the root cause and simply updated the system software. as of today, 4/25/14, the car is still at a toyota dealer and being repaired. *tr

The installed navigation screen is impossible to see in the driver's normal driving position and in almost any daytime lighting condition. bought a new toyota rav 4 limited july 2013 with navigation. ambient glare through the vehicle windows and/or sun roof wash out the display, this is definitely a distraction while driving and trying to view the screen when it is in navigation mode, borders firmly as unsafe. there is no way to safely use that item and its functions located there without significant distraction. my 2011 toyota rav 4 limited with navigation did not present this problem. *tr

When driving at any speed, under any condition, it is impossible to see the navigation screen, causing the driver to look, rather than glance, at the screen to determine driving instructions, road hazards, warnings, etc. the glare is almost blinding at times. *tr

Engine control module wiring is exposed to elements. this is a crucial part and in climates where salt is used, loss of control due to failed stability control or engine problems could result. see photos and description of the problem at http://www.yobyot.com/cars/why-toyota-is-losing-its-reputation-for-quality-and-reliability/2013/11/10/ . *tr

2013 toyota rav 4. consumer writes in regards to dashboard speedometer design flaw. *smd the consumer stated the dashboard speedometer was set back into a tunnel that did not illuminate when the ignition was turned on. while driving during the daylight hours, the consumer was forced to turn on the night driving light in order to see the speedometer.

The 2013 toyota rav4 has no dash lights around the speedometer in the daytime. the speedometer sits back in the dash and you can not see your speed at a glance. therefore you can find yourself going faster than the safe speed limit. at night it lights up and is fine. this is a safety issue. *tr

Vehicle hesitated when shifting into gear. no power and then a surge causing the car to jerk. happens when accelerating from stop into first and second gear. the ecm is defective and toyota was forced to address this after class action suit see rav4ecmsettlement.com, although this resulted in an extended warranty rather than a recall. my car is 4 months passed the 10 year warranty although it has low mileage. the faulty ecm can cause the transmission to fail. this is a dangerous and unfair situation for thousands of owners. toyota did not notify me of this issue. *tr

2013 toyota rav 4. consumer writes in regards to a defect in the instrument panel lighting. *smd the consumer stated he was unable to see the instrument panel during daylight hours. the dealer informed the consumer the display panel back light only illuminated when the headlights were on. even if the headlights were turned on during the day, the instrument panel was only marginally illuminated and the brightness control thumbwheel had very little effect.

When driving at any speed, under any condition, it is impossible to see the navigation screen, causing the driver to look, rather than glance, at the screen to determine driving instructions, road hazards, warnings, etc. the glare is almost blinding at times. *tr

On local road, accelerating from stop. vehicle suddenly "shut-off" going into neutral and unable to put back into drive. steering went "limp". vehicle drifted right, power steering was effected, steering difficult. vehicle coasted into parking lot to the right, fortunately no vehicles happened to be passing on the right at that precise moment, therefore no accidents. but there could have easily been one. attempts at restarting vehicle resulted in "take ev to nearest dealership" message and several warning indicators on dash. vehicle was towed to originating dealership which it continues to be diagnosed and unresolved. vehicle was purchased on 9/3/2013 < 6 days prior. *tr

The instruments (speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge) of the car do not light up if the headlights are off. this can be dangerous when driving under underpasses or in the shadow of trees, etc., since one unexpectedly cannot see the speedometer or tachometer under those conditions. *tr

The installed navigation screen is impossible to see in the driver's normal driving position and in almost any daytime lighting condition. glare from the screen and dashboard borders on unsafe. there is no way to safely use that item and the 12 or so functions located there without significant distraction. notified the service manager 2 times and both times was told they were not aware of the problem. because of the potential distraction this will cause accidents and some will be fatal. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav4. the contact stated that when the sun would shine on the dashboard, it would produce a blinding glare that caused the information panel and the navigational system to become unreadable. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 320.

At any speed in any weather it is impossible to see the navigation system in this vehicle...this needs addressed by the manufacture as is a paid for upgrade and due to people working to see the system accidents are going to happen. *tr

I have a 2013 toyota rav4 limited. in any significant ambient light level, the navigation screen is not visible. the glare on the screen is horrific. notified dealership. they checked it out and confirmed that i did, indeed, have a problem. dealership made an appointment with me to meet with a factory rep. i met with the rep, and he agreed this is a real problem, however he had no immediate solution. i contacted the toyota "hotline" and they referred me back to the dealership. this is a very dangerous situation, trying to position my head so that i can try to get a clear view of the screen. (which is still not possible) i feel like i have spent in excess of one thousand dollars for an option that is unusable. please help! toyota does not seem to be listening to me. *tr

Navigation screen difficult to see in most lighting conditions. must take more than brief glance at nav screen to determine freeway markings, intersections, street names or search for radio station. has possibility for becoming great distraction. *jb

Bought new rav4 toyota 2013 last month with navigation. screen barely visible. dealer notified toyota field representative who does not know to repair. dealer say it is indeed a problem and could cause accidents. i also have a 2012 toyota highlander which has a perfectly clear screen toyota telephoned me but not encouraging. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds during the day, she was unable to see the navigation screen due to an intense glare, even on cloudy days. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 6 and the current mileage was 1,000. updated 6/4/13 *cn updated 06/13/2013 *js

2 separate episodes of unintended acceleration in a brand new car dealer unable to verify defect. *tr

Purchased new 2013 rav4 on 23 mar 13. the entune navigation display (both day and night mode) is very difficult to see in bright daylight (in day mode) or at night time (in night mode). this is a serious distraction when using the navigation and results in the driver having to avert eyes to focus on the display longer than necessary for details. this could result in an accident. a normal display would not have these issues. i have examined another brand new rav4 with the same issue. the dealer also replaced my entune system; the problem still persists. it is a design flaw. please prevail upon toyota to fix this with either a hardware or software update. *tr

I bought a new 2013 rav 4 with toyota navigation. on any sunny day it is impossible to read the map due to the glare. i plan on complaining to the dealership this week. *tr