Skip to content
Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
2about this part
Share
13%of 15 total for the year
Median mileage
10,650miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, 13% of the 15 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 10,650 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I pulled into a parking spot. It was sloped backward. The car was stopped completely, and silent. I was distracted by a minor task, and then exited the car, inadvertently with the power on and the transmission in drive, not park. When I noticed that I could not lock the car, and realized that the car was still energized, I reached over and pressed the on button to turn-off the car-- which it did. …”

NHTSA complaint #11204012, filed 2019-04, 6,300 miles

“While driving on long trip going south on hwy 101, vehicle started bucking and jerking going 70ish MPH. Ev light would come on like it wanted to switch to EV mode. It happened going down a steep grade near san luis obispo. It stopped when we got to flat ground. About 25 miles later it did it again and I was able to record a quick video of instrument cluster. Took it to one Toyota in oakland ca and they were unable to duplicate concern. Wife was driving vehicle on another long trip a few months later and it happened to her for about 1 1/5 hours. …”

NHTSA complaint #11210210, filed 2019-05, 15,000 miles

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025120%
2018213%

Other parts of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Other or unknown
5 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsElectrical system
1 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsForward collision avoidance
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology