2014 Toyota RAV4 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2014 RAV4 most often report electrical and infotainment problems — a radio/head unit that gets stuck in a reboot loop, and power door lock actuators that quit on all four doors. A second, recurring theme is the electric power steering cutting out and the wheel suddenly becoming hard to turn, plus a shudder at low speed that dealers trace to the torque converter. Complaints are spread fairly evenly across the model year, with many of the electronics and steering reports arriving in the 60,000-130,000 mile range. Some owners also describe engine-bay and battery-area fires, sometimes after a replacement battery was installed.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Radio/head unit stuck in reboot loop

   • 35 complaints (18%)
   • median 61,597 mi at 5.2 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,200 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe the radio, navigation and display unit repeatedly restarting or hanging on the Toyota logo, sometimes after a battery replacement or a low battery. When that happens, radio, Bluetooth, hands-free calling and navigation stop working, though the rear camera may still function. Complaints say dealers quoted around $1,200 for a replacement and stated there was no recall covering the unit. Reported across a wide mileage range, roughly 36,000 to 150,000 miles, often after a battery issue or jump start.

   What to check: On a test drive, cycle the ignition and confirm the screen loads quickly and that Bluetooth, hands-free and navigation respond. Ask whether the head unit has ever been replaced or repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My RAV4 2014 xle radio/blue tooth stopped working about 3 yrs ago. I called Toyota, but they refuse to fix. The radio screen is blue , and keep rebooting. It was only 3 yrs old and we are taking care of the car very good. It cost 1500 to replace a new one, but I think it's not customer fault, and I'm still driving without the radio. I feel that it's not customer fault and Toyota may get the defect radio to install in the car. I did research and see lots of customer has same issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11327437, filed 2020-06, 40,000 miles

   “Issue first started when battery had to be jumped. Then a few days later when in motion driving to the bank, the radio started acting up and got stuck on station and song and then just went black then a picture of the radio appeared the on the screen and was attempting to update but would go black again and then start over so was stuck in some kind of reboot. Not sure if electrical problem or what so took it in to dealership and they told me I should only have to pay $50-60 to reboot it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11065324, filed 2018-01, 48,027 miles
2. 2
   Steering

   Power steering assist cuts out, wheel hard to turn

   • 17 complaints (9%)
   • median 113,501 mi at 10.8 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners report the power steering assist warning coming on and the wheel suddenly becoming very hard to turn, sometimes mid-turn at low speed. In several accounts the problem is intermittent — the assist returns after a few seconds and warning lights clear. Complaints describe dealers being unable to duplicate the fault or finding no stored codes, and some owners note their vehicle was not included in the electric power steering recall. Typically reported between about 75,000 and 170,000 miles, most often during low-speed turns.

   Recall 15V144000

   What to check: Ask whether the electric power steering recall (15V144000) was performed on this VIN, and have a mechanic scan for stored EPS control unit codes rather than relying on a short test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the power steering assist message displayed, and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The next day the vehicle was towed to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined, and no repairs were performed. The manufacturer was contacted regarding the failure, but no assistance was offered. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11429690, filed 2021-08, 74,800 miles

   “The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the power steering assist intermittently failed to operate as needed, with the maintenance warning light displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a dealer however, there were no fault codes retrieved. The contact stated that while making a left turn onto a side road, the steering wheel seized, and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11686288, filed 2025-09, 118,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Engine-bay or battery-area fire

   • 35 complaints (18%)
   • median 57,000 mi at 7.3 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 23 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   A number of complaints describe smoke from under the hood followed by fire, in some cases while driving and in others while parked, and several report the battery as the area involved. Owners describe the vehicle losing power or stalling beforehand, and vehicles being declared a total loss. Some mention a pending battery-related recall or that parts for it were not yet available. Reported across the mileage range, from roughly 41,000 to 135,000 miles, in both driving and parked conditions.

   Recall 23V7340008 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm recall 23V734000 has been completed and that the 12-volt battery is the correct size and properly secured in the tray — the recall and service documents focus on battery fitment, not on every fire report.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While I was driving in capitol reef national park on a well graded and fully maintained dirt road, all the lights in my dash started flickering, and then my cars engine shut down. It felt like I was driving / coasting in neutral. I pulled over and put the car in park, then smoke started coming from beneath the hood. I got out of the car. It was a little smoke, then more, and then subsided to being barley noticeable after a couple of minutes. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11404722, filed 2021-03, 88,000 miles

   “On march 20, my 2014 Toyota RAV4 caught fire. It was parked in my garage and had not been moved for at least 24 hours. The car fire caught the rafters in my attached garage and then caught the rest of my home on fire.”

   NHTSA complaint #11406924, filed 2021-04, 110,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Door lock actuators fail on all doors

   • 9 complaints (5%)
   • median 60,156 mi at 5.6 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe the power door locks gradually stopping working, starting with one door and eventually affecting all four, so the key fob or interior switch only works intermittently or not at all. Owners say doors then have to be unlocked manually with the key. Dealers reportedly quoted over $2,000 to replace the actuators. Usually reported between about 46,000 and 91,000 miles as a progressive failure.

   What to check: Lock and unlock the car several times with the fob and with the interior switch, checking each door individually, and ask whether any actuator has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2014 Toyota rav 4. Over the past year--the electric locks on all four doors stopped working--took to local mechanic and Toyota dealership who said it was the actuators in the doors and would cost over $2000 to fix them. I wouldn't have a problem, but this car is only 6 years old and has 60,000 miles on it. I find it very hard to believe that all four would be knocked out at once, and suspect that it is a . It is a safety concern. I suspect that they used inferior/faulty parts.”

   NHTSA complaint #11316695, filed 2020-03, 60,000 miles

   “I've had multiple issues with this car. The lock actuators on all the doors and rear hatch constantly break, the radio completely stopped working and a new after market radio had to be installed since Toyota won't recall the radios, the AC blower motor keeps shorting out, and the usb ports short out and stop working.”

   NHTSA complaint #11363684, filed 2020-10, 126,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Shudder or hesitation at low speed (torque converter)

   • 13 complaints (7%)
   • median 55,000 mi at 5.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • owner-quoted repair $3,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe a shudder, shake or brief loss of power when accelerating from a stop or between roughly 20 and 40 mph, often most noticeable in light acceleration. Some report Toyota mailed an extended-coverage notice for the condition. Complaints say the dealer diagnosis was a torque converter replacement, sometimes with the owner asked to pay part of the cost. Most often noted from around 33,000 miles upward and becoming more noticeable with mileage, with many reports above 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Drive slowly from a stop and at steady 20-40 mph light throttle to feel for shudder; ask whether the torque converter has been replaced or whether any extended coverage letter applies to the VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Purchased a used 2014 Toyota RAV4 on 01-2018 for the purchase price of $12,000. It had 36,198 miles at the time of purchase. Approximately one year after purchase, noticed a shuttering while at certain speeds. Looked into recalls and found that there was a service bulletin regarding these symptoms. Called Toyota and they took my car's information. They said that my car was 'eligible' for the repairs to be done. However, Toyota called the next day and said my car did not qualify because it was a 'total loss' vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11374185, filed 2020-11, 78,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop at 10-15 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle started shuddering, jerking, hesitated and responded in a surging manner. The contact stated that the failure stopped while driving above 25 MPH. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11488966, filed 2022-10, 130,000 miles

Buying note. Check that the battery-related recall and the electric power steering recall were completed for the specific VIN, then test the infotainment screen, all four door locks and low-speed acceleration, since those are the areas owners most often describe. A pre-purchase scan for stored steering and transmission codes is worth doing.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.