2023 Toyota RAV4 Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this 2023 RAV4 sample cluster around two areas: repeated safety-system and instrument-panel warnings (forward collision, lane tracing, road sign assist, headlight messages) that switch the features off, and an engine-shutdown message reading "Engine Stopped Power Steering Low" that several owners describe after driving in rain. The median complaint mileage is around 57,000, but the shutdown reports include vehicles far below that, and several owners say dealers could not reproduce the fault.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls with "Engine Stopped Steering Power Low"

   • 36 complaints (22%)
   • median 58,829 mi at 3.8 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners describe the engine quitting while parked, idling, at a drive-thru, or in slow traffic, often with a jerking or shuddering feeling beforehand. The dash then shows "Engine Stopped Steering Power Low" along with check engine, battery and steering lights, and the car may refuse to restart for a while or restart and run rough. Complaints repeatedly tie the event to heavy rain or standing water and say the vehicle sometimes restarts after sitting, so dealers often report no fault found. Reported from near-new to about 22,000 miles, most often during or shortly after rain.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the car has ever stalled or thrown the "Engine Stopped Steering Power Low" message, and whether any service campaign for the radiator/sensor steam condition was performed. A test drive in wet weather is worth doing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Was sitting in my car in the rain and all of a sudden the engine cut off. The check engine light came on and the error message on the dashboard said Engine Power Reduced . If I try to put it in anything but Park, it won't let me. I have never had this issue, or any issue with this car. If I had been driving, this would have run me off the road.”

   NHTSA complaint #11659158, filed 2025-05

   “I was sitting in line at a drive-thru with my wiper blades on the intermittent setting when suddenly the engine shut off and I got an error message that said “engine shut off steering power low”. The check engine light, battery, and steering light all came on. I turned the car off and then on again. It rumbled and then shut off again with the same message. I had to shift to neutral and push into a parking spot.”

   NHTSA complaint #11582816, filed 2024-04
2. 2
   Forward collision avoidance

   Safety systems shut off with malfunction warnings

   • 14 complaints (9%)
   • median 58,829 mi at 3.8 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe repeated dash messages for Pre-Collision System, Lane Tracing Assist, Road Sign Assist and headlight malfunctions that appear while driving or parking and switch the assist features off. One complaint reports a forward recognition camera module failure diagnosed at the dealer with a quote of about $2,300, and others say a blocked-sensor message appears temporarily in rain or hot weather. Several owners say the dealer could not find a cause. Spread from low mileage up to roughly 60,000 miles, with some reports linked to rain, camera blockage or warm weather.

   Recall 25V5950001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Have the seller demonstrate that pre-collision, lane tracing and road sign assist are active, and check whether any stored camera or module codes exist. Confirm which software updates the head unit has received.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I paid for option on my vehicle but it was not installed in the factory. The software shows to be installed on my car. I alerted the sales person numerous times. I told the car had to be moving faster than 40 miles per hour to activate the pre- collision system and it still doesn’t work. This safety issue of the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11518271, filed 2023-04

   “Vehicle was traveling straight approximately 70–80 mph in very light drizzle. No warning lights or messages before the event. Vehicle suddenly entered an uncontrolled spin multiple times. During the spin, I heard a grinding noise. After stopping, brake/parking brake system warnings appeared on the dash, video after the event recorded.”

   NHTSA complaint #11748288, filed 2026-07
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake noise and unexpected movement while braking

   • 21 complaints (13%)
   • median 24,500 mi at 3.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe a plastic-like grinding or rattling from the brake area over rough pavement while braking, and squealing front brakes from low mileage that dealers could not resolve after repeat visits. A few complaints describe the car surging or rolling when the brake pedal was pressed, including one roll-back with the shifter in drive before the vehicle was switched off. Reports range from about 4,000 miles up to around 45,000 miles, with noise tied to braking over bumps.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive over uneven pavement while braking to listen for grinding, and ask whether any front brake noise bulletin work was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was pulling into a parking spot and my vehicle suddenly accelerated. I slammed on the brakes and the car did stop, but not before hitting a railing in front of me. There were also trees close to the railing, so the camera should have detected those as a barrier and I believe the veauto-braked, even if I had not hit the brakes. This is a safety concern because the vehicle would have plowed over any person in front of the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11640212, filed 2025-02

   “My 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has had squeaky brakes for many months (from 4,000 miles onward and consistently continues to be an annoyance, nuisance, and safety hazard while intensifying in frequency), but despite taking the vehicle to the Toyota dealer more than 4 times, they have been unable to repair the issue. At least twice the air bag sensors have come on for the backseat when there was nobody seated in the backseat, distracting me from safely driving. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11670424, filed 2025-07
4. 4
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Panoramic roof or rear glass shatters

   • 13 complaints (8%)
   • median 36,539 mi at 3.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners report a loud bang and glass breaking with no impact, either in the fixed panoramic roof panel or the rear hatch glass, sometimes at highway speed and sometimes while parked. In most cases the glass breaks outward and insurance treats it as a comprehensive claim; dealers generally declined warranty coverage. One rear-glass case was repaired by an independent shop. Reported from about 16,000 to 119,000 miles, both while driving and while parked.

   What to check: Inspect the roof panel and rear glass for chips, star cracks or replaced glass, and ask whether the vehicle has had any glass replacement or insurance claim.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving yesterday when we suddenly heard a pop on the roof. We pulled over and noticed that the sunroof was broken, with the glass sticking outward, as if something from the inside had exploded outward. The dealership would not take ownership of the damage, therefore i had to use my insurance. upon inspection I was told that it was pressure from inside the vehicle that caused it to explode and that they have seen it before in Toyota RAV 4 models”

   NHTSA complaint #11686293, filed 2025-09

   “The rear fixed panoramic roof glass panel spontaneously shattered while driving on the highway at 70 mph with no external impact or road debris present. The shattering sounded like a gunshot. The sliding panel below the glass was closed at the time, but this could have been a major safety issue if it was open and glass shattered into the vehicle and hit the driver. The roof glass was inspected by the collision center and our insurance company covered it as a comprehensive claim with zero evidence of a collision or impact. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11773053, filed 2026-10
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Instrument panel flickers or drops out

   • 12 complaints (7%)
   • median 58,829 mi at 3.8 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners report the instrument cluster switching off and resetting itself repeatedly over months, or failing to show critical information while driving. Complaints reference the instrument panel software recall, with some owners saying the repair was delayed for parts and one saying the dealer declined to finish the recall repair due to mileage. Noticed from around 21,000 miles upward, sometimes persisting for months.

   Recall 25V5950001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for proof that the instrument panel software recall was completed on this vehicle, since the repair may have been deferred for parts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Faulty instrument panel keeps going on and off. It will reset itself and then do it again like it’s trying to fix itself. But then we’ll go on and off again it’s been doing it for about six months now we’ve been putting off by telling someone because we thought it might straighten up and when we keep looking up recalls, it says there’s no recall on it.”

   NHTSA complaint #11696044, filed 2025-10

   “This vehicle is going to kill someone. Not only does it have this unintentional steering issue, but the electrical system keeps going out. The dash has been replaced and there are still issues. The adaptive cruise control used to hard brake now it pulsates when lane changing which isn’t cool if you’re passing people because then you’re turn in front of them and braking right away. The radio requires the vehicle to be turned completely off, wait, and then turn back on. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11653710, filed 2025-04

Buying note. This model year shows a mix of electronic frustration and a smaller number of stalling and glass-break reports, so it is worth confirming which recall and software updates have actually been applied before purchase. A thorough test drive in wet weather, plus a check of the backup camera, instrument panel and stored diagnostic codes, covers most of what owners describe here.

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.