52 of the
12,161 complaints filed about the Toyota RAV4
are about the doors, latches and locks —
0% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2021.
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle started shaking, jerking, and vibrating abnormally before stopping. Additionally, the exterior door handles on the front passenger’s side door, rear passenger’s side door, and rear driver’s side door had detached from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,053.
NHTSA complaint #11754027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver side door actuator will not work, car is only five years old. Door will not unlock from fob, door unlock button or app. Began with a few random instances of not unlocking then turned into never unlocking again. Would have to climb through the passenger side to manually unlock by pushing switch. Got the actuator replaced but now car will not allow opening from inside, have to climb out of passenger door. This is a major safety concern as being unable to open a door in an emergency can be life threatening. The problem was reproduced and repair quoted by dealership. Problem was also reproduced by local mechanic and part replaced by them. Component inspected by manufacturer. The only warning was it sometimes not working, this began a few months back around February 2026.
NHTSA complaint #11753378 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The automatic locking system stopped working for 2 of my doors. Front passenger and back driver sides no longer lock or unlock. This poses a serious risk considering I live near the ghetto and my car has already been broken into.
NHTSA complaint #11746924 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In March 2025 the driver door lock stopped working electronically and would only work manually. In August 2025 the passenger door lock stopped working noisy of the time. In Dec 2025 the rear passenger side does lock stopped working most of the time.
NHTSA complaint #11745836 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The front driver-side door lock and opener (actuator) stopped working using the key fob and needs to be manually locked from the inside. When I try to access the door after manually locking driver side and using my key fob for the remaining 3 locks, the unit won't automatically open. This causes a safety risk considering I need to access the driver's side back or front passenger side to open the door. According to what I've read this is a known issue.
NHTSA complaint #11745416 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The liftgate on my 2017 Toyota RAV4 has been having issues for a couple of months. Makes a horrific noise when opening and closing. On several occasions it won't even open but about 5 inches then stops. The driver's side door won't lock/unlock with the smart key fob. I have to manually lock it and then use the "key" in the fob to unlock it. It is very hard to turn the key and I am always afraid it is going to break off in the lock. I feel this is dangerous for me that the time it takes to do this, something could happen to me. I have checked a couple of places for repair of the lock and it can run between $600 and $800 per lock.
NHTSA complaint #11745217 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Passenger front door actuator\lock mechanism does not lock/unlock the door. There have been numerous lawsuits and yet NO RECALL for this very dangerous known problem. Please advise if there is any assistance from Toyota available to cure this defect that is well known to exist. I can be reached @ [XXX]. Thank you in advance for your assistance, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11743327 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Gear shift makes noise when moving it, as in you can actually hear the gears/electrical equipment moving and making noise when going from park to drive. The keyless entry when the fob is near, just doesn't work well from the drivers side... I can stand there trying to allow it to unlock and it just locks again or wont unlock the passenger door even if allowing it extra time to.
NHTSA complaint #11740401 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am submitting this complaint to report a known and widespread safety defect involving the door lock actuators on my Toyota RAV4. My vehicle’s door actuators have failed at approximately 39,000 miles, just outside the 3‑year/36,000‑mile warranty. This failure prevents the doors from locking and unlocking properly, which poses a significant safety hazard while driving, especially in emergency situations. When I brought the issue to Beechmont Toyota, the dealership refused to repair the defect under goodwill or warranty consideration. I spoke with Stacy Meyer, Assistant Service Manager [XXX] ), who stated that the refusal was directed by Rodney Wetenkamp, Service Director. Despite the well‑documented nature of this defect, the dealership declined to assist in any way. This is not an isolated incident. There is an active class action lawsuit in Texas regarding defective Toyota RAV4 door lock actuators, demonstrating that Toyota is aware of the widespread nature of this problem. Source: Toyota Facing Class Action Lawsuit Over Allegedly Defective Door Lock Actuators I also contacted the Toyota Brand Engagement Center, which opened Case #260508001469. Toyota advised me to work through the dealership, stating that the dealer should escalate the issue through their internal channels. However, the dealership refused to do so, leaving me without support despite this being a manufacturer‑related defect. Door lock actuator failure is a serious safety issue. When the locks fail: Doors may not lock while driving, exposing occupants to risk Doors may not unlock in an emergency Children and passengers may be unable to exit the vehicle quickly The vehicle becomes vulnerable to theft and unauthorized entry Given the known defect, Toyota’s awareness of the issue, and the dealership’s refusal to escalate or repair the problem, I believe this represents a failure of manufacturer responsibility and a potential violation of safety standards. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5
NHTSA complaint #11737471 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the freeway for about 60 minutes, the drivers, driver side door that was locked released and opened up. The door was fully shut and no warning door ajar was lit up before driving. I grabbed the door and held it until I could exit and slow down to shut it. I tried to fully pull it shut while driving but was unsuccessful. I slowed down and had to pull the handle to release the lock and open the door more to have enough momentum to fully close the door again.
NHTSA complaint #11734494 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door failed to lock securely. The contact stated that the door could not be locked while using the key fob, the keypad, or locked manually. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000.
NHTSA complaint #11731485 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the rear hatch door failed to remain securely closed. The contact stated that the failure intermittently occurred and became more frequent over time. Additionally, the front driver’s side seat belt buckle and rear passenger’s side seat belt buckle failed to buckle and lock securely. They also stated that the front driver's side electronic reclining seat made grinding sounds while operating. The contact also stated that water was leaking into the vehicle from the rear passenger’s side quarter panel. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failures, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 32,000.
NHTSA complaint #11704726 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while attempting to open the fuel door, the latch failed to unlock as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the spring in the latch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,900.
NHTSA complaint #11690379 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the liftgate failed to properly close while pressing the electrical buttons on both the key fob and the two liftgate buttons located inside or outside the vehicle. The contact stated that the liftgate had to be closed manually to securely close the liftgate. The contact stated that after her daughter had loaded groceries inside vehicle, the liftgate failed to latch properly but was closed after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact's daughter was informed that the hinges and liftgate needed to be replaced. The contact was provided with an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
NHTSA complaint #11688133 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that upon pressing the liftgate emergency release button, the liftgate opened half-way. Additionally, the contact stated that the liftgate had failed to latch or to lock securely while closed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the liftgate needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
NHTSA complaint #11661256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Door lock actuator has failed prematurely on all four doors, this prevents me from entering my vehicle in a quick and timely manner if there were to be an emergency
NHTSA complaint #11654857 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While I'm driving 2024 RAV4 hybrid, driver side door suddenly got opened (it was looselu hanging itself without fully being opened so I immediately grabbed it). As the vehicle was in driving, all doors were locked, and yet the driver side door suddenly got unlocked, and I had to stopped the car. I was lucked I was not on freeway. This could have been a huge accident if it got fully opened. I tried to call Toyota to report this but as this was around 6:05pm, there were closed. Also, Toyota doesn't make it easy to report issues.
NHTSA complaint #11638439 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the hood was shuddering significantly. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the hood shuddered and rose continuously while remaining closed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road each time the failure occurred due to safety concerns. The contact stated that the failure had reduced the ability to pay attention to the road while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known issue. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure occurred because the hood was no longer made with metal material but with aluminum material. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11622532 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.