467 of the
12,161 complaints filed about the Toyota RAV4
are about the glass, mirrors and wipers —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2012.
467
Complaints
4%
Share of all complaints
6
Crashes
16
Fires
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers complaints by model year
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 25 MPH, there was an abnormal bang coming from the vehicle, and the rear glass shattered without impact. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and the contact was informed that the damage was not covered under warranty. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 57,079.
NHTSA complaint #11756676 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving at 70mph on the freeway when the rear windshield blew out. Seemingly for no reason. Didn't sound like anything hit the windshield, just the pop of the glass. Seems like a defective windshield.
NHTSA complaint #11755096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s seat became stuck. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle from the front driver’s and passenger sides, causing puddles of water in the front driver’s and passenger’s seats with an abnormal odor. The contact stated that the leak was near the bolts and screws. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised that the water leak could not be repaired and that the condition was unsafe. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the A/C system and several other unknown components needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11753992 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello Respected Sir/Madam, I am the owner of a 2023 Toyota RAV4. I discovered a visible hairline crack in the windshield that originated from the lower left corner on the passenger side. The crack measured approximately 6 inches when I first noticed it in the morning and grew to approximately 12 inches by the afternoon. The windshield was not impacted by a rock, road debris, or any other object, and the vehicle was not involved in an accident. There were no visible chips or signs of external damage at the point where the crack originated. The crack appeared to develop spontaneously and continued to spread on its own. I am submitting this complaint because I am concerned that the windshield may have a manufacturing or installation defect that could affect visibility and vehicle safety. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11752696 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed and activating the A/C, there was hot air coming from the vents. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the A/C condenser was damaged by an object, causing a refrigerant leak. The contact stated that the vehicle was sold with the pre-existing failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 556.
NHTSA complaint #11752158 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The panoramic moonroof on my 2022 Toyota RAV4 spontaneously shattered and exploded outward at approximately 2:09 PM on June 21, 2026 while my wife was driving and exiting the freeway. There was a loud bang, followed by glass shards ejecting primarily outward onto the roof with a pattern showing the glass failed/bent from the inside out. The outer glass panel broke into multiple large sections with a clean perimeter failure and no visible external impact point or road debris damage. This created an immediate safety hazard: loud distraction while driving at highway speeds, flying glass, and sudden exposure through the roof opening. No warning lights, messages, noises, or prior symptoms appeared. The moonroof had been used normally with no issues. The component (panoramic moonroof glass assembly) is available for inspection. I have a dealer appointment scheduled for tomorrow, June 22, 2026 at 9:45 AM for inspection. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealer, manufacturer, insurance, or police. This matches numerous similar reports of spontaneous panoramic sunroof failures on RAV4 models.
NHTSA complaint #11745498 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving under normal conditions, the contact heard an abnormally loud, violent, and shattering sound. The contact then noticed that the moonroof glass panel had exploded without impact, causing shattered glass to fall inside the cabin. A police report was filed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,838.
NHTSA complaint #11743586 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
was driving on 4 lane hwy and it was raining and my wipers stopped working mid-way on windshield, I had to find a safe place to pull off road and inspect the problem i tried turning car off and back on and wipers would still not work. I drove another 3 miles or so to the Toyota dealership luckily with no accident which made me feel very unsafe without my wipers. They told me i would have to leave car for them to take panel off to find the cause of failure and provided a loaner after i refused an Uber.
NHTSA complaint #11741647 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the hatch door glass independently fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and repaired. The contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.
NHTSA complaint #11739118 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 75 MPH, as an occupant seated in the passenger’s side seat, the contact became aware that the rear passenger’s side window shattered without impact. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.
NHTSA complaint #11734035 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving on [XXX] merging onto [XXX] heading north, the sun roof exploded at approximately 70 mph. There were not vehicles near us at the time nor any obvious shrapnel or ricochet marks indicating an object struck the glass causing the break. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11733756 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid exhibits significant vibration in both exterior rear-view mirrors beginning at approximately 30 MPH, worsening at highway speeds of 50–70 MPH. Toyota has acknowledged this as a known manufacturing defect via TSB T-SB-0079-20, which identifies the original mirror mounting studs and reinforcement brackets as inadequate from the factory. The condition was confirmed by my local Toyota dealership, who verified TSB applicability but declined to cover the repair due to my vehicle being outside the 36-month/36,000-mile warranty window. I am currently at 127,000 miles. The safety risk is active and ongoing. Constant mirror vibration creates two compounding hazards: it directly distorts rear visibility, and it conditions the driver to mentally filter out mirror movement as background noise. This habituation means a motorcyclist or small vehicle appearing in the mirror may not register as a distinct threat. The component is available for inspection upon request. No warning lamps accompany this condition. The vibration has been present since early ownership and has not improved over time.
NHTSA complaint #11728927 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is a stress fracture to the windshield starting at the bottom of the glass where it attaches to the body of the car, below the wipers. It’s not a chip nor was it caused by an object. It’s a semi circle crack. Two employees at the dealer glass department concurred that it’s not damage from a foreign object hitting and that it’s a stress crack. Yet dealer refuses to cover hands warranty. Car has less than 12,000 when this cracked.
NHTSA complaint #11727535 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the rear driver’s side window suddenly shattered after an abnormally loud bang was heard. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
NHTSA complaint #11727208 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On February 2, 2026, while driving approximately 65 mph on the freeway in Wisconsin, the panoramic sunroof glass on my 2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium (VIN: [XXX] ) spontaneously exploded. The ambient temperature was approximately 20°F. Crucially, the glass buckled outward, indicating the failure was caused by internal pressure or a structural defect, rather than an external impact (such as a rock). There were no other vehicles immediately ahead of me that could have kicked up debris. Safety Risk: The explosion created a loud, gunshot-like noise that caused severe driver distraction at highway speeds. While no crash occurred and no injuries were sustained this time, the sudden structural failure posed a significant risk of loss of vehicle control. Status: No warning lights or messages appeared prior to the failure. The vehicle had no prior damage to the roof area. Photos of outward buckling available upon request INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11717558 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving or while the vehicle was parked, there was water leaking from the sunroof. While driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud clunking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that front alignment was needed, and that the roof rails needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 149,782.
NHTSA complaint #11716210 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact heard a loud bang and then heard wind entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the sunroof had shattered without impact. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,413.
NHTSA complaint #11711279 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1)I purchased my car during daylight hours. A few days later I drove my car in the evening and could not see street signs or the road 1/3 of the way up through my windshield. There is a definitive line where the windshield turns black. It is extremely dangerous. The Toyota engagement center told me to take my car to the dealership where it was purchased. I also took photos of what I could not see while driving. The dealership said there is nothing they can do and this is normal. The engagement center called back after they received the photos and told me their head technician could not see the street signs looking at my photos either. I was told to take the car back again to the dealership and once again told " there is nothing that can be done." They told me to put on my automatic brights. This feature does not help. The dealership also told me I could just put on my brights manually. This blinds other drivers on the road and then they put on their brights driving towards me, which decreases my ability to see while driving. the Toyota engagement center dropped the ball after 3 months of trying to report how dangerous this situation is. I am now reaching out to your department because of serious safety issues. I did not buy a car to be placed in a dangerous situation where I can't see to drive at night up. It is very dangerous driving up and down hills. 2)I also want to report - most of the time my gas milage ranges between 18 - 22 mph. This is way below the stats that were given to me when the car was purchased. 3)The phone table does not charge my phone and is a complete fail. 4)The visors are too short and hardly serve a purpose.
NHTSA complaint #11709145 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.