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2019 Rav4 Issues - Should we wait?

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RedSoxFan

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Wife wants a Rav4 or a Ford Edge. Being a Toyota Fan boy, I would like the Rav4. She wants a 2019 and test drove the hybrid yesterday. Likes it a lot. However, after some short research, there appears to be a fair amount of issues reported from owners. The two of most concern seem to be the transmission issues and the fuel tank issue (hybrid). Another weird one is the plastic trim being affected by hot sunlight? Maybe just the same person posting this in many places but was taken back by this as an issue in the year of 2019 when I would think that we have engineered plastic to near futuristic levels.

As a new user to this forum, I hope it does not sound like I am trying to slander or damage the brand. We are all proud of what we own, even if there are some issues. I feel like I work for Toyota at times defending that my Toyota Tundra is more American than a ford or Chevy. I am also very particular with my vehicles and know that they all have issues, it is more of a matter of what will bother you the most / least.

Regarding the reported issues I am reading about, I cannot help but to wonder if they are based on location or where the vehicles were made, when they were made, etc?

We may hold out for another year or two but kind of need something now.
 
#3 ·
I wouldn’t hesitate, I love my 2019 XLE Premium. No issues.

I’d want to fill the hybrid with gas myself prior to purchase (if possible) to see if it fills up all of the way. I wouldn’t want to buy it if it had the 3/4 tank problem described.

For the gas version, do a thorough test drive. I don’t have any of the transmission issues described that caused the TSB to be made. It may be due to it being a recent purchase (I’ve only owned for one month). I’m guessing the logic was already improved vs earlier production cars.
 
#4 ·
I got my hybrid in the end of August 2019, and love the vehicle. Yes, it has the filling issue where it shuts the pump off before getting much gas in it. With that being said, I still wouldn't give up this vehicle. I feel it's the best vehicle I've ever had.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
This is promising to hear.

Regarding the the fill issue, if limited to the hybrid, it may be either due to the tank shape/design or the angle of the fill hose. If the latter, it should be an easy(er) fix. If the former, it would be a limit for the life of the vehicle unless Toyota replaces the tank.

This is a very common issue with most boats btw as the tanks are often oddly shaped to fill voided areas / making the most of the space under a deck. My boat has a 100 gallon tank and when filling, I have to fill the last 5-10 gallons slowly or it will backwash up and stop the pump. However, by the time I put 90 gallons in, I have about 5-10 gallons of tears gushing from my eyes from the cost of the fill up.
 
#6 ·
Buy a 2020. Why wouldn't you unless your dealer has a great deal on the '19. If you get the '20, you get whatever little tweaks Toyota did to the vehicle after the '19 season. So hopefully, the ICE will have NO transmission issues as the '19s have (and hopefully that was dealt with by figuring out the root cause and dealing with it on the assembly line vs. a workaround ECM update) and the HV will have the fuel tank problems ironed out. Plus, isn't Android Audio in the '20s now?
 
#8 ·
I've owned my XLE Premium just a couple weeks shy of a year now, it's never had a hint of the transmission problem, ever. So not all gas models have the issue, and there is a TSB work around that eliminates the hiccups for most owners. But waaay too many Adventure and Limited owners have had problems with the transfer case rear drive line disconnect which is still plaguing too many of them. If I were buying now, I'd buy an HV in a heartbeat, I'd be driving one now if they were available last year, I drove a leased '16 Ltd HV for 3 trouble free years, I get the same highway fuel economy of 36-37mpg in the '19, so I'm happy, being retired most of my miles are highway, little local, so not a great advantage driving an HV personally for me.
 
#9 ·
CFike said:
Buy a 2020. Why wouldn't you unless your dealer has a great deal on the '19. If you get the '20, you get whatever little tweaks Toyota did to the vehicle after the '19 season. So hopefully, the ICE will have NO transmission issues as the '19s have (and hopefully that was dealt with by figuring out the root cause and dealing with it on the assembly line vs. a workaround ECM update) and the HV will have the fuel tank problems ironed out. Plus, isn't Android Audio in the '20s now?
Click to expand...
There have been no changes to the transmission mechanically, likely the 20s just have the newest version of the software. Between the 19/20 there’s been minimal change. Also and as you stated, left over 19s are killer deals right now. I’ve seen them at $6k under MSRP!


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#11 ·
If not for the fueling issue, and grading on a curve, I’d give my RAV4h 9.5 out of 10. And I’m very picky. Yes I have some things to nitpick and yes I’m not happy about the fueling “issue”. But damn, overall I love the car and I believe it’s an amazing piece of automotive engineering. No regrets here!
 
#13 ·
AdventureBuild said:
There have been no changes to the transmission mechanically, likely the 20s just have the newest version of the software. Between the 19/20 there’s been minimal change. Also and as you stated, left over 19s are killer deals right now. I’ve seen them at $6k under MSRP!


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Click to expand...
Agreed
 
#14 ·
After several months of trying to buy a loaded (Limited with tech pkg) rav4 hybrid, I had an opportunity to buy a 2020 rav4 Limited (gas model) with tech pkg. and weather pkg and color scheme I wanted (blizzard pearl with nutmeg interior). I got $1500 off of MSRP and after test drive I was convinced that the under-hood sound-proofing added for 2020 has reduced the engine noise to an acceptable level. The 8-speed transmission also feels improved as well from the 2019 I tested earlier in the year. After the purchase on Monday, my wife and I did a 550 mile trip over Thanksgiving to central California thru a significant rain storm. The car felt solid in the wind and rain even though I had opted for the FWD over 4WD, which is rarely needed in my home in Southern California. My first week’s impression is this is an impressive vehicle, and all the safety features combined with the creature comforts (e.g. Heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, Apple carplay) make it a solid alternative to the hybrid which I really wanted but was unwilling to pay the premium prices the Toyota dealers were asking for the 2020’s.
 
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#15 ·
Jimrayoden said:
After the purchase on Monday, my wife and I did a 550 mile trip over Thanksgiving to central California thru a significant rain storm. The car felt solid in the wind and rain even though I had opted for the FWD over 4WD, which is rarely needed in my home in Southern California.
Click to expand...
You made the right call on the FWD. we opted for AWD but that’s because we live in a somewhat hilly area and enjoy the outdoors every weekend. We drove through a rough rain storm last night. The only time the rear wheels were receiving power was when accelerating up hills. Power was to the front wheels at all other times.
 
#16 · (Edited)
RedSoxFan said:
Wife wants a Rav4 or a Ford Edge. Being a Toyota Fan boy, I would like the Rav4. She wants a 2019 and test drove the hybrid yesterday. Likes it a lot. However, after some short research, there appears to be a fair amount of issues reported from owners. The two of most concern seem to be the transmission issues and the fuel tank issue (hybrid). Another weird one is the plastic trim being affected by hot sunlight? Maybe just the same person posting this in many places but was taken back by this as an issue in the year of 2019 when I would think that we have engineered plastic to near futuristic levels.

As a new user to this forum, I hope it does not sound like I am trying to slander or damage the brand. We are all proud of what we own, even if there are some issues. I feel like I work for Toyota at times defending that my Toyota Tundra is more American than a ford or Chevy. I am also very particular with my vehicles and know that they all have issues, it is more of a matter of what will bother you the most / least.
Click to expand...
 
#17 ·
If for no other reason, I’d get the 2020 because the hybrid battery warranty is far longer at 120 months/150,000 miles. Can’t believe nobody mentioned it. Frankly I’m POed that Toyo made this ”adjustment” w/o including us 2019 guinea pigs!?
 
#18 ·
AdventureBuild said:
There have been no changes to the transmission mechanically, likely the 20s just have the newest version of the software. Between the 19/20 there’s been minimal change. Also and as you stated, left over 19s are killer deals right now. I’ve seen them at $6k under MSRP!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
After spending my first week with a new 2020 rav4 Limited (gas) model, I can attest to the improvement of the transmission over the 2019 model which I test drove earlier in the year. The 8-speed is much smoother in my estimation and convinced me on the test drive before the purchase that Toyota had addressed this issue, most likely thru software update.
 
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#19 ·
Jimrayoden said:
After spending my first week with a new 2020 rav4 Limited (gas) model, I can attest to the improvement of the transmission over the 2019 model which I test drove earlier in the year. The 8-speed is much smoother in my estimation and convinced me on the test drive before the purchase that Toyota had addressed this issue, most likely thru software update.
Click to expand...
Right, the 2020 offroad I compared the 2019 adventure I ended up purchasing with felt the same (mine was the latest possible 2019 build (with updated software). Save for the interior seat pattern and color choices (which I prefer in the 2020), the adventure/offroad is exactly the same. So, to me, spending the extra $6k+ on the 2020 model wasn't a smart move.
 
#20 ·
Jimrayoden said:
After spending my first week with a new 2020 rav4 Limited (gas) model, I can attest to the improvement of the transmission over the 2019 model which I test drove earlier in the year. The 8-speed is much smoother in my estimation and convinced me on the test drive before the purchase that Toyota had addressed this issue, most likely thru software update.
Click to expand...
Not to burst your bubble, but there were many '19 gas models that never had adverse transmission issues as well, mine and many others have never had a hint of the problem.
 
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