[Emman_FR]

I have the same problem AWD system malfunction 2WD mode engage. 2017 toyota rav4
Pls. Watch my video I fix that problem without going to my dealer. I hope it can help you guys

 

[Ryan Y]

I have the same problem AWD system malfunction 2WD mode engage. 2017 toyota rav4
Pls. Watch my video I fix that problem without going to my dealer. I hope it can help you guys

great work man!
I'll have a try tmr. I got the same warning yesterday.
It's the second time and the first time cost me $160 for nothing.
I thought it was a battery related problem cause my battery was empty yesterday and I had to use another car to start it.

 

[Emman_FR]

great work man!
I'll have a try tmr. I got the same warning yesterday.
It's the second time and the first time cost me $160 for nothing.
I thought it was a battery related problem cause my battery was empty yesterday and I had to use another car to start it.

if it is happening twice din there some other problem. What happen to my car is that I'm over the mileage 8k supposed to be my oil change but I forgot. What I did is bring my car for oil change then still the error was there and that's the time I disconnect the battery. Luckily it work ang until now I don't get that error again.

 

[Ryan Y]

if it is happening twice din there some other problem. What happen to my car is that I'm over the mileage 8k supposed to be my oil change but I forgot. What I did is bring my car for oil change then still the error was there and that's the time I disconnect the battery. Luckily it work ang until now I don't get that error again.

it works, the warning is gone!
just disconnect the battery for a couple of minutes.
😀😀😀
thank you

 

[Emman_FR]

Good to know. Just observed it for a couple of weeks
Hopefully it won't come back.😊👍👍

 

[Tom_B]

Good to know. Just observed it for a couple of weeks
Hopefully it won't come back.😊👍👍

Unless things have changed since I worked servicing vehicles, you should never take off the positive (hot) side of the battery first. If that little socket wrench hit some metal part as you worked that terminal you would have either huge sparks, a huge repair bill, or both. If you remove the ground first, the power is off and if you hit a ground while working on the ground - no issue. Your fix worked but you took a risk in how you did it.

 

[Larry Driven]

Hi everyone. I recently bought a 2017 Rav4 and had the same problem the malfunction of the AWD. I checked all the fuses and found that none were blown. But, what I did find was that all the fuses in the left fuse box were all dislodged. So, I disconnected the negative post from the battery, pushed every fuse back in, reconnected the battery and so far no problems. It appears that because of the vibration of the front end of the vehicle and hitting bumps and pot holes overtime causes the fuses to work loose. That would be one reason why Toyota doesn't know what's going on. So far so good.

 

[Katrina23]

I got the same message today after my battery died and I had to jumpstart it. I let the car run for about 15 min, took it for a short drive to see if it would clear... It did not. I was busy so had to leave the car for a few hours. Came back to the car now (been 4 hours) was ready to disconnect battery but thought I would start the car to take a picture of the message... The message is gone. Car starts fine and No warnings or check engine lights... I hope it's all good!!

 

[Davidarms081787]

amongst other reasons, I'm kind of glad I went with the FWD version...seeing quite a few questionable issues with AWD right now. This ,and the clicking sound disengaging issue.

Same I’m glad I got the FWD also.

 

[HotSunMelter40]

Our 2019 has 700 miles on it and this message appeared. "A malfunction in the All-Wheel Drive System has been detected. Contact your Toyota dealer to have your vehicle inspected."

I didn't see an similar post in this forum but did see something in other forums. It seems very common if the gas filler cap is not tightened for this alert to occur. My wife fueled last night, and this appeared today. Checked the gas cap and it was not tight (not to first click). So hopefully that was the problem. Will have the dealer check and clear the code anyway.

Just posting in case other 2019 owners see this message.

 

[HotSunMelter40]

Our 2019 has 700 miles on it and this message appeared. "A malfunction in the All-Wheel Drive System has been detected. Contact your Toyota dealer to have your vehicle inspected."

I didn't see an similar post in this forum but did see something in other forums. It seems very common if the gas filler cap is not tightened for this alert to occur. My wife fueled last night, and this appeared today. Checked the gas cap and it was not tight (not to first click). So hopefully that was the problem. Will have the dealer check and clear the code anyway.

Just posting in case other 2019 owners see this message.

I got that message today.....it came on 24 hours later, or so. I checked ALL components of the car....weird why the AWD has anything to do with the gas cap, but it does. I had also another message before that.....engine warning light.....once again I checked everything, and behold it WAS the gas cap. This is not the first time I had the AWD Malfunction System message. Hopefully this time it is the cap still.

 

[Ravlove28]

Hope it all works out

Makes zero sense that a loose gas cap would cause a AWD malfunction message. It’s 2019, why can’t they just program a “gas cap loose” message?

So this has happen to me too and agree, did the message disapear and if did how long would you say it did? having that probelm too

 

[Ravlove28]

Check engine light I understand, AWD malfunction message for a gas cap I do not.

did the light ever go away??

 

[HotSunMelter40]

So, the other day ( Friday ) I took the RAV4 back to the dealership. The kms on it is about 48838, and the maintenance personal realized it is a cracked purge valve system, and the purge flow is incorrect, causing the system to say that there is something wrong, but also shuts-off the AWD, and cruise. Now, I am waiting for the part to come in....however, thanks to the advisor for giving me a discount....for some reason, after this long (3 years, and nearly 50000 ks) the part needs replacing. I recommend those that have this continuous problem to have the purge valve checked.

 

[Tazio Nuvolari]

So from the above discussion it appears the PCM( the car computer) will disable the AWD if a fault is detected in the EVAP system(evaporative emissions system)-- the fuel tank cap and the purge valve are important components thereof. I do not think this is a good design if indeed the Rav4 is programmed this way. What if the gas cap vibrated loose driving off road- no AWD? What if the purge valve or one of the many vacuum hoses got a leak in the middle of a blizzard--no AWD?

 

[Shy Guy]

So, the other day ( Friday ) I took the RAV4 back to the dealership. The kms on it is about 48838, and the maintenance personal realized it is a cracked purge valve system, and the purge flow is incorrect, causing the system to say that there is something wrong, but also shuts-off the AWD, and cruise. Now, I am waiting for the part to come in....however, thanks to the advisor for giving me a discount....for some reason, after this long (3 years, and nearly 50000 ks) the part needs replacing. I recommend those that have this continuous problem to have the purge valve checked.

The Purge Valve is a covered Emissions Warranty Component. Are you out of Emissions coverage?

 

[yogisurf]

I left the key in the ‘on’ position overnight on my Toyota 2016 RAV4 XLE AWD. The next morning my battery was dead. I unhooked the positive terminal it and charged it. Reconnecting the battery and turning the key, it started right up, but two warning lights were on and the center screen said ~ “All Wheel Drive System Malfunction – Visit Dealer.” I tried the fixes on this forum …no luck. I took it to an independent repair shop, they were able to read the OBD error codes, but unable to reset the device sending the code. Off to the dealer. Diagnosis: bad steering angle sensor (see pic). Sensor price: $450; Labor $458, $908 total. Being a DIY guy who has done his own vehicle maintenance for ~45 years, I rarely shell-out money like that. However, I was not overly shocked nor disappointed with the cost…it’s the price of admission to high-tech vehicles. What I was upset about was the Service Advisor trying to sell me a new battery by saying the battery was “low”. It’s not; the battery is one year old and voltage tests at 12.2 (see pic) and the engine cranks at normal speed. He also pushed hard for new tires (“four for the price of three!!!). The tires easily have remaining tread of 5 to 7,000 miles. Dealerships are struggling for revenue…there are no cars on their lots! I think my 50-year-old Sears Die Hard battery charger fried the sensor. It was acting up…and it has been retired.

 

[JFox562]

I left the key in the ‘on’ position overnight on my Toyota 2016 RAV4 XLE AWD. The next morning my battery was dead. I unhooked the positive terminal it and charged it. Reconnecting the battery and turning the key, it started right up, but two warning lights were on and the center screen said ~ “All Wheel Drive System Malfunction – Visit Dealer.” I tried the fixes on this forum …no luck. I took it to an independent repair shop, they were able to read the OBD error codes, but unable to reset the device sending the code. Off to the dealer. Diagnosis: bad steering angle sensor (see pic). Sensor price: $450; Labor $458, $908 total. Being a DIY guy who has done his own vehicle maintenance for ~45 years, I rarely shell-out money like that. However, I was not overly shocked nor disappointed with the cost…it’s the price of admission to high-tech vehicles. What I was upset about was the Service Advisor trying to sell me a new battery by saying the battery was “low”. It’s not; the battery is one year old and voltage tests at 12.2 (see pic) and the engine cranks at normal speed. He also pushed hard for new tires (“four for the price of three!!!). The tires easily have remaining tread of 5 to 7,000 miles. Dealerships are struggling for revenue…there are no cars on their lots! I think my 50-year-old Sears Die Hard battery charger fried the sensor. It was acting up…and it has been retired.

OK, I think I missed something in your description. You stated that you disconnected the battery before you charged it. Once charged, you reconnected it and started the car. Then you said that the Sears battery charger fried the steer sensor. I'm glad you got the car fixed, but how did it get fried in the first place?

 

[Tazio Nuvolari]

I unhooked the positive terminal it and charged it.

What I was upset about was the Service Advisor trying to sell me a new battery by saying the battery was “low”. It’s not; the battery is one year old and voltage tests at 12.2 (see pic) and the engine cranks at normal speed.

When you charge a dead battery on the 5th Gen RAV and indeed ALL contemporary cars you MUST disconnect BOTH battery cables. The ECM/ECU/PCM computers are really sensitive to voltage spikes and there can be weird things happening if the negative wire is still attached to the battery. I think the computer can some how get some "feedback" as it is also grounded. A Toyota service adviser posted in another thread (where people were getting messages on their MID screens that the parking brake and PCS were disabled and to contact dealer) that the batteries were the cause and were routinely replaced by dealerships. He said any voltage spike or low would disable the systems and set the warning messages. Those RAVs would start and run fine but the batteries were simply not supplying stable voltage.

 

[goldsmithk8]

Same issue with my 2018 RAV4 and it only has 49k miles. : ( Will have to have it towed to the dealership tomorrow.