Just a heads up to everyone. I have a 2020 Rav4 Hybrid LE. The high voltage wires were replaced under warranty after 40,000kms and while they didn't say anything at the time it was due to the wires rusting out. It just happened again, two years later and I'm a FEW kms over the warranty and Toyota won't step up and fix the issue. $7,000 bill. There is clearly a design flaw with the wires under the car that get exposed to salt. The parts have been upgraded 5 times over 3 years so no idea if the problem will be solved but I wish I had known this as I would have bought the plain gas Rav. Just know, if you drive on roads that get salted you WILL have this issue and pray you are within warranty!!!!!!!
Hybrid Cable Corrosion Issue.
Rav 2020
41 - 60 of 257 Posts
yeah if you don't want 1970's style maintenance (some work needed by owner) for your own vehicle, sure.
--------------------------
I consider my 2022 rav4 Hybrid -perfect- but with an asterisk
Perfect*
*but you need to take care of the cablegate issue yourself if you drive in salty water (snow belt states)
it's a super boneheaded design decision by engineers or management and I'm
sure someone at Toyota must have chimed in on the new transaxle layout... BUT BUT what about corrosion
in snow states/Canada and was shot down by beancounters
Joined
·
349 Posts
Crisps, good point regarding electrocution. Guess I won’t be rinsing the underside. Thank you for the info.
I borrowed them. I seldom think about taking pics while I'm actually doing a job. I had mine apart & saturated the cable last week while I was doing the 5,000 mile oil change.
There are several videos on YouTube about this and where the connector is located. I suggest not using water to clean it, disassemble it remove the cover spray brake cleaner on it, the apply some kind of marine base electrical grease on the wires. 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid High Voltage Cable Inspection (youtube.com)
Is there a guide on how to remove the black cover that's blocking access to the cable? Is it held on by bolts or is it just plastic clips? Wouldn't want to break any clips if that's the case.
Joined
·
72 Posts
Everyone 100% has the right to do whatever they want to their vehicles.
I personally believe:
A. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 1 (clamshell not open, no plastic cover) is very low relative to total vehicle sales.
B. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 2 (clamshell open, no plastic cover) is and will be even lower than (A).
C. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 3 (clamshell open, with plastic cover) is and will be even lower than (B).
D. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 4 (clamshell open, with plastic cover, new connector w/foam) is and will be even lower than (C).
And finally:
E. Like many components under the vehicle, some corrosion simply being visible does not imply that a failure will definitely occur that renders the vehicle unusable. I don't believe that many of the customers that are treating their own cables even understand the actual specific failure mode. They assume that corrosion anywhere on the cable will brick the vehicle, which isn't true.
Given that I have "version 4" as described above and live in an area of the PNW with minimal snow (and therefore road treatment), I personally feel zero need to mess with the cable and am not paranoid about it looking pristine if I go check it out in 5 years. I highly suspect my vehicle will be rendered unusable by some other $5k+ failure long before cablegate gets me.
I personally believe:
A. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 1 (clamshell not open, no plastic cover) is very low relative to total vehicle sales.
B. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 2 (clamshell open, no plastic cover) is and will be even lower than (A).
C. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 3 (clamshell open, with plastic cover) is and will be even lower than (B).
D. The percentage of vehicles that have been and will be rendered unusable by corrosion of version 4 (clamshell open, with plastic cover, new connector w/foam) is and will be even lower than (C).
And finally:
E. Like many components under the vehicle, some corrosion simply being visible does not imply that a failure will definitely occur that renders the vehicle unusable. I don't believe that many of the customers that are treating their own cables even understand the actual specific failure mode. They assume that corrosion anywhere on the cable will brick the vehicle, which isn't true.
Given that I have "version 4" as described above and live in an area of the PNW with minimal snow (and therefore road treatment), I personally feel zero need to mess with the cable and am not paranoid about it looking pristine if I go check it out in 5 years. I highly suspect my vehicle will be rendered unusable by some other $5k+ failure long before cablegate gets me.
Joined
·
349 Posts
But notice Lorenzo lives in Canada.
Joined
·
72 Posts
I'll refer you to the first sentence in my post (and also point E).
Joined
·
349 Posts
Who wants to have to argue with Toyota (if that’s what happens) if you can do something to your car to prevent that? I had something as provable as a left turn signal that didn’t work as soon as I drove my car off the dealer’s lot. They kept saying they couldn’t reproduce the problem while clearly it was happening when I drove the car with them in it. They implied it was the way I was driving it. Then asked me if I had ever driven a Toyota before. Yes, can you believe it? My response, yes, been driving Toyotas for 28 years. Conclusion? They fixed it. They had to replace the steering column. After speaking to the Toyota engineers. I will do anything to avoid that sort of nonsense again.
Which years/models have which versions?
both 2 plastic clips and three 10mm bolts, need a deep socket (2 inches)
Joined
·
14 Posts
I don’t know how I am just hearing of this. Does anyone know what years this affects? I’m seeing conflicting reports, some sites say 19-20, some up to 21 and some 22… I have a 2022 manufactured in June of 22. Even with the warranty extension, I’ll hit 100k after about four years (from new), this is highly concerning to me. I live in New England, so we do have high salt usage here.
The actual "Customer Support Program" (22TE09) covers '19 through '22 RAV4s. These are mailed to owners of the affected years. I received mine June of this year. If you did not get one, your RAV4 is probably not covered.
The original tech tip (T-TT-0639-20) was issued October 27, 2020. The Toyota Service Bulletin (T-SB-0026-22) was issued on March 23, 2022. TT and T-SBs are not sent to owners but are available in the Toyota Information System (TIS).
But later models seem to also be affected.
There have been several design changes over the years. I may be wrong on the details, but this is what I think are the changes:
1. Original RAV4s came with an enclosure around the wire harness where it enters the rear motor. There was no splash shield below it.
2. Starting sometime in the '20 or '21 model years a splash shield was added below the rear MGR.
3. Sometime in '21 or '22 models years the enclosure around the wire harness was cut out on one side
4. Sometime later ('23?) and added foam insulator was added.
All these production changes seem not to have solved the problem.
Joined
·
739 Posts
I've owned a 2023 Rav4 Hybrid since October. I inquired about the infamous cablegate situation before the purchase and was told by the dealer that the problem, isn't a problem anymore. I'm not convinced though and sent a message to Toyota Canada's FB page. I got a response right away asking me to call their number and speak with a representative. I'll do that in the next few days to find out EXACTLY what they want me to do, if anything. I'm worried that if I try to prevent the problem myself, I may jeopardize any warranty they offer. Once I get their opinion and or direction, I'll report back here.
PS.....my brother in law works at a Toyota dealership as a technician. I'll get the real story from him soon....
PS.....my brother in law works at a Toyota dealership as a technician. I'll get the real story from him soon....
Joined
·
48 Posts
Good stuff, keep us updated!
Oh, I forgot one! and this is somewhat laughable! When the enclosure around the side of the wire harness was cut out, opening up one side, people started saying " Hey, something is missing here". Toyota then issued T-TT-0690-22 "Under Floor Wire Harness for Motor Generator - Cover has Missing or Damaged Appearance" which says "This appearance is normal and is part of the connector cover design."
2023 Rav4 Limited Hybrid Blueprint/beige & 2014 Camry XLE
Joined
·
119 Posts
Yeah, I think the cut-out was designed to allow any trapped water to drain, but it partly walked-back the effectiveness of the cover protection.
FWIW, and from everything I've read, the best defense is to annually spray the connector with water repellant foam/coating but I'd prefer to find out what Toyota officially recommends for before doing anything with my 2023 R4H. So far the "fixes" look less than convincing as I see the exposure to road salt an ongoing risk.
Did you by chance ask them how you were supposed to drive it? What a bizarre statement on their part.
Was this an intermittent issue, an issue when you were in a left turn already? Did it work or not work in your garage or parking place when you activated the left turn signal?
You should have asked if this is normal on all Toyota vehicles before telling them how long you have been driving their vehicles.
Joined
·
349 Posts
Yes, it was really a ridiculous statement. The left turn signal would turn on, but it wouldn’t shut off when I straightened the car again. When the service rep called me back to say the left turn signal was working fine, the next question out of his mouth was did I ever drive a Toyota before. That was going to be his excuse. “Toyota turn signals are different.” I didn’t volunteer my Toyota history information without being asked. I’ve driven many different rental vehicle over my lifetime, and I’ve never had a car with a turn signal that didn’t work the same as all of the others. To me, the brand of car should make no difference.
Before I had bought the car, I drove it with the salesman and he told me what path to take. Since it was all right turns, I didn’t know about the left turn signal since I hadn’t made any left turns. It wouldn’t shut off after making a left turn every time I made a sharp 90 degree left turn. It happened within a few minutes after driving off the lot after the sale was final. I’d turn the signal on, but it wouldn’t shut off. When I drove with the supervisor of the service department, I found out later that he told everyone I was making “sweeping turns.“ Yeah. I was “the bad guy.“ I had made a left turn at a stoplight next to the double yellow line another another street with a double yellow line. Both streets had two lanes. I drove from the left lane into another left lane. A perfect right angle turn. Not sure how I could have made a “sweeping turn” with traffic all around me And in the lanes beside me. When their employees made left turns while driving the car on side streets (I wasn’t in the car), the signal did shut off. As it did for me On side streets. Only after the sales manager sat with me in my car while it was standing still and turned the steering wheel left and saw it didn’t shut off when he returned the steering wheel to the forward position did he agree to call the Toyota engineers regarding it. But this was only after three days of trying to tell them it wasn’t working, even getting yelled at on the phone like I was a dog by the service manager. After I had calmly reminded him that I had just spent a lot of money on one of their vehicles and I couldn’t believe he was being so condescending to me (really…I was SO shocked at his attitude), I had noticed a change in his demeanor. Women‘s statements are not always taken at face value at car dealerships because “we don’t know anything.“
Before I had bought the car, I drove it with the salesman and he told me what path to take. Since it was all right turns, I didn’t know about the left turn signal since I hadn’t made any left turns. It wouldn’t shut off after making a left turn every time I made a sharp 90 degree left turn. It happened within a few minutes after driving off the lot after the sale was final. I’d turn the signal on, but it wouldn’t shut off. When I drove with the supervisor of the service department, I found out later that he told everyone I was making “sweeping turns.“ Yeah. I was “the bad guy.“ I had made a left turn at a stoplight next to the double yellow line another another street with a double yellow line. Both streets had two lanes. I drove from the left lane into another left lane. A perfect right angle turn. Not sure how I could have made a “sweeping turn” with traffic all around me And in the lanes beside me. When their employees made left turns while driving the car on side streets (I wasn’t in the car), the signal did shut off. As it did for me On side streets. Only after the sales manager sat with me in my car while it was standing still and turned the steering wheel left and saw it didn’t shut off when he returned the steering wheel to the forward position did he agree to call the Toyota engineers regarding it. But this was only after three days of trying to tell them it wasn’t working, even getting yelled at on the phone like I was a dog by the service manager. After I had calmly reminded him that I had just spent a lot of money on one of their vehicles and I couldn’t believe he was being so condescending to me (really…I was SO shocked at his attitude), I had noticed a change in his demeanor. Women‘s statements are not always taken at face value at car dealerships because “we don’t know anything.“
41 - 60 of 257 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
