The automaker is preparing a fix. “When the remedy is available, Toyota dealers will replace the battery hold-down clamp, battery tray, and positive terminal cover” at no cost, it added. The company will notify affected customers by late December.
The move comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in 2021 that it had received 11 complaints alleging fires on the left side of the RAV4 engine, which were not caused by car crashes. The majority of the events occurred “during driving conditions, with four taking place with the ignition off,” the agency said in a report.
In December 2020, one RAV4 owner reported leaving the vehicle in a parking lot with the ignition turned off, according to NHTSA. The driver returned after a few minutes to find the car on fire. “The fire appeared to originate in front of the vehicle,” NHTSA wrote in a summary of the incident. Firefighters were called in, but the vehicle was a total loss.
In August 2020, an owner of a 2017 RAV4 hybrid said the vehicle was going at 50 miles per hour when warning messages began appearing on the dash screen and white smoke began emerging from under the hood. “Moments later, flames were coming from the engine compartment,” according to an NHTSA report. The vehicle was destroyed during the incident.
The “overall number of vehicle fire allegations with the battery as the area of origin is larger than its peer population,” NHTSA wrote.
Representatives for Toyota could not be reached for comment during after-work hours Wednesday.
