2019 Toyota RAV4 · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 141owner reports
- 49,000median miles
- $742median quote
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
214 of the 879 complaints on this car are about the engine. 141 of those describe overheating, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2019 RAV4.
Tick what matches of 141 reports
Overheating on other RAV4 years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the coolant hose or reservoir (10 reports), the water pump (6 reports) and the head gasket (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the engine covers the 2019 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.
All 7 recalls on the 2019 Toyota RAV4, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
What owners paid
59 of the 141 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $600 to $1,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 42,000 and 64,273 miles, from the 40 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 9 service bulletins or notices for the 2019 Toyota RAV4 that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Although the flow shut-off valve is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 36 months or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at Toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience.
The specific condition covered by this program is for a small engine coolant leak that can occur from the flow shut-off valve that can allow coolant to drip on other parts of the vehicle.
Some 2018 – 2021 model year Toyota vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS, A25A-FXS, or M20A-FKS engine may exhibit a condition in which an “Engine Maintenance Required” message is displayed in the Multi-Information Display (MID).
CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM 24TE04 Multiple Model & Model Year Toyota Vehicles Coverage for Flow Shut-off Valve Coolant Leak Frequently Asked Questions
5 more on the 2019 Toyota RAV4 page.
What owners wrote
“An âEngine Maintenance Requiredâ signal came on my dash and turns out the coolant bypass valve needs to be replaced. Come to find out almost everyone else with this car has the same problem around 50,000 miles. I bought this car used and have had it for less than a week and the repair is at least $600. Super disappointed.”
Filed Jun 12, 2024 · 50,000 miles
“Engine maintenance required warning notice came on. Researched showed this to be a failure of the coolant bypass valve. It is a well known and documented problem with can lead to the engine overheating and seizing. Called dealership and they were well aware of issue and wanted $1,100. to repair. My car only has 46K miles on it. Toyota should issue a recall.”
Filed May 22, 2024 · 46,000 miles
“At 73,000 miles the "engine maintenance required" warning light came on indicating the coolant bypass valve is damaged or has failed. A quick google search will show this is an extremely common issue and a result of using inferior quality parts in manufacturing. Toyota should recall this issue asap as many people have had the same problem.”
Filed May 16, 2024 · 73,000 miles
“At 41K miles it pop up out of no where and for no aparent reason engine maintanance required. Took the dealer it was the engine coolant bypass malfunctioning. Car has all maintanance up to date by toyota dealer.”
Filed Oct 11, 2023 · 41,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 141 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Which lights mean pull over now? Warning lights by color and urgency
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 97 reports
- Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 91 reports
- Fuel smells, leaks, or the gauge reads wrong 54 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 45 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 39 reports
- Water leaks into the cabin 36 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 35 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 31 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 30 reports
- Fuel pump failure 27 reports
- Tailgate or liftgate will not open or close 25 reports