2020 Toyota RAV4 · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 153owner reports
- 42,000median miles
- $765median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Aug 26, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
193 of the 635 complaints on this car are about the engine. 153 of those describe overheating, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2020 RAV4.
Tick what matches of 153 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) and the radiator (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the engine covers the 2020 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 6 recalls on the 2020 Toyota RAV4, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
What owners paid
50 of the 153 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $600 to $916.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 34,678 and 60,000 miles, from the 61 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 10 service bulletins or notices for the 2020 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
6 more on the 2020 Toyota RAV4 page.
What owners wrote
“I was driving and out of nowhere this warning came on engine maintenance required, and this now a normal maintenance required that means an oil change. The problem with this warning is the coolant bypass valve, and Iâm not the only one with this issue, my car has only 32100 miles only, this a ridiculous for a new car. Plus it seem that this issue only comes on with tha A/C on”
Filed Aug 19, 2023 · 32,100 miles
“Coolant Bypass Valve failure at 41K miles. Confirmed by dealership. "Engine Maintenance" warning light came on before taking to dealership.”
Filed Aug 17, 2023 · 41,000 miles
“The coolant bypass valve is defective on a 3 year old single owner, well maintained under 50,000 miles vehicle. This is a wide spread and known issue for Toyota which can result in engine overheating, causing potentially unsafe situations to occur for the driver. This can also severely damage the engine.”
Filed Jul 26, 2023 · 50,000 miles
“The Coolant flow control valve is malfunctioning. This was diagnosed by a Toyota dealer. My car is 3 years old and has 56k miles. Upon doing more research, a lot of people have complained that the same things are happening to their vehicles as well. To my understanding, this is not something typical for a car as young as mine.”
Filed Jul 25, 2023 · 56,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 153 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.
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Other problems on this car
- Battery dies or the car will not start 62 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 55 reports
- Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 54 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 35 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 33 reports
- Fuel smells, leaks, or the gauge reads wrong 27 reports
- Tailgate or liftgate will not open or close 26 reports