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 Sep 19, 2026

193 of the 633 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

the temperature gauge climbed into the red

coolant is disappearing or on the ground

151

white smoke from the tailpipe

the heater stopped blowing hot

the dealer found a head gasket or cracked block

the engine was replaced afterward

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.

20V-064Feb 6, 2020

Engine And Engine Cooling

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines. Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.

Risk and remedy

Risk: A coolant leak can cause the engine to overheat and cause a vehicle stall in conventional gasoline vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, for all involved vehicles, the engine may get damaged mechanically, possibly resulting in an engine oil leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine including the engine block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 3, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA04. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA02.

What owners paid

50 of the 153 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $600 to $916.

$600$765$916

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 34,678 and 60,000 miles, from the 61 reports that gave a mileage.

120

121

122

5323

7424

1825

526

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.