I took delivery of my wife's RAV4 XLE AWD in late December and yesterday (June 6, 2020) we had the battery replaced by the dealer. OK, Lemme back up some.

• A couple of months ago we found the battery was dead...thinking that we didn't close a door or something else we did, I called Toyota Care and they sent out somebody to jump the car and everything was fine...until...
• Friday AM my wife was about to run some errands and...the battery was dead. I called Toyota Care again, they sent somebody out, jumped the battery and it worked just fine...or so it seemed. We ran the car for 30 minutes or so in the garage and turned off the car. I called the dealer (Thousand Oaks Toyota) and made an early AM appointment as this should NOT be happening.
• I was about to take the car to the dealer yesterday and...DEAD BATTERY! Called Toyota Care again and this time asked for a flatbed for a tow to the dealer...sure thing! (There's a tale of pain and woe here that I won't go into as this thread is supposed to be about the battery.) I eventually gave up on the tow service and jumped the car myself with my 2018 Camry and it started right up...left the car running, rushed to the dealer...

OK, the Service Writer (whom I have no reason not to trust) listened to my tale and asked we NOT turn off the car. He said that they've seen a few of these and it's almost certainly the battery. Yeah... He would not elaborate any but I got one of those "knowing looks" like...the factory battery is crap.

In any case, they ran diagnostics, replaced the battery and all is good...+1 day thus far.

SO...anybody have any comments or similar experiences? I'd like to think that the 2020 RAV4 doesn't have any really hidden issues lurking in the darkness.

Thanks!

I have the same vehilce 2020 XLE Premium ....built in 10/19 in Japan ...Dealer had in December and I purchased in February ........hope no surprise on this .

 

My wife's previous CRV went thru 3 batteries before we got a good one from the dealer. So it happens.

 

Add me to the list of people with a 2020 RAV4 Limited Hybrid and a dead 12V battery twice in 6 months. Built in Canada, purchased in December 2019, first dead battery incident just 2 weeks later, then a second incident 6 months later. Had the car towed to the dealer the first time, then jumpstarted by ToyotaCare and driven to the dealer the second time. Like others, the dealer cannot find a reason for the drained 12V battery. All the possible causes mentioned by others did not include the stop start system and how much that drains the battery. Since I have a short daily commute, plus home confinement over the past 3 months, that's my main suspicion at this time that the 12V battery is not adequately recharged and eventually drains.

I saw another thread with a list of other dead battery discussion threads, but now I can't find it again. Can anyone help me locate all of the discussions related to dead batteries in 2020 RAV4 Hybrids? I want to share my story with everyone else having this same unfortunate, extremely frustrating experience.

 

Add one more to the list. We have a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid LE, built in Canada, purchased November 2019. Went to use this morning, completely dead. No indication of anything left on, gear in parking mode. Had to use key to get in, can't open the back for the battery. And of course it's Sunday. Will have to wait until tomorrow to contact Toyota. Also interested in any information people have discovered. Sounds like a bad battery from factory?

 

I had the same thing happen to me back in April, I have a 2020 RAV4 Limited Hybrid, it was 6 months old. They sent a flatbed but he was able to jump start it so I took it to the dealer myself where they replaced the battery under warranty.

The tow guy told me he'd seen a number of these cases since March when many people started working from home. He said the fan which is used to keep the hybrid battery from overheating is powered by the regular 12V car battery and can run even when the car is parked and turned off. For instance if you leave the car sitting out in the hot sun it may run periodically to keep the battery below a certain temperature.

Under normal conditions this is not an issue, because normal driving keeps the battery charged. However under COVID 19 stay-at-home it's not uncommon to leave a car un-driven for a week or longer, and under certain conditions, the hybrid battery fan can run down the car battery. In my case I've been working from home since mid March, we live right around the corner from a supermarket, literally a 1 minute walk, so we really have no need to drive anywhere too often (I've filled my car with gas only twice since March 9th). My car had been sitting in the hot sun for a week and a half or more, and this is likely what happened. Now I take it for a short drive every three or four days and it's been fine.

They did replace my battery, so a bad battery may well have been the cause as well, we'll see if it happens again in 6 months. I'm just passing along what the tow guy told me, it's a good idea to drive your car every few days in any case.

 

I had the same thing happen to me back in April, I have a 2020 RAV4 Limited Hybrid, it was 6 months old. They sent a flatbed but he was able to jump start it so I took it to the dealer myself where they replaced the battery under warranty.

The tow guy told me he'd seen a number of these cases since March when many people started working from home. He said the fan which is used to keep the hybrid battery from overheating is powered by the regular 12V car battery and can run even when the car is parked and turned off. For instance if you leave the car sitting out in the hot sun it may run periodically to keep the battery below a certain temperature.

Under normal conditions this is not an issue, because normal driving keeps the battery charged. However under COVID 19 stay-at-home it's not uncommon to leave a car un-driven for a week or longer, and under certain conditions, the hybrid battery fan can run down the car battery. In my case I've been working from home since mid March, we live right around the corner from a supermarket, literally a 1 minute walk, so we really have no need to drive anywhere too often (I've filled my car with gas only twice since March 9th). My car had been sitting in the hot sun for a week and a half or more, and this is likely what happened. Now I take it for a short drive every three or four days and it's been fine.

They did replace my battery, so a bad battery may well have been the cause as well, we'll see if it happens again in 6 months. I'm just passing along what the tow guy told me, it's a good idea to drive your car every few days in any case.

We called the Dealer this morning and they said to go ahead and jump start. We read the manual and tried to jump start from under the hood but that didn't work. Ended up putting a charger on the contact enough to open the doors and back hatch and to directly jump start the 12 volt battery in the back. Drove an hour to the dealer, the battery check failed, so they installed a new one under warranty. We keep our car in a garage, so it is not overheating and gets driven every couple of days. Hoping it was just a bad battery.

 

I took delivery of my wife's RAV4 XLE AWD in late December and yesterday (June 6, 2020) we had the battery replaced by the dealer. OK, Lemme back up some.

• A couple of months ago we found the battery was dead...thinking that we didn't close a door or something else we did, I called Toyota Care and they sent out somebody to jump the car and everything was fine...until...
• Friday AM my wife was about to run some errands and...the battery was dead. I called Toyota Care again, they sent somebody out, jumped the battery and it worked just fine...or so it seemed. We ran the car for 30 minutes or so in the garage and turned off the car. I called the dealer (Thousand Oaks Toyota) and made an early AM appointment as this should NOT be happening.
• I was about to take the car to the dealer yesterday and...DEAD BATTERY! Called Toyota Care again and this time asked for a flatbed for a tow to the dealer...sure thing! (There's a tale of pain and woe here that I won't go into as this thread is supposed to be about the battery.) I eventually gave up on the tow service and jumped the car myself with my 2018 Camry and it started right up...left the car running, rushed to the dealer...

OK, the Service Writer (whom I have no reason not to trust) listened to my tale and asked we NOT turn off the car. He said that they've seen a few of these and it's almost certainly the battery. Yeah... He would not elaborate any but I got one of those "knowing looks" like...the factory battery is crap.

In any case, they ran diagnostics, replaced the battery and all is good...+1 day thus far.

SO...anybody have any comments or similar experiences? I'd like to think that the 2020 RAV4 doesn't have any really hidden issues lurking in the darkness.

Thanks!

 

Same thing. My 2020 Hybrid XSE was DOA on Sunday Jun 28th. Wanted it towed, but the AAA guy (I had forgotten about Toyota Care) was afraid to put it on the flatbed since it was stuck in park. Anyway, he jumped it and I drove it to the dealer. They were closed so I left it front and center in front of the service bay. The next morning, it wouldn't start for them either. They jumped it and drove it around, then parked it for a few hours. Started up for them. Put it on a load test, fine. I picked it up yesterday afternoon and no problems since. I fully expect this to be an ongoing problem. The service guy can't say anything, I know that. But he said enough that I am confident they are aware of this. FYI--my RAV4 was manufactured in October 2019 in Ontario.

 

Same problem for my new 2020 Rav4 LE, 1300 miles 3 months old, battery got drained out 3 time in the past 3 weeks. Took it to the dealer, left the car overnight, then they found out the same problem next morning - car can't start up. They said there's a sensor problem and they have to order the park for me, asking me to leave my car there for 3 days, then said the part wouldn't arrive in 7 days so I had to go to the dealer to pick up my car, they will call me once the part arrives. I have never had any of problem in any of the new cars I owned in the past 25 years, I don't know what is going on with the new Rav4, and don't know why Toyota hasn't recalled it.

 

Same thing happened to my RAV4 hybrid limited 2020 today. Funny enough i had my first service 2 days ago and all were fine.
The towing guy jumped it and i drove it to the dealership. They couldn’t find anything as all tests passed.
now as i’m leaving for 400km trip, I’ll be caring the jump cables with me. ((

 

Same thing happened to my RAV4 hybrid limited 2020 today. Funny enough i had my first service 2 days ago and all were fine.
The towing guy jumped it and i drove it to the dealership. They couldn’t find anything as all tests passed.
now as i’m leaving for 400km trip, I’ll be caring the jump cables with me. ((

Yeh, on the day to go back home, the battery was dead again. Will be back to the dealership tomorrow.

 

Toyota not so dependable after all. Been driving them since 1979, but couple this with the known gas tank issue and add me to the list of not so happy campers. Mine went dead today. 2020 RAV4 XSE 1066 miles owned since 5/20. Wouldn't start. Lights came on and every idiot light explaining systems that weren't available including parking brake. We drove it on a short trip so no lack of use. Tow truck was called but could not get it out of the garage since unable to disengage the park

 

parking brake. I went ahead and put it on a battery charger, battery was dead. Now we will be taking it to the dealer in the morning. Toyota has to know about this, I have seen it all over the internet. Rumor has it a fix is coming for the fuel tank problem. Didn't think I would have to pack jumper cables with my new Rav4 and the battery is not so easy to access. Haven't even made the first payment yet.

 

I took delivery of my wife's RAV4 XLE AWD in late December and yesterday (June 6, 2020) we had the battery replaced by the dealer. OK, Lemme back up some.

• A couple of months ago we found the battery was dead...thinking that we didn't close a door or something else we did, I called Toyota Care and they sent out somebody to jump the car and everything was fine...until...
• Friday AM my wife was about to run some errands and...the battery was dead. I called Toyota Care again, they sent somebody out, jumped the battery and it worked just fine...or so it seemed. We ran the car for 30 minutes or so in the garage and turned off the car. I called the dealer (Thousand Oaks Toyota) and made an early AM appointment as this should NOT be happening.
• I was about to take the car to the dealer yesterday and...DEAD BATTERY! Called Toyota Care again and this time asked for a flatbed for a tow to the dealer...sure thing! (There's a tale of pain and woe here that I won't go into as this thread is supposed to be about the battery.) I eventually gave up on the tow service and jumped the car myself with my 2018 Camry and it started right up...left the car running, rushed to the dealer...

OK, the Service Writer (whom I have no reason not to trust) listened to my tale and asked we NOT turn off the car. He said that they've seen a few of these and it's almost certainly the battery. Yeah... He would not elaborate any but I got one of those "knowing looks" like...the factory battery is crap.

In any case, they ran diagnostics, replaced the battery and all is good...+1 day thus far.

SO...anybody have any comments or similar experiences? I'd like to think that the 2020 RAV4 doesn't have any really hidden issues lurking in the darkness.

Thanks!

The same thing is happening to our 2019 Rav 4 xle. We are on the 2nd battery and now it is going dead and causing same problem as 1st battery. Getting fed up with this unreliable car. Think I'm going back to a Ford at least they started not like this new Toyota. Very unhappy!

 

Guys theres a ton of threads on this known battery issue. Quick fix through software update..

 

Agreed. Theres a TSB Toyota has for this issue. Im not going to say it will Definately fix your situation but I've seen quite a number of these.
Tsb number is 0095-20 DCM reset and Firmware Update- says it only applies to 2021 Avalon, Avalon HV, corolla, Corolla HV, Sienna HV and Venza HV as well as 2020- 2021 Camry, Camry HV, corolla hatchback, Rav4, and Rav4 HV

 

Had it happen AGAIN this past week. My wife drove the car as normal and parked in the our garage. We went out the next day to go someplace and DEAD BATTERY! We took my car instead and I called Roadside Assistance after we returned home. Guy came out to the house quickly...jumped the car and it ran just fine. The next AM I called CORPORATE TOYOTA and started the conversation indicating that I wanted to file a LEMON LAW CLAIM...boom...that got their attention! The corp. guy I spoke to was very will to help and listen. He called the dealer we have been using and spoke to them about my issue. HEY! THERE'S A FIX! Turns out sometime in November a TSB came out and there's a software update for one of the computers. We had it updated the next day and so far...no issues...we continue to watch however.

 

I took delivery of my wife's RAV4 XLE AWD in late December and yesterday (June 6, 2020) we had the battery replaced by the dealer. OK, Lemme back up some.

• A couple of months ago we found the battery was dead...thinking that we didn't close a door or something else we did, I called Toyota Care and they sent out somebody to jump the car and everything was fine...until...
• Friday AM my wife was about to run some errands and...the battery was dead. I called Toyota Care again, they sent somebody out, jumped the battery and it worked just fine...or so it seemed. We ran the car for 30 minutes or so in the garage and turned off the car. I called the dealer (Thousand Oaks Toyota) and made an early AM appointment as this should NOT be happening.
• I was about to take the car to the dealer yesterday and...DEAD BATTERY! Called Toyota Care again and this time asked for a flatbed for a tow to the dealer...sure thing! (There's a tale of pain and woe here that I won't go into as this thread is supposed to be about the battery.) I eventually gave up on the tow service and jumped the car myself with my 2018 Camry and it started right up...left the car running, rushed to the dealer...

OK, the Service Writer (whom I have no reason not to trust) listened to my tale and asked we NOT turn off the car. He said that they've seen a few of these and it's almost certainly the battery. Yeah... He would not elaborate any but I got one of those "knowing looks" like...the factory battery is crap.

In any case, they ran diagnostics, replaced the battery and all is good...+1 day thus far.

SO...anybody have any comments or similar experiences? I'd like to think that the 2020 RAV4 doesn't have any really hidden issues lurking in the darkness.

Thanks!

Same issue. Dead battery twice so far. They are trying to convince me that I don't drive the car enough for the battery to fully charge. My retired neighbors with new cars are not having this issue. I am beginning to hate my 2019 RAV4. It is not reliable. Not sure what to do next. It is certainly going to happen again. They claim my battery is fine. Really??

 

I am approaching the 1 year anniversary with my 2020 XLE Premium. Only issue I have has was the phone app connecting to the car for the convenience . No battery issues what so ever with more than 11,000 miles. My next trip to dealer will be for a state inspection and later in spring a tire rotation. I can say so far that the RAV4 has exceeded my expectations. Some snowy weather here on Christmas Day proved what it can do in snow and how I went as relatives watched or had to accept a ride. My vehicle was manufactured in Japan if that has anything to do with parts supply. I am a person that does not tolerate electrical problems. Get it right or I will as a battery will only get me once and then it will be gone ...one way or the other. I like to replace it before it test me ...any indication of failure it' s out .......

 

I bought my 2020 RAV4 XLE in Nov 2020 with approx 2400 miles. After 2 weeks the car would not start. I was able to jump start the car and it has not been an issue since then. I appreciate the posts in case this comes up again.

 

DejaVu. All these posts remind me of the issues with the Prius and Smart Key.

1) The Smart Key system slowly drains the 12V battery. The system continuously receives power from 12V battery, waiting and "listening" for the key fob to come into range, so the doors can get unlocked, the vehicle computers power up to start (READY) the vehicle.

2) If you are NOT driving regularly (ideally every day, for at least 30minutes total), then the 12V battery will quickly get to a discharged state, stay there, resulting in a shortened life span. A 12V battery in a discharged state, and a prolonged discharge state, is very bad for longevity.

3) If you listen to the radio in ACC (Accessory) mode, this will only make the problem worse. Best to listen to the radio in READY mode for prolonged periods of time, assuming you are not in an enclosed space; the computers will turn the engine on as needed, to recharge the HV battery, which in turn will recharge the 12V battery.

4) If you modified any of the 12V cigarette lighters to be always on, so you can charge your phone/tablet, this hurts the 12V battery.

5) Did you add any accessories to the car? If so, these accessories might be adding to the parasitic load, to the detriment of the 12V battery.

SOLUTION:
1) Deactivate the Smart Key, esp if you are NOT driving much (ie. daily for 30minues). This sucks, and makes the car "dumb," but this is the best solution.
2) Invest in an AGM compatible smart charger that has a fused eyelet lead, that can be left mounted to the +/- battery terminal clamps. Just be sure to choose a battery charger that is of compatible charging rate for the AGM battery.
CTEK, NOCO, and Battery Tender, are some good options to choose from.
3) If you don't want to buy an AGM compatible smart charger, leave your car in READY mode for a few hours a week. Remember, the HV battery recharges the 12V battery via the DC-DC bus. The gas engine will automatically activate as needed to keep the HV Battery recharged. Depending on how badly drained the 12V battery is, you may have to keep the car in READY mode for many hours. Thus the ease of just getting an AGM compatible smart charger.

 

I took delivery of my wife's RAV4 XLE AWD in late December and yesterday (June 6, 2020) we had the battery replaced by the dealer. OK, Lemme back up some.

• A couple of months ago we found the battery was dead...thinking that we didn't close a door or something else we did, I called Toyota Care and they sent out somebody to jump the car and everything was fine...until...
• Friday AM my wife was about to run some errands and...the battery was dead. I called Toyota Care again, they sent somebody out, jumped the battery and it worked just fine...or so it seemed. We ran the car for 30 minutes or so in the garage and turned off the car. I called the dealer (Thousand Oaks Toyota) and made an early AM appointment as this should NOT be happening.
• I was about to take the car to the dealer yesterday and...DEAD BATTERY! Called Toyota Care again and this time asked for a flatbed for a tow to the dealer...sure thing! (There's a tale of pain and woe here that I won't go into as this thread is supposed to be about the battery.) I eventually gave up on the tow service and jumped the car myself with my 2018 Camry and it started right up...left the car running, rushed to the dealer...

OK, the Service Writer (whom I have no reason not to trust) listened to my tale and asked we NOT turn off the car. He said that they've seen a few of these and it's almost certainly the battery. Yeah... He would not elaborate any but I got one of those "knowing looks" like...the factory battery is crap.

In any case, they ran diagnostics, replaced the battery and all is good...+1 day thus far.

SO...anybody have any comments or similar experiences? I'd like to think that the 2020 RAV4 doesn't have any really hidden issues lurking in the darkness.

Thanks!

The same thing is happening to me. My 2020 RAV4 only has 3,000 miles. The first time they replaced the battery. Now it’s in the shop again and I’m awaiting the response. They replaced that battery end of March 2020 now back in the shop April 2020 dealing with the same thing.
I feel this is a systemic issue unfortunately.

 

Toyota RAV 2020 is a nightmare because its battery keeps draining. Is anyone thinking about filing a lawsuit?

 

This battery draining issue has been completely fixed. This is OLD news! Get the Data Communications Module (DCM) TSB performed for free at the dealer and your battery issues are over.