The battery may be able to shorten and start a fire.
Because of the potential for fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an evaluation into the 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4. This recall could potentially affect approximately 1,862,103 units.
According to the official document, the problem is that the B+ terminal of the battery may short against the hold down frame. This can cause a fire or cause the vehicle’s to stop.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation received 11 complaints and an undetermined amount of Early Warning Report data. Four of the four reports stated that the fire started even though the ignition was off. Half the owners reported that their vehicle was stalled prior to the fire.
NHTSA reported that incorrect battery installation and a previous frontend collision repair were mentioned in some Early Warning Report information. These issues were the only causes of the fires, but the number of fires is still high.
One of the 11 complaints publicly available is for a RAV4 Hybrid. The complainant reported that the check engine light was illuminated when she drove around 50 mph. The hood began to smoke, then visible flames emerged. The incident caused the destruction of the crossover.
A preliminary evaluation does NOT necessarily indicate that a complete recall will occur. According to NHTSA, the investigation will “better understand and compare the frequency and contributing factors to vehicle fires that originate from the battery area of subject vehicles with peer vehicles.”
Motor1.com reached out Toyota regarding this preliminary evaluation. Ed Hellwig, Toyota Safety and Quality Communications Manager, said that Toyota was aware that NHTSA had opened the investigation and that they are cooperating with them.