Toyota has issued a recall for more than 1.8 million RAV4 SUVs from model years 2013 through 2018 because a loosely secured battery could trigger a fire during sharp maneuvers.
Toyota tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the problem doesn’t occur with the cars’ original batteries. But the cars are old enough that most customers will have replaced the battery by now. The assembly that holds the battery in place may not fully secure every Toyota-approved replacement battery.
Some replacement batteries “have a smaller top case dimension compared to the overall dimension of the battery.” The holding assembly could allow those to move “during driving that produces high levels of lateral G-force,” such as a sudden turn. If the battery moves such that its positive terminal contacts the hold-down clamp, “a short circuit could occur, generating heat.”
The company says its “best engineering judgment is that there are twenty-two Toyota Field Technical Reports and zero warranty claims” in the U.S. related to the problem.
To fix it, dealers will replace the battery tray, the hold-down assembly, and the positive terminal clamp with improved designs that should hold every approved battery securely.
Automakers recall many cars to fix safety defects, sometimes more than once. While automakers try to reach every owner to ask them to bring the vehicle in for repair, they rarely reach them all. Millions of vehicles on American roads need free recall repairs. To find out if your car is one of them, check the easy VIN tool at our recall center.
