The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary investigation into the fourth generation Toyota RAV4 following reports of fires starting at the 12-volt battery.
The NHTSA says that it is investigating RAV4s made between 2013 and 2018 after receiving 11 failure reports. The fires may be coming from shorts originating in the battery hold-down frame. These can cause a sudden loss of electrical power, stalling, and fires.
According to the NHTSA, four of the reports claim that the fire started while the engine was not running. The Associated Press asked a Toyota representative if vehicles should be stored outside, but the automaker declined to speculate. The representative did say, though, that the automaker is cooperating with the NHTSA in this investigation.
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So far, there appears to be an overlap between vehicles with the reported fault and vehicles that were repaired or had their batteries replaced. That suggests that improper battery installation was likely a factor in these issues.
The NHTSA, though, is opening the preliminary investigation to better understand the contributing factors and frequency of fires.
The RAV4 was the best-selling crossover in the US for 2020, a title it has long held. The vehicles aren’t being recalled just yet, but they could be depending on the findings of the investigation.
