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Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Owners Take Note Of This Important Defect Report

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid from 2019 to 2020 is experiencing an unusual series of failures related to the high voltage wire harness.
Image of Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Component courtesy of Tom Smeal

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is one of America’s top-selling green crossovers. With sales passing 100,000 units in the past few years, it is more popular than many major brands’ mainstream crossovers. And it has been proven to be extremely reliable. However, there is one odd failure beginning to cause issues for owners.

Internal Toyota service notification T-TT-0630-20 alerts its dealer technicians that some 2019-2020 model year RAV4 HV vehicles may experience DTC codes P0AA649 / P1C8049. These codes indicate “Hybrid/EV Battery Voltage System Isolation Internal Electronic Failure” or, “P1C8049-Hybrid/EV Battery Voltage System Isolation (Rear Motor Area) Internal Electronic Failure.” Toyota goes on to say that the root cause of the issue is a short in MGR connector due to corrosion. The alert was issued by Toyota on October 27, 2020.

If an owner experiences this problem, technicians are advised to “Raise the vehicle to visually inspect the high voltage wire harness that connects to the MGR. Unplug and check for corrosion or buildup of dirt and sediment in the connector.” They are then advised to “Confirm the cable corrosion or dirt build-up at the MGR connector and call TAS for further instruction. If it is a weekend or holiday, continue with diagnosis and repair. Please save all parts and/or details and contact TAS on the next available workday.”

Related Story: Dealer Won’t Honor Your Warranty? Here’s What To Do And Why You Should Not Give Up

Clearly, Toyota has identified a possible problem related to this portion of the RAV4 Hybrid’s powertrain. If your vehicle displays a check engine light and the technician identifies the codes listed above request a warranty repair. Hybrid components are warrantied by Toyota for 8 years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first. The parts listed in the technical alert are all part of the hybrid drive system. As you can tell simply from their names.

In the event that the dealer pushes back on covering the cost of repairs under warranty, try calling Toyota’s corporate customer support line for help. Let them know you are aware of the Internal Toyota service notification T-TT-0630-20 and that you know your hybrid components are warrantied for 8-years or 100K miles. In the event you do have to pay for any repairs or diagnostic fees, retain your receipt because it is likely a future recall or class action suit may end up with a reimbursement program.

If your Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has experienced this problem, please tell us about your experience in the comments below. Your notes may assist other owners.

Image of Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Component courtesy of Tom Smeal.

John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's interest in EVs goes back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an EV battery as part of an academic team. After earning his mechanical engineering degree, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotech. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American news outlets and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin

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Comments

Diana Tuttle (not verified)    May 4, 2023 - 11:01PM

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Had the same issue on my 2020 rav 4. It was a bent hinge which eas deemed a factory failure part and covered by Toyota. Call corporate office they r the one that helped my dealership wouldnt.

Earl Horn, Har… (not verified)    May 27, 2023 - 8:22PM

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Re: 2019 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid with 46,000 miles. Approximately 4.5 weeks ago a notice appeared upon startup on the head unit display that a malfunction had occurred in the hybrid system and to take the vehicle to the dealer. By chance we were driving a short distance to pick up a vehicle from our local mechanic. After arriving the car was turned off. Upon attempting to re-start, a message appeared indicating "Hybrid failure". The vehicle wouldn't start. Our mechanic checked the error code that indicated a high voltage system failure. He cleared the code, and the car started. We took it immediately to Toyota where the same "Hybrid failure" message appeared again. When I described the morning's events to the service rep, he asked if we lived on a dirt road. We do, and he said it was likely corrosion located at a specific connection in the wiring harness. (This was confirmed.) He said if the repair would be done at no cost under Toyota's Customer Support Program but he couldn't say how quickly the part would be available.

Our Rav4 has now been at the dealership for 4.5 weeks. At first it was identified as back-ordered. After 3.5 weeks the availability was changed to TBD... to be determined (????). Toyota is covering the cost of a dealership rental vehicle until the part arrives, which is a consolation, but we have no idea when we'll get our car back. The service rep said the part might arrive tomorrow, or we could still be waiting for days or weeks.

Interestingly, only after this occurred did we receive a Customer Support Program
22TE09 Notification for "certain" 2019-2022 Rav4 Hybrids.

We appreciate the replacement vehicle at no charge (a 2023 Camry), but it is not our vehicle, and was made available only by using our own insurance coverage. This sets up a liability scenario if damage occurs and triggers our $1000 deductible.

I'd suggest anyone with a Rav4 Hybrid have this wiring harness checked by your dealer whether you've had any problems or not, and whether you've received the notice or not.

Frustrating...

Denise Proctor (not verified)    March 27, 2024 - 7:46PM

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I own a 2019 Rav 4 Hybrid. Many times since purchase when hitting any hole or dip in the road, the charging icon would light up on the dashboard and it made a metal twanging noise. I bought this vehicle in October 2019. Special ordered for the Lunar rock color. November 2023 at almost 20,000 miles, I came out to…nothing. I stood next to the car and the doors did not unlock. Nothing. I called the Toyota dealership. They said to have the car towed to them. Tow truck driver was able to jump it to get it started. So I immediately drove it to the dealership. Ended up it was the engine harness. They gave me a loaner car for the month that it took to get it fixed. Now it’s the end of March 2024. Came out Monday morning and experienced the “nothing” again. Just got a call today that it’s a “defective wiring harness”. Here we go again. Oh, all covered under warranty. Last replacement would have cost over $10,000.