Toyota RAV4 Block Heater Guide

Issue: This recall is for certain block heater kits installed on certain vehicles or sold as accessories at Toyota or Lexus dealerships. On certain vehicles, the engine block heater cable may not have enough heat protection and could be damaged by high temperatures. If this happens, the cable could short circuit while plugged in, and cause the wiring to overheat or melt. Note: This recall only affects the following block heater/cord part numbers: C014003034 PK5A408J09 PU14000904 C014003151 PK5A408J13 PU14000905 C014000885 PK5A489J11 PU14000907 C014000888 PK5A489J22 PU14000909 C014000907 PK5A410H00 PU14000911 C014100904 PU14000900 PU14000913 C014100907 PU14000901 PU14003571 C014100911 PU14000902 PK5A489J14 PK5A408J05 PU14000903 Safety Risk: Engine block heater wiring that overheats or melts could create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Toyota recommends that you should stop using the engine block heater immediately. Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to disable the engine block heater. For some vehicles, the corrective actions for this recall are under development. For others, a new engine block heater cannot be installed, and the owner will receive a refund of the purchase price of the engine block heater.

On certain vehicles, the electrical power cords of some dealer installed block heaters may have been improperly manufactured, causing the wires to contact each other, resulting in a short circuit. A short circuit could lead to a fire which would increase the risk of injury and/or damage to property. Correction: For vehicles where the subject block heater was approved for installation, the dealer will replace the block heater assembly with a new one of an improved design. For vehicles where the subject block heater was not approved for installation, dealers will remove the block heater assembly. In the interim, until the remedy can be performed, dealers will cut the plug end from the block heater cord to disable the block heater's operation.

Issue: Under certain conditions, a software problem could cause the rearview camera image to freeze or not to display. If this happens, the rearview image may not display when the transmission is shifted into reverse. Canadian regulations require the rearview image to display when the vehicle is reversing. Note: This recall only affects certain vehicles equipped with a panoramic view monitor system. Safety Risk: A rearview camera image that doesn't display correctly could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners in writing and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to update the parking assist ECU software.

Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with a 2.5-L 4-cylinder engine, the engine block may be porous. As a result, the engine block could crack and cause internal or external coolant leaks. This could cause engine overheating or internal engine damage and result in an engine failure. For non-hybrid vehicles, this could also result in a sudden loss of engine power while driving. Note: This problem may lead to engine noise, smoke, cause warning lights to turn on and/or cause an audible chime to sound before an engine failure. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, an engine failure could create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the engine block casting serial number. If the serial number is within the identified range, the dealer will replace the engine with a new one.