Here’s the short story. I was on a bumpy dirt road when I hit a hard bump and lost engine power. The car would start then die. I got out and checked all my connections and checked the intake to see if I’m getting air. Eventually I realized it was one of my EFI fuses that blew. It hasn’t happened since but I’m curious if anyone here has an idea of what it could be.
Now for the long story. About a month ago my battery flew out of the tie down and welded itself to the hood of the car. I had Toyota send an inspector since it was related to the recall and he determined my vehicle was in great shape given the circumstances. Toyota sent me a new tie down until they have a solution for the recall in December and I thought all was well. The car was driving like normal and I saw no changes to its behavior. The battery does have a small wet spot now but Toyota won’t give me a new one until they finish their report. Fast forward 2 weeks later and the fuse blows on a bumpy road. Now I do have a new fuel pump as well since the old one quit on me last year but the car hasn’t given me issues until the battery issue. Could it be a melted wire that’s grounding on the frame?
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Yes is could be a damaged power wire touching metal. It could be a broken trace inside the ECU, too.
Good luck finding it. Start looking near the battery.
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Battery flew up and hit the hood, bumpy dirt road going fast enough to blow fuse hitting a hard bump, new fuel pump on a 2018 Toyota?? Sounds like you are having a little to much fun in a vehicle not designed for 4wheeling/off road use… You might be breaking all kinds of stuff… Sounds like you need a real offroad vehicle…
Recall or not, battery’s don’t just fly up and hit the hood, they are pretty heavy… But I will give you props for driving it anywhere, just slow down… lol
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The battery came out of the tie down while going 14mph on a normal dirt road. Had it all on dash cam for the recall claim. As for the dirt road where the fuse blew it was just ridges from a tracked vehicle but some were a little more extreme than others, however again I was going less than 20mph. I don’t ever take the vehicle where it shouldn’t go as I’m not that dumb haha.
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2017 rav4 here, the recall was for batteries smaller than OEM as I recall. Does not sound normal, but a lot can happen with an event like that.
I have seen the same battery problem on the Lexus NX, the top of the replacement battery is smaller, if the hold down bracket is not tight enough, the battery will shift out of position. The battery must remain centered to prevent the bracket from coming in contact with the positive terminal.
1.5 million fuel pumps recalled on various models including 2019 and 2020 Rav4. 2018 Rav4 is not included but I have replaced many recalled fuel pumps for 2015 to 2021 model years.
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That was the problem with the battery. The crazy part is Toyota were the ones who put that battery in. The inspector laughed when I told him that. He responded with “typical Toyota.”
Don’t be too quick to dismiss the importance of the battery leak. Check to make sure the acid is staying put, and not leaking onto something that’s going to cause you grief. Especially make sure it isn’t following a wire that’s touching the battery in the area of the leak.
My Corolla’s battery had a small minor leak, minor enough I just ignored it, figured it would self-correct next time I needed a new battery. Bad decision. The acid from the leak decanted from the battery down the middle of a main wiring harness, and eventually, probably took 6 months or more, ate up one of the wire splices deep inside the harness. The result , the alternator couldn’t charge the battery and the ALT warning light turned on . Big job, I had to take that part of the wiring harness completely apart, work my way down the length to find the wire-splice, then re-solder.
My guess, the prior loose battery problem is the ultimate source of the failed fuse. It might have overheated and cracked the fuse, but little-damage so that it still worked. The bump worsened the crack, then the fuse failed completely.
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