I have a 2018 rav 4 non hybrid 64,000 miles. I was traveling at 65 mph and the whole car shuts down just for a split second. It was hard to tell if it was everything but I happened to have my foot on the brake and I could tell the power brakes were gone. The center console screen rebooted. I would describe it as an EMP going off and then everything is back to normal. This happened 3 times, over about 2hours driving. BluDriver scanner gave no codes.
Anyone touch the battery lately? Check the battery for loose terminals and loose connections. Even the slightest looseness can cause a spontaneous shutdown.
Wouldn't the car still run off the alternator?
No.
The way I understand the connections, is the alternator is connected to the battery, and the battery is connected to the rest of the car. If the connection is loose at the battery, there is no way the alternator could power the car, because the connection to the rest of the car is lost.
The positive cable was loose, but I took it off while it was running and it was still running and everything inside was working.
It might very well be the loose battery cable. Hopefully that solves the problem!
Forgot to mention that I tested the battery and it was at 110% of CCA and alternator was putting out 14 volts. I agree it's got to be the connection being loose, but when I disconnected the battery it was still running.
Only way to know is to test it out pun the road. If the tightening the battery cable solves the problem, yay! If you still get the intermittent cutting off of power, then it is another problem. Make sure the negative terminal is not loose too.
Taking appropriate safety precautions of course!
@kaizen not really. Often the cables are combined into one terminal, and the alternator would remain connected to the rest of the vehicle.
GTK.
I just watched Scottys video on charging phones and laptops. I bought an anker cigarette lighter charger with usbc. He was talking about interference with these things causing all sorts of problems. Never would have thought that would cause problems. So I tightened the battery connection and unplugged the charger and we will see if it does it again.
Thanks for all the input.
You car is still under warranty, yes?
I would take it to the dealer and ask them to look it over. This might have something to do with the high voltage hybrid system so I wouldn't mess with it.
I strongly agree with the suggestion of taking it to the dealer. They may have a software update that might help, particularly if there have been other such cases. (I'd search on the RAV4 boards for that issue). As a side note, looking over the initial post, JAB describes his vehicle as a "non hybrid."
Oops! Forget what I said.
Drive the car over the roughest, bumpiest road you can find and see if you can replicate the issue.
You should never disconnect the battery on a modern car while the engine is running unless you like taking the chance of destroying electronics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sWO9NrwOC4
The positive terminal was loose, but I took off the positive cable why it was running and everything still worked.
It's still running because the alternator is still connected. However, you shouldn't do this. You can damage the alternator or computers. Scotty warned people about this several times.