NHTSA Complaint #11418253 — 2017 TOYOTA RAV4

We purchased this Toyota RAV4 car new in 2017, for our daughter. It has driven problem free, until the car was 3 years and 3 months old. At 3 years and 3 months from purchase, in October, 2020, my daughter took it into the Toyota dealership, in the morning, for a routine oil change. She hasn't had any problems with the car, and has only had it serviced at the Toyota dealership. She drove it in, and got a ride home, and was waiting for the call to come pick up her car. In the afternoon, the dealership called to say her 2017 RAV4 have severe engine damage from the batter exploding, while it had been sitting at the dealership. They told her it was 3 months past the warranty, and Toyota wouldn't pay for any repairs. It sat at Toyota for a week, until our auto insurance representative went and looked. He called us to say that: " he had never seen soo much engine damage." He told us that our auto insurance was -- "totaling the car, that the engine was unrepairable, and that they were going to take it to the auto dump." Our insurance company hauled it away, and determined its remaining value and paid us, in October, 2020. My daughter chose a new car, we purchased it for her, with the insurance money, covering part of the purchase. It cost us thousands more, to cover the cost of the new replacement car. I told my daughter that we had bought her a "dud of a gift", and would pay for the new car. Our auto insurance confirmed what the dealership said, that the battery had exploded.