Yellow, orange and red stripes on a RAV4 grille: what they mean and where to get them

You've probably spotted a RAV4 with three little stripes on the grille, yellow, orange and red, and wondered if that's a special trim. It isn't.

Below I'll go through where the colors come from, why some RAV4s have one set and some have two, the four kinds you can buy with real prices, and how to take them off without hurting the grille.

Where the yellow, orange and red stripes come from

The yellow, orange and red stripes are the TRD USA racing colors. TRD USA is the US arm of Toyota Racing Development. The team introduced the colors in 1982 on the stadium and Baja race trucks driven by Ivan "Ironman" Stewart. Stewart won the SCORE Baja 500 and Baja 1000 a combined 22 times. The colors later spread to other Toyota race cars.

Toyota has brought the colors back on official tribute models, like the 2023 4Runner 40th Anniversary edition, and on its SEMA show trucks. On a RAV4, though, the stripes are always an add-on. The stripes are just decoration, so keep in mind they say nothing about the trim.

Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, the driver whose Toyota race trucks carried the red, orange and yellow colors. From AutoGuide's video.

One of Ivan Stewart's Toyota race trucks, with the red, orange and yellow stripes across the hood. From AutoGuide's video.

An owner's 1986 Toyota pickup done up as an Ivan Stewart tribute. You can see the red stripe is the widest and the yellow stripe is the narrowest, like on Stewart's trucks. From SoCal Vintage's video.

• Stripe widths. On Stewart's trucks the red stripe is the widest, then orange, then yellow, which is the narrowest. A lot of aftermarket kits make all three stripes the same width instead.
• The meaning story. You'll see a story online that the three colors stand for passion, determination and optimism. That story comes from one article on SlashGear, so treat it as a story, not a fact.

One set or two

There's no rule. Some owners put one set of stripes on the upper grille. Others add a second set lower down, on the lower grille or the bumper trim.

The same white RAV4 wearing two badges, a yellow, orange and red one sitting above a white, light blue and blue one. From Morozov Automotive's video.

Kits are sold one set at a time, so two sets usually means buying two kits, or a kit that comes with both.

Some owners mix colors, with the yellow, orange and red set above a white, light blue and blue set.

The four kinds of RAV4 grille stripes, and where to buy them

A lot of small sellers make these stripes, and no one company owns the look. The four kinds are a bolt-on badge, a clip-on badge, a stick-on badge or insert, and a flat vinyl decal. Below are the styles you'll see on RAV4s, with real examples of each one.

A blue, white and red badge on the grille of a black RAV4. From DonRobertJr Adventures' video.

A white and gray badge on a silver 2021 RAV4 Prime XSE, which gives you a quieter look. From EVDude's video.

The colors go beyond yellow, orange and red too. Sellers also make blue, white and red sets, white and gray sets, and white, light blue and blue sets. Most stripes are made for the 2019 to 2025 RAV4 grille, so check that the listing names your year.

Side-by-side stripe badge

Three short, slanted stripes sit next to each other on one grille bar, yellow, then orange, then red. Some sellers make this as one small domed badge, and some make it as three small pieces you stick side by side. This is the style you'll most often see with a second set on the lower grille.

• povtii Tri-Color Grille Decor Badge on Amazon. The povtii badge is one piece, about 4.7 inches long and 1 inch tall. It has red, orange and yellow slanted blocks in a black frame. The povtii badge isn't a sticker. It bolts on with two threaded studs, two nuts and a small black bar behind the grille slat. The colors run red, orange, yellow from left to right, which is the reverse of some other badges.
• Etsy 3-color stripe grille badge for the 2019 to 2025 RAV4, $15.79 for 3 pieces. The Etsy badge is domed resin over vinyl, from a shop with about 7,600 reviews averaging 4.6 stars.
• Amazon 3-piece stripe grille metal emblem for the 2019 to 2025 RAV4. The Amazon emblem comes in yellow, orange and red, plus other color sets, so check the current price on the listing.
• Cartrimhome tri-color grille badge, $17.09. The Cartrimhome badge is sold for the Tacoma, 4Runner, Tundra, RAV4 and Highlander. The Cartrimhome listing says the badge doesn't fit the RAV4 Adventure grille.
• eBay tri-color grille badges, around $13. Some of the eBay badges come as a single piece that bolts or clips on instead of sticking, so you'll want to read the listing.

Clip-on badges

A clip-on badge pushes onto a grille slat with no tools, so there are no nuts to reach and no glue.

A clip-on badge on the grille of a silver RAV4, with no bolts involved. From Sepulkrum's video.

A badge with a topographic map pattern in red, orange and yellow. From Sepulkrum's video.

• StickerFactoryPR's topographic stripe badge on Etsy (Etsy search), about $16.79. The StickerFactoryPR badge has a topographic map pattern in red, orange and yellow. It comes with double-sided tape or a clip mount.

Stacked grille inserts, one color per bar

Stacked inserts are small raised pieces shaped to sit on the RAV4's grille bars, one color per bar, stacked top to bottom.

The Tufskinz Grille Line Inserts on a 2019 to 2025 RAV4, with yellow, orange and red stacked on three grille bars, one color per bar. From Tufskinz.

• Tufskinz Grille Line Inserts for the 2019 to 2025 RAV4, $24.99 for a 3-piece kit. The Tufskinz pieces are domed and stand 4 mm off the grille. Each piece has a UV-resistant gloss resin top and 3M automotive adhesive on the back. The kit is made in the USA and takes about 5 minutes to put on. Tufskinz also sells the inserts in purple, pink and blue, and in white, gray and dark gray.
• Other shops resell the same Tufskinz kit, like The Yota Garage. Sellers list different years (2019 to 2023, 2019 to 2024 or 2019 to 2025), so check your year.

Flat vinyl decals

Flat vinyl decals are thin vinyl stripes, either cut to fit a certain grille or sold as universal stripes you trim yourself.

• Taco Vinyl grille decals, $11.99. The Taco Vinyl decals are made from 3M or Avery Dennison vinyl. They come in a brighter "Classic" color scheme or a softer "Heritage" one. Taco Vinyl also makes decals for the RAV4 Adventure grille.
• Trail4Runner universal heritage stripes, from $8.50. The Trail4Runner stripes measure 9.5 x 4 inches and are printed in Northern California. All three of the Trail4Runner stripes are the same width.
• ExtremeTerrain universal heritage stripes (Taco Clout brand). The ExtremeTerrain stripes come in gloss or matte. One reviewer said their stripes faded within a year.
• Lots of cheap sellers list these stripes on eBay, Amazon and Etsy. Check the size, because "universal" usually means some trimming.

What RAV4 grille stripes cost

A grille kit costs from $8.50 to $24.99, so two sets run from about $17 to $50. The bigger stripe kits that run down the side of the car are a different product and cost more.

Are the stripes permanent, and how do you take them off?

No, the stripes aren't permanent.

An owner fitting a bolt-on badge to the grille of a blue RAV4. From Installs and Pitfalls' video.

A bolt-on badge like the povtii one takes a little more work. You'll want to open the hood and take off the plastic radiator-support cover, because that's how you reach behind the grille slat to the two nuts. Taking a bolt-on badge off is the same job in reverse, and there's no glue left behind. A clip-on badge pulls off the slat by hand.

Stick-on badges, raised inserts and vinyl decals come off with gentle heat:

1. Warm the stripe with a hair dryer, or a heat gun on low, held a few inches away and kept moving. Grille plastic takes less heat than painted metal.
2. Lift an edge with a fingernail or a plastic razor blade (Amazon search), never a metal one, and peel slowly at a low angle.
3. Clean off the leftover glue with an automotive adhesive remover like 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner or Goo Gone Automotive (Amazon searches). You'll want to test the remover on a hidden spot first, because some solvents can mark plastic.
4. Wash the spot with soap and water.

Raised inserts are thicker than vinyl, so they may need a little more heat. If you take a stick-on stripe off gently, the stripe shouldn't leave a mark on the grille.

Keep stripes off the Toyota emblem

On the 2019 to 2025 RAV4, the radar for the adaptive cruise and the pre-collision system sits behind the Toyota emblem in the grille. Stripes on the grille bars sit away from the emblem, so the stripes shouldn't affect the radar. But you'll want to keep any sticker off the emblem itself. One owner reported that a vinyl overlay on the emblem upset the radar.

What owners mention about grille stripes

• Fading. Cheap vinyl can fade in the sun.
• Car washes and gravel. Domed inserts stand up from the grille, so they can catch on a car wash brush or take more hits from gravel than flat vinyl.
• Warranty. Toyota doesn't cover any of these stripes, since they're aftermarket.