What breaks most · 1994 to 2025 model years
Toyota RAV4 problems by year
Owners have filed 9,345 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota RAV4 across model years 1994 to 2025. Three years stand out: 2007 for steering complaints, 2019 for fuel system complaints and 2006 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 1995, 1994 and 2000.
- Years to check closely: 2007, 2019, 2006
- Fewest complaints: 1995, 1994, 2000
- Complaints on file
- 93451994 to 2025, all trims
- Worst year
- 20071004 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 802289 fires · 583 injuries · 12 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 58kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 149Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 47 | 4 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (11) | |
| 54 | 9 | 1 | Engine and cooling (10) | |
| 77 | 19 | 5 | Air bags (13) | |
| 62 | 14 | 5 | Speed control and throttle (14) | |
| 30 | 5 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (7) | |
| 309 | 18 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (190) | |
| 527 | 36 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (376) | |
| 314 | 18 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (209) | |
| 154 | 16 | 2 | Air bags (47) | |
| 141 | 22 | 5 | Air bags (59) | |
| 704 | 26 | 11 | Steering (230) | |
| 1004 | 53 | 14 | Steering (271) | |
| 575 | 42 | 14 | Engine (137) | |
| 327 | 52 | 15 | Speed control and throttle (99) | |
| 400 | 57 | 14 | Suspension (101) | |
| 287 | 44 | 11 | Speed control and throttle (69) | |
| 260 | 36 | 5 | Wipers and visibility (53) | |
| 257 | 22 | 2 | Electrical system (75) | |
| 197 | 20 | 4 | Electrical system (69) | |
| 303 | 37 | 4 | Electrical system (84) | |
| 239 | 33 | 3 | Electrical system (59) | |
| 305 | 33 | 3 | Electrical system (107) | |
| 330 | 31 | 3 | Electrical system (129) | |
| 875 | 25 | 7 | Fuel system (255) | |
| 630 | 17 | 6 | Engine (180) | |
| 382 | 46 | 1 | Air bags (125) | |
| 144 | 14 | 1 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 152 | 18 | 3 | Electrical system (41) | |
| 171 | 27 | 3 | Unknown or other (49) | |
| 83 | 7 | 3 | Unknown or other (22) |
What fails on the 2007 Toyota RAV4
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 27% |
271 | 5 | Shop steering parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 19% |
195 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 12% |
125 | 9 | Shop suspension parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 10% |
101 | 21 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 10% |
99 | 17 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
76 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
53 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 4% |
41 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Knock in the steering wheel when turning and have paid over $2,500.00 with the problem never getting fixed because everyone thinks it is something else and they are always wrong.
-
Strong gas smell when the engine is turned on. I started feel this issue about 2 year ago, now the gas smell is more stronger every time engine is turned on.
-
Steering 'clunks' and car won't turn at low speeds/stationary, radio momentarily cuts out and dash lights flash. Can turn the steering wheel further after a few seconds. Happens intermittently, so far only at low speeds/while parking or leaving a parking space.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Toyota RAV4 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2007, 2019, 2006 carry the most filings on the Toyota RAV4. The 2007 alone has 1004 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Toyota RAV4 problem?
On the 2007 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 271 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota RAV4 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota RAV4 complaints that include mileage is about 58,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.