What breaks most · 1994 to 2019 model years
Toyota RAV4 problems by year
Owners have filed 5,461 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota RAV4 across model years 1994 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2007 for steering complaints, 2006 for steering complaints and 2008 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 1995, 1994 and 2000.
- Years to check closely: 2007, 2006, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 1995, 1994, 2000
- Complaints on file
- 54611994 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2007944 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 527109 fires · 350 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 62kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 132Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 47 | 4 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (11) | |
| 53 | 9 | 1 | Engine and cooling (10) | |
| 73 | 18 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (13) | |
| 56 | 13 | 5 | Speed control and throttle (14) | |
| 29 | 5 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (7) | |
| 305 | 18 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (189) | |
| 518 | 36 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (368) | |
| 308 | 18 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (204) | |
| 144 | 16 | 2 | Air bags (46) | |
| 130 | 21 | 5 | Air bags (57) | |
| 675 | 24 | 11 | Steering (224) | |
| 944 | 52 | 14 | Steering (262) | |
| 520 | 41 | 14 | Engine (111) | |
| 292 | 46 | 15 | Speed control and throttle (93) | |
| 356 | 51 | 14 | Suspension (89) | |
| 227 | 36 | 11 | Speed control and throttle (61) | |
| 207 | 32 | 5 | Wipers and visibility (45) | |
| 146 | 20 | 2 | Electrical system (37) | |
| 79 | 11 | 4 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 106 | 23 | 4 | Unknown or other (21) | |
| 95 | 16 | 3 | Brakes (25) | |
| 87 | 12 | 3 | Brakes (20) | |
| 57 | 4 | 3 | Exterior lighting (14) | |
| 3 | 0 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2007 Toyota RAV4
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 28% |
262 | 5 | Shop steering parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 18% |
171 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 12% |
115 | 8 | Shop suspension parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 11% |
101 | 21 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 10% |
94 | 17 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
69 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
50 | 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.
-
Steering wheel feels like lose and there is a thunder noise coming from rack and pinion according to mechanic, especially when drives in the city or over a hump.no matter how small is, also when driving and make right turn
-
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.
-
My rav4 is now burning oil. I am putting oil into it before i get to the date of my next service. I've heard about an enhanced warranty that went out to dealers that told about this being a problem with pistons and rings but the dealers chose not to tell customers about it. How do we fix the problem now?
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 30, 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, 2006, 2008 carry the most filings on the Toyota RAV4. The 2007 alone has 944 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Toyota RAV4 problem?
On the 2007 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 262 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 62,000 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.