NHTSA lists 321 complaints for the 2017 Toyota RAV4, 34 of them mention a crash and 24 mention a fire. 24 complaints mention an injury, with 30 injuries and 2 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as TOYOTA RAV4.
At a glance
Complaints
321
With crash
34
With fire
24
With injury (complaints)
24
Injuries
30
Deaths
2
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,853,568
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
242
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
111
34.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
64
19.9%
SERVICE BRAKES
40
12.5%
ENGINE
32
10.0%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
32
10.0%
STRUCTURE
21
6.5%
AIR BAGS
20
6.2%
POWER TRAIN
16
5.0%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
15
4.7%
STEERING
13
4.0%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
STRUCTURE
BODY
20
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT PANEL
2
VISIBILITY
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION
REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
CYBERSECURITY
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
IGNITION
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit. (excerpt)
Consequence: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire. (excerpt)
Remedy: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers f (excerpt)
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Defect: Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.
Consequence: A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Gulf States will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spare tires, adjusting their pressure as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 15, 2017. Owners may contact Gulf States customer service at 1-800-444-1074. Toyota's number for this recall is 17R2.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
2 investigations; 0 open.
DP22005
Opened: 2023-01-27. Closed: 2023-08-07.
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to understand the contributing factors and frequency of vehicle fires originating from the battery region of the engine compartment in Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles on 25 February 2021. At the time of opening, ODI attributed eleven allegations and additional EWR events to this PE. PE21005 focused on rep
Date: 2026-02-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
OBSOLETE NOTICE February 13, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0009-26.
11029893
Date: 2026-02-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge on Ni-MH high voltage (HV) batteries. This bulletin should be used in conjunction with the applicable model and model year Repair Manual while performing a rescue charge. The GRX-5100 should be used wherever the Repair Manual ref
11028712
Date: 2026-01-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Some 2005 a 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedur
11020666
Date: 2025-06-18. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
21TG01 Exprired - Replaced with Campaign 23TA13 During a recent investigation of reported battery fires in 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles with gasoline engines (excluding hybrid models), Toyota discovered that many non-Toyota retailers and others who sell or install replacement batteries were recommending
11020667
Date: 2025-06-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Campaign Expired - replaced with campaign 23TA13TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONSUMER ADVISORY 21TG01 12-VOLT BATTERY SIZE AND INSTALLATION INSPECTION CERTAIN 2013 a 2018 RAV4
11020657
Date: 2025-06-13. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
11012742
Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
11012743
Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
11012744
Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
11012735
Date: 2024-12-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow the Removal Procedure in this bulletin to remove the RapgardTM protective film wi
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.