2011 TOYOTA RAV4 — Owner-Reported Problems

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

• Campaign 13V014000 was reported 258 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 13V123000 was reported 799 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 14V743000 was reported 1,388 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 15V689000 was reported 653 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 16V396000 was reported 1,949 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 16V596000 was reported 963 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.

Safety Recalls (11)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

1. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 12V029000

   Report date

   Feb 1, 2012

   Component:

   AIR BAGS

   Consequence:

   IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE AIRBAGS MAY NOT DEPLOY AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT AN OCCUPANT, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES.

   Remedy:

   TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER TO IDENTIFY THE CURTAIN SHIELD ASSEMBLIES AND REPLACE THE ASSEMBLIES AS NECESSARY WITH NEW ONES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 8, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

2. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 12V373000

   Report date

   Aug 2, 2012

   Component:

   SUSPENSION

   Consequence:

   Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

   Remedy:

   Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear tie-rod nut for looseness and replace any suspect tie-rod found loose. Dealers will also affix instructions in multiple places to prevent improper servicing in the future. The recall began on November 30, 2012. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

3. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 13V014000

   Report date

   Jan 16, 2013

   Component:

   AIR BAGS

   Consequence:

   If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

   Remedy:

   Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

4. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 13V123000

   Report date

   Apr 9, 2013

   Component:

   EQUIPMENT

   Consequence:

   An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

   Remedy:

   Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

5. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 13V383000

   Report date

   Aug 28, 2013

   Component:

   SUSPENSION

   Consequence:

   Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

   Remedy:

   Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tie rods and replace any that have rust or corrosion on the alignment adjustment threads. All of the rear tie rods will then be encased in an epoxy to prevent future environmental damage. Due to limitations in parts, the recall remedy will be launched in phases from September 2013 through mid-April 2014. All owners will receive notification of the recall, with most receiving second notifications when parts are available in their area. IMPORTANT: This recall supersedes Toyota and Lexus recall 12V-373. All vehicles that have been inspected and remedied under the previous recall need to be re-inspected and have the appropriate remedy applied.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

6. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 14V743000

   Report date

   Nov 19, 2014

   Component:

   SEATS

   Consequence:

   Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

   Remedy:

   SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

7. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 15V577000

   Report date

   Sep 18, 2015

   Component:

   Not available in the source record

   Consequence:

   Over time, the dripping water may cause corrosion and wear at the joint, potentially resulting in the separation of the wiper linkage. Once this occurs, the wipers would not function, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

   Remedy:

   Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water diverter channel. In addition, a new wiper linkage with a wiper motor crank arm will be installed. The wiper linkage will have a protective cover over the wiper linkage joint to minimize water splash and a retainer ring to prevent the wiper arm from separating from the wiper motor. The recall began on November 7, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service number at 1-800-331-4331.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

8. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 15V689000

   Report date

   Oct 22, 2015

   Component:

   VISIBILITY

   Consequence:

   If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

   Remedy:

   Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

9. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 16V096000

   Report date

   Feb 19, 2016

   Component:

   SEAT BELTS

   Consequence:

   A cut seat belt may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.

   Remedy:

   Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a protector over both rear seat cushion frames, free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0F.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V396000

    Report date

    Jun 2, 2016

    Component:

    SEATS

    Consequence:

    If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy:

    SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

    View authoritative NHTSA record →

11. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V596000

    Report date

    Aug 12, 2016

    Component:

    SUSPENSION

    Consequence:

    Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy:

    Toyota will notify owners and dealers will replace both rear suspension arms and encapsulate the locknuts, free of charge. The recall began on September 30, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0V for Toyota vehicles and GLK for Lexus vehicles. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-383, in which some vehicles were only inspected, sealed, and did not have both arms replaced. The affected vehicles were previously recalled under 13V-383, but did not have both rear suspension arms replaced at that time. Those vehicles need to have both arms replaced as part of this recall remedy.

    View authoritative NHTSA record →