2015 TOYOTA RAV4 — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 303 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (55 complaints · 18.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 37
  • Fires 41
  • Injuries 30
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2014 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 55 of 303 owner complaints (18.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 55 complaints, 18.2% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 55 · 18.2% · 2 crash reports 16 fire reports STEERING: 41 complaints, 13.5% of reports STEERING 41 · 13.5% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 24 complaints, 7.9% of reports STRUCTURE 24 · 7.9% · 3 crash reports ENGINE: 23 complaints, 7.6% of reports ENGINE 23 · 7.6% · 12 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 22 complaints, 7.3% of reports POWER TRAIN 22 · 7.3% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 19 complaints, 6.3% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 19 · 6.3% · 10 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 17 complaints, 5.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 17 · 5.6% · 4 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 8 complaints, 2.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 8 · 2.6% AIR BAGS: 7 complaints, 2.3% of reports AIR BAGS 7 · 2.3% · 6 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 94 complaints, 31.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 94 · 31.0% · 9 crash reports 12 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

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

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 55 18.2% 2 crashes · 16 fires
STEERING 41 13.5% 4 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 24 7.9% 3 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 23 7.6% 0 crashes · 12 fires
POWER TRAIN 22 7.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 19 6.3% 10 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 17 5.6% 4 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 8 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 7 2.3% 6 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 94 31.0% 9 crashes · 12 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2014; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2014. 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2015-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2016-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2017-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2018-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2019-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2020-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2021-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2021-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2021-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2022-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2022-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2023-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2024-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2024-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2025-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2025-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2025-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2026-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2014 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 14V828000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V828000 Recall campaign 15V011000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V011000 Recall campaign 15V144000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V144000 Recall campaign 23V734000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V734000 Investigation PE21005 ● Investigation PE21005
  • Campaign 23V734000 was reported 3,191 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 13
2015-Q3 Owner reports 10
2015-Q4 Owner reports 13
2016-Q1 Owner reports 5
2016-Q2 Owner reports 8
2016-Q3 Owner reports 5
2016-Q4 Owner reports 4
2017-Q1 Owner reports 6
2017-Q2 Owner reports 10
2017-Q4 Owner reports 10
2018-Q1 Owner reports 5
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 4
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 5
2019-Q2 Owner reports 8
2019-Q3 Owner reports 3
2019-Q4 Owner reports 6
2020-Q1 Owner reports 8
2020-Q2 Owner reports 7
2020-Q3 Owner reports 5
2020-Q4 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 11
2021-Q2 Owner reports 6
2021-Q3 Owner reports 9
2021-Q4 Owner reports 5
2022-Q1 Owner reports 6
2022-Q2 Owner reports 11
2022-Q3 Owner reports 9
2022-Q4 Owner reports 9
2023-Q1 Owner reports 6
2023-Q2 Owner reports 4
2023-Q3 Owner reports 11
2023-Q4 Owner reports 13
2024-Q1 Owner reports 10
2024-Q2 Owner reports 4
2024-Q3 Owner reports 11
2024-Q4 Owner reports 5
2025-Q1 Owner reports 4
2025-Q2 Owner reports 5
2025-Q3 Owner reports 6
2025-Q4 Owner reports 6
2026-Q1 Owner reports 3
2026-Q2 Owner reports 3
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 14V828000
Recall campaign 1 15V011000
Recall campaign 1 15V144000
Recall campaign 1 23V734000
Defect investigation 1 PE21005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V828000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    Accessories that detach from a vehicle may result in a vehicle crash and/or personal injury.
    Remedy:
    SET will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the affected bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-14B.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V011000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the system incorrectly detects an electrical short and turns off the trailer lights while the trailer is being towed at night, there is an increased risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer light module with a new unit with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-15A.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V144000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number of the EPS ECU or steering column assembly. If the number is within the affected range, the EPS ECU will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V734000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
    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 for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 303 complaints · page 1 of 13

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources