2017 TOYOTA RAV4 — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 318 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (83 complaints · 26.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 33
  • Fires 24
  • Injuries 30
  • Deaths 2
Compare with 2016 →
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 83 of 318 owner complaints (26.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 83 complaints, 26.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 83 · 26.1% · 2 crash reports 9 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 26 complaints, 8.2% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 26 · 8.2% · 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 26 complaints, 8.2% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 26 · 8.2% · 6 crash reports ENGINE: 22 complaints, 6.9% of reports ENGINE 22 · 6.9% · 8 fire reports VISIBILITY: 12 complaints, 3.8% of reports VISIBILITY 12 · 3.8% AIR BAGS: 11 complaints, 3.5% of reports AIR BAGS 11 · 3.5% · 8 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 3.5% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 11 · 3.5% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 11 complaints, 3.5% of reports STRUCTURE 11 · 3.5% · 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 10 complaints, 3.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 10 · 3.1% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 92 complaints, 28.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 92 · 28.9% · 9 crash reports 5 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 83 26.1% 2 crashes · 9 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 26 8.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 26 8.2% 6 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 22 6.9% 0 crashes · 8 fires
VISIBILITY 12 3.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 11 3.5% 8 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 11 3.5% 1 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 11 3.5% 0 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 10 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 92 28.9% 9 crashes · 5 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 2016; the first recall shown was reported in May 2017. 2016-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2017-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2018-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2018-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2018-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2019-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2020-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2021-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2021-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2023-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2023-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2024-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2024-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2024-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2025-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2025-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2025-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2025-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 Owner reports Oct 2016 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 17V295000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V295000 Recall campaign 19V503000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V503000 Recall campaign 23V734000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V734000 Investigation PE21005 ● Investigation PE21005 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 19V503000 was reported 921 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 23V734000 was reported 2,316 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2016-Q4 Owner reports 3
2017-Q1 Owner reports 6
2017-Q2 Owner reports 6
2017-Q3 Owner reports 17
2017-Q4 Owner reports 15
2018-Q1 Owner reports 8
2018-Q2 Owner reports 14
2018-Q3 Owner reports 10
2018-Q4 Owner reports 5
2019-Q1 Owner reports 11
2019-Q2 Owner reports 4
2019-Q3 Owner reports 5
2019-Q4 Owner reports 7
2020-Q1 Owner reports 10
2020-Q2 Owner reports 4
2020-Q3 Owner reports 7
2020-Q4 Owner reports 8
2021-Q1 Owner reports 15
2021-Q2 Owner reports 9
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 6
2022-Q2 Owner reports 6
2022-Q3 Owner reports 5
2022-Q4 Owner reports 7
2023-Q1 Owner reports 7
2023-Q2 Owner reports 4
2023-Q3 Owner reports 11
2023-Q4 Owner reports 9
2024-Q1 Owner reports 11
2024-Q2 Owner reports 14
2024-Q3 Owner reports 17
2024-Q4 Owner reports 5
2025-Q1 Owner reports 15
2025-Q2 Owner reports 11
2025-Q3 Owner reports 7
2025-Q4 Owner reports 4
2026-Q1 Owner reports 4
2026-Q2 Owner reports 2
2026-Q3 Owner reports 3
Recall campaign 1 17V295000
Recall campaign 1 19V503000
Recall campaign 1 23V734000
Defect investigation 1 PE21005
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V295000

    Report date
    Component:
    TIRES
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V503000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. 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 318 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