"How reliable is the 2002 Toyota Rav4?"

"Based on 682 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Toyota Rav4 has a median complaint mileage of 93000 miles. The most common issue is Automatic Transmission."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Toyota Rav4?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Toyota Rav4 is Automatic Transmission, accounting for a significant portion of the 682 total complaints filed."

2002 Toyota Rav4: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 682 complaints

682

Total Complaints

93,000mi

Median Mileage

Automatic Transmission

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

73,072 25th Percentile

93,000 Median Mileage

118,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Automatic Transmission

255

Power Train

118

Electrical System

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling

Unknown Or Other

Engine

Air Bags

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"RE: FUEL THROTTLE LINKAGE FAILURE: HIGH IDLE SPEED; UNPREDICTABLE IDLE SPEED OSCILLATION / SURGES, UNPREDICTABLE ACCELERATION / DECELERATION (PARTICULARLY WHEN ENGINE IS COLD). CAR WILL SOMETIMES FAIL TO DECELERATE AFTER TAKING FOOT OFF GAS WHEN AT LOW SPEEDS (10-25 MPH), FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN TURNING..."

"ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT ON FIRE RIGHT AFTER CONSUMER PARKED VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Automatic Transmission 255 complaints

25th: 79,951 mi Median: 95,565 mi 75th: 115,100 mi

Power Train 118 complaints

25th: 73,250 mi Median: 95,500 mi 75th: 125,000 mi

Electrical System 88 complaints

25th: 80,800 mi Median: 95,000 mi 75th: 119,765 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 34 complaints

25th: 73,304 mi Median: 87,500 mi 75th: 118,950 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 23 complaints

25th: 75,750 mi Median: 90,050 mi 75th: 107,375 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 103 NY: 43 MA: 39 WV: 35 VA: 35 FL: 34 OH: 31 NC: 29 TX: 28 MD: 25

Who Files Complaints?

8.9%

Original Owners

91.1%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Rav4 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1996	54	70,000	Disc	4
1997	61	110,000	Gasoline	10
1998	92	109,000	Frontal	22
1999	75	114,000	Vehicle Speed Control	18
2000	34	96,000	Vehicle Speed Control	6
2001	418	104,568	Automatic Transmission	28
2003	392	95,362	Automatic Transmission	24
2004	179	80,125	Air Bags	23
2005	168	80,858	Air Bags	31
2006	880	55,508	Steering	37
2007	1239	65,000	Steering	72
2008	707	66,000	Engine	56
2009	391	30,000	Vehicle Speed Control	69
2010	493	34,325	Suspension	80
2011	400	45,000	Vehicle Speed Control	68
2012	355	27,000	Visibility/Wiper	56
2013	328	17,450	Electrical System	29
2014	267	41,034	Electrical System	33
2015	394	34,000	Electrical System	61
2016	289	19,000	Electrical System	43
2017	405	22,910	Electrical System	53
2018	426	10,610	Electrical System	52
2019	1143	3,790	Fuel/Propulsion System	38
2020	778	2,800	Engine	28
2021	475	14,500	Air Bags	68
2022	183	10,000	Unknown Or Other	23
2023	215	20,050	Unknown Or Other	36
2024	221	9,000	Unknown Or Other	40
2025	65	4,250	Unknown Or Other	11

Extend Your Transmission Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Change transmission fluid at manufacturer intervals — not 'lifetime' fluid
Come to a full stop before shifting from reverse to drive
Don't ride the brakes on hills — use a lower gear
Check transmission fluid level and color monthly — dark fluid needs changing
Address slipping, hard shifts, or delayed engagement immediately

Compare Toyota Rav4

vs Ford Escape → vs Honda Cr-V → vs Subaru Outback →

Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28