2011 Toyota Rav4: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 400 complaints
400
Total Complaints
45,000mi
Median Mileage
Vehicle Speed Control
Top Issue
68
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
19,492
25th Percentile
45,000
Median Mileage
80,000
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Vehicle Speed Control
68
Visibility/Wiper
48
Service Brakes
43
Engine
33
Seat Belts
30
Power Train
23
Air Bags
19
Suspension
15
Steering
15
Electrical System
15
Severity Assessment
68
Crashes
10
Fires
25
Injuries
0
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"ON DEC. 11, 2010, I PURCHASED MY 2011 RAV4. SINCE THAT TIME, I HAVE HAD TO CONTACT TOYOTA AND THE DEALER AND TAKE MY RAV4 TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEPT. MULTIPLE TIMES DUE TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. EACH TIME I WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THIS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OCCURS RANDOMLY W..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE, VIBRATE AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A STEERING ANGLE SENSOR MALFUNCTION AND THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR ZERO POINT CALIBRATION. THE C..."
"I PURCHASED MY 2011 RAV4 ON 10/19/10, WITH 3 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AS OF 1/31/11 THE ODOMETER NOW READS 2605 MILES. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR 1 WEEK I NOTICED THAT THE GAS CONSUMPTION WAS VERY HIGH. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO HARRISBURG, PA WHICH IS ONLY 120 MILES FROM MY HOME IN PHILADELPHIA, P..."
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.
Vehicle Speed Control
68 complaints
25th: 10,500 mi
Median: 26,779 mi
75th: 64,750 mi
Visibility/Wiper
48 complaints
25th: 38,175 mi
Median: 47,500 mi
75th: 72,500 mi
Service Brakes
43 complaints
25th: 21,100 mi
Median: 36,000 mi
75th: 64,000 mi
Engine
33 complaints
25th: 45,825 mi
Median: 68,629 mi
75th: 104,750 mi
Seat Belts
30 complaints
25th: 43,500 mi
Median: 63,000 mi
75th: 108,000 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 40
NY: 37
PA: 24
MD: 21
FL: 21
TX: 21
MA: 20
VA: 18
NJ: 17
MN: 12
Who Files Complaints?
2%
Original Owners
98%
Second+ Owners
Toyota Rav4 — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Active Recalls (11)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Rear
Campaign 16V596000 | 12/08/2016
Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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
Visibility/Wiper
Campaign 15V577000 | 18/09/2015
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.
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 w
Power Window Devices And Controls
Campaign 15V689000 | 22/10/2015
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.
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-
Seat Heater/Cooler
Campaign 14V743000 | 19/11/2014
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.
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.
Seat Heater/Cooler
Campaign 16V396000 | 02/06/2016
If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
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.
Rear/Other
Campaign 16V096000 | 19/02/2016
A cut seat belt may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
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.
Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
Campaign 13V014000 | 16/01/2013
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 de
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.
Side/Window
Campaign 12V029000 | 01/02/2012
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.
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.
Rear
Campaign 12V373000 | 02/08/2012
Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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
Rear
Campaign 13V383000 | 28/08/2013
Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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
Labels
Campaign 13V123000 | 09/04/2013
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.
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-
General Vehicle Maintenance
Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.
- Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
- Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
- Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
- Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
- Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly
Compare Toyota Rav4
Vehicle Rankings
Looking for a replacement?
Based on the data above, here are relevant options.
Affiliate link
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