What Owners Report NHTSA ODI · 2,175,102 complaints · MY1998–2026

2009 Toyota RAV4

Typical pattern

5.9% of complaints about the 2009 Toyota RAV4 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2009 vehicle — around the middle of the 212 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.6 yr in service. The most-reported system is speed control (67 complaints), typically at 2.4 yr or about 16,000 miles.

Complaints
341
Median age at failure
5.6 yr
Median mileage
38,364 n=246
Crash / fire / tow
19.1% of reports
Safety recalls
10

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System
0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y
Speed control
67 reports · 16,000 mi
2.4 yr
34.3%
Suspension
55 reports · 65,730 mi
5.8 yr
3.6%
Engine
27 reports · 65,400 mi
7.8 yr
7.4%
Power train
25 reports · 88,000 mi
6.3 yr
8%
Steering
24 reports · 55,000 mi
5.1 yr
12.5%
Other
20 reports · 65,400 mi
8.6 yr
10%
Electrical system
19 reports · 33,960 mi
4.5 yr
15.8%
Structure
16 reports · 30,000 mi
6.3 yr
25%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

16V596000 2016-08-12
Suspension:rear

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 31, 2005, to September 7, 2010, and 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured July 6, 2009, to August 26, 2010. The affected vehicles have rear suspension arms (rear tie rods) with adjusting lock nuts that may have been improperly tightened after servicing. As a result of being loose, the arm may have thread damage and may rust, possibly leading to the failure of the arm and an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

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

16V396000 2016-06-02
Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

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

16V096000 2016-02-19
Seat belts:rear/other

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured July 28, 2005, to December 19, 2012, and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the event of a frontal collision, the rear seat belts for the outboard seats may be cut by the seat cushion frame.

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

15V689000 2015-10-22
Visibility:power window devices and controls

Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.

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.

15V577000 2015-09-18
Visibility / wipers

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 27, 2008, to December 19, 2012 and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, water may drip onto the joint that connects the wiper linkage to the wiper motor.

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.

14V743000 2014-11-19
Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

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.

13V383000 2013-08-28
Suspension:rear

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

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

13V014000 2013-01-16
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger se

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.

12V491000 2012-10-10
Visibility:power window devices and controls

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.

If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.

12V373000 2012-08-02
Suspension:rear

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust, leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

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

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 24,500 mi 7 mo in service
VEHICLE FAILS TO START OCCASIONALLY, LIGHTS TURN ON WITH NORMAL BRIGHTNESS INDICATING IT IS PROBABLY NOT A BATTERY ISSUE,BUT NO CRANKING . DEALER CHECKED THE CAR, BUT COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE DATE BELOW IS THE APPROX LAST INCIDENT DATE. *TR
Electrical system 19,000 mi 2.2 yr in service
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA RAV4. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE TIRE INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. AFTER THREE DAYS, THE NON-SKID, CRUISE CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ALSO ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER BUT THE FAILURE COULD STILL NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 19,000. UPDATED 01/14/11*LJ
Electrical system 35,629 mi 2.7 yr in service
TOYOTA NEW START AND START BUTTON ON MY 2009 RAV-4 LIMITED DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK WHEN BUTTON IS PUSHED. *TT
Speed control 10,000 mi 1.1 yr in service
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 RAV4. WHILE DRIVING DOWN A HILL SHE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED VEHICLE ACCELERATION. SHE HAD TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO THE NEUTRAL GEAR IN ORDER TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND A TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE CAUSED THE FAILURE. AN ENGINEER SENT FROM THE MANUFACTURER WILL RE-INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 10,000. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE.

Other RAV4 model years

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