2017 Toyota RAV4

Typical pattern

10.5% of complaints about the 2017 Toyota RAV4 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2017 vehicle — around the middle of the 203 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 4.5 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (109 complaints), typically at 7.2 yr or about 37,000 miles.

Complaints: 419
Median age at failure: 4.5 yr
Median mileage: 22,910 n=216
Crash / fire / tow: 23.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

109 reports · 37,000 mi

7.2 yr

18.3%

Other

62 reports · 32,000 mi

4.5 yr

21%

Service brakes

38 reports · 10,050 mi

1.9 yr

21.1%

Exterior lighting

32 reports · 6,000 mi

3.1 yr

3.1%

Engine

31 reports · 37,000 mi

5.6 yr

45.2%

Air bags

20 reports · 17,000 mi

3.4 yr

65%

Structure

19 reports · 14,000 mi

3.6 yr

42.1%

Power train

16 reports · 39,000 mi

4.8 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

23V734000 2023-11-01

Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.

A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.

19V503000 2019-06-28

Equipment:other:labels

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

17V295000 2017-05-02

Tires:temporary/emergency spare tire

Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.

A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Other mileage not reported 2 mo in service

LANE DEVIATION WARNING IS NOT AUDIBLE WHEN VEERING EITHER RIGHT OR LEFT AT SPEEDS OVER 32 MILES PER HOUR AS STATED IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. OUR 2015 TOYOTA RAV 4 LANE DEVIATION WARNING WAS LOUD AND CLEAR.

Other mileage not reported 4 mo in service

UNABLE TO HEAR LANE DEPARTURE ALERT MOST OF THE TIME. DEALER SAYS IT CANNOT BE ADJUSTED, CONFIRMED BY TOYOTA.COM.

Other 235 mi 7 mo in service

THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. HAS NEVER WORKED SINCE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON APRIL 1, 2017.

Service brakes 1,500 mi 3 mo in service crash / fire / tow

I WAS DRIVING AND TAKING A TURN AND AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN RESULT IN A MINOR ACCIDENT. *TR

Other RAV4 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.