2020 Toyota RAV4

No clear pattern

19.5% of complaints about the 2020 Toyota RAV4 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2020 vehicle, but with only 806 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is engine (180 complaints), typically at 4.5 yr or about 6,000 miles.

Complaints: 806
Median age at failure: 3.9 yr
Median mileage: 3,023 n=242
Crash / fire / tow: 5.3% of reports
Safety recalls: 6

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

180 reports · 6,000 mi

4.5 yr

1.1%

Other

120 reports · 5,275 mi

3.9 yr

4.2%

Electrical system

119 reports · 2,800 mi

3.0 yr

2.5%

Fuel / propulsion

90 reports · 500 mi

7 mo

Structure

61 reports · 8,500 mi

4.3 yr

6.6%

Air bags

55 reports · 47,000 mi

4.3 yr

14.5%

Power train

38 reports · 500 mi

4.6 yr

2.6%

Steering

27 reports · 10,000 mi

3.3 yr

3.7%

Service brakes

17 reports · 5,000 mi

2.0 yr

17.6%

Engine cooling

15 reports · 40,000 mi

4.8 yr

13.3%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

23V865000 2023-12-20

Air bags:sensor:occupant classification

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

20V734000 2020-11-25

Air bags:frontal

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Toyota Avalon and 2020 Avalon Hybrid, RAV4, and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Breakaway pins within the steering column, designed to absorb energy and reduce injury during a crash, could have been damaged during production, possibly affecting the performance of the driver's air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not perform as designed can increase the risk of injury.

20V682000 2020-11-04

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus

If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

20V373000 2020-06-24

Steering:electric power assist system

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and 2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Water may enter through the steering gear box cover and cause a loss of electric power steering assist.

A loss of power steering assist could increase steering effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

20V286000 2020-05-20

Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. The front lower suspension arms may have cracks, which may result in the suspension arm separating from the front wheel assembly.

If a suspension control arm breaks, it can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

20V064000 2020-02-06

Engine cooling

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines. Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.

A coolant leak can cause the engine to overheat and cause a vehicle stall in conventional gasoline vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, for all involved vehicles, the engine may get damaged mechanically, possibly resulting in an engine oil leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

In owners’ own words

Fuel / propulsion 1,000 mi 2 mo in service

GAS LIGHT COMES ON AFTER THE CAR HAS CONSUMED ~10 GALLONS. THE VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED HAVING 14.5 GALLON TANK WITH 580 MILE TRIP.

Fuel / propulsion 350 mi 3 mo in service

VEHICLE INDICATES FUEL EMPTY (GAS GAUGE AND WARNINGS) AFTER APPROX 350 MILES. FUEL TANK SUPPOSED TO BE 14.5 GAL., BUT TANK ONLY ACCEPTS 9-10 GALLONS FUEL BEFORE SHUTOFF. 1 FULL TANK FROM DEALER PLUS 1 FILL-UP WITH SAME RESULT. VEHICLE ALSO ONLY AVERAGING 36 MPG AFTER 2 TANKS MOSTLY HIGHWAY & NOW INTO 1 TANK MIXED CITY/HIGHWAY (TOYOTA INDICATES 38 HIGHWAY/40 CITY). EITHER FUEL TANK IS DEFECTIVE/CAPACITY IS INACCURATE, GAUGES/COMPUTER/WARNINGS ARE DEFECTIVE, OR BOTH?

Fuel / propulsion 350 mi 4 mo in service

2020 RAV4 XLE HYBRID. FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY WHEN ONLY APPROXIMATELY 10 GALLONS OF THE 14.5 GALLON TANK HAVE BEEN USED. THIS LEADS TO GETTING FAR LESS RANGE FROM A TANK OF GAS THAN THE VEHICLE SHOULD OR IS ADVERTISED TO GET. WHEN YOU FILL THE TANK THE COMPUTER FIRST ESTIMATES OVER 500 MILE RANGE BUT THEN QUICKLY DROPS AND ACTUAL RANGE YOU GET IS MORE THAN 100 MILES LESS DUE TO THE FUEL TANK PROBLEM.

Service brakes 1,300 mi 5 mo in service crash / fire / tow

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 5 MPH THE BRAKES FAILED. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKES 3-4 TIMES AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO PARKED VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE CRASH A WITNESS SAID THE BRAKES MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE DAUGHTER ALSO HEARD A NOISE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE DID CRASH INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CRASH OCCURRED FEB 3, 2020. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1300. *DT*JB *BF*JB

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.