What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.54 for 2025 (96 complaints across 178 listings) to 5.70 for 2019 (906 across 159), against a generation median of 1.84. The highest year, 2019, is 3.1 times that median. Flagged by our rule: 2020. The leading NHTSA components are Fuel/Propulsion System (224), Engine (136), Unknown Or Other (95) for 2019 and Engine (121), Fuel/Propulsion System (80), Unknown Or Other (71) for 2020. 2019 has the most complaints of the generation (906) but a lower ad share, which is why only 2020 is flagged. We have not read the complaints one by one.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failures reported at 20,000 to 70,000 miles (one fetched page) | In-tank fuel pump failure (2019-2020, recall) | $800-$1,300 outside the recall (one fetched page); $1,454-$1,572 for fuel pump replacement on any RAV4 year (RepairPal, search snippet) | NHTSA campaign 20V682000 is on file for 2019-2020 RAV4s (Toyota numbers 20TA11 and 20TB11, begun August 17, 2020, per Cars.com). The recall repair is free. The fetched page says a pump can fail and the engine run rough or stall; we found no count of how many RAV4s did. The two cost figures come from different pages and ranges and are not merged. |
| any | Front lower suspension arm cracks (2019-2020, recall) | Free at a Toyota dealer when open | NHTSA campaign 20V286000 covers certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid for cracks that can let the arm separate. 20V373000 covers 2019-2020 cars with electric power steering where water can enter the gear box cover. Confirm by VIN. |
| any | Recalls on file (21 campaigns in our records): 19V244000 (2019), 19V503000 (2019), 19V544000 (2019), 19V576000 (2019), 20V064000 (2019-2020), 20V286000 (2019-2020), 20V373000 (2019-2020), 20V682000 (2019-2020), 20V698000 (2021), 20V734000 (2020), 22V239000 (2021-2022), 22V519000 (2022), 23V041000 (2021), 23V478000 (2021-2022), 23V485000 (2023), 23V865000 (2020-2021), 24V911000 (2024), 25V595000 (2023-2025), 25V744000 (2023-2025), 26V179000 (2024-2025), 26V256000 (2025) | Free at a Toyota dealer when open | Includes 19V576000 (2019 back-up camera), 20V064000 (2.5L engine, 2019-2020), 20V734000 (2020 steering column breakaway pins), 24V911000 (2024 front caliper and hub bolts) and 26V256000 (2025 front seat rail brackets), plus plug-in hybrid recalls for the RAV4 Prime. Equipment and label recalls are left out. Confirm by VIN. |
A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car. We also re-ran the ad test with the 'rust' flaw left out, because the ad reader counts phrases like 'no rust' as mentions, and publish a flag only if it passes both ways.
Complaints add up over a car's whole life, so older years in a generation can look worse here than they are. Read this flag next to the complaint details below.
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 906 | Fuel/propulsion System, Engine, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2020 | 652 | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2021 | 510 | Air Bags, Unknown Or Other, Electrical System | |
| 2022 | 176 | Unknown Or Other, Electrical System, Structure | |
| 2023 | 238 | Electrical System, Unknown Or Other, Fuel/propulsion System | |
| 2024 | 207 | Unknown Or Other, Electrical System, Steering,electrical... | |
| 2025 | 96 | Unknown Or Other, Structure, Electrical System |
source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.
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We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule, and it flags 2006 (704 complaints across 66 listings, 10.67 per listing against a 2006-2012 median of 2.79, on only 66 listings) and 2020 (652 complaints across 116 listings, 5.62 per listing against a 2019-2025 median of 1.84). Third-party lists name 2006-2008, 2013-2014 and 2019. In our data 2013 has 1.14 per listing and 2014 has 1.29, both under our cutoff.
The 2.4L 2AZ-FE engine in those years has a documented oil consumption problem. Toyota's ZE7 memo, hosted on NHTSA's site, covers certain 2006-2008 RAV4s: primary coverage to October 31, 2016, then 10 years from first use or 150,000 miles, after a dealer oil consumption test. By date, that secondary coverage has run out. One fetched page puts the ring repair at $2,800-$4,500 at an independent shop and an engine replacement at $3,500-$6,000; one owner reports a $5,300 dealer quote.
Owners report a shudder under light throttle with the U760E/F six-speed automatic. Toyota's ZH1 program covers certain 2013-2015 RAV4s, about 433,200 vehicles, with primary coverage to December 31, 2018 (April 30, 2018 in the revised policy bulletin) and then 8 years from first use or 150,000 miles. That secondary window has run out by date. One fetched shop page lists an updated torque converter at $1,750-$2,450 at an independent specialist and $3,200-$4,200 at a Toyota dealer.
Yes. In July 2010 Toyota extended the automatic transmission and ECM warranty on about 235,500 2001-2003 RAV4s to 10 years/150,000 miles from new, the New York Times reported. A 2011 settlement, approved in 2012, kept the same coverage. Ten years from new has run out for every one of those cars.
Yes. The RAV4 Hybrid and RAV4 Prime are trims of the same model, and we merge their NHTSA complaints into the RAV4 counts, removing duplicates by complaint number. The RAV4 EV is a different vehicle and is not counted.
We don't rank generations. Our own numbers: the 2013-2018 generation has a median of 1.34 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing, the 2019-2025 generation has 1.84, and 2006-2012 has 2.79. Those rates are not directly comparable across generations, because newer cars have had less time and different ways of being reported.