Toyota RAV4 Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

UNKNOWN - On XXX, at just 7,741 miles, my 2025 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium AWD (VIN: [XXX]) suffered a catastrophic and life-threatening complete mechanical and hydraulic transmission failure. The vehicle completely lost forward propulsion when placed in Drive mode, rendering it entirely immobile. When placed in Reverse gear, the transmission violently over-pressurized, causing the vehicle to suddenly surge and jump uncontrollably. Simultaneously, the dashboard displayed 6 critical safety system failures: 1. Check Engine — electronic control malfunction 2. Vehicle Stability Control System (VSC/TRAC) malfunction 3. Secondary Collision Brake System malfunction 4. Pre-Collision System malfunction 5. Parking Brake System malfunction 6. Advanced Ultrasonic Detecting and Ranging System malfunction Ourisman Toyota Chantilly (RO# XXX) has confirmed complete transmission failure. Fault codes found: P28167F — Pressure Control Solenoid H Actuator Stuck Off, P08BA7F — Pressure Control Solenoid L Actuator Stuck Off. Estimated repair cost: $11,347.42. While this failure fortunately occurred on a local road, had it occurred while merging onto I-66 or I-95 at highway speeds, it would have inevitably caused a catastrophic high-speed collision. This represents an extreme manufacturing defect and life-threatening safety hazard. Toyota Corporate Cases opened: #XXX (original case) and #XXX (full replacement request). I am requesting full vehicle replacement. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving under normal conditions, the contact heard an abnormally loud, violent, and shattering sound. The contact then noticed that the moonroof glass panel had exploded without impact, causing shattered glass to fall inside the cabin. A police report was filed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,838.

I purchased this car used in December 2025 with 10k miles on it. After 15k mileage, the rear tires were bald and I had to buy new tires. I then took it back to the dealer and had to pay to get an allignment, as I was concerned that is what was causing the tires to go bald so fast. That was less than 2 months ago and now I'm in getting the 20k service appointment and the rear allignment is now off way more than when I paid to get it checked. Apparently the rear wheels cannot be adjusted? The right rear is way off and this is for sure causing uneven wear on my tires. It is for sure an issue and should not be, in that the car is new. It is obvious it is a fault in design and for sure can cause major safety issues, let alone burn my money up in needing new tires every less than a year.

2 incidents of Sudden Unintended Acceleration. No warning lights etc in either. Car damaged but available for inspection. Now encountering difficulties initating Toyota investigation. 1st incident (4/18/25; mileage 967) occurred after a hard left turn. After turn onto uphill street, I took my foot from accelerator to slow and maintain distance from a car backing down hill ahead. Instead, car self-accelerated and shot uphill, over speed bump with increasing speed. Did not respond to braking until it was close to hitting a parked car. Stopped with a slam; probably brake assistance engaged. No damage or injury, but I was shaken. Took car immediately to Toyota dealer to inspect. Was told RoB confirmed an event but not its nature or cause; identified nothing wrong. They hypothesized cruise control might have been triggered accidentally (no evidence, not plausible). Claimed they submitted report to Toyota national center. After 2nd incident, Toyota national said they had no record of 1st event. Their standard safety inspection protocols were not followed. Returned car to me without repair or follow up. 2nd incident ensued. 2nd self-acceleration event (2026) also occurred after hard left turn to make U turn at low speed, braking while completing turn. When I took my foot off brake, before I could press it on accelerator, car shot diagonally across street. Jumped curb and traveled at considerable speed 100' up landscaped slope. Destroyed 6 large shrubs and 3 trees 9' tall. Did not stop despite constant driver braking. Forward collision prevention system did not engage to prevent uprooting trees. Car stopped only after I turned steering wheel sharply to left to avoid hitting a full-size tree trunk. Then car responded to braking, acceleration ended, car stopped next to tree without impact. Terrifying life-threatening event but only damaged landscape and car. Police came, assessed incident, determined not a police matter, did not file police report.

The brakes have been overly sensitive... but then, without warning, braking power is completely lost. This has happened on 2 separate occasions... the pedal goes all the way to the floor and provides ZERO braking power. We can no longer trust this car on the road. Toyota sent someone to inspect the vehicle and they claim that they have found no problems or issues and that they have not been able to reproduce the problem. There were no warning lamps or message; there were no prior symptoms, other than the brakes were overly sensitive. These symptoms occurred immediately after purchasing the car. Toyota refuses to purchased the car back from us, and now we are stuck with a very dangerous vehicle. Interestingly, I have found others talking about EXACTLY the same symptoms on other Toyota Rav4 vehicles.

My daughter reported an incident that occurred on XXX while driving this vehicle. As she drove, it slammed on the brakes (without any input from her) causing her to skid. The vehicle brought itself to a stop and the engine turned off. She reported that there were no vehicles or other object close to the front of her vehicle. The incident did not cause a crash or cause anyone to be injured. It was, however, a very scary situation that almost caused her to be rear-ended by the vehicles that were following her. The car was taken to Cobb County Toyota in Kennesaw, Georgia for an inspection the morning of May 28, 2026. As of this submission, the vehicle is still at the dealership service department for inspection.

The multimedia screen which shows the map and direction guidance became to blank occasionally, just white grey since February 2026. I immediately lost the direction. It could be back by restarting the engine at the beginning. The problem got worse, happened more often, some times the screen couldn't be back by restarting engine, but I found that it could be reset by pressing the volume button for long time. I reported to Toyota local dealer - Hendrick Toyota Apex and Toyota Brand Engagement center, the case manager is Freddy. The local dealer run diagnosis twice, couldn't detect any problem. On May 11, the screen totally died, black, no any light. Restarting engine or pressing the volume Botton couldn't get the screen back any more. the audio system is still working, I tried to use the map on my iPhone, the direction map couldn't be showed, only the text direction shows. Because the system let map show on screen, it assumes that the map shows one screen but it is not. I lost car screen and the phone direction at the same time. Plus the backup camera doesn't show on the screen. Therefore, it is underivable in any unfamiliar area, and dangerous to drive in neighborhoods. I reported to local dealer and Toyota Brand Engagement center with videos. May 18, the local dealer run diagnosis again, found nothing wrong. But before I leave, the screen became blank. This morning it happened again. The problem is not fixed. Freddy told me he suggested to local dealer to replace the screen, I am waiting Hendrick Toyota Apex call me for the appointment. I can't upload videos. If you want to see the videos, please tell me where and how to upload the videos. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The Toyota app has stopped updating vehicle data and there’s information missing entirely. The satellite symbol has a line through it on the media screen as well. When I try to opt out on the app, I get an unexpected error and to try again. It seems as though the DCM in my car has stopped communicating with Toyota’s servers.

On April 29, 2026 around 10:00 PM, my 2025 Toyota RAV4 experienced sudden brake failure. The pedal became hard and I lost stopping and steering power. At the same time, Check Engine, battery warning, steering warning, and ‘Not Ready to Drive’ all appeared simultaneously with no prior warning. I brought it to a Toyota dealer the next morning and they found no fault. The vehicle is available for inspection.

There is a parasitic drain on my battery coming from the ECM and electrical system causing it to drain my 12V battery.

The left mirror is a blind site when making a left turn at stop signs. The front hood is too high. In a parking lot you can't see the curbs. Toyota said jack up the seat. That does not help. kids can't be seen in front of the car. This is a safety issue. The number of selections to set the car for driving don't work for older people. The gas and break petal don't work for disabled people.

My car say front camera not working