2016 Toyota RAV4

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2016 Toyota RAV4 has 291 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (19% of all complaints), specifically: toyota rav4 limited-at all times of incidences this vehicle was in motion. safety issue!!! 1. i purchased the vehicle march 26, 2016, to commute to new job. 2. highway-warning 1 on apx 4/4 monday (9 days after purchase) "check toyota park assist have vehicle checked by a dealer" . ⚠️ 19 fire reports filed.

19 fire reports 36 crash reports 33 injuries

291

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

56 complaints

19%

• TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED-AT ALL TIMES OF INCIDENCES THIS VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. SAFETY ISSUE!!! 1. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE MARCH 26, 2016, TO COMMUTE TO NEW JOB. 2. HIGHWAY-WARNING 1 ON APX 4/4 MONDAY (9 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE) "CHECK TOYOTA PARK ASSIST HAVE VEHICLE CHECKED BY A DEALER"
• MY 2016 TOYOTA RAV 4 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON.. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND THE MECHANIC SAID THAT A RODENT CHEWED THE WIRES AND THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR 2080. ALSO THAT THE WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER IT EVEN THOUGH IT'S ONLY 7 MONTHS OLD AND THEY KNOW IT'S
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STRUCK A CURB WHILE DRIVING AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS NO LONGER IN ALIGNMENT. THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE W

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 6 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED-AT ALL TIMES OF INCIDENCES THIS VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. SAFETY ISSUE!!! 1. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE MARCH 26, 2016, TO COMMUTE TO NEW JOB. 2. HIGHWAY-WARNING 1 ON APX 4/4 MONDAY (9 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE) "CHECK TOYOTA PARK ASSIST HAVE VEHICLE CHECKED BY A DEALER" ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

45 complaints

15%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD WHILE THE CONTACT'S FATHER WAS GENTLY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONTACT'S FATHER DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY DOWN, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND STRUCK A GATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER FATHER HA
• I HAVE HAD THIS CAR SINCE JANUARY 2016. RECENTLY, I HEARD A NOISE AS I APPLY A BRAKE. I WENT TO THE DEALER TO EXAMINE THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD THE BRAKES ARE DOING FINE. BUT THE NOISE HAS BECOME EVEN LOUDER. I ASKED ONE OF MY FRIENDS WHO BOUGHT THE SAME CAR AS MINE, A COUPLE MONTH BEFORE ME. H
• WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT THE VEHICLE JUMPED FORWARD AND STRUCK THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I NEVER TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 14 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD WHILE THE CONTACT'S FATHER WAS GENTLY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONTACT'S FATHER DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY DOWN, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND STRUCK A GATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER FATHER HA”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

33 complaints

11%

• THE MIRRORS HAVE A SMALL 'BLIND SPOT' MIRROR THAT IS POORLY LOCATED. TO HAVE THE MIRROR POSITIONED TO SEE THE NEIGHBORING LANES THE MAIN MIRROR SHOWS ALMOST 1/2 OF IT'S AREA OF THE VEHICLE. TO POSITION THE MAIN MIRROR TO PROPERLY SHOW THE AREA NEAR AND BEHIND THE VEHICLE THE BLIND SPOT MIRRORS SH
• TOYOTA PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM (PCS) ON 2016 RAV4. I NEVER GET ANY KIND OF WARNING, EVEN WHEN CARS CUT ME OFF AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I APPROACH A CAR FROM BEHIND AT SPEED (I CANNOT GET TOO RISKY HERE), ETC. OTHER PCS SYSTEMS ON FRIENDS CARS (NON TOYOTA) HAVE SOME WARNINGS, EVEN FALSE ONES A BIT. I ASKED MY
• AT FIRST READING THIS MAY NOT SEEM TO BE MUCH OF A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT GIVING IT THOUGHT IT REALLY IS. MY RAV4 HAS A JBL GREENEDGE RADIO INSTALLED WITH XM CAPABILITY. THE RADIO DISPLAY SCREEN IS DIVIDED INTO 2 SECTIONS, THE RIGHT SHOWS WHAT SONG IS PLAYING WHILE THE LEFT SIDE DISPLAYS MY PRESET CHANNE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports

“THE MIRRORS HAVE A SMALL 'BLIND SPOT' MIRROR THAT IS POORLY LOCATED. TO HAVE THE MIRROR POSITIONED TO SEE THE NEIGHBORING LANES THE MAIN MIRROR SHOWS ALMOST 1/2 OF IT'S AREA OF THE VEHICLE. TO POSITION THE MAIN MIRROR TO PROPERLY SHOW THE AREA NEAR AND BEHIND THE VEHICLE THE BLIND SPOT MIRRORS SH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

LIGHTING

28 complaints

10%

• PURCH 2016 TOYOTA AWD RAV4 1 WK AGO. NEVER TRIED LIGHTS B4 PURCH AS WAS DAYLIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING W/DARK GOING TO WORK I USED THE HEADLIGHTS TO FIND OUT YOU CANT SEE W/THEM. I HAVE NEVER HAD HEADLIGHTS I COULDNT SEE WITH. ON DIM: BEAMS SHORT FOOTAGE IN FRONT OF VEHICLE & THE FIELD OF VISION IS DARK
• HEADLIGHTS ARE INADEQUATE AND VERY UNSAFE. LIGHT CAST IS A HALF MOON WITH A HORIZONTAL UPPER BORDER. IT IS DARK ABOVE THAT AND THERE IS MINIMAL PERIPHERAL LIGHT CAST BY THE HEADLIGHTS SO TURNING CORNERS IS VERY DIFFICULT. HIGH BEAMS ONLY SLIGHTLY IMPROVE ABILITY TO SEE.
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED AND IMPAIRED THE CONTACT'S VISION. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT DROVE OFF THE ROAD. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“PURCH 2016 TOYOTA AWD RAV4 1 WK AGO. NEVER TRIED LIGHTS B4 PURCH AS WAS DAYLIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING W/DARK GOING TO WORK I USED THE HEADLIGHTS TO FIND OUT YOU CANT SEE W/THEM. I HAVE NEVER HAD HEADLIGHTS I COULDNT SEE WITH. ON DIM: BEAMS SHORT FOOTAGE IN FRONT OF VEHICLE & THE FIELD OF VISION IS DARK”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

24 complaints

• THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 8/30/16 AND INVOLVED A SUDDEN TOTAL AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER IN TRAFFIC AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS. VEHICLE INVOLVED WAS A SIX MONTH OLD 2016 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH 5300 MILES. INCIDENT OCCURRED IN SOUTHBOUND LANES OF I-65 BETWEEN LAFAYETTE AND LEBANON, IN. WHILE MOVING AT 60 M
• THE IDLE SPEED IN THE RAV4 4 IS SET TOO HIGH CAUSING THE CAR TO MOVE FORWARD WHEN STOPPED WITH FULL PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BRAKES. TOYOTA REFUSED TO REDUCE THE IDLE SPEED AND STATES THAT THIS NORMAL OPERATION. I BELIEVE THEY HAVE SET THE IDLE HIGH SO THE CAR WILL PASS EMISSION STANDARDS AND AS A RE
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO WORK AND THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWLY DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (WEST HERR TOYOTA OF WILLIAM

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 8 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 8/30/16 AND INVOLVED A SUDDEN TOTAL AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER IN TRAFFIC AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS. VEHICLE INVOLVED WAS A SIX MONTH OLD 2016 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH 5300 MILES. INCIDENT OCCURRED IN SOUTHBOUND LANES OF I-65 BETWEEN LAFAYETTE AND LEBANON, IN. WHILE MOVING AT 60 M”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

LIGHTING(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 291 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED-AT ALL TIMES OF INCIDENCES THIS VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. SAFETY ISSUE!!! 1. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE MARCH 26, 2016, TO COMMUTE TO NEW JOB. 2. HIGHWAY-WARNING 1 ON APX 4/4 MONDAY (9 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE) "CHECK TOYOTA PARK ASSIST HAVE VEHICLE CHECKED BY A DEALER"
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA RAV4. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD WHILE THE CONTACT'S FATHER WAS GENTLY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONTACT'S FATHER DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY DOWN, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND STRUCK A GATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER FATHER HA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: THE MIRRORS HAVE A SMALL 'BLIND SPOT' MIRROR THAT IS POORLY LOCATED. TO HAVE THE MIRROR POSITIONED TO SEE THE NEIGHBORING LANES THE MAIN MIRROR SHOWS ALMOST 1/2 OF IT'S AREA OF THE VEHICLE. TO POSITION THE MAIN MIRROR TO PROPERLY SHOW THE AREA NEAR AND BEHIND THE VEHICLE THE BLIND SPOT MIRRORS SH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
LIGHTING: PURCH 2016 TOYOTA AWD RAV4 1 WK AGO. NEVER TRIED LIGHTS B4 PURCH AS WAS DAYLIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING W/DARK GOING TO WORK I USED THE HEADLIGHTS TO FIND OUT YOU CANT SEE W/THEM. I HAVE NEVER HAD HEADLIGHTS I COULDNT SEE WITH. ON DIM: BEAMS SHORT FOOTAGE IN FRONT OF VEHICLE & THE FIELD OF VISION IS DARK
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)