2016 Toyota RAV4
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 239 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 18th highest complaint count among 26 RAV4 model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 33 involved a crash and 12 involved a fire. 27 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Electrical system, 12v/24v/48v batteryNov 1, 2023
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.
Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
Campaign 23V734000 on NHTSA.gov
TiresApr 22, 2016
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Yaris, Rav4, Land Cruiser and 4Runner vehicles, and Scion FR-S, iM, and TC vehicles manufactured January 28, 2016, to March 14, 2016. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
An incorrect label may result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
SET will notify owners, and provide them a corrected label to be installed over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on June 3, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET16A.
Campaign 16V236000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slipApr 7, 2016
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Insufficient brake fluid pressure may cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2016, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0I, GLC.
Campaign 16V198000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
33 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Oct 23, 2017
MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN I NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE WATER STARTING TO COME DOWN FROM THE TOP OF THE REAR GLASS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS WEIRD BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANY WATER ON THE CAR. WHEN I GOT OUT TO MAKE A CLOSER INSPECTION, THE GLASS EXPLODED. THIS OCCURRED SIMPLY BY CLOSING MY DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR.
Other or unspecified, Oct 19, 2017
UPON ACCELERATING A STRONG ORDOR ENTERS INSIDE OF VEHICLE TOOK TO TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS (NORMAL SULPHER SMEEL FROM CATALYTIC CONVERTER UPON ACCELLERATION) AT TIMES THIS SMEEL IS VERY STRONG AND NAUSEATING, THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 5200 MILES ON IT, AND WASN'T NOTICE UNTIL IDROVE IT ON THE INTER STATE
Other or unspecified, Oct 3, 2017, fire
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND SMOKE BEGAN TO FILL MY VEHICLE. I PULLED OVER AND MY VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. UNSURE OF THE CAUSE.
Other or unspecified, Jun 12, 2017
I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA RAV4 LE ON MAY 2016 AT SOUTH COAST TOYOTA IN COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA. I LOVED IT JUST AS MUCH AS THE OTHER TOYOTA CARS I OWNED BEFORE. AFTER 10 MONTHS AND 7, 000 MILES, I'VE NOTICED A CLICKING NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH A FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS. THEY OCCUR EVERY TIME WHEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE AND ENGAGING THE GEAR JUST ABOVE IDLE. ON MAY 8TH 2017, I DECIDED TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER SO THEY CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT. FIRST VISIT THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND/REPLICATE THE NOISE NOR THE FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS. THE NEXT DAY, MAY 9TH 2017, I TOOK IT BACK AND INSISTED THAT THEY CHECK IT AGAIN. THEY KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT. THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED ME TO GO PICK UP THE CAR. WHEN I GOT THERE, THE ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER, THOMAS TRAFFORD, CONFIRMED THAT THEY HAVE FOUND THE NOISE BUT NOT THE FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS. AND TO MY SURPRISE, THE SHOP FOREMAN, BOBBY GENTON, CLAIMED THAT THE CLICKING NOISE WAS CAUSED BY ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM) AND IT WAS NORMAL IN A TOYOTA RAV4 AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT THEREFORE I JUST HAVE TO GET USED TO IT. I ASKED HIM WHY WAS IT THAT THE CLICKING NOISE WAS NOT THERE WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR ONE YEAR AGO AND IT STARTED JUST NOW AFTER ALMOST A YEAR. HIS ANSWER WAS: 'MAYBE IT WAS THERE, YOU JUST DIDN'T NOTICE IT TILL NOW.' I DISAGREE BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING DIFFERENT CAR BRANDS, INCLUDING TOYOTA, FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THE SAME I'M SURE THAT THE CLICKING NOISE AND THE FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT NORMAL IN ANY OTHER CAR BRAND (THAT IS LESS THAN 10,000) LET ALONE TOYOTA THAT IS KNOWN FOR ITS GOOD QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE. HOWEVER, IF THE CLICKING NOISE AND FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS ARE AN EXISTING AND NORMAL CONDITION, AS THEY CLAIM IT TO BE, ISN'T TOYOTA OBLIGATED TO MAKE THE CONSUMERS AWARE OF IT AND LET THEM DECIDE IF THEY REALLY WANT THE SAME CAR?
Other or unspecified, Apr 19, 2017
SUNROOF IMPLODED WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. HEARD EXPLOSION, LOOKED UP, AND GLASS FROM SUNROOF STARTING FALLING INTO CAR. SUNROOF VISOR WAS OPEN AT THE TIME. SUNROOF WAS CLOSED. WAS NOT A WARM DAY (AS I HAVE SEEN THIS BE A PROBLEM IN OTHER CASES). LOOKED BEHIND THE CAR AND DID NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HAVE FALLEN ON THE ROOF AND CAUSED THE GLASS TO BREAK. THERE WAS NO ONE IN FRONT OF ME (SO IT WAS NOT A STONE/PEBBLE FROM CAR IN FRONT OF ME).
Other or unspecified, Feb 17, 2017
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 CHANNEL LISTINGS. I HAVE MY PRESET CHANNELS BATCHED TOGETHER WITH ALL AM, FM AND XM STATIONS GROUPED TOGETHER. WHEN CHANGING FROM AM TO FM OR BACK AGAIN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DISPLAY CHANGES ACCORDINGLY, DISPLAYING THE PRESET CHANNEL LIST AND HIGHLIGHTING THE CHANNEL BEING LISTENED TO. HOWEVER IF I GO FROM EITHER AM OR FM TO XM THE PRESET DISPLAY DOES NOT CHANGE, THE HIGHLIGHT BAR DISAPPEARS BUT THE DISPLAY STAYS ON EITHER THE AM OR FM PRESET LIST. I AM FORCED TO EITHER MANUALLY SCROLL BY REPEATEDLY TOUCHING THE SCREEN SCROLL ICONS OR REACH OVER AND TURN THE RADIO OFF THEN BACK ON AGAIN. WHEN THE CAR STARTS UP A WARNING SCREEN APPEARS ON THE RADIO WARNING THAT BEING DISTRACTED BY THE SCREEN MAY CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, YET THE RADIO THEY INSTALLED FORCES YOU TO DO JUST THAT. I HAVE CONTACTED BOTH TOYOTA AND JBL. ONLY TOYOTA HAS RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT'S JUST HOW THIS RADIO WORKS. I AM HOPEFUL YOU WILL SEE THIS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND URGE TOYOTA AND JBL TO AMEND THE SOFTWARE FOR THIS RADIO TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. I HAVE ATTACHED A PHOTO SHOWING THAT AN XM STATION IS PLAYING BUT THE PRESET DISPLAY IS STILL ON FM.
Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 28, 2016
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 DEALER TO CHECK IT WAS WORKING, THEY HAD NO PROCEDURES TO TEST IT OTHER THAN OBDII FOR SENSORS OUT. SEEMS LIKE THE PROMISED AND IIHS TESTS INDICATED THAT THIS PCS SYSTEM WORKED TO STOP THE CAR. ON LINE SEARCHES I CANNOT FIND ANYONE WHO HAS SEEN THEIR SYSTEM WORKING OR ALARMS. THE TOYOTA VIDEO INDICATES WARNINGS SEEM TO OCCUR AT 7-10 CAR LENGTHS - I HAVE BEEN CUT OFF ON HIGHWAY AT LESS THAN ONE CAR LENGTH WITH NO WARNINGS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Other or unspecified, Jul 5, 2016
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 SHOW AN AREA THAT IS IRRELEVANT.