2017 Toyota RAV4
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 307 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 13th highest complaint count among 26 RAV4 model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 33 involved a crash and 24 involved a fire. 28 people were injured and 2 people died.
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
Equipment, other, labelsJun 28, 2019
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Campaign 19V503000 on NHTSA.gov
Tires, temporary/emergency spare tireMay 2, 2017
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.
A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Gulf States will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spare tires, adjusting their pressure as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 15, 2017. Owners may contact Gulf States customer service at 1-800-444-1074. Toyota's number for this recall is 17R2.
Campaign 17V295000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
307 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Jun 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Steering, May 7, 2025
The EPS system light came up creating a very dangerous driving situation, unable to turn the wheel. Car was taken to the dealer. Replaced computer assy.. Replaced negative terminal voltage sensor. Dealer stated that problem was taken care off. Problem persisted, brought car back three times. Keeps doing the same thing , warning light coming on , wheel no moving. First time it happened was on November 2024. At this time and date ( 5/6/2025) the car is located at the Toyota dealer in Hollywood Florida, being evaluated again.
Electrical system, May 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Apr 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Service brakes, Apr 19, 2025
Hi, Im reporting a serious safety issue with my 2017 Toyota rav4 The emergencybrake failed to engage, which caused the car to roll down the hill , I took the car to Toyota dealership while it was under the warranty and back down they told me it was nothing wrong with it. It just needed to be adjusted but it never worked the way it should have I do have a family and friends. They do have the same car and all have Same issues with E brake not not engaging l like this to be documented,
Electrical system, Apr 18, 2025
The vehicle as an active recall that can cause fire. I haven’t received any mail yet, I need to fix it so I can start driving it again.
Power train, Electrical system, Apr 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle shuddered while the transmission was shifting into the next gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon scanning the vehicle with an OBD II code reader, the contact retrieved diagnostic trouble codes indicating a starter failure. However, upon investigating the failure online, the contact related the failure to Toyota Warranty Bulletin Number: POL17-06. The contact stated that a preventative service was previously performed on the vehicle, however, the failure occurred. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
Electrical system, Apr 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Service brakes, Apr 8, 2025
I have put 45,000 miles on the vehicle and have had complete brakes and rotors replaced 3 times. The caliper hangs up every time. As it gets closer to replacement time, I have experienced times when I did not think my car was going to stop. Brakes are spongy and I feel like pushing the pedal down is not enough to stop the car. I have experienced this three times, and thankfully it has stopped in time to avoid collision.
Electrical system, Mar 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Mar 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Mar 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Mar 10, 2025
Toyota has had this open recall for well over a year and has not implemented a fix which is far outside the NHTSA guidelines for a quick remedy. Please use your authority to motivate Toyota to do the correct thing.
Electrical system, Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure, causing the vehicle to stall while driving, and the back over prevention camera and collision warning features were inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Feb 13, 2025, fire
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle had been parked. The contact stated that upon returning from an errand, the contact noticed that flames and black smoke were coming out from underneath the front end of the vehicle. The contact called the fire department who arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames. A police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. There was no property damage. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated that the insurance company had referred him to the NHTSA Safety Hotline to report the incident because the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000(Electrical System), which involved a fire safety risk. The vehicle had not been declared a total loss by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 13, 2025
All wheel drive disengages while driving. It has disengaged several times while driving up a steep hill in the rain resulting in loss of control of vehicle. First time car skidded into a ditch. Warning on dash said return vehicle to dealer. Vehicle has been returned 3 times. They blame the problem on a defect in the emission control system which turns off the AWD system when a leak in the vapor control system is detected. Dealer first replaced the fuel filler cap. That worked for a couple of weeks, then something under the hood which worked a few days. Now the car is scheduled for a gasket on the fuel tank to be replaced for $1,500! I am all for controlling emissions to the environment, but it should not be at the cost of safety. A fix is needed to separate the AWD from the emission control system. SAFETY FIRST!
Electrical system, Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Other or unspecified, Jan 31, 2025
Illegal odometer rollback performed at Fred Haas Toyota in Houston, TX. It was at around 86k miles when it left DonMcGill Toyota, then Fred Haas reported around 46k miles. I bought the vehicle in Michigan. It now currently has 120k miles. I am worried it may actually have 160k. I bought the vehicle for around 20k with all the taxes and fees.
Engine, Jan 25, 2025
11/1/23 recall for battery safety. Hold down clamp issue. I received an interim recall notification in 2023. I have called Toyota twice and they still don’t have a remedy. It’s been over a year and this is a safety/fire hazard. It’s unacceptable they have not arranged for a remedy over a year later.
Electrical system, Jan 16, 2025
See attached document for complaint
Vehicle speed control, Jan 10, 2025
Gas pedal won’t work
Electrical system, Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Jan 9, 2025, fire
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH he observed that smoke was emitting from under the hood. The contact stopped the vehicle and when he opened the hood he observed that the battery had fallen off of the battery platter and that the battery clamp was loose. The contact stated that he extinguished the flames with a towel that was in his vehicle. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to his residence. The contact replaced the battery, however he used the OEM battery clamp. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Several local dealers were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Dec 12, 2024
Toyota has yet to resolve this safety recall.