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.
Engine, Dec 10, 2023
I was driving my car when no warning lights came on the car started stalling and turning off and then sparks started to come out from the hood. I was able to get the car in a parking lot and when the hood was opened the battery clamp part came off and welded itself to the hood of the car. I had it towed to Price Toyota where they said the battery was fine and that the bolt was missing. They put the same clamp back on and presumed someone tampered with it. The only place that ever touched the battery was them back in June of 2022 when the first recall came out and they said it was fine. I do not feel safe driving this car, especially on a highway if the car stalled like that, I would have been killed. A bolt just doesn't come loose and fall off. Something caused it to loosen and in turn put my life and my kids at risk.
Structure, Nov 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that condensation was present inside the vehicle causing the carpet to become moist and damp. The contact stated that the front and rear carpets on the driver's and passenger's sides of the vehicle were moldy. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted, and a service appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Vehicle speed control, Nov 8, 2023, crash
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive (D) and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lurched, accelerated unintendedly, and crashed into the base of a lamp pole; however, the engine continued to rev loudly. The air bags did not deploy. The contact depressed the brake pedal and while attempting to reverse away from the lamp pole, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and impacted a curb. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as needed. The contact then pulled into a parking space. The contact did not sustain any injury. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an autobody repair shop, where the contact was informed that the vehicle was significantly damaged. The contact was referred to an auto collision center. The vehicle was towed to the auto collision center where repairs were made. The vehicle was the taken to the dealer, where the EDR crash data report was read. The manufacturer sent a letter to the contact, informing her that the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact followed up with the manufacturer, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 24, 971.
Air bags, Service brakes, Nov 2, 2023, crash
Related to a car accident when getting hit in the front my air bags didn’t deploy . Only the driver side was hit pretty bad . Another car accident related to a tree branch no air bag deploy . I was told that you have to be hit in a certain way to deploy the air bags . Hearing that makes me switch from a Toyota to a Kia . I have my toddler .
Engine, Oct 16, 2023, fire
The contact owned a 2017 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that upon arriving at her destination and returning to the vehicle a short time later, she found it engulfed in flames. A witness had already notified local emergency services, who were able to extinguish the fire. The fire marshal was unable to determine the origin of the fire but concluded that the cause was a non-suspicious mechanical failure with the vehicle. A police and fire report was filed, and no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and declared a loss by insurance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000.
Electrical system, Structure, Other or unspecified, Sep 25, 2023, fire
The car was sitting in the driveway and caught fire around 11:29am. The car had not been driven or moved from the driveway for at least 2 days, and is up to date on all maintenance. The fire inspectors hypothesize the fire began from the battery and spread. After Googling, I have learned that Toyota Rav 4s from 2013 to 2018 had a large recall; 1.8 million vehicles taken because of the battery catching fire randomly. The remains of the vehicle are in the driveway of the residence. Both the police and fire department came to the scene. The safety of others was put at risk because it is only luck that nobody was in the car, or going to drive the vehicle as it caught fire randomly, bringing the residents of the home and owner of the car in extreme risk from both the fire and any explosions, damage to the house, and damage to others.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Sep 11, 2023, fire
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, fire was detected near the engine and front of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no reported injuries, crash,es or air bag deployment. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent towing lot. The contact called the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Service brakes, Aug 28, 2023
Multiple times when coming to a stop the vehicle is stopped and then the brake pedal depresses further on its own while at the same time the engine roars and the vehicle lunges forward about 4 feet. It almost put me in front of oncoming traffic. Also I felt like I had no control over the brakes. It happened 4 times and also did this while I was parallel parking and almost slammed into the parked car ahead of me. It was in the shop last month. The brake calipers were cleaned and the brake lines were bled. This vehicle only has 40000 miles on it. I took it back to Toyota again today to see if they can once again try to figure out what is causing this. When it surges forward it sounds like if your foot was on gas in park, only my foot was on the brake Im afraid to drive it.
Steering, Aug 28, 2023
POWER STEERING IS LOCKING UP, NOT WANTING TO TURN.
Tires, Aug 21, 2023
225/65R17. I purchased 4 new tires on 02/24/23. On 6/27/23, I found my driver's rear tire was completely flat. I had the 'donut' put on and took to the dealers. There was a 'bubble' around the rim and the tire was replaced. The dealer explained it was likely due to hitting a curb or pothole which I took exception to as I had done neither. On 7/31/23, my passenger-side rear tire was almost flat and there was again a bubble near the rim. As well the front passenger tire looked mis-shapen. This time, I called a tow truck. The dealer refused to acknowledged that was a manufacturing issue and not a road hazard. Although many Continental tires were recalled, they said this wasn't one of them. They did not contact Continental only their service provider for road hazard. Replacing only the passenger rear tire was not a reasonable option. I chose to replace all 4 tires of another brand rather than fool around with what could be an exploding tire on the highway. Needless to say, no more continental tires for me and I will not use that Toyota dealership again either.
Air bags, Aug 10, 2023, crash
Side Airbag failure: (all air bags didn't deploy) As I was making a left hand turn, My vehicle was hit in my drivers rear quarter, just behind the gas cap. The impact spun the car over 90 degrees, causing me to hit the left side of my head against the side drivers window, causing a concussion and cervical strain. No airbags in the vehicle were deployed, yet the car was totaled. The car that hit me was traveling at a high rate of speed and the impact totally destroyed that vehicles front end displacing the engine. In my opinion the airbags malfunctioned due to the water damage caused by the rail leaks common to that vehicle (which I had the dealer fix previously). If the airbag in question was operational I would not have hit my head. (yes, I was wearing my seatbelt.)
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 4, 2023
Vehicle experienced an unexplained acceleration while at a complete stop with foot on the brake. This has happened several times.
Other or unspecified, Aug 1, 2023
I was in the third, leftmost, lane on an urban highway coming out of a gentle turn going about 40-45 miles an hour. There was a loud metallic clank or bang and the vehicle pulled sharply to the right. I hit the brakes hard, the vehicle crossed two lanes and came to rest on the shoulder about 18 inches from the concrete barrier, having turned about 170 degrees. There was very little traffic and so there was no accident or injuries but had there been normal traffic it would have been a disaster. There were no indicator lights showing any problem, I examined the tires and underside and could not see any damage. I was able to drive away from the site. I took the car in to my regular Toyota dealer (Toyota of Lincoln Park, they perform all my service) and they test drove it, examined it closely, checked the computer, and could find nothing wrong. No other parties have examined the car. However, I would be afraid to drive it and need to dispose of the car without exposing anyone else to what might happen.
Air bags, Jul 17, 2023, crash
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact struck a sign on the side of the road causing front-end damages to the vehicle and the air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered a major injury to the chest from the seat belt and back pains where she was taken to the hospital and had to seek physical therapy. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer that stated that the damages were not severe for the air bags senor to deploy. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,408.
Vehicle speed control, Jul 10, 2023, crash
I was slowing at a stop sign and the car suddenly accelerated. My foot was not on the gas pedal but it continued to accelerate causing and accident at an intersection.
Exterior lighting, Jun 17, 2023
Even when properly aimed, with new headlight bulbs, visibility is poor at night. I recently had an incident while driving in town at less than 25 miles hour where I almost hit a deer that I could see on the side of the street, and this is actually not the first of many such incidents. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle at night due to the poor amount of light put out by the headlights. Toyota should offer to retrofit these with LEDS for people with issues. It's downrigtht scary, especially on poor lit streets or driving on the highway.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 2, 2023
Vehicle surges when accelerating since it was new. Throttle goes dead where engine idles but now power at all. Does it from a standing start, does it on hills and when merging onto a freeway. Now it happens on cruise control, when set on 75 mph engine loses power and slows down to 45 for a few minutes then shutters and speeds back up to 75. This past month if you let the fuel get down to 1/4 of a tank it will happen all the time. On interstate this week it happened and slowed to 35 mph and wouldn't go any faster until more gas was added. No check engine light ever. Dealer has checked twice and says no codes found and can't get it to happen it's a intermittent problem. We almost got hit by a semi on the interstate this week week due to this happening and I was unable to get out of his way because I no throttle response at all.... But engine was idling that all. Had to turn the engine off for 45 minutes before it would have any throttle response at all. Drove down the emergency lane to the next exit and filled up with gas. Engine surged for next 60 miles home. This is a huge problem! I am going to my local Toyota dealer tomorrow to talk with them again about this problem. If they give me the run around again I am going to file a lawsuit against Toyota and the dealership!
Power train, Fuel/propulsion system, May 8, 2023
la transmisión de mi vehículo presenta ruidos extraños y ala ves se escucha un zumbido qué es bien molestoso perdió fuerza y velocidad también el consumo de combustible es demasiado mi rav 4 solo tiene 40,400 millas corridas es frustrante porqué la marca no a hecho nada para corregir el problema tengo muchos conocidos qué frecuentan el mismo problema
Steering, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, May 5, 2023
As I drive about 70 MPH, the ABS and the brake lights come on and the car is momentarily out of control. As I grabbed the tearing and reduce the speed dramatically, the system correct itself and I am able to continue driving at a very low speed.
Electrical system, Mar 27, 2023, fire
A fire occurred in the engine compartment of the vehicle while the vehicle was parked in a garage with the engine off. Fire patterns and physical evidence suggest the fire originated as a result of a high resistance connection between the positive battery terminal and conductor to the power distribution center. The battery is original. The vehicle has not had any repairs beyond normal maintenance. The vehicle was not involved in a crash.
Steering, Electrical system, Feb 26, 2023
Car will not start. Doesn't seem to be the battery. Got a jump start but same warning light illuminated.
Exterior lighting, Other or unspecified, Feb 14, 2023
Both of my headlights burned out at the same time. I was driving on a rural mountain highway at about 7:30pm and was using my adaptive headlights. They were working fine, I noticed no issues, until they both burned out at the same time. It was dangerous, there was no shoulder to pull over on, and a steep drop-off i couldn't see and no warning whatsoever I'd be in pitch black dark in the middle of the road. Thankfully there was very little traffic, it could have been much worse. My dash camera captured the event and I've shared it to YouTube. https://youtu.be/plJlQYcA8-A No indicator lights ever came on, before or after. I had to drive the last hour to my destination through the mountains in the dark with only fog and running lights. I had been to the dealership for scheduled interval maintenance just the week before. A multi point inspection evidently didn't catch that both headlights were about to go out at the same time. Bulbs? Wiring? Relay? Not sure what happened.
Power train, Jan 31, 2023
Vehicle suddenly started to develop shuddering episodes that lasted 2-3 seconds, while driving at low speeds 20-50 MPH and between 1000-2000 RPM. Condition is intermittent, usually when the engine is hot and increasingly becoming worse and frequent. Took vehicle to local Toyota dealer and they diagnosed it with a malfunctioning Torque Converter and recommended replacement. No codes were reported during diagnosis. Toyota dealer mechanic promptly recognized problem as he encountered similar problems with other vehicles of same model. Mechanic reported of a known recall for models from 2009 to 2015, but not for later models. Transmission Control Module was reset by dealer's mechanic and condition improved but not resolved. Owner contemplating replacement of malfunctioning part to avoid catastrophic damages to vehicle's transmission and potential uncontrollable vehicle's behavior while driving.
Electrical system, Jan 31, 2023, fire
I WAS DRIVING COMING FROM THE STORE WITH MY GRAND KIDS AND MY TRUCK STALLED ON ME SO I TURNED IF OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON BUT IT KILLED ON ME AGAIN AND THIS POINT MY GRAND BABY SAID HE SMELLED SMOKE SO I LOOKED UP AND THE HODD WAS SMOKING SO I GOT MY BABIES AND MYSELF OUT THE TRUCK AND RAN TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET AND THERE I WATCHED MY TRUCK START A FIRE SO I CALL THE POLICE AND THE FIRE PEOPLE , MY TRUCK WAS TOTALED I CONTACTED TOYOTA MAIN OFFICE TO LET THEM KNOW THEY SENTED OUR THEIRE PEOPLE TO LOOK AT THE TRUCK AND DECIDED THAT IT WAS NOT THERE FAULT AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME , MY TRUCK CAUGHT ON FIRE I DID NOT SET IT ON MY FIRE MY GRAND KIDS WERE IN THAT TRUCK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPEN HAD HE NOT SMALLED SMOED AND IT DID NOT STALL BUT CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT . BUT NO ONE WAS TO DEAL WITH IT YOU WHETHER JUST WALK AWAY WHAT IF WAS SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY THEN WHAT
Exterior lighting, Jan 22, 2023
This and other year model RAV4s have a known and reported issue of the tail light lenses not being properly sealed with and connected to the tail light housing. This is allowing water intrusion into the tail light and electrical system and vehicle body. This is the case with both of my tail lights on my 2010 RAV4. Water has been entering the tail lights where the lens is not sealed to the housing. The lack of plastic welding / sealant can be seen at the lens and housing. Water is intruding corroding the electronics and electrical connectors as well as portions of the body. The lenses are becoming deteriorated and discolored due to the water intrusion diminishing the effectiveness of the rear lighting. Of course, this is a safety issue as well as the corrosion of the electrical connectors and electronics within the tail light that may cause them to completely fail. Toyota knows of these issues but refuses to address them.