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Toyota RAV4

Every model year 2016–2026: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

11 Model years 2016–2026

39 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

3,540 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2026 Safety Signal

2021 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2026 RAV4 →Which years to avoid Compare it

Toyota RAV4 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Toyota RAV4 · Photo: TTTNIS · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Toyota RAV4 model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2026	Hybrid	A	2	42	—	43 mpg
2025	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	B	4	105	★★★★★	39 mpg
2024	Hybrid Gas	C	4	177	★★★★★	39 mpg
2023	Hybrid Gas	B	3	171	★★★★★	40 mpg
2022	Hybrid Gas	B	2	154	★★★★★	40 mpg
2021	Hybrid Gas	A	1	411	★★★★★	40 mpg
2020	Hybrid Gas	D	6	649	★★★★★	40 mpg
2019	Hybrid Gas	F	8	905	★★★★★	40 mpg
2018	Hybrid Gas	B	3	348	★★★★★	32 mpg
2017	Hybrid Gas	B	3	321	★★★★★	32 mpg
2016	Hybrid Gas	B	3	257	★★★★★	32 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2021

On the filed record so far, the 2021 is the cleanest RAV4 year we hold, and the 2019 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2021	A	0.2	82
2016	B	0.3	26
2017	B	0.3	36
2018	B	0.4	44
2022	B	0.5	38
2023	B	1	57
2020	D	1	108	1 critical
2019	F	1.1	129	1 critical

Which Toyota RAV4 years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2020 fuel/propulsion system complaints at 0.02× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 500 miles). Latest: 2019 electrical system at 2.04× (31,231 miles).

Year	Fuel/Propulsion System	Electrical System	Engine	Service Brakes	Power Train	Exterior Lighting
2020	0.02×	0.31×	0.6×	—	—	—
2019	0.07×	2.04×	0.74×	0.38×	0.27×	—
2018	—	0.93×	0.96×	0.49×	0.29×	0.41×
2017	—	1.17×	0.64×	0.39×	—	0.28×
2016	—	1.16×	0.24×	0.53×	—	0.39×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Toyota RAV4, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

electrical problems 722 complaints, every model year engine problems 659 complaints, every model year fuel system problems 411 complaints, every model year airbag problems 304 complaints, every model year body and structure problems 243 complaints, every model year transmission and drivetrain problems 218 complaints, every model year brake problems 212 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: dropped plug-in hybrid, gas; best combined mpg 39 → 43; 7 → 6 EPA configurations
2025: added plug-in hybrid
2024: best combined mpg 40 → 39; 8 → 7 EPA configurations
2023: 7 → 8 EPA configurations
2020: 4 → 7 EPA configurations
2019: best combined mpg 32 → 40; 5 → 4 EPA configurations

Compare

All RAV4 head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2026 RAV4 vs Tesla Model Y · Compact SUV	RAV4 +4.8
2026 RAV4 vs Honda CR-V · Compact SUV	RAV4 +4.9
2026 RAV4 vs Chevrolet Equinox · Compact SUV	Toss-up
2026 RAV4 vs Nissan Rogue · Compact SUV	RAV4 +5
2026 RAV4 vs Hyundai Tucson · Compact SUV	Toss-up
2026 RAV4 vs Kia Sportage · Compact SUV	RAV4 +4.3
2025 RAV4 vs Ford Escape · Compact SUV	Escape +9.2
2025 RAV4 vs Subaru Forester · Compact SUV	RAV4 +8.7
2025 RAV4 vs Mazda CX-5 · Compact SUV	CX-5 +9.2
2023 RAV4 vs Mazda CX-9 · Compact SUV	CX-9 +27.5

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 6 of 79 0.32× the mileage of same-age vehicles Toyota RAV4 owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 6,000 miles across 2018–2021 (fleet 23,512), earlier than vehicles of the same model year. 705 readings.

Common questions about the Toyota RAV4

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Toyota RAV4 year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2021 RAV4 comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (92/100), 1 recall and 411 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Toyota RAV4 years should I avoid?

2019, 2020 have the weakest recall records in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every RAV4 model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Toyota RAV4 have?

Across model years 2016–2026, NHTSA has posted 39 recall campaigns for the Toyota RAV4. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.