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2018 Toyota RAV4

HybridGas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
5 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
C
Safety Signal
79 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical3
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA345
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA32 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2018 Toyota RAV4 is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas compact SUV with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the RAV4 Hybrid AWD, is EPA-rated at 32 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 345 complaints, most often about the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
RAV4 Hybrid AWDHybridAWD2.5L 4-cyl + 245V Ni-MH343032$1,950
RAV4 LE/XLEGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl233026$2,400
RAV4GasFWD2.5L 4-cyl232925$2,500
RAV4 AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl222825$2,500
RAV4 Limited AWD/SE AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl222824$2,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 39373, 39366, 39365, 39371, 39372.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2018 Toyota RAV4 is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Electrical System

23TB13 / 23TA13
1,853,568 vehicles
ProblemToyota 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.RiskA battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 23V734000reported Nov 1, 2023Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
○minor

Equipment

SET19A
1,325 vehicles
ProblemSoutheast 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."RiskAn incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.FixSET 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.
NHTSA campaign 19V503000reported Jun 28, 2019Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC
○minor

Equipment

Toyota H0Z Lexus HLF
649 vehicles
ProblemToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."RiskAn incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.FixToyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
NHTSA campaign 17V831000reported Dec 20, 2017Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Electrical System:12V/24V/48V Battery — Battery Hold Down Bracket Thermal Events closed

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to understand the contributing factors and frequency of vehicle fires originating from the battery region of the engine compartment in Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles on 25 February 2021. At the time of opening, ODI attributed eleven allegations and additional EWR events to this PE. PE21005 focused on replacement batteries installed in the subject vehicles. No reported fire event identified in PE21005 involved the originally supplied 12V battery. The reported fires took place in vehicles known to contain aftermarket batteries or whose age exceeded the expected life of the original equipment battery.

Opened Feb 25, 2021 · closed Aug 12, 2024 · action PE21005

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
345complaints filed

33 involved a crash · 32 a fire · 19 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2017: 2 · 2018: 37 · 2019: 52 · 2020: 31 · 2021: 42 · 2022: 27 · 2023: 34 · 2024: 45 · 2025: 59 · 2026: 16

Most-cited components

Electrical System132
Unspecified74
Engine32
Service Brakes30
Power Train28
Exterior Lighting23

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the messages "Pre-Collision", "Braking Power Low", and "AWD System Malfunction" were displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The contac…”Aug 12, 2025 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that while receiving an oil change by a certified mechanic, the contact was informed that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The mechanic confirmed that the radiator, hoses, and thermostat had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was re…”Jun 18, 2025 · Engine And Engine Cooling · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. The contact recharged the vehicle and the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to Toyo Cars, where it was diagnosed with an auxiliary battery failure. The dealer was contacted to order the part, but the part was …”Feb 14, 2025 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆17%
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆17%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Compare the 2018 RAV4 with

2018 Honda CR-V →2018 Chevrolet Equinox →2018 Nissan Rogue →2018 Hyundai Tucson →2018 Kia Sportage →

Other RAV4 model years

A

2026 Toyota RAV4

0 recalls · 28 complaints

C

2025 Toyota RAV4

4 recalls · 100 complaints

C

2024 Toyota RAV4

4 recalls · 173 complaints

B

2023 Toyota RAV4

3 recalls · 159 complaints

B

2022 Toyota RAV4

2 recalls · 149 complaints

A

2021 Toyota RAV4

1 recalls · 405 complaints

F

2020 Toyota RAV4

6 recalls · 646 complaints

F

2019 Toyota RAV4

8 recalls · 897 complaints

C

2017 Toyota RAV4

3 recalls · 319 complaints

D

2016 Toyota RAV4

3 recalls · 255 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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