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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2010 Toyota Rav4 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 400 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

400
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
57
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
3
Involved Fire
owner-reported
27
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Toyota Rav4 — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

400 complaints

287 complaints

266 complaints

256 complaints

197 complaints

305 complaints

239 complaints

307 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Suspension 101 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 83 reports
Power Train 38 reports
Unknown Or Other 37 reports
Service Brakes 34 reports
Air Bags 28 reports
Engine 21 reports
Visibility/wiper 20 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Unknown Or Other ODI 11445468 12/29/2021

While driving my vehicle, it began to smoke under the hood. I exited the highway in order to pull over in a safer location. Some smoke started coming through the vent in the car as I pulled over. I exited the car and moved away and small flames began at the air vents on the outside. After I called 911, The fire kept building until the front half of the car was engulfed. The fi…

Suspension ODI 10297335 12/29/2009

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH HE HEARD A GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE HUB AND BEARING ASSEMBLY WAS REPAIRED AT AN EXPENSE OF $432.41. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48985. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49000.

Air Bags ODI 10937800 12/28/2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATE 30 MPH, THE REAR SWERVED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A POLE AND THE DRIVER FRONTAL AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY CAUSING THE CONTACT TO FRACTURE SEVERAL RIBS. THE CONTACT ALSO WANTED TO STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V383000 WAS PERFO…

Service Brakes ODI 10441571 12/28/2011

AT APPROXIMATELY 18:30 ON DECEMBER 27, 2011, I EXPERIENCED AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION EVENT IN MY 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. I WAS STOPPING FOR A RED LIGHT ON PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY IN SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA AT THE CORNER OF FIRST STREET WHEN I NOTICED IT WAS DIFFICULT TO APPLY THE BRAKE, AND THE CAR DID NOT APPEAR TO WANT TO STOP. I APPLIED THE BRAKE MORE FORCEFULLY AND WAS EVENTUALLY …

Suspension ODI 10490234 12/27/2012

I HAVE TAKEN MY 1 MONTH CERTIFIED NEWLY PURCHASED VEHICLE FOR WHAT I DESCRIBE AS BRAKES/SUSPENSION PROBLEMS. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY CANNOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. I HAVE ALREADY STATED THAT I DRIVE WITH MY GRANDKIDS IN THE CAR. THEY SEEM TO IGNORE AND FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. I FEEL THERE IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE! *TR

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2010 Toyota Rav4, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2010 Toyota Rav4 reliable?
Owners have filed 400 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2010 Toyota Rav4, most often about suspension. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Toyota Rav4 years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.