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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Toyota Rav4 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 287 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

287
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
44
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
8
Involved Fire
owner-reported
20
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

333 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Vehicle Speed Control 69 reports
Visibility/wiper 48 reports
Service Brakes 48 reports
Engine 33 reports
Seat Belts 30 reports
Power Train 25 reports
Air Bags 20 reports
Electrical System 19 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Air Bags ODI 11164251 12/31/2018

TRAVELING 30 MPH SOUTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE. CAR'S ENGINE SELF ACCELERATED. PUMPED BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN. CAR CONTINUED TO SELF-ACCELERATE AND BRAKING WAS INEFFECTUAL AND I RAN INTO BACK OF AN 18 WHEELER FLAT BED TRUCK. *DT

Vehicle Speed Control ODI 10557927 12/31/2013

WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING SPOT AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE JERKED BACK SEVERAL TIMES NO MATER HOW HARD I APPLIED THE BRAKE I COULD NOT STOP IT. I WAS GOING ABOUT 5 MILES OR LESS PER HR. THE SAME THING HAPPENED LATER THE SAME DAY IN MY DRIVEWAY. TWICE IN ONE DAY ALSO ON ANOTHER DAY MY WIFE WAS HEADING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE WOULD N…

Visibility/wiper ODI 10816750 12/29/2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V577000 (VISIBILITY/WIPERS) 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 NOT MADE A AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE…

Electronic Stability Control (esc) ODI 11163618 12/27/2018

TWO MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 LIMTED V6, THE CAR SHOWED THREE WARNING LIGHTS: THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT, AND THE VSC (VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL) LIGHT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. AFTER RUNNING A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DIAGNOSTIC, THE PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE THE O2 SENSOR. MY HUSBAND REPLACED THE SENSOR, AND THE NEXT DAY AFTER DRIVING…

Exterior Lighting ODI 10937568 12/27/2016

TAKATA RECALL: WHY THE LIGHT 4WD , TRAC ON AND CHECK ACTIVATE WENT IS RAINING WENT I MY CAR IS PARK

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 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 2011 Toyota Rav4 reliable?
Owners have filed 287 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Toyota Rav4, most often about vehicle speed control. 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.