Complaint volume
369 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Toyota RAV4 Complaints
369 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Toyota RAV4, grouped by component category.
369 Total complaints
45 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
28 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are air bags, unknown or other, structure. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 45 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 28 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 70 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 24,888 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to air bags, unknown or other, structure?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Toyota RAV4?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Toyota RAV4
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Toyota RAV4 complaints?
45 Crash
7 Fire
28 Injury
0 Fatality
36 Towed
25 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Toyota RAV4 complaint categories?
AIR BAGS 106
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 44
STRUCTURE 14
ENGINE 13
SEATS 13
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11
VISIBILITY 10
VISIBILITY/WIPER 10
SERVICE BRAKES 9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
369 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | During inclement weather (snow) this morning, I went to brake and it felt like my car sped up instead of slowing down. I tried pressing my brakes again and it did the same thing again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving down an open road when I suddenly heard a loud rattling noise and a huge explosion. Luckily, there wasn’t any cars around us and we weren’t going very fast. As you can imagine this was very shocking and distracting and I was eventually able to pull over to the side of the road to investigate what had happened. I had my 9 month pregnant sister as well as my 4 month infant in the car. What we found was the sunroof of my car had exploding upwards and there were shards of glass everywhere. We had been experiencing extreme weather conditions the past few days and had to assume this to be the cause. There was no one around us nor anything above us and my car is kept under a carport. An external force would not cause the sunroof glass to explode upwards, it would be the exact opposite and smashed downwards. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | To whom this may concern, I have had many problems with the Toyota Rav-4. I had so many problems with my 2017 Rav 4, that I under pressure upgraded to the 2021 LE version. I have had many problems with the breaks. I have brought it in (3) times to be serviced since I purchased it in March of 2021. The breaks are still squeaking. I have also had problems with the electrical system. The dash panel comes on, and abruptly shuts down when it feels like it. My wipers also come on intermittently. Every time I try and talk to Toyota about this they tell me there is nothing wrong. This same thing happens with the 2017, until my breaking mechanism stopped. I am looking for someone to look into this matter because these are dangerous conditions and unacceptable especially for new cars. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | I found the moonroof of my 15-day old 2021 Toyota RAV4 spontaneously exploded while sitting parked in my driveway. As the shade that covers the moonroof was open, I incurred minor abrasions from not realizing that the "s**t on my console" was not dust or fuzz, but tiny shards of broken glass that I had already swiped with my hand. There is a large, jagged hole near center on the rear section of glass and the entire moonroof is shattered. Strangely, the glass around the hole is bowed outward as if something was shot through from the inside of the vehicle. Thankfully I was not driving & did not have my kids in the car with me when it happened because there would have been definite safety issues for me, my passengers, and any others out on the road with me. The car was last used about 6:30pm on Saturday, 12/11/21 and not used again until about 11:15am on Monday, 12/13/21. It spent the time not being used parked towards the rear of my driveway, shaded by my house. There are no trees or other possible falling hazards near my driveway and nothing found in or around my car to suggest a projectile/object was involved. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Water is leaking into the cabin from around the roof rails, this could lead to water getting into the side airbag system and causing a failure in the airbag system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | SEATS | My 2021 Toytoa rav4 Hybrid limited has memory seat buttons. However they don't light up at night or even if the headlights are turned on. There are two memory seat buttons. In a scenario where there are two drivers and one is a larger driver with more girth, and the second is a much slimmer driver, there will be significant distances between the positions. At nightime(or whenverer it is dark, when the larger driver sits in the vehilce and accidentally presses the power seat memory button for the slimmer driver(this can happen since Toyota decided not to illuminate the button in any way(at least they should have did it while the vehicle is in the parked position), the larger drive can get squished, hurt, possibly even die as the seat moves forward toward the steering wheel. Now in the toyota manual, it does say that if any power button is pressed again, the seat should stop. What actually happens is that the driver becomes panicked and pressed the button over and over again and the seat continues closer to the steering wheel. I was able to stop this the first time by pure accident by reaching between the door and the seat to my seat position controls. This is an accident waiting to happen! Toyota needs to illuminate the power seat buttons (at least in the parked position). The seat memory buttons cannot to be used in any other driving position so we are thankful for that. There may be other trims and years of the rav4 that have this issue. The best way to understand this issue is to experience this for yourself. Get a car with memory seat positions. Have two positons set, one positon will be very close to the steering wheel. Have a larger driver with more girth sit in and then press the button for the slimmer driver's postion. Do this at nightime. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I have a 2021 Toyota RAV4. There is a noise in the B pillar. The sound is faint, dealership has replaced the entire seatbelt. The noise is still there. Today was the 4th time to the dealership, the technician drove and service advisor both was in the vehicle today and all of a sudden they can't hear anything. The driver side mirror also shakes when driving and by just shutting the door. My safety concerns are both the B pillar and mirror shaking. I'm concerned the B pillar may not have been properly welded and may fail in a collision The rattle started at 22 miles and now has approximately 1800 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | We bought our new 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid on Sept. 1, 2021, but didn't drive it on a highway until Oct. 4, 2021. On that day, I was driving on Interstate Hwy 70. I entered that highway near Copper Mountain, CO and was driving east to return to Denver. It is a big highway with wide, well marked lanes. I set my cruise control speed to 63 mph. Almost immediately, I noticed that the Lane Centering steering adjustment system seemed to be taking the car from close to the left lane line to close to the right lane line, and back and forth. A couple of times, it even drifted to or over the lane line and triggered the Land Departure Alert alarm. At first, I tried to overcome the automated Lane Centering adjustment by manually steering against it, but the swaying back and forth across the lane became increasingly wide and violent. I was unable to control it. It was terrifying. For a moment, I was sure that I would crash. I don’t know if I hit the brake pedal, but I did quickly press the CANCEL button on the cruise control, and that ended the swaying back and forth. The whole experience lasted probably less than one minute, and at no time did I notice any alarms or warning signals. I took the car to my dealership and asked them to check the functioning and settings of the cruise control and lane tracing assist functions. They told me that my settings were normal and that everything was working properly. I informed Toyota customer service about the problem and told them of my near crash. They consulted with my dealership's service department and repeated that everything was working properly. Neither the dealer nor Toyota customer service offered any explanation of reasons for my near crash. I have continued to drive the car, but I have tried to disable all the "safety" features that allow the car to take control of my steering. I am afraid to try to reproduce the problem myself, and I am quite sure that my dealer did not attempt to do that either. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | TIRES | P225 / 60 R18. Passenger rear tire blew out driving at highway speeds (75-80 mph). The car swerved back and forth across lanes almost into the median and then to the shoulder a couple of times and almost flipped before I was able to pull to the shoulder and stop. Another driver stopped to make sure I was ok and said he also thought I was going to flip more than once. I did not notice any warning lights prior to the incident. There were a couple of times prior to the failure that it felt like the car was swerving slightly - I thought possibly due to wind or different texture of the road surface, then the tire blew. The entire inside wall of the tire is separated from the tread. The dealer has not inspected the tire yet. I am ordering a set of new tires - I don't trust these and never want to go through that again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Moon roof exploded and shattered while driving down the road in normal conditions, no other issues. Vehicle is less than 3 months old with 7,000 miles. It sounded like a gun shot and only because I reacted without panic did it not cause me to have an accident because of the major distraction. Pulled over and no other damage. Had to drive 45 miles per hour to my destination or glass would have sprayed on anyone behind me. Currently, had to tarp and duct tape damage because dealership will not fixed under warranty unless I can prove it was a defective glass/part. My dealer did text me and I have it that there are problems but it’s so hard to prove it will be my expense out of pocket. I would appreciate any help on other Toyotas having a similar problem and wanted to officially report to help out the next person if I can’t obtain proof of a defective part. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | AIR BAGS | The knee airbag deployed during a collision and caused devastating shin injuries. The muscle and skin was ripped off the driver's legs revealing bone. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 4 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Defective windshield, visible distortion, Is available for inspection. (Brand new vehicle) Safety hazard to drive as I can't see properly through it, everything is blurry. Eyes can't focus - like looking through someone else's glasses! Makes me physically ill as well due to the continued eye fatigue/strain. I"m not sure it's even possible to drive it more than half an hour, I wouldn't risk it. Problem is confirmed by the dealer, both technicians that inspected said distortion is visible. Dealer said won't fix because "Every Rav currently on the lot has a defective windshield, most worse than yours"! Was told this was not their first complaint about the bad windshields. and if they did fix it I could end up worse off, because all the windshields are coming out defective currently, some with even worse "visible waves" in the glass. I had ordered the vehicle & put a deposit on it to hold, I didn't get to drive it till the paperwork was done and I was driving off the lot. Within 20 minutes problem was apparent. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While using Cruse control. It did not slow the vehicle. I could not turn it off. The brakes would not work. I ran thru an intersection against the light. Bounced over the median. I turned off the ignition, still coasted about 1/2 mile. Finally I jammed the gear shift lever into Park. Toyota has the vehicle for inspection and reading of the black box. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE ANY WARNING SIGNS OF THE FAILURE. WARNING MESSAGES DID DISPLAY DURING THE FAILURE, WHICH WERE "CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE", "BRAKE FAILURE", AND "LANE DEPARTURE". | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Since buying this 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vehicle in 12/2020 gas tank only takes about 10-11 gallons of fuel when refueling , whereas tank capacity is 14+gallons. This leads to trickle filling to get a full tank which Toyota advises against as unsafe. Toyota has agreed to pay for fixing this manufacturing defect for 2020 model RAV 4's with the same manufacturing defect, but so far Toyota holding back issuing authorization to fix the 2021 RAV4 Hybrids . Car available for inspection upon request. Toyota dealer wants me to pay for diagnosis, manufacturer unwilling to pay for inspection of this safety risk despite paying for it in 2020 RAV4's with same defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | POWER TRAIN | Me ([XXX]) and my 3 children went on a trip from July 25- July 30 to Sequoia National Park & Yosemite National Park . On Wednesday , July 28 around 1:30 pm we were at Yosemite Park and I pulled over to take some photos of the beautiful park(nature) . I made sure my children , the car and myself were in a correct parking spot , I put my RAV4 LE in Park position (P) and the car automatically put on the hand break and it makes a loud noise, letting me know it's safe . The RAV4 does not have a hand break like other cars , it only has a small pull button. Anyways the car was in Park position with the automatic break , I stepped out the vehicle and walked toward the front of the car and my RAV4 just stared to roll down and hit a tree . I ran inside the car to stop it but it was too late . The RAV4 had crashed into the tree with my 3 children, they were all asleep when it happen and lucky no one was hurt. The car has a alot of damages in the front area and on the drivers side . The dash was all lit up with messages saying system fail(Pre collision system) INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | June 25, 2012 driving to work at about 7:35 in the morning going about 45 mph my moon roof exploded. No others cars were around me and nothing hit my car or moon roof for this to happen. I called the police for a report if I needed it, but I did not. I drove it to the dealership after this happened and spoke with the sales manager that I had bought the car from in January. My car was only 5 months old. They replaced my moonroof and gave me a rental car and said it would be covered under warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | Rear windshield shattered on a parked car. We closed the passenger doors after getting in and the rear windshield started falling off in pieces | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | New 2021Toyota Rave4 vehicle would take over steering and turn left or right from the center of the lane. This issue would consistently steer you to a road shoulder or into another lane. A less experienced driver would have crashed. The steering pull is so significant that one is unable to take a drink or turn on the radio without the possibility of an accident. The last incident steered me into the path of a Cement Truck nearly causing an accident. Had I not been extra cautious, an accident would have occurred. The "vehicle is operating as designed" and "some customers are overly sensitive to the safety features" was the conclusion of Vancouver WA Toyota Service and advised to return the vehicle when an incident reoccurs. I insisted the next incident could kill someone. Service spoke to someone and apologized that in fact a Past Tech Bulletin (2019-2021) was released by Toyota addressing this issue. Service obtained a video from the vehicle and confirmed my complaint that the steering had indeed hijacked the vehicle and steered into the path of a Cement Truck. My concern of serious bodily injury or death is substantiated and documented by Vancouver WA Toyota and Toyota Corporation. Respectfully [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW TOYOTA RAV 4 IN MAY 2021 AND DURING THE TEST DRIVE CAR DID NOT SEE ANY ISSUES AT ALL. THIS IS RELATED TO THE BACKUP CAMERA DURING THE TEST DRIVE WE DID NOT PLACE INSTALLED ON THE CAR. RECENTLY I TAKE A CAR TO KOONS TOYOTA IN TYSON CORNER AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE IS AWARE OF THIS AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. NOW WE HAVE THE REAR LICENSE PLATE INSTALLED AND CAN ONLY SEE 3/4 OF THE SCREEN THE OTHER 1/4 OF THE SCREEN SHOWS THE REAR PLATE, VIEW NOR CLEAR %100. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield Crack sitting in parking lot, nothing hit it( i.e. no rocks, no chips, no nothing). It broke randomly, radiating out from the bottom edge near wiper toward center of windshield. Yes, available for inspection upon request Could have happened when driving. It has not yet been confirmed by dealer (pending), insurance, or other third party The new vehicle was only 5 weeks old. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | STEERING,SUSPENSION | MY 2021 TOYOTA RAV4 HAVE DESIGN PROBLEMS WITH SUSPENSION SYSTEM. WHERE IF THE FREEDOM OVER 55MPH THE CAR WILL BE UNSTABLE, BUMPY AND SHAKY. I AM REALLY SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR ON THE HWY. I HEARD MIST 2021 RAV4 HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA NEEDS TO HAVE A RECALL TO FIX OR CHANGE SUSPENSION SYSTEM WITH A FIRM ONE ASAP. THANK YOU. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1 |
| May 2021 | ENGINE | THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THERE WAS AN ABNORMALLY LOUD GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CABE TOYOTA (2849 LONG BEACH BLVD, LONG BEACH, CA 90806, (562) 595-7411) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NOTHING NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT RELATED THE FAILURE TO AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,000 |
| May 2021 | LANE DEPARTURE | NO AUDIO WARNING. BLIND SPOT MONITORING (BSM) FLASHING IS NOT VISIBLE WHEN SUNLIGHT DIRECTLY REFLECTS INTO MIRROR. AUDIO ALERT IS AVAILABLE, BUT LIMITED TO CROSS TRAFFIC ALERT WHICH USES SAME SENSORS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 8 |
| May 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | JUST BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE ON JANUARY AND WITH JUST OVER 4K MILES THIS WARNING CAME UP.. PARKING BRAKE MALFUNCTION.. TURNED OFF THEN ON THE CAR AND SAME WARNING...CALLED THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION ASAP.. | Crash: No Fire: No | 4,364 |
| Apr 2021 | STEERING | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 TOYOTA RAV 4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT AND THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT FLIPPING OVER A CINDERBLOCK CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO FALL DOWN A MOUNTAIN TOP. THE AIR BAGS DID DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BROKEN RIGHT ANKLE AND A FRACTURED DISK IN HER BACK THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE AND WAS TOWED TO A JUNKYARD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BLACK BOX READ THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS SELF INFLICTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 620. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 620 |