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What 266 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 Hv

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (266)Crash / fire / injury (46)Visibility & wipers (60)Speed control (50)Brakes (39)Electrical system (31)Seat belts (31)Engine (23)Airbags (22)Transmission & drivetrain (22)Body & structure (16)Steering (10)

2 of 266 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 27, 2013SteeringSpeed controlBrakesCrash

I WAS SLOWLY MANEUVERING INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE CAR REVVED UP, JUMPED OVER THE CONCRETE BARRIER, OVER THE CURB AND SIDEWALK. I WAS HEADED DIRECTLY TOWARD A BUILDING AND A LARGE PLATE GLASS WINDOW. THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP THE CAR, AND FELT SQUISHY WHEN I PUSHED THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I SWERVED TO THE RIGHT, TURNED OFF THE KEY AND HIT A PARKED CAR IN ORDER TO STOP. I ALSO WANT TO MENTION THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE GAUGE LIGHT WOULD COME ON ANY TIME I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OVER 50 MPH. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10545660

Dec 24, 2012SteeringAirbagsBody & structureBrakesCrash

I WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND ON I-70 AROUND MP 129. THIS IS JUST BEFORE GLENWOOD CANYON. THERE WAS A FLASHING ICY ROAD SIGN AT WHICH TIME, I SIGNALED MY INTENTION TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT LANE WHICH I DID. I SLOWED DOWN AND PUT MY CAR IN 3RD. THIS WAS JUST BEFORE A CURVE TO THE RIGHT WHERE THE ROAD AND VISIBILITY NARROW. THE RIGHT LANE WAS COMPLETELY ICED OVER AS I REALIZED WHEN I GOT AROUND THE CURVE. IN FRONT OF ME, I SAW A PILEUP, BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC WERE BLOCKED. I TAPPED MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN BUT BECAUSE OF THE ICE, I DID NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN. I WENT AROUND ONE CAR STOPPED IN MY LANE TO AVOID HITTING IT FROM BEHIND. I WENT AROUND ON THE SHOULDER. I CONTINUED TO PUMP THE BRAKE. IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF ME WAS A SIERRA 4X 4 THAT WAS PERPENDICULAR TO THE LANE OF TRAFFIC AND IT WAS ALSO BLOCKING THE SHOULDER. I PLOWED INTO IT ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRUCK AT A RATE OF ANYWHERE OF 25 - 30 MPH. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MY DOG AND I WERE BOTH RESTRAINED AND WE SUFFERED NO INJURIES. MY CAR IS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD TOTALED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10490026

Working with the data? Download all 266 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Toyota RAV4 Hv verdict →