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What 302 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid

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 (302)Crash / fire / injury (80)Electrical system (84)Steering (45)Engine (37)Brakes (31)Body & structure (30)Transmission & drivetrain (25)Speed control (21)Airbags (15)Fuel system (13)Visibility & wipers (8)

31 of 302 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Dec 23, 2015SteeringBrakesCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, A VEHICLE STOPPED IN FRONT OF THE CONTACTS VEHICLE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND AS THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. AS A RESULT. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOY, RELEASING A CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED ARM, LEGS AND WHIPLASH INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V144000 (STEERING). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 04/07/16*LJ...UPDATED 12/06/16 *BF UPDATED 03/09/17.*JB

NHTSA ODI 10811893

Oct 22, 2015BrakesCrash2 injuries

BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND WHILE DRIVING AND AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED.

NHTSA ODI 10785270

Aug 18, 2015Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND FLICKERED. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED. THE BRAKES, PADS, AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, BOTH FRONT TIRES WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.

NHTSA ODI 10749407

Aug 17, 2015BrakesEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS SLIGHTLY DEPRESSED AND THE ENGINE REVVED. THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,010.

NHTSA ODI 10749152

Jul 29, 2015SteeringWheelsBrakes

I PURCHASE THE RAV4 IN OCTOBER 2015, AND THREE MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE A CRUNCHING SOUND COMING FROM MY BRAKES AND A FLUCTUATION ISSUE WHERE THE BRAKES DO NOT ALWAYS CATCH CAUSING A SAFETY CONCERN. THE DEALER AND TOYOTA ARE REFUSING ON TWO OCCASIONS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AGAIN ON 7/28/2015 IN HOPES THAT THEY WILL FINALLY FIX THE ISSUE. THE DEALER WILL NOT DOCUMENT THE ISSUE!

NHTSA ODI 10744552

Jul 27, 2015Brakes1 injury

I USED TO HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS RAV 4 LIMITED. SOMETIMES WHEN I PARK, I FORGET TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK (I NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN WITH MY HIGHLANDER) AND THEN TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE. MY HIGHLANDER DID NOT DO THIS. TODAY MY CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS. I FELL DOWN AND MY ELBOW AND ARM IS REALLY SCRAPPED UP AS I WAS TRYING TO STOP THE CAR WITH MY BODY AND THEN I WAS ALMOST RUN OVER AS I FELL ON THE GROUND. I COULD HAVE HIT A CHILD OR RUN OVER A CHILD. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SOME TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH MY CAR OR IF THERE IS A SETTING I COULD USE TO PREVENT THIS. I DON'T WANT TO BE RUN OVER BY MY CAR OR HAVE ANYONE RUN OVER.

NHTSA ODI 10743781

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Working with the data? Download all 302 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 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 2015 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid verdict →