Home · 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hv · Complaints

What 17 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (17)Crash / fire / injury (4)Brakes (5)Body & structure (4)Visibility & wipers (3)Engine (2)Electrical system (1)Fuel system (1)Speed control (1)Steering (1)Suspension (1)

1 of 17 complaints match · Steering · clear filters

Sep 1, 2016SteeringEngine

DURING THE FIRST STARTUP OF THE DAY (OR AFTER COOLED DOWN) THE STEERING WHEEL MOVES RAPIDLY FROM SIDE-TO-SIDE AND THE ENGINE SURGES ROCKING THE CAR BACK AND FORTH. THE CAR IS IN PARK, AND MY FOOT HAS TO BE ON THE BRAKE TO START THE CAR, BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THIS HAPPENING IN TRAFFIC WITH THE CAR IN GEAR. SO FAR IT'S AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. I CAN'T REPRODUCE IT FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THE STEERING WHEEL CAN WOBBLE AT STARTUP WITHOUT THE ENGINE SURGING. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I LEASED THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10903096

Working with the data? Download all 17 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 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hv verdict →