Home · 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hv · Complaints

What 301 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (301)Crash / fire / injury (57)Electrical system (105)Brakes (36)Engine (31)Lights (31)Airbags (19)Body & structure (18)Transmission & drivetrain (16)Fuel system (13)Speed control (12)Steering (12)

57 of 301 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters · page 3 of 3

Jun 5, 2018Crash

WHEN STOPPED AT MY CLOSED DRIVEWAY GATES I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND SUDDENLY WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL IT TOOK OFF IN (DRIVE) FORWARD. IT DROVE SO HARD IT SENT THE GATE FLYING AND BROKE THE METAL LOCK. I WAS IN SHOCK AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE. IT STOPPED BUT I WAS IN SHOCK. IT JUST TOOK OFF. IT DID IT AGAIN AFTER REPORTING IT TO MY DEALER AND INSURANCE COMPANY. THEY WANT TO SEE IT AFTER THE REPAIRS ARE DONE. ALSO THE FRONT DETECTOR WILL SUDDENLY STOP MY RAV4 2017 WHILE I'M DRIVING 55 MPH FOR SOMEONE PASSING ME IN A RIGHT TURN LANE. BOUGHT IT LAST SUMMER. IS THIS A LEMON AND DOES THE LEMON LAW APPLY.

NHTSA ODI 11100061

May 16, 2018AirbagsCrash2 injuries

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A 50 MPH CRASH ON THE FREEWAY WHERE ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT THE PASSENGER SIDE AND THE SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CAR SPUN AND THE FRONT END WAS HIT AGAIN CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END AND THE FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY

NHTSA ODI 11094062

Sep 11, 2017BrakesCrash

PURCHASED MY NEW RAV4 ON 12/2017. ON 8/13/2017 I WAS AT A DRIVE THROUGH AND STOPPED AT THE END OF THE LINE AND THE SERVICE BRAKE WHEN I PRESSED THE PEDDLE THE BRAKE WAS FIRM AND STOPPED CORRECTLY. THE LINE MOVED AND I LIFTED MY FOOT OFF OF THE SERVICE BRAKE AND THE LINE STOPPED AND I APPLIED THE SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE AND HAD TO PRESS THE PEDDLE FURTHER THAN I PRESSED THE PEDDLE THE FIRST TIME I STOPPED IN THE LINE. WHILE STOPPED IN THE LINE THE SECOND TIME THE RAV4 STARTED TO ROLL FORWARD AND I HAD TO PRESS THE SERVICE BRAKE EVEN FURTHER TO GET THE RAV4 STOP. THE LINE MOVED FORWARD AND I LIFTED MY FOOT OFF OF THE SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE AND THE LINE STOPPED AND WHEN I PRESSED THE SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE THE SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND DID NOT SLOW UNTIL I STRUCK THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. AFTER THE ACCIDENT MY SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS VERY SPONGY AND SLOW TO RESPOND WHEN PRESSING THE SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE. I TOOK MY RAV4 ON 8/14/2017 TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO HAVE MY SERVICE BRAKES CHECKED. WHEN I TOOK THE RAV4 IN I DID NOT HAVE ANY PAPER WORK TO SIGN. THE AFTERNOON THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID MY RAV4 WAS READY. WHEN I WENT TO GET MY RAV4 THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID NO CODES AND DID NOT GIVE ME ANY PAPER WORK AND I DID NOT SIGN ANY PAPER WORK. WHEN I GOT IN TO DRIVE THE RAV4 AWAY MY SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS FIRM NOT SPONGY AND RESPONDED QUICKLY AS VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT TO PRESS THE SERVICE BRAKE PEDDLE TO STOP THE RAV4. MY SERVICE ON THE TOYOTA WEB SITE SERVICE HAS NEVER REPORTED THE SERVICE EVEN TODAY. I CALLED THE TOYOTA AND TOLD THEM OF THIS SITUATION AND THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME TO BRING MY RAV4 BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 8/24/2017 AND HE WOULD DOWNLOAD THE EVENT RECORDER AND DID ON 8/31/2017. NO ISSUES WAS REPORTED ON THE EVENT RECORDER. LETTER SHOWED NO REFERENCE THAT I HAD MY SERVICE BRAKES CHECKED ON 8/14/2017. SERVICE BRAKE IS SPONGY WHILE STOPPED NOW.

NHTSA ODI 11022755

Aug 12, 2017BrakesCrash1 injury

BREAKS FAILED WHEN BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND FAILED IMMEDIATELY AGAIN WHEN TRYING TO PULL BACK INTO PARKING SPACE AFTER CAR HIT A CAR AND THEN HIT A CART CORRAL PUSHING THAT INTO ANOTHER CAR. AS A RESULT 3 CARS INCLUDING OURS WERE DAMAGED.

NHTSA ODI 11014830

Aug 5, 2017SteeringSpeed controlBrakesCrash

AS I WAS APPROACHING THE MAIL BOX AREA IN MY APARTMENT COMPLEX AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO TURN INTO THE PARKING AREA IN FRONT OF THE FOUR METAL MAILBOXES AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN "PARK" WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD AND JUMPED THE SIX-INCH, BRICK-PAVER CURB. I CRASHED INTO THE MAILBOX STRUCTURE, COMPLETELY UPLIFTING THE BASE THAT WAS BOLTED INTO THE CONCRETE AND HIT A WOOD TRASH CONTAINER HOLDER. I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL HARDER BUT MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP AND I ALSO COULD NOT CONTROL THE STEERING. I CONTINUED UP A HILL (AT 45-50 MPH) CONSISTING OF TALL GRASS, WILDFLOWERS, ROCKS, ETC., ACROSS A WALKING PATH OF WOODCHIPS AND MULCH, THEN DOWN THE HILL (STILL WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE) GRAZING THE BRANCHES AND LEAVES OF A SMALL TREE BEFORE COMING OFF THE SIX-INCH CURB AND BACK ONTO THE STREET, WHERE I HIT A LIGHT POST. I MANAGED TO LIFT THE PARKING BRAKE, SLAM ON THE BRAKE AGAIN AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED TO A STOP. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.

NHTSA ODI 11013006

Jul 14, 2017AirbagsBody & structureCrash

WHILE PULLING INTO TO A PARKING SPACE,MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND JUMPED THE CURB CAUSING THE CAR TO HIT A TREE,CAUSING ALL AIR BAGS TO GO OFF. I WAS ASKED IF I HIT THE GAS INSTEAD OF THE BRAKE. THIS HAPPENED SO FAST THAT I SUPPOSE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE BUT I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED. IS THERE A WAY THAT THEY CAN TELL WHAT HAPPENEED?

NHTSA ODI 11005357

Dec 29, 2016BrakesCrash

I WAS DRIVING AND TAKING A TURN AND AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN RESULT IN A MINOR ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10938656

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Working with the data? Download all 301 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 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hv verdict →