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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)

105 of 301 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters · page 5 of 5

Mar 11, 2018Electrical system

WHILE DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND ALL SCREENS AND GAUGES SHUT OFF FOR ABOUT 3 TO 5 SECONDS THEN THE CAR RESTARTED ON ITS OWN AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY SO I HAD TO USE THE BRAKES TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. THIS EVENT HAPPENED THREE TIMES THAT DAY ALL ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ON.I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER TO HAVE THE CAR CHECKED OUT THE CAR WAS CHECKED OUT NO ISSUES FOUND. A FEW WEEKS LATER I GOT THE OIL CHANGED AT THE DEALER AND AFTER I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP THE ROADS WERE ICY SO I WAS DRIVING AROUND 25 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AND THE DASH WENT OUT FOR ABOUT 3 TO 5 SECONDS AND THEN THE CAR STARTED RUNNING AGAIN THIS HAPPENED AGAIN A FEW MINUTES LATER THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ON AT THIS TIME. I CALLED THE DEALER AND AN APPOINTMENT WAS MADE TO CHECK THE CAR AGAIN I ALSO OPENED A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA FOR THIS ISSUE. THE CAR WAS EVALUATED AGAIN STILL NO ISSUE COULD BE FOUND. THE RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA WAS NO ISSUE WAS FOUND WITH THE CAR AND NO FURTHER ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN BY TOYOTA BECAUSE NOTHING WAS FOUND ON THE DATA RECORDER. THIS CAR IS ON A TOYOTA LEASE AND I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING IT AND I WILL NOT LET MY WIFE DRIVE THIS CAR MY FEELING IS THAT SOMEONE COULD GET HURT OR WORSE AND I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN. I HAVE READ THAT OTHER RAVS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11078543

Dec 12, 2017Electrical systemBrakes

I STARTED IT AND NOTICED IMMEDIATELY SOMETHING WAS WRONG. VEHICLE STARTED MOVING AND I TRIED TO APPLY BRAKE. BRAKE WAS HARD INITIALLY AND VEHICLE CONTINUED MOVING. THEN I WAS ABLE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY BUT IT KEPT MOVING. WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR I GOT PANIC. I SWITCHED TO P AND VEHICLE KEPT GOING, THOUGH SLOWLY ON THE STREET. THEN I TURNED POWER OFF AND REMOVED THE KEY. AT THIS POINT ALL DASH BOARDS LIGHTS WERE ON AND IT WAS MAKING A LOUD, WIRED NOISE. IT LASTED SEVERAL SECONDS AND VEHICLE KEPT MOVING DURING THIS TIME. FINALLY IT CAME TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 4200 MILES. THE SCARY THING IS, BRAKE FAILED FOR NO REASON AND ALL DASH BOARD LIGHTS WERE ON EVEN AFTER THE KEY WAS REMOVED.

NHTSA ODI 11054120

Sep 7, 2017Electrical system

THE LANE DEPARTURE WARNING TONE CANNOT BE HEARD WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THERE IS NO WAY TO INCREASE THE VOLUME OF THE WARNING TONE AS THE CONSUMER. TOYOTA KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM (SEE PG 258 OF OWNER'S MANUAL) BUT REFUSES TO FIX. THIS IS A RISK TO PERSONAL SAFETY.

NHTSA ODI 11022150

Jun 29, 2017Electrical system

THE CAR IS A 2017 TOYOTA RAV4 XLE AWD. THE CAR WAS A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE FOR A 2015 TOYOTA RAV4 XLE AWD THAT HAD NON REPARABLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND WAS REPLACED BY TOYOTA BY AN ARBITRATION DECISION. THE FIRST DAY I DROVE THE CAR THE PASSIVE SAFETY SENSE SYSTEM ACTIVATED WHILE ON THE FREEWAY WHEN A CAR PASSED ME ON THE LEFT SIDE. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME OR THEIR WOULD HAVE BEEN AN SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I TRADED THE CAR OFF 9 DAYS LATER AT A LOSS DUE TO COMPLETE LACK OF TRUST IN ANY TOYOTA PRODUCT. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER TREATED BE HORRIBLY ON THE PREVIOUS CAR THAT I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER TOYOTA AGAIN EVER.

NHTSA ODI 11002346

May 3, 2017Electrical system

THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS WITH STRANGE LETTERS AND IMAGERY.

NHTSA ODI 10983387

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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 →