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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 64 safety complaints about the 2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering back-over prevention and the electrical system.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 42 complaints, 66% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 39,000 miles, the median across the 15 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2023 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

64 complaints on file

64

Complaints

5

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 42 · 66%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 19 · 30%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6 · 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 9%
LANE DEPARTURE 5 · 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 3%
AIR BAGS 1 · 2%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 2%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 · 2%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 2%
0 19 38

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 64.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 43.

48 36 24 12
23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2023 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2023 Toyota RAV4 PRIME, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 13.3%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

25V744000 · October 30, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 1,024,407 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

25V595000 · September 11, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.
The risk
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 591,377 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

1 injured · crash · towed

On the night of [XXX] at approximately [XXX] PM, I was driving from Tracy, California to Lancaster, California via the [XXX]. The freeway had no traffic at the time, and I set my cruise control to maintain a speed of 75 mph for a safer ride. While driving in the left lane near Santa Nella, my car suddenly deployed the ABS brakes. The steering wheel locked, and the car began to slip—its tires locked as if on a roller coaster going downhill. The driver’s side then rolled over and crashed. Fortunately, the road was empty, and I did not hit anyone during the accident. I thought I was going to die, but I am lucky to be alive. suddenly Abs brakes deployed steering wheel lock right side this

NHTSA complaint 11666840, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

Driver was parking the car in a parking lot at a very slow speed. The car suddenly shot forward at a very high rate of speed, requiring evasive steering from trees and a fence, until the car crashed head-on into another vehicle. The driver is very certain the brakes only were applied during the entire time the car shot forward. Airbags were not deployed. Bystanders were within six feet of the car at one point during the acceleration, prior to the crash. There were no injuries. Earlier, on the day of the crash, the car had a sudden, strong, yet brief acceleration of the vehicle during normal braking while approaching a rotary, unlike normal ABS. ABS itself seemed unneeded (the approach to

NHTSA complaint 11536313, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

I slowly turned right into a parking space, braked to stop but the car didn't stop and instead lurched, jumping forward over the parking curb and hitting a small wall. My foot was on the brake pedal the entire time. It happened at 9:00am on a clear day. I was alone in the car and uninjured. Damage to the car was extensive and estimated at nearly $40,000. As a result, car was totaled by the insurance company.

NHTSA complaint 11632869. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

On [XXX], I was pulling into a parking spot in a parking lot [XXX] in San Francisco. When I engaged the brakes, the vehicle did not stop and continued moving forward. The vehicle accelerated a bit and climbed over the parking lot barrier, onto the pedestrian sidewalk, and into the street despite continued brake depression. The right side of the vehicle made contact with the parking meter on the sidewalk for street parking. The brakes were depressed and engaged the entire duration of the incident, and the vehicle did not stop until impact with the parking meter. Standard safety features were enabled (ie. pre-collision system, road sign assist). Dynamic radar cruise control is disabled. I

NHTSA complaint 11664045, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sunroof glass shattered

NHTSA complaint 11767036. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Dealer/manufacturer are refusing to perform repairs for NHTSA recall# 25V-595

NHTSA complaint 11766227. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:ELECTRONIC LOCK/LATCH ACTUATOR
The driver door lock no longer works. The remaining power locks will actuate and indicate the doors are locked/unlocked, but the driver's door will remain in the original position. This started with the door repeatedly trying to unlock but being unable to and intermittent operation. This has now progressed to complete failure. The locks no longer actuate.

NHTSA complaint 11755658. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

34,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated the vehicle was shaking with an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The instrument cluster displayed a black screen. The TPMS system malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware that the electrical wires underneath the driver's side front seat were exposed, and the cover was in the floorboard. Additionally, the dashboard panel on the front passenger's side had detached and was hanging down. The failures occurred two weeks after the recall

NHTSA complaint 11750798, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

30,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Rav4 Prime. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V595000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the 12.3-inch screen display of the instrument panel had turned blank. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA complaint 11734785. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In regards to recal 25TA08/25TB08, Toyota has yet to release a fix for the very critical digital instrument cluster going blank forever. I got a notice in the mail that they had a software update for me but when I was able to schedule an appointment with the dealer, the dealer advised that within 10 days of Toyota releasing the “fix” they rescinded/repealed the “fix”. So by the time I got the letter giving me hope that my car would live, I realistically had 2 days to get it in to get updated with a fix that probably wouldn’t have worked. With such a critical part/software issue, I feel Toyota is massively dragging their feet and I am driving a ticking time bomb and possibly having this car

NHTSA complaint 11732146, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota RAV4 Prime

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 29 2 —
2022 21 3 —
2021 99 4 —

Other 2023 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 281 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst