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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2023 Toyota RAV4

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

Owners have filed 157 safety complaints about the 2023 Toyota RAV4 with the US government. Of those, 19 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 15 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 41 complaints, 26% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 40,790 miles, the median across the 12 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

157 complaints on file

157

Complaints

19

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

15

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
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 42 · 27%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 41 · 26%
STEERING 27 · 17%
ENGINE 24 · 15%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 18 · 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 17 · 11%
POWER TRAIN 11 · 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 10 · 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 9 · 6%
STRUCTURE 9 · 6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 9 · 6%
AIR BAGS 8 · 5%
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 157.

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 2025 at 52.

56 42 28 14
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 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, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.5% 15.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 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

TIRES:VALVE

23V485000 · July 11, 2023

The defect
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota RAV4 vehicles equipped with 17" black alloy accessory wheels. During installation of the alloy wheels, the tire valve stem may have been improperly installed or damaged. In addition, the load carrying capacity label may state the incorrect weight. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
A damaged or improperly installed valve stem may allow air to leak and/or the tires to be underinflated, increasing the risk of tire failure and a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wheel valve stems and replace the load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 18, 2023. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 23R1.

Gulf States Toyota, Inc. · up to 195 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.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · towed

A car pulled out right infront of me at an intersection, I hit their back drivers side rear with most of the front of my car. I was doing approximately 41-45 mph. No airbags were deployed and my SOS button didn't work nor did it call for help.

NHTSA complaint 11585406. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

3 injured

We discovered severe mold contamination and water intrusion in our 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. My wife, our [XXX] child, and I have been experiencing dizziness and nausea for months whenever we were inside the vehicle, but we did not know the cause until the dealer (DLL) showed us extensive mold throughout the cabin and standing water trapped inside the vehicle. The dealer confirmed that this was not normal wear and tear. The mold has spread into the floors, interior panels, and even the steering components. This is a serious health hazard. After doing research, we found many other RAV4 Hybrid owners reporting similar water leaks and mold growth issues. This raises the concern of a potential

NHTSA complaint 11699395, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured · crash · towed

I was coasting into a parking space (at 6.8 mph) and as I attempted to park, the car suddenly accelerated and went up and over the concrete rectangle park stop and smashed into a brick building (12.4 mph) and went back over the park stop before the engine in the vehicle finally died. During the acceleration, I was trying to brake the car, but the car wouldn’t stop. I was yelling to my husband that the car wouldn’t stop. The driver airbags deployed as well as the knee air bag. The passenger airbags did not deploy as there was not a passenger in the front seat. The car had 4258 miles and was totaled. My husband and I both sustained injuries. According to the Toyota app, the vehicle had a “0”

NHTSA complaint 11551174, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

The brakes failed, without warning, while parking; causing me to hit a pole/wall in my employer’s parking garage on April 12, 2024. I was injured, and obtained care from UChicago Medical Center. Toyota assigned an independent investigator to assess my vehicle; which was completed on April 29, 2024. Per Toyota, no brake issues were noted. My vehicle remained at Oak Lawn Toyota from April 12, 2024- May 31, 2024.

NHTSA complaint 11592300. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed

1. System Failure & Availability: Vehicle's automated driver-assist (Lane Tracing/Keeping Assist) and steering modules failed. The vehicle is intact and available for inspection under a strict spoliation hold at an independent facility. 2. Safety Risk & Injuries: On a curve at ~50 mph, the automated steering suffered a violent uncommanded intervention, overrode human control, and jerked the wheel out of the driver's hands, causing a head-on collision with a tree. Injuries required immediate ambulance transport. Diagnoses include a concussion, a severe large left leg hematoma with extreme swelling, open wounds, and deep tissue trauma causing foot numbness. This required a secondary ER return

NHTSA complaint 11767471, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The exterior plastic parts on this 2023 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium are warping, bubbling, and melting. It began with both side mirror covers (left and right). Later, the black plastic trim panels alongside the rear windows (rear pillar trim) began failing the same way. The damage is on different parts, on different sides of the vehicle, and appeared at different times. All affected parts are still on the vehicle and available for inspection. The manufacturer claims the cause is "solar convergence" or "outside influence" — sunlight reflecting off a window. This does not hold up. Sunlight is not selective. It cannot single out only certain black plastic pieces and melt them while leaving the

NHTSA complaint 11767010, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The "failed or malfunctioning" system is the JBL infotainment system software, and it is available for inspection upon request. The safety of others and my own safety was compromised by the system's natural but inconsistent tendency to often default to the Toyota "Experience Drive Connect" advertisement screen rather than immediately resuming apple CarPlay or android auto. The reason this is a safety concern is because attention is taken away from the road to click the CarPlay/android auto button on screen to resume navigation, causing a risk of diverted attention and potentially collisions. The problem is easily reproduced by the vehicle owner, it has not been brought to the attention of a

NHTSA complaint 11766288, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Other/I am not sure
The rotating mechanism does not allow the seat to lock properly.

NHTSA complaint 11765855. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The backup camera display only works intermittently. About 75% of the time the screen is blank when I put it into reverse

NHTSA complaint 11763436. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES

58,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Firestone Tires, Tire Line: Destination LE2, Tire Size: 225/65/R17, DOT Number: [XXX]. The contact stated that while driving on [XXX], the red light illuminated and there was an abnormal rumbling sound. The contact pulled over at the exit and became aware that the outside circumference of the tire was shredded on the driver’s side rear tire. The tread was in good working order. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where all four tires were replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about rebates on the tires. The tire and failure mileage was approximately 58,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF

NHTSA complaint 11761355, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota RAV4

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 88 3 —
2024 174 3 —
2022 145 1 2
2021 387 1 —
2020 635 6 —
2019 879 7 —
2018 331 3 —
2017 307 3 2
2016 240 3 —
2015 304 4 1
2014 197 4 —
2013 257 2 1
2012 260 5 —
2011 287 11 —
2010 400 14 —

Other 2023 Toyota models

Tundra 407 Highlander 182 Corolla Cross 174 Corolla 73 Sienna Hybrid 68 Camry 64 RAV4 Prime 64 Tacoma 54

Complaints on file, same model year.

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