2008 Toyota RAV4: Use caution

Owners filed 167 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 114 for every 100,000 sold: 1.4× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's above average, so use caution.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is speed control (44% of complaints, median 18,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.4×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical RAV4 year
Rank
14th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
167
first five years; 114 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
14
campaigns
3rd generation, 2006–2012 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2009 Toyota RAV4 Limited

Photo: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Limited · IFCAR, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Speed control44% · 73 complaints · median 18,000 miles
  2. Air bags11% · 19 complaints · median 55,000 miles
  3. Brakes11% · 18 complaints · median 17,000 miles
  4. Steering10% · 16 complaints · median 35,000 miles
  5. Engine7% · 12 complaints · median 47,000 miles
  6. Electrical8% · 14 complaints · median 47,000 miles
  7. Fuel and propulsion4% · 6 complaints · median 15,000 miles
  8. Powertrain4% · 7 complaints · median 19,000 miles
  9. Visibility4% · 7 complaints · median 16,000 miles
  10. Wheels and tires3% · 5 complaints · median 17,000 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners commonly report the air bag warning light coming on and staying lit, often traced to a spiral cable or sensor issue, with some describing recall repairs that didn't fully resolve it. A few describe air bags deploying without cause or failing to deploy during a crash.

Warning signs:
Many describe the air bag warning light illuminating intermittently or staying on continuously, sometimes right after starting the vehicle.
What shops did:
Dealers often diagnosed a failed spiral cable, sensor, or ECU, sometimes replacing it, though several owners report parts were unavailable or repairs weren't completed.
Mileage:
most between 60,000 and 105,000 miles, among 43 complaints that give it

“The air bag sensor light comes on randomly while driving and after starting the car and stays on”

“The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the air bag spiral cable was defective and needed to be replaced”

Brakes

Owners of this RAV4 report brakes that suddenly feel soft, sink to the floor, or fail to slow the vehicle, sometimes paired with unexpected acceleration. Some had crashes or near-misses, and dealers' responses ranged from part replacements to being told nothing was wrong.

Warning signs:
Many report the pedal feeling soft or sinking to the floor, warning lights (ABS, VSC, brake, traction control) illuminating, or a whining or grinding noise before the failure.
What shops did:
Some report dealers replacing wheel speed sensors, brake boosters, master cylinders, or calipers, while others say technicians could not find anything wrong or could not reproduce the problem.
Mileage:
most between 15,000 and 80,000 miles, among 35 complaints that give it

“Brake releases on its own. We were at the stop light, brake paddle floored as if it was loosing pressure.”

“Applied brakes which softened then went to floor. Pumping did not return pressure.”

Speed control

Owners of this RAV4 describe episodes of sudden acceleration or engine surging, often while braking or parking, sometimes leading to crashes. Dealers frequently could not reproduce or fix the issue, and many owners note their vehicle was excluded from the floor-mat recalls.

Warning signs:
Many report the engine revving or the RPMs climbing suddenly with no or light pressure on the accelerator, sometimes with dashboard warning lights illuminating.
What shops did:
Dealers frequently could not duplicate or diagnose the problem and made no repairs, though a few owners report floor mat adjustments or throttle body replacement.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 55,000 miles, among 82 complaints that give it

“After accelerating, then removing my foot from the gas, the car will occasionally have a burst of sudden acceleration and lurch forward.”

“The engine began revving loudly and lunged forward. With both feet still on the brake, the car continued to creep forward until hitting the vehicle in front of us.”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

  • NHTSA 16V596000August 2016337,449 vehicles

    Suspension: rear

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 31, 2005, to September 7, 2010, and 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured July 6, 2009, to August 26, 2010. The affected vehicles have rear suspension arms (rear tie rods) with adjusting lock nuts that may have been improperly tightened after servicing. As a result of being loose, the arm may have thread damage and may rust, possibly leading to the failure of the arm and an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

    Risk: Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will replace both rear suspension arms and encapsulate the locknuts, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 16V396000June 20167,749 vehicles

    Seats: front assembly: seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

    Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory.

  • NHTSA 16V096000February 20161,123,752 vehicles

    Seat belts: rear/other

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured July 28, 2005, to December 19, 2012, and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the event of a frontal collision, the rear seat belts for the outboard seats may be cut by the seat cushion frame.

    Risk: A cut seat belt may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a protector over both rear seat cushion frames, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 15V689000October 20151,814,284 vehicles

    Visibility: power window devices and controls

    Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.

    Risk: If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found.

  • NHTSA 14V743000November 20143,233 vehicles

    Seats: front assembly: seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

    Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 14V168000April 20141,486,413 vehicles

    Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, 2008-2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 Tacoma, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and General Motors Pontiac Vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a Flexible Flat Cable (FFC). Due to the shape and location of the FFC's retainer, the FFC could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned.

    Risk: If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.

    Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners.

  • NHTSA 13V383000August 2013780,584 vehicles

    Suspension: rear

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

    Risk: Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tie rods and replace any that have rust or corrosion on the alignment adjustment threads.

  • NHTSA 12V491000October 20122,519,424 vehicles

    Visibility: power window devices and controls

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.

    Risk: If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.

    Fix: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 12V373000August 2012780,584 vehicles

    Suspension: rear

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust, leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

    Risk: Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear tie-rod nut for looseness and replace any suspect tie-rod found loose.

  • NHTSA 11V245000April 2011307,848 vehicles

    Air bags: side/window · Air bags

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2007-2008 rav4 vehicles. In the curtain shield airbag (csa) system, there are two sensors in the airbag sensor assembly which are designed to detect vehicle roll angle. If one of these sensors malfunctions, the airbag warning light (malfunction indicator light: mil) will illuminate and the roll detection system will be suspended; however, the airbag csa remains available in the event of a side crash. If both sensors fail nearly simultaneously after initial airbag system check, the csa and the seat belt pretensioner could be inadvertently activated.

    Risk: Inadvertent activation of the csa and/or the seat belt pretensioner can cause injury to a vehicle occupant.

    Fix: Toyota will replace the airbag sensor assembly with a new one containing improved roll rate sensors, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 11V113000February 20111,363,244 vehicles

    Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2011 lexus lx570, 2003 through 2009 toyota 4runner, and 2006 through 2010 rav4 vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.

    Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.

    Fix: The remedy is now available.

  • NHTSA 10V035000February 2010271,417 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

    Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.

    Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge.

  • NHTSA 10V036000February 2010153,418 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

    Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge.

  • NHTSA 09V223000June 200927,080 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Toyota is recalling 27,080 model year 2005 through 2010 passenger cars built from september 1, 2005 to may 4, 2009. These vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims."

    Risk: Incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with a new, accurate label to be installed over the inaccurate label free of charge.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Toyota sent NHTSA 340 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2008 RAV4. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • TSB003220 · August 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ?
  • T-SB-0094-21 Rev · November 2022TSB: Some 2005 ?
  • TTT063620 · March 2022TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions
  • T-SB-0014-22 · March 2022TSB: This Service Bulletin includes procedures to replace damaged or loose front carpet floor retainer(s) without replacing the carpet assembly.
  • Toyota Safety Re · March 2021Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
  • T-TT-0636-20 Rev · March 2021TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
  • T-TT-0636-20 · December 2020TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
  • T-SB-0218-17_Rev · July 2017TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 20, 2017 Rev1: Applicability has been updated to exclude 2007 ?

All 2008 RAV4 bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2008 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
Owners filed 167 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 114 for every 100,000 sold: 1.4× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's above average, so use caution. Ratings compare RAV4 years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2008 RAV4 problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve speed control (44%), the air bags (11%) and the brakes (11%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2008 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 14 recall campaigns for the 2008 Toyota RAV4, the most recent in August 2016 (suspension). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Toyota. The 2008 Toyota RAV4 on NHTSA.gov · How we rate