UsedScore

2012 Toyota RAV4: Solid

Owners filed 151 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 93 for every 100,000 sold: 1.2× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (11% of complaints, median 27,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.2×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical RAV4 year
Rank
11th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
151
first five years; 93 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
5
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. Air bags11% · 16 complaints · median 27,000 miles
  2. Brakes17% · 25 complaints · median 9,000 miles
  3. Speed control23% · 35 complaints · median 8,000 miles
  4. Visibility25% · 38 complaints · median 22,000 miles
  5. Powertrain8% · 12 complaints · median 19,000 miles
  6. Engine8% · 12 complaints · median 19,000 miles
  7. Electrical9% · 13 complaints · median 19,000 miles
  8. Seats and belts15% · 22 complaints · median 24,000 miles
  9. Body and structure3% · 5 complaints
  10. Steering3% · 5 complaints · median 11,000 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 describe their RAV4's air bags failing to deploy in collisions of varying speeds, sometimes resulting in injuries. Some also report warning lights staying on or recall repairs being delayed due to part shortages.

Warning signs:
Some owners noticed the air bag warning light or 'pass air bag off' light illuminated before any crash occurred.
What shops did:
Some report dealers replaced a faulty seat belt buckle sensor, while others say recall parts were unavailable or the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.
Mileage:
most between 20,000 and 60,000 miles, among 17 complaints that give it

“The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated”

“It was struck on the passenger door causing my car to roll on its side, deploying the curtain airbags but the side airbags were never deployed”

Brakes

Owners of this RAV4 report the brakes sometimes failing to stop the car or feeling soft, occasionally paired with sudden acceleration or dashboard warning lights. Dealers frequently could not find a cause, though some later replaced brake parts or performed recall-related work.

Warning signs:
Many mention a soft or spongy brake pedal, the pedal sinking toward the floor, engine revving, and warning lights for ABS, traction control, 4WD or check engine coming on.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate or diagnose the issue and returned the car unrepaired; some replaced brake pads, rotors, the master cylinder, or an actuator, and a few mention a recall-related repair.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 55,000 miles, among 36 complaints that give it

“The brake pedal traveling to the floor and reduced stopping power during application”

“The brakes pedal became very soft and the engine started revving up and the vehicle moved forward while I was pressing on the brake”

Speed control

Owners describe their RAV4 suddenly accelerating on its own, often while braking or parking at low speed, sometimes leading to crashes. Dealers frequently could not find a cause, telling owners the pedals were fine or that no fault codes appeared.

Warning signs:
Many report the engine revving high while the brake pedal is depressed, sometimes with a jerk, lurch, or high-pitched noise before the surge.
What shops did:
Dealers frequently could not duplicate or diagnose the issue, found no fault codes, checked floor mats, or attributed it to pedal misapplication, leaving many vehicles unrepaired.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 50,000 miles, among 45 complaints that give it

“The harder the brake pedal depressed the higher the rpms and foot was not touching the gas pedal”

“The engine revved and the car lurched forward. I pressed extremely hard on the brake to keep the car from moving forward”

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

Recalls (5)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • 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 15V577000September 2015423,456 vehicles

    Visibility/wiper

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 27, 2008, to December 19, 2012 and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, water may drip onto the joint that connects the wiper linkage to the wiper motor.

    Risk: Over time, the dripping water may cause corrosion and wear at the joint, potentially resulting in the separation of the wiper linkage. Once this occurs, the wipers would not function, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water diverter channel.

  • NHTSA 14V054000February 2014261,114 vehicles

    Electronic stability control (ESC) · Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Toyota Tacoma and Lexus RX350 vehicles and certain model year 2012 Toyota Rav4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake system contains a brake actuator that adjusts the fluid pressure of each wheel cylinder. An electrical component within the actuator may experience an increased resistance resulting in the illumination of various warning lights, including those for the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, Antilock Brake System (ABS), and Traction Control system.

    Risk: If this occurs, these systems could become inoperative, reducing the directional control assistance, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software for the Skid Control electronic control unit, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 13V123000April 20137,525 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

    Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

    Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation.

  • NHTSA 13V014000January 20133,235 vehicles

    Seats · Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

    Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

    Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary.

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 332 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2012 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-0025-19_Rev · September 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE September 26, 2019 Rev1: ?

All 2012 RAV4 bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2012 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
Owners filed 151 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 93 for every 100,000 sold: 1.2× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's close to a typical year. 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 2012 RAV4 problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (11%), the brakes (17%) and speed control (23%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2012 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2012 Toyota RAV4, the most recent in February 2016 (seat belts). 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 2012 Toyota RAV4 on NHTSA.gov · How we rate