UsedScore

2016 Toyota RAV4: Best bet

Owners filed 142 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 41 for every 100,000 sold: 0.5× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's among the fewest of any RAV4 year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the brakes (27% of complaints, median 9,000 miles).

Complaint index
0.5×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical RAV4 year
Rank
3rd of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
142
first five years; 41 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
3
campaigns
4th generation, 2013–2018 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2016 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD

Photo: 2016 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD · MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Brakes27% · 39 complaints · median 9,000 miles
  2. Air bags8% · 11 complaints · median 12,000 miles
  3. Electrical9% · 13 complaints · median 9,000 miles
  4. Body and structure7% · 10 complaints · median 4,000 miles
  5. Engine8% · 11 complaints · median 6,000 miles
  6. Lights13% · 18 complaints · median 8,000 miles
  7. Speed control6% · 9 complaints · median 4,000 miles
  8. Visibility11% · 15 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  9. Steering4% · 6 complaints · median 1,000 miles
  10. Powertrain4% · 5 complaints

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 air bags that did not deploy during collisions, sometimes with injuries, while others report air bags deploying unexpectedly or malfunction warnings appearing on the dashboard. Several say dealers could not find or fix the problem when they sought help.

Warning signs:
Some owners report dashboard warning lights or an 'SRS Airbag System Malfunction' message appearing before or after a collision, with no other prior indication.
What shops did:
Some owners report dealers could not diagnose or repair the issue, found no fault when the light wasn't on, or declined repair without an active recall.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 60,000 miles, among 12 complaints that give it

“the vehicle's airbag system is completely disabled, leaving the occupants without airbag protection in the event of a collision”

“When the brake pedal was depressed, all of the air bags deployed without warning”

Brakes

Owners describe brakes that sometimes fail to slow or stop the car, occasionally leading to crashes, along with early pad and rotor wear and warning lights. Dealers frequently could not find a cause, leaving some owners uncertain the issue was fixed.

Warning signs:
Many report grinding, squeaking, or spongy pedal feel, ABS or traction-control warning lights, and pedals that feel loose or slip toward the floor before failures occur.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate the problem, sometimes replaced brake pads, rotors, or a rubber pedal piece, and in some cases said nothing was wrong or offered no repair.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 40,000 miles, among 40 complaints that give it

“The brake pedal slips part way or all the way to the floor allowing the car to roll into the intersection before stopping”

“The pedal pushed all the way to the floor with zero resistance and the car did not slow”

Electrical

Many 2016 RAV4 owners describe electrical failures centered on the battery, ranging from corrosion and dead batteries to stalling, dashboard resets, and in some cases fire under the hood. Several mention a related recall for the electrical system but say repair parts were not available for a long time.

Warning signs:
Many report corroded battery terminals, dashboard and infotainment screens going dark or resetting, dimming or failing headlights, and burning odors before a stall or fire.
What shops did:
Owners say dealers often replaced batteries or terminals, sometimes repeatedly, but many report the vehicle could not be diagnosed or repaired, and several were waiting on recall parts that were unavailable.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 90,000 miles, among 26 complaints that give it

“the vehicle failed to restart. The contact opened the hood and saw smoke. The contact stated that the battery had melted.”

“I lost power steering and shortly after the heat stopped working and all the lights on the dashboard lit up.”

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

Recalls (3)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 23V734000November 20231,853,568 vehicles

    Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.

    Risk: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 16V236000April 201694 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels · Tires

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Yaris, Rav4, Land Cruiser and 4Runner vehicles, and Scion FR-S, iM, and TC vehicles manufactured January 28, 2016, to March 14, 2016. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."

    Risk: An incorrect label may result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and provide them a corrected label to be installed over the inaccurate label, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 16V198000April 201616,656 vehicles

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

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

    Risk: Insufficient brake fluid pressure may cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, 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 259 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2016 RAV4. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 21TG01 · June 202521TG01 Exprired - Replaced with Campaign 23TA13 During a recent investigation of reported battery fires in 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles with gasoline engines (excluding hybrid models), Toyota discovered…
  • T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · June 2025The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks.
  • 24TE03 · June 2024On April 9, 2024, a settlement of claims for certain 2013-2018 model year Rav4 vehicles was preliminarily approved by the federal court.
  • 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-0057-18 · May 2023TSB: The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master keys are lost.
  • 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
  • 21TG01 Dealer Le · February 2022DL: During a recent investigation of reported battery fires in 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles with gasoline engines (excluding hybrid models), Toyota discovered that many non-Toyota retailers and others who…

All 2016 RAV4 bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2016 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
Owners filed 142 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 41 for every 100,000 sold: 0.5× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's among the fewest of any RAV4 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 2016 RAV4 problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the brakes (27%), the air bags (8%) and the electrical system (9%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2016 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2016 Toyota RAV4, the most recent in November 2023 (electrical system). 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 2016 Toyota RAV4 on NHTSA.gov · How we rate