UsedScore

2023 Toyota RAV4: Too new to judge

The 2023 Toyota RAV4 has been on the road for 47 months, short of the five years we need to rate it. Owners have filed 226 complaints with NHTSA so far. That's 0.7× the rate other RAV4 years drew in their first 47 months, per vehicle sold.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the electrical system (39% of complaints, median 36,000 miles).

Complaint index
0.7×
partial: first 47 months
Rank
Not ranked
rated after five years
Complaints
226
in 47 months so far
Recalls
3
campaigns
5th generation, 2019–2025 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2019 Toyota RAV4 LE

Photo: 2019 Toyota RAV4 LE · Kevauto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Electrical39% · 87 complaints · median 36,000 miles
  2. Brakes9% · 21 complaints
  3. Driver assistance15% · 33 complaints
  4. Steering12% · 28 complaints
  5. Air bags4% · 9 complaints
  6. Engine12% · 27 complaints
  7. Speed control6% · 13 complaints
  8. Powertrain5% · 12 complaints
  9. Fuel and propulsion6% · 13 complaints
  10. Body and structure4% · 8 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

Brakes

Owners describe their RAV4's brakes momentarily failing to stop the car, often while parking at low speed, causing the vehicle to lurch or surge forward into objects. Dealers frequently could not duplicate the issue, leaving many owners uncertain the problem was resolved.

Warning signs:
Some report a grinding or ABS-like noise, a flashing VSC light, or the pedal feeling soft or going to the floor just before losing braking.
What shops did:
Dealers inspected the vehicles and in most cases said they could not reproduce or find any brake fault, sometimes after data review or ABS computer checks.

“Under braking conditions and hitting a bump on a paved road, the vehicle will have a 1 to 3 second momentary loss of braking.”

“the vehicle's braking system fails, allowing the vehicle to surge forward for a split second, temporarily out of control”

Driver assistance

Owners describe driver-assistance features like pre-collision braking, lane tracing assist, and backup cameras malfunctioning or losing power, sometimes alongside a blank instrument cluster. Some report parts being on backorder for months, unexpected braking or acceleration, and difficulty getting a fix from dealers.

Warning signs:
Owners report dashboard warnings for pre-collision, lane tracing, road sign assist, and headlight system malfunctions, along with blank screens, blocked-sensor messages, or camera failures before or during the issue.
What shops did:
Owners report dealers replacing or ordering cameras or clusters, sometimes citing backordered parts, ongoing diagnostics, or recall-related software updates with no available remedy.

“Pre collision malfunction, RSA malfunction, LTA malfunction, Headlight malfunction. These warnings keep coming up showing the vehicle is not safe.”

“Pressing the Cancel button for the adaptive cruise control would not shut the system Off.”

Electrical

Many owners of this RAV4 report the digital instrument cluster suddenly going blank, hiding speed and warning information, often tied to a manufacturer recall with parts on backorder. Some owners separately describe the vehicle unexpectedly stalling with a steering power low message, sometimes while driving.

Warning signs:
Owners noticed warning messages such as 'Engine stopped, steering power low,' check engine or battery lights, jerking or shaking, and blank or flickering dashboard screens before failures.
What shops did:
Dealers often diagnosed a failed instrument panel needing replacement but said parts were on backorder for a recall repair; some shops could not find a cause or replicate the stalling issue.
Mileage:
most between 25,000 and 60,000 miles, among 21 complaints that give it

“Vehicle will shut off while in “drive” gear after a complete stop and will report on the dash screen “ Engine stopped. Steering power low.””

“The 12.3-inch display of the instrument panel went blank when I was driving and away from home.”

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 25V744000October 20251,024,407 vehicles

    Back over prevention: display function

    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."

    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.

    Fix: Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 25V595000September 2025591,377 vehicles

    Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel

    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.

    Risk: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

    Fix: Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 23V485000July 2023195 vehicles

    Tires: valve

    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."

    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.

    Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wheel valve stems and replace the load carrying capacity modification labels, 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 164 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2023 RAV4. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 22TE09 · May 2026 · Warranty extensionAlthough the HV Floor Under Wire Harness and Rear Traction Motor Cable is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at Toyota care about…
  • T-SB-0029-26 · April 2026A new head unit software update is available for 2023 – 2024 model year RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, and RAV4 Prime vehicles equipped with Toyota Multimedia (earlier than version 1861).
  • T-TT-0797-26 · January 2026Some RAV4 vehicles power seat where the automatic seat adjustment by the memory function does not work.
  • 25TD01 · September 2025The subject vehicles are equipped with a rear motor unit and an HV Floor Under Wire that provide high voltage to operate the motor.
  • T-SB-0010-24 Rev2 · June 2025Some 2021 – 2022 model year Avalon, 2018 – 2024 Camry, 2019 – 2025 model year Corolla, 2022 – 2025 model year Corolla Cross, and 2019 – 2025 model year RAV4 vehicles with A25A-FKS and M20A-FKS…
  • 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.
  • T-TT-0779-25 · April 2025To assist with the early detection and early resolution of audio related concerns you may be asked to recover MMR data from the head unit.
  • T-SB-0013-24 Rev1 · February 2025The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master keys are lost.

All 2023 RAV4 bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2023 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
The 2023 Toyota RAV4 has been on the road for 47 months, short of the five years we need to rate it. Owners have filed 226 complaints with NHTSA so far. That's 0.7× the rate other RAV4 years drew in their first 47 months, per vehicle sold. 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 2023 RAV4 problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the electrical system (39%), the brakes (9%) and driver-assistance features and cameras (15%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2023 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2023 Toyota RAV4, the most recent in October 2025 (back over prevention). 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 2023 Toyota RAV4 on NHTSA.gov · How we rate