UsedScore

2025 Toyota RAV4: Too new to judge

The 2025 Toyota RAV4 has been on the road for 25 months, short of the five years we need to rate it. Owners have filed 113 complaints with NHTSA so far. That's 0.8× the rate other RAV4 years drew in their first 25 months, per vehicle sold.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the engine (12% of complaints).

Complaint index
0.8×
partial: first 25 months
Rank
Not ranked
rated after five years
Complaints
113
in 25 months so far
Recalls
4
campaigns
5th generation, 2019–2025 · Updated November 9, 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. Engine12% · 14 complaints
  2. Speed control10% · 11 complaints
  3. Electrical16% · 18 complaints
  4. Brakes10% · 11 complaints
  5. Driver assistance12% · 13 complaints
  6. Air bags3% · 3 complaints
  7. Visibility14% · 16 complaints · median 3,000 miles
  8. Fuel and propulsion5% · 6 complaints
  9. Powertrain7% · 8 complaints
  10. Steering4% · 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

Electrical

Owners describe a drained 12V battery, sudden shutoffs with a "Steering Power Low" warning, and a blank instrument panel. Some say the car would not restart, and some say dealers found nothing or lacked a recall part.

Warning signs:
Owners report "Not Ready to Drive" and "Engine Stopped. Steering Power Low" messages, violent shaking before shutoff, a blank instrument panel, and a battery that needs hours of charging before the car will start.
What shops did:
Owners say dealers could not find a fault or lacked parts for a recall repair, and some needed tows or a battery charge; one owner reports a wiring harness replaced after rodent damage.

“Anytime I want to drive the car I have to charge the 12v battery for 3-4 hours before I can attempt to drive the car.”

“car vibrated abnormally and shut off by itself.”

Engine

Owners of the 2025 RAV4 describe engines that stall, shut off, or surge unexpectedly during driving or parking, sometimes with dashboard warnings and sometimes without any notice. Several say dealers could not consistently identify or repair the cause, leaving them unsure if the issue would recur.

Warning signs:
Some report violent shaking, warning messages like "Engine Stopped, Steering Power Low" or "Not Ready to Drive," check engine or hybrid malfunction lights, and dashboard alerts before failures; others say no warning appeared at all.
What shops did:
Owners report dealers towing vehicles, running diagnostics, replacing parts such as a radiator air guide, performing service campaigns, or being unable to duplicate or fully resolve the problem.

“car vibrated abnormally and shut off by itself. When I attempted to restart the vehicle, I received an error message “Engine Stopped. Steering Power Low””

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

Recalls (4)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 26V256000April 20264 vehicles

    Seats: critical fasteners

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2025 RAV 4 vehicles. The front seat brackets for the seat rails may be welded improperly.

    Risk: Improperly welded seat brackets can prevent the seat from adequately restraining an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

    Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the seat bracket welds as necessary, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 26V179000March 20268,230 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Toyota Tundra, Tacoma Hybrid, Tacoma, RAV4 Hybrid, Land Cruiser Hybrid, Lexus GX550, 2024-2026 Tundra Hybrid, 2025 Sequoia Hybrid, Crown Signia, Grand Highlander, Lexus TX500 Hybrid, Lexus NX350 Hybrid, 2025-2026 Grand Highlander Hybrid, and Lexus TX350 vehicles. The load carrying capacity modification label may display inaccurate added weight values. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

    Risk: A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, which can increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the load carrying capacity modification label, free of charge.

  • 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.

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 52 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2025 RAV4. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • T-SB-0051-26 · August 2026This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge at battery on high voltage (HV) Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries.
  • 26TC03 · August 2026In wet conditions, water contacting the radiator in the subject vehicles after idling for an extended period can create steam that can cause an incorrect engine sensor reading.
  • T-SB-0023-26 · April 2026Some customers may experience a rough running engine with a MIL ON P140018 DTC.
  • T-TT-0797-26 · January 2026Some RAV4 vehicles power seat where the automatic seat adjustment by the memory function does not work.
  • T-SB-0089-25 · December 2025Some 2021 – 2025 model year RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid and RAV4 Prime vehicles may exhibit a MIL ON condition with Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P019064 (Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor “A” Signal Plausibility…
  • 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-TT-0784-25 Rev1 · June 2025Some ECUs can set a DTC that is common with other ECUs.
  • 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.

All 2025 RAV4 bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2025 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
The 2025 Toyota RAV4 has been on the road for 25 months, short of the five years we need to rate it. Owners have filed 113 complaints with NHTSA so far. That's 0.8× the rate other RAV4 years drew in their first 25 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 2025 RAV4 problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the engine (12%), speed control (10%) and the electrical system (16%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2025 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2025 Toyota RAV4, the most recent in April 2026 (seats). 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 November 9, 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 2025 Toyota RAV4 on NHTSA.gov · How we rate