1998 Toyota RAV4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other RAV4 years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 26th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Toyota RAV4. That ranks 26th out of 31 RAV4 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (13 complaints, 17%), typically at around 132,500 miles. Complaints mention 19 crashes, 12 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 77owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 19complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Toyota RAV4 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 13 | 17% | 132,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 13 | 17% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 | 16% | 235,650 | — | — |
| Power Train | 10 | 13% | 111,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 6% | 87,953 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 5% | 107,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 4% | 129,117 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 4% | 117,565 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 3% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 149,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 106,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Toyota RAV4 recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 1998-2000 RAV4, 1998-1999 RAV4 EV and Celica and 1997-1998 Supra vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant, and increases the risk of serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and owners will have the option to self-inspect, or have a dealer inspect the steering wheel on their vehicle to determine if their vehicle may be equipped with an affected inflator. Potentially affected steering wheel serial numbers will be inspected by a dealer. Based on the inspection, dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflator with an alternate one, as necessary. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 28, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall is 20TB01 and 20TA01.
Power train:automatic transmission:park/neutral start interlock switch
Problem: Vehicle description: sport utility electric vehicles. If the subject vehicles are repeatedly parked by placing the shift lever into the "p" position without applying the parking brake, the parking lock rod, a component of the transmission parking lock system, could break.
Risk: This condition can render the system inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the parking lock rod.
Service brakes, air:disc:rotor
Problem: Vehicle description: sport utility electric vehicles. The front disc brake rotor, when equipped with steel wheels, can develop stress fractures if the lug nuts are tightened with excessive torque.
Risk: The disc rotor could break (where it mounts to the wheel), resulting in a loss of braking action on that wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the disc brake rotors. If the vehicle is equipped with steel wheels, toyota will replace the front disc brake rotors and steel wheels with new disc brake rotors and new aluminum wheels. In addition a caution label that reads, "use new genuine toyota aluminum wheels." will be affixed. Vehicles already equipped with aluminum wheels will only require caution label installation.
Electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module
Problem: Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles, mini vans and passenger vehicles equipped with a theft deterrent systems (tds) supplied by audiovox corporation and distributed by southeast toyota distributors, inc. In the states of alabama, florida, georgia, north and south carolina. The alarm wiring harness plugs into the vehicle's ignition switch and the vehicle's ignition switch wiring harness plugs into the alarm harness to complete the circuit. A percentage of the female terminals used in the alarm connector were found to be defective, causing an 'open circuit' condition when mated to the male ignition switch terminals.
Risk: This condition can cause intermittent performance of the vehicle's electrical components such as the dash warning lights and/or hvac fan speed controls. Also, the vehicle may not run smoothly and could stall.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the date code label on the security system harness and any displaying the manufacturing/final date code will be replaced with newly produced harnesses. The date codes are: rav4 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98, 6/26/98; sienna - 6/25/98, 6/26/98; and avalon - 6/30/98, 7/1/98, 8/31/98, 9/1/98, 9/2/98, and 9/3/98.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VAPOR CANISTER AND THE VACUUM SWITCHING VALVE (VSV) NEEDED…
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 toyota rav4. The contact stated while making a left turn at an intersection, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of their vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact stated that two people in the vehicle sustained…
My vehicle is being recalled for takada air bags.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 rav 4. The contact was notified through local emissions that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 20v033000 (air bags). The vin tool confirms that the vehicle was subjected to the recall. Neither a dealer nor the manufacturer was made aware of the issue…
Even after i replaced the brake pads while doing maintenance, the brakes are still loose at times, mostly after running on the highway.
Other Toyota RAV4 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 RAV4 | 90 | 3 |
| 2024 RAV4 | 176 | 3 |
| 2023 RAV4 | 159 | 3 |
| 2022 RAV4 | 149 | 1 |
| 2021 RAV4 | 387 | 1 |
| 2020 RAV4 | 635 | 6 |
| 2019 RAV4 | 879 | 7 |
| 2018 RAV4 | 333 | 3 |
| 2017 RAV4 | 307 | 3 |
| 2016 RAV4 | 240 | 3 |
| 2015 RAV4 | 305 | 4 |
| 2014 RAV4 | 197 | 4 |
| 2013 RAV4 | 257 | 2 |
| 2012 RAV4 | 260 | 5 |
| 2011 RAV4 | 287 | 11 |
| 2010 RAV4 | 400 | 14 |
| 2009 RAV4 | 327 | 15 |
| 2008 RAV4 | 575 | 14 |
| 2007 RAV4 | 1,004 | 14 |
| 2006 RAV4 | 705 | 11 |
| 2005 RAV4 | 141 | 5 |
| 2004 RAV4 | 154 | 2 |
| 2003 RAV4 | 315 | 0 |
| 2002 RAV4 | 527 | 0 |
| 2001 RAV4 | 309 | 0 |
| 2000 RAV4 | 30 | 3 |
| 1999 RAV4 | 62 | 4 |
| 1998 | 77 | 4 |
| 1997 RAV4 | 54 | 0 |
| 1996 RAV4 | 47 | 0 |
| 1995 RAV4 | 1 | 0 |
See all Toyota RAV4 problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Toyota RAV4?
Owners most often report air bags, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 13 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Toyota RAV4?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 Toyota RAV4 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other RAV4 model years, the 1998 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.