2002 Toyota RAV4 Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 92 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2002 Toyota RAV4, 17% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 93,608 miles. The words owners use most often: “control module” (13% of reports).
- 92electrical system complaints
- 93,608median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,350typical repair cost reported by owners
- 16%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Control module: mentioned in 12 of 92 complaints (13%)
- ECM transmission: mentioned in 6 of 92 complaints (7%)
- 2ND gear: mentioned in 6 of 92 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the 2002 Toyota RAV4 at $2,350, and half of them between $1,950 and $6,700.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2008–2010), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 84 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 92 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 1 an injury.
Toyota RAV4 electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 RAV4 | 15 | 17% | 4,250 |
| 2024 RAV4 | 32 | 18% | 32,750 |
| 2023 RAV4 | 41 | 26% | 21,000 |
| 2022 RAV4 | 40 | 27% | 53,800 |
| 2021 RAV4 | 47 | 12% | 30,000 |
| 2020 RAV4 | 119 | 19% | 2,800 |
| 2019 RAV4 | 102 | 12% | 25,000 |
| 2018 RAV4 | 130 | 39% | 16,500 |
| 2017 RAV4 | 108 | 35% | 36,500 |
| 2016 RAV4 | 59 | 25% | 52,000 |
| 2015 RAV4 | 85 | 28% | 46,945 |
| 2014 RAV4 | 69 | 35% | 60,000 |
| 2013 RAV4 | 75 | 29% | 7,745 |
| 2012 RAV4 | 30 | 12% | 33,000 |
| 2011 RAV4 | 19 | 7% | 80,000 |
| 2010 RAV4 | 15 | 4% | 108,520 |
| 2009 RAV4 | 19 | 6% | 33,960 |
| 2008 RAV4 | 27 | 5% | 67,000 |
| 2007 RAV4 | 76 | 8% | 79,800 |
| 2006 RAV4 | 42 | 6% | 65,000 |
| 2005 RAV4 | 6 | 4% | 96,100 |
| 2004 RAV4 | 10 | 6% | 91,000 |
| 2003 RAV4 | 42 | 13% | 98,000 |
| 2002 RAV4 | 92 | 17% | 93,608 |
| 2001 RAV4 | 60 | 19% | 104,095 |
| 2000 RAV4 | 1 | 3% | 172,000 |
| 1999 RAV4 | 6 | 10% | 64,000 |
| 1998 RAV4 | 3 | 4% | — |
| 1997 RAV4 | 3 | 6% | — |
| 1996 RAV4 | 2 | 4% | 150,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2002 Toyota RAV4. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
2002 rav4 ecu shifting problem (dtc code p0755). The car jitters when switching from gear 1 to 2 as well on reverse. It also jitters when it drives on low gear. There is an well known problem with rav4 2001-2003 but toyota has failed to recall it, despite being a safety hazard as it has caused…
The past couple weeks my car had been laghing more an more when at complete stop. This past week it has been the worst. Whenever i try to accelerate from.a complete stop my car with lag and jerk like it is trying to shift into gear but cant. When i took it in to a transmission specialist they said…
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. After starting the engine, the vehicle would not properly accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to fred anderson toyota (9101 glenwood avenue, raleigh, nc) where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module and…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Toyota RAV4s have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 92 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2002 Toyota RAV4 (17% of the 527 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Toyota RAV4 electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 93,608 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2002 Toyota RAV4?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,350 (half paid between $1,950 and $6,700), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2002 Toyota RAV4?
The most frequent phrase is “control module”, in 12 of 92 complaints, followed by “ecm transmission” (6).
Other 2002 Toyota RAV4 problems
- Power Train problems (376)
See all 2002 Toyota RAV4 problems or electrical system problems across all RAV4 years.