2004 Toyota RAV4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other RAV4 years
- Fewer complaints than other years 22nd of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 154 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Toyota RAV4. That ranks 22nd out of 31 RAV4 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (47 complaints, 31%), typically at around 100,000 miles. Complaints mention 16 crashes, 4 fires, 15 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 154owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 16complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 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 | 47 | 31% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 23 | 15% | 85,918 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 20 | 13% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 18 | 12% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 11 | 7% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 10 | 6% | 91,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 7 | 5% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 7 | 5% | 44,888 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 4% | 136,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 3% | 143,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 3% | 41,332 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 3% | 48,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 2% | 23,520 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 2% | 85,550 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | 153,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 1% | 109,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 1% | 77,500 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 2,300 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Toyota RAV4 recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured May 13, 2003, to October 25, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag, free of charge. Owners were mailed an interim notice June 17, 2015. The recall began on August 21, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
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.
Rear suspension control arm assembly (that supports the springs, control arm rods, shocks, as well as the the hub, brakes and wheel ) breaks completely due to rust and corrosion. It is a poor design that you can see this would happen at the weakest and narrowest section of the part. This causes the…
The inspection sticker mechanic inspected the car and found the rear brake hoses rubbing against the sway bar indicating that there should be a clip somewhere to prevent rubbing. See picture attached. See if a possible safety recall can be done on all Toyota RAV4 vehicles.
I have 2003 registered as 2004.This vehicle that I has Manufactured November 2003 base on the sicker beside driver side door and it's been registered as 2004 .Now the problem that I have is slow moving to first gear suddenly jump to second gear (This is Automatic Trnasmission) I thought it was…
I was driving on a highway, there was a red light and I pressed on the brakes. The car kept going forward, the brakes became resistant to any pressure and the car continued to roll forward. There were no warning lights when the car was started or during the incident. I kept trying to brake the car…
10 days ago transmission on 2004 Rav started to act funny. Slow/jerky to engage in lower gears. Check engine lights came on. Checked out by mechanic who said it looked like a transmission problem and should have it looked at by transmission specialist who said it was not safe to drive as is since…
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 | 154 | 2 |
| 2003 RAV4 | 315 | 0 |
| 2002 RAV4 | 527 | 0 |
| 2001 RAV4 | 309 | 0 |
| 2000 RAV4 | 30 | 3 |
| 1999 RAV4 | 62 | 4 |
| 1998 RAV4 | 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.
Similar Toyota models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Toyota RAV4?
Owners most often report air bags, power train, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 47 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Toyota RAV4?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 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 2004 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.