2017 Toyota RAV4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other RAV4 years
- About as many complaints as other years 13th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 307 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Toyota RAV4. That ranks 13th out of 31 RAV4 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (108 complaints, 35%), typically at around 36,500 miles. Complaints mention 33 crashes, 24 fires, 28 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 307owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 33complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2017 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 108 | 35% | 36,500 | “electrical contacted” (13%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 62 | 20% | 28,250 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 38 | 12% | 10,050 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 32 | 10% | 6,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 31 | 10% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 20 | 7% | 14,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 19 | 6% | 11,982 | — | — |
| Power Train | 16 | 5% | 39,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 | 4% | 8,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 4% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 12 | 4% | 17,356 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 10 | 3% | 23,600 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 8 | 3% | 21,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 8 | 3% | 6,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 6 | 2% | 17,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 1% | 13,308 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | 31,200 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 1% | 30,263 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 1% | 18,110 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 1% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0% | 114,837 | — | — |
| Insert, Padding | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2017 Toyota RAV4 recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.
Risk: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Tires:temporary/emergency spare tire
Problem: Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.
Risk: A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gulf States will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spare tires, adjusting their pressure as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 15, 2017. Owners may contact Gulf States customer service at 1-800-444-1074. Toyota's number for this recall is 17R2.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Battery Hold Down Bracket Thermal Events (PE21005) — opened Feb 25, 2021, closed Aug 12, 2024, led to recall 23V734.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Toyota ABS Actuator Accumulator shows problems after a while. Most common on hybrid vehicles. Signs comes up such ABS Malfunction, Pre-Collision Malfunction, Low Braking Power, and lose traction control.
The tail light assembly on these vehicles seems to be a reoccurring issue reported by other owners on online forums and unfortunately we seem to fall under the same category. Water and moisture constantly gets into the rear brake/turn lighting assembly and has been constantly burning out the bulbs…
I was pulling into a parking spot in a parking garage and pressed on the brake. The brake pedal did not offer the usual resistance and went flat to the floor. The car began to accelerate and smashed into a concrete I-beam on the wall of the garage. I put the car in park and kept my foot on the…
The sunroof/moonroof glass on my 2017 Toyota RAV4 XLE suddenly shattered while I was driving on the highway. I heard a very loud explosion-like sound, and the sunroof glass broke unexpectedly. I did not observe any object, rock, or road debris striking the sunroof before it shattered. The remaining…
This vehicle has twice had the same issue where the sunroof drain lines become clogged or dislocated and the water fills the liner in the front driver and passenger seats resulting in flooding in the compartment and mold damage throughout the interior. the mole spore are transmitted throughout the…
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 | 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 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
Embed this 2017 Toyota RAV4 badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Toyota RAV4?
Owners most often report electrical system, unknown or other, service brakes problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 108 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2017 Toyota RAV4?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2017 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 2017 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.