Toyota RAV4 Engine Problems
Owners have filed 1,337 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the Toyota RAV4 across 29 model years. The 2019 model year has the most (206). The words owners use most often: “coolant bypass” (18% of reports).
- 1,337engine complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 38mention a crash
- 16mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $1,050typical repair cost reported by owners
- 29%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.
- Coolant bypass: mentioned in 235 of 1,337 complaints (18%)
- Oil consumption: mentioned in 175 of 1,337 complaints (13%)
- Engine maintenance required: mentioned in 142 of 1,337 complaints (11%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the Toyota RAV4 at $1,050, and half of them between $850 and $4,750.
Based on 117 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2026), 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 engine problems happen?
Based on 634 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 1,337 complaints, 38 mention a crash, 92 a fire, 16 an injury.
Toyota RAV4 engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 RAV4 | 13 | 14% | — |
| 2024 RAV4 | 38 | 22% | 13,764 |
| 2023 RAV4 | 24 | 15% | — |
| 2022 RAV4 | 27 | 18% | 52,000 |
| 2021 RAV4 | 41 | 11% | 53,000 |
| 2020 RAV4 | 180 | 28% | 6,000 |
| 2019 RAV4 | 206 | 23% | 6,000 |
| 2018 RAV4 | 33 | 10% | 48,000 |
| 2017 RAV4 | 31 | 10% | 37,000 |
| 2016 RAV4 | 25 | 10% | 14,600 |
| 2015 RAV4 | 37 | 12% | 45,000 |
| 2014 RAV4 | 31 | 16% | 47,145 |
| 2013 RAV4 | 29 | 11% | 20,225 |
| 2012 RAV4 | 22 | 8% | 34,000 |
| 2011 RAV4 | 33 | 11% | 68,630 |
| 2010 RAV4 | 21 | 5% | 80,000 |
| 2009 RAV4 | 27 | 8% | 65,400 |
| 2008 RAV4 | 137 | 24% | 86,000 |
| 2007 RAV4 | 195 | 19% | 97,250 |
| 2006 RAV4 | 109 | 15% | 90,000 |
| 2005 RAV4 | 9 | 6% | 93,732 |
| 2004 RAV4 | 11 | 7% | 100,000 |
| 2003 RAV4 | 21 | 7% | 89,000 |
| 2002 RAV4 | 22 | 4% | 94,615 |
| 2001 RAV4 | 9 | 3% | 135,000 |
| 2000 RAV4 | 2 | 7% | 169,266 |
| 1998 RAV4 | 1 | 1% | 149,000 |
| 1997 RAV4 | 2 | 4% | 81,982 |
| 1996 RAV4 | 1 | 2% | 70,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Engine and engine cooling
Model years: 2019, 2020
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines. Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.
Risk: A coolant leak can cause the engine to overheat and cause a vehicle stall in conventional gasoline vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, for all involved vehicles, the engine may get damaged mechanically, possibly resulting in an engine oil leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine including the engine block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 3, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA04. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA02.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
All warning lights came on and started flashing, steering wheel locked completely and total system failure. Car suddenly died and I had no control of it. Engine started smoking with black smoke. I got out of car and engine immediately caught fire starting at the bottom left driver side of engine…
I am reporting a potentially recurring safety-related failure of the electric engine coolant/water pump on my 2019 Toyota RAV4 equipped with the 2.5L A25A-FKS engine. My vehicle recently developed DTC P26CB/P26CB71, indicating an electric engine coolant pump performance/speed problem. The failure…
I was stopped for one minute in a drive-thru, and when I took my foot off the brake to accelerate, the vehicle stalled. It told me "Engine Stopped Power Steering Low". I moved out of the drive-thru in neutral, turned off the car then turned it back on. Everything was okay and had no issues. At the…
Component: Engine â Engine Cooling System â Coolant Pump Summary: The electric water pump on my 2019 Toyota RAV4 failed prematurely at 64273 miles. The check engine light illuminated with diagnostic trouble code P26CB (Engine Coolant Pump Performance/Stuck Off). The engine coolant temperature…
2021 Toyota RAV4 gas XXX Vehicle suddenly stopped while driving Busy roadway in [XXX] Wife and young children were passengers Dashboard displayed âENGINE STOPPEDâ Dashboard displayed âSTEERING POWER LOWâ Police responded Police determined waiting for the insurance tow was unsafe Police…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Toyota RAV4s have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 1,337 owner complaints about engine for the Toyota RAV4. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Toyota RAV4 engine?
Yes: 1 safety recall list engine. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the Toyota RAV4?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,050 (half paid between $850 and $4,750), from 117 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the Toyota RAV4?
The most frequent phrase is “coolant bypass”, in 235 of 1,337 complaints, followed by “oil consumption” (175).
Other Toyota RAV4 problems
- Power Train problems (1,395)
- Electrical System problems (1,375)
- Steering problems (948)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (901)
- Air Bags problems (837)
- Suspension problems (549)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (518)
- Structure problems (518)
See all Toyota RAV4 problems.