2020 Toyota RAV4: owner complaints and recalls

Complaints about the 2020 Toyota RAV4 are still climbing years after launch. The last three full years account for 352 of the 627 filings on record, which usually means a defect that surfaces with mileage rather than a factory fault.

627
Complaints
6
Recalls
17
Crash reports
5
Fire reports
14
Injuries
33.5
Severity index

Severity index 33.5 - Low. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 33.5p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2020 Toyota RAV4 sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 103 2020 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2020 Toyota RAV4 ranks 75 of 103 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 27% of its model-year peers. See the full 2020 ranking.

What actually fails

EngineEngine: 179 complaints (28.5%)179 29%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 119 complaints (19.0%)119 19%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 119 complaints (19.0%)119 19%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 89 complaints (14.2%)89 14%StructureStructure: 59 complaints (9.4%)59 9%Air BagsAir Bags: 55 complaints (8.8%)55 9%Power TrainPower Train: 36 complaints (5.7%)36 6%SteeringSteering: 27 complaints (4.3%)27 4%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE17928.5%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER11919.0%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM11919.0%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM8914.2%
STRUCTURE599.4%
AIR BAGS558.8%
POWER TRAIN365.7%
STEERING274.3%

Complaints filed per year

0901802019: 32020: 1462021: 542022: 422023: 1082024: 1762025: 682026: 30 (partial year)1920212223241762526
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20193
2020146
202154
202242
2023108
2024176
202568
2026 (year to date)30
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.5x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
20V68200004/11/2020FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna,
20V73400025/11/2020AIR BAGS:FRONTALToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Toyota Avalon and 2020 Avalon Hybrid, RAV4, and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Breakaway pins within the steering column, designed to absorb energy and reduce injury during a crash, could have been damaged d
20V06400006/02/2020ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGToyota 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 ca
20V37300024/06/2020STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and 2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Water may enter through the steering gear box cover and cause a loss of electric power steering assist.
20V28600020/05/2020SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARMToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. The front lower suspension arms may have cracks, which may result in the suspension arm separating from the front wheel assembly.
23V86500020/12/2023AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H ve
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.