Reliable Auto DB

2012 Toyota RAV4 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Toyota RAV4 has 266 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 27 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most RAV4 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 35. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Rear or other, Visibility and wipers, and Brake control module.

2011 Toyota RAV4 Limited
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

266

Per year

27

Recalls

5

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (54 of 266), then Speed control (50) and Service brakes (34). Those filings include 39 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 18 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 RAV4 has 256 complaints, 32 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota RAV4. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall seat belts, rear or other 2016-02-19 · NHTSA campaign 16V096000
Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured July 28, 2005, to December 19, 2012, and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the event of a frontal collision, the rear seat belts for the outboard seats may be cut by the seat cushion frame.
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a protector over both rear seat cushion frames, free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0F.
Recall Visibility and wipers 2015-09-18 · NHTSA campaign 15V577000
Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 27, 2008, to December 19, 2012 and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, water may drip onto the joint that connects the wiper linkage to the wiper motor.
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water diverter channel. In addition, a new wiper linkage with a wiper motor crank arm will be installed. The wiper linkage will have a protective cover over the wiper linkage joint to minimize water splash and a retainer ring to prevent the wiper arm from separating from the wiper motor. The recall began on November 7, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service number at 1-800-331-4331.
Recall Brake control module 2014-02-12 · NHTSA campaign 14V054000
Summary Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Toyota Tacoma and Lexus RX350 vehicles and certain model year 2012 Toyota Rav4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake system contains a brake actuator that adjusts the fluid pressure of each wheel cylinder. An electrical component within the actuator may experience an increased resistance resulting in the illumination of various warning lights, including those for the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, Antilock Brake System (ABS), and Traction Control system.
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software for the Skid Control electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Recall Labels 2013-04-09 · NHTSA campaign 13V123000
Summary Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Recall air bags, frontal, inactive sensor control module 2013-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000
Summary Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Remedy Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Complaints by component (266 total)

Visibility and wipers
54
Speed control
50
Service brakes
34
Electrical system
31
Seat belts
31
Engine
23
Air bags
22
Powertrain
22
Structure
16
Steering
10
Fuel and propulsion system
9
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
Suspension
6
Visibility
6
Hydraulic brakes
5
Equipment
3
Seats
3
Engine and engine cooling
2
Exterior lighting
2
Tires
2
Traction control
2
Wheels
2
Adaptive and mobility equipment
1
Show 15 more Show less
Crash-flagged

39

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

18

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

182012292013342014232015632016212017172018192019102020920212202282023320247202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My 2012 Toyota RAV4 (Super White / Blizzard Pearl paint) is experiencing severe and recurring paint peeling caused by a known manufacturing defect in which the factory paint primer failed to properly adhere to the base…"
    Structure · filed 2026-06-17
  • "My vehicle is a 2012 rav 4 sport, color Barcelona Red. Said color and model has been know to have clear coat and paint issues. My vehicles clear coat and paint in the top has been peeling at an alarming rate, a year or…"
    Structure · filed 2026-05-04
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil.…"
    Engine and engine cooling, Engine · filed 2026-02-02
  • "The small pipe that's part of the Upper Radiator Coolant Hose Connector Adapter broke off and drained coolant from the vehicle. This small pipe had deteriorated and become brittle leading to the failure."
    Engine · filed 2025-11-30
  • "The windshield pump is not working front and back The wipers turn but no liquid comes out though the tank is full It does not make the sound it normally does when it pumps the windshield liquid Dealer wants almost $200…"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2025-09-16

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV AWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
RAV4 two-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 4-speed Front-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $2700
RAV4 two-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic 5-speed Front-wheel drive 19 26 22 MPG $2950
RAV4 four-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 4-speed All-wheel drive 21 27 23 MPG $2800
RAV4 four-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic 5-speed All-wheel drive 19 26 22 MPG $2950
RAV4 EV — Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 78 74 76 MPG / 103 mi range $1000

Specs and fitment

4th generation, 2006–2012
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-20 or 0W-20 (2.5L 4-cylinder); 5W-30 (optional 3.5L V6) , 4.7 qt capacity
Tire size 215/70R16 (Base) to 235/55R18 (Sport)
Towing capacity 1,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Certain 2012 Toyota RAV4 vehicles are covered by safety recall 14V-054 after NHTSA found that increased resistance in the brake actuator can illuminate ABS, traction control, and stability-control warning lamps and disable those driver-assist functions while conventional braking remains available. Toyota’s remedy is a no-cost software update to the skid control ECU. The recall also covers certain 2012–2013 Tacoma and 2012–2013 Lexus RX350 vehicles under the same campaign.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota RAV4 See every Toyota RAV4 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota RAV4 reliable?

The 2012 Toyota RAV4 has 266 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 27 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most RAV4 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 35. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Rear or other, Visibility and wipers, and Brake control module.

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota RAV4?

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (54 of 266), then Speed control (50) and Service brakes (34). Those filings include 39 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 18 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Toyota RAV4 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 RAV4 has 256 complaints, 32 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota RAV4 has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota RAV4?

Owners have filed 266 complaints about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota RAV4 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota RAV4 is 33.4 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2017 Toyota RAV4?

5th generation (2013-2018).

What oil does a 2019 Toyota RAV4 use?

Toyota’s 2019 RAV4 maintenance guide specifies 0W-16; Toyota service bulletins list about 4.8 quarts with filter for the A25 engine family.

Does the Toyota RAV4 have a battery fire recall?

2013-2018 RAV4 models are covered by NHTSA recall 23V-734 for 12-volt battery hold-down and terminal contact issues; 2019+ models are not part of that campaign.