2014 Toyota RAV4 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2014 Toyota RAV4 holds 197 complaints after 13 years, a rate of 12 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 RAV4 years on this site. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including 12V/24V/48V battery, Electric power steering, and Trailer hitch.

2013 Toyota RAV4 — Photo by Clément Bucco-Lechat, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Complaints

197

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (69 of 197), then Engine (31) and Steering (21). Those filings include 20 that report a crash, 25 that report a fire, and 16 that report an injury.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 RAV4 has 256 complaints, 32 per year, and the 2015 has 304 complaints, 29 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

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 2014 Toyota RAV4. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall electrical system, 12V/24V/48V battery 2023-11-01 · NHTSA campaign 23V734000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall Electric power steering 2015-03-13 · NHTSA campaign 15V144000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2015 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid, and 2014-2015 Rav4 vehicles. A component of the electric power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may have been damaged during the manufacturing process. Over time, this damage may result in failure of the electric power steering system.

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number of the EPS ECU or steering column assembly. If the number is within the affected range, the EPS ECU will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Recall trailer hitch 2015-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 15V011000

Summary Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Toyota Rav4 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2013, to December 29, 2014, and equipped with an accessory trailer light module. The software within the module may incorrectly detect an electrical short and preventively turn off the electrical current and the trailer lights.

Remedy SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer light module with a new unit with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-15A.

Recall Equipment 2014-12-30 · NHTSA campaign 14V828000

Summary Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner, Tacoma, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, RAV4, Scion FRS, and XB vehicles. The affected vehicles may have accessories installed by SET, such as running boards or other items, that were incorrectly installed. The accessory attaching fasteners were not tightened with the proper torque, possibly causing the accessory to detach from the vehicle.

Remedy SET will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the affected bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-14B.

Complaints by component (197 total)

Electrical system

Engine

Steering

Powertrain

Structure

Service brakes

Air bags

Exterior lighting

Fuel and propulsion system

Speed control

Visibility and wipers

Equipment

Seats

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Seat belts

Tires

Visibility

Wheels

Back-over prevention

Hydraulic brakes

Latches, locks, and linkages

Suspension

Show 14 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"We purchased a used 2014 RAV4 (VIN [XXX]) a few months ago. During a trip to the store my wife all of a sudden found it extremely hard to steer and almost went into a ditch! (thank God she didn't). It was a blessing…"
Steering · filed 2026-08-14
"Request for Investigation – 2014 Toyota RAV4 Airbag Non-Deployment On [XXX], at approximately [XXX]., the vehicle was involved in a traffic collision in Lakeland, Florida. The vehicle sustained a significant impact to…"
Air bags, Structure · filed 2026-08-04
"The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Rav4. While driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The failure was intermittent. The failure lasted for…"
Steering · filed 2026-08-03
"I am filing a complaint regarding Toyota’s handling of a known paint defect affecting my 2014 Toyota RAV4 Limited in Blizzard Pearl paint. Over the past several years, the paint on my vehicle has progressively peeled…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-05-14
"My vehicle's factory applied paint which is Blizzard Pear 070 is failing and peeling on entire vehicle in multiple areas including roof, hood, interior doors, side panels, and rear door. This started as chipping back in…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-05-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2014 Toyota Rav4 EV SUV FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2014 Toyota Rav4 SUV AWD	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2014 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	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	23	30	26 MPG	$2500
RAV4 all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	22	28	25 MPG	$2600
RAV4 EV	—	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-wheel drive	78	74	76 MPG / 103 mi range	$1000
RAV4 Limited all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	22	28	24 MPG	$2700

Specs and fitment

5th generation, 2013–2018

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-20 (5W-20 acceptable if 0W-20 is unavailable) , 4.6 qt capacity

Tire size 225/65R17 (LE) to 235/55R18 (Limited/SE)

Towing capacity 1,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Toyota recall 23V-734 (23TA13) covers 2013–2018 RAV4 vehicles after some replacement Group 35 batteries with smaller top dimensions can shift when the hold-down clamp is not tightened correctly, allowing the positive terminal to contact the clamp and short-circuit. Toyota states that can increase fire risk; dealers replace the battery hold-down clamp, tray, and positive terminal cover at no charge. Toyota estimates about 1,854,000 U.S. vehicles are involved in the recall.

Compare

Previous year 2013 Toyota RAV4 Next year 2015 Toyota RAV4 See every Toyota RAV4 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Toyota RAV4 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2014 Toyota RAV4?

Is the 2014 Toyota RAV4 more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2014 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?

The 2014 Toyota RAV4 has 4 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 2014 Toyota RAV4?

Owners have filed 197 complaints about the 2014 Toyota RAV4 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Toyota RAV4 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 Toyota RAV4 is 37.8 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.