2017 Toyota RAV4 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Toyota RAV4 holds 307 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 33 per year. RAV4 years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 34 complaints per year. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including 12V/24V/48V battery, Labels, and Temporary spare tire.

2016 Toyota RAV4 XLE — Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

307

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (108 of 307), then Service brakes (38) and Exterior lighting (32). Those filings include 33 that report a crash, 24 that report a fire, 22 that report an injury, and 2 that report a death.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 RAV4 has 238 complaints, 30 per year, and the 2018 has 331 complaints, 37 per year. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2016. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2018.

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 2017 Toyota RAV4. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

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 Labels 2019-06-28 · NHTSA campaign 19V503000

Summary 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."

Remedy 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.

Recall tires, temporary spare tire 2017-05-02 · NHTSA campaign 17V295000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (307 total)

Electrical system

108

Service brakes

Exterior lighting

Engine

Air bags

Structure

Powertrain

Speed control

Fuel and propulsion system

Steering

Visibility and wipers

Forward collision avoidance

Wheels

Suspension

Seat belts

Seats

Tires

Engine and engine cooling

Latches, locks, and linkages

Traction control

Visibility

Back-over prevention

Fuel system, gasoline

Insert and padding

Show 16 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"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."
Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-09-11
"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…"
Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-09
"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…"
Speed control, Service brakes · filed 2026-08-29
"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…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-08-08
"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…"
Electrical system, Air bags, Structure · filed 2026-08-06

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2017 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid SUV AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2017 Toyota Rav4 SUV AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2017 Toyota Rav4 SUV FWD	5 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	29	25 MPG	$2600
RAV4 all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	22	28	25 MPG	$2600
RAV4 hybrid all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AV-S6)	All-wheel drive	34	30	32 MPG	$2050
RAV4 LE/XLE	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	23	30	26 MPG	$2500
RAV4 Limited all-wheel drive/SE 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 2016 Toyota RAV4 Next year 2018 Toyota RAV4 See every Toyota RAV4 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Toyota RAV4 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2017 Toyota RAV4?

Is the 2017 Toyota RAV4 more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2017 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?

The 2017 Toyota RAV4 has 3 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 2017 Toyota RAV4?

Owners have filed 307 complaints about the 2017 Toyota RAV4 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Toyota RAV4 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Toyota RAV4 is 26.4 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.