2011 Toyota RAV4 problems
Owners have filed 403 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Toyota RAV4. Cruise control is the most reported problem area, at 17% of complaints. After that come brakes (12%) and wipers, windshield & visibility (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 403 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 68 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 25 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 46,000 miles 273 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 69 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 52 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 44 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 37 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 31 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 20 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 9 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 7 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 273 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 46,000 miles. For cruise control specifically, the median reported mileage is about 27,000 miles (64 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 68 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 25 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Toyota RAV4 with enough data (253 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 11 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav4. The contact crashed into a vehicle that failed to yield the right of way. The contact stated the air bag failed to protect him when the impact was harder than normal and created a smoke that smelled like fire. The driver and passenger side air bags deployed, causing the passenger internal bruising and a cracked rib. The contact received injuries to the chest, which caused breathing difficulties. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle erroneously veered to the left and caused the contact to crash into a tree. Upon impact, the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact sustained injuries to the ribs. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage and VIN was not available.
My vehicle was traveling 35+ miles per hous when I inadvertently hit the vehicle in front of me who had slowed significantly to 25 MPH or less. Both vehicles suffered severe damages as seen in photos
I was driving on the road intending to make a left turn. I then heard a bang and a pop sound. I could smell gasoline. When I arrived home I could smell gasoline. When I looked underneath the vehicle I could see the gasoline dripping from the underside of the vehicle. I had a vehicle towed to a toyota dealer who informed me a day later that the vehicle had incurred a ruptured gasoline tank.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota rav4. While driving between 25 to 35 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would pay half of the repair cost. The failure mileage was 50,000.