2017 Toyota RAV4

2017 Toyota RAV4 recalls (3)

• EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

  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.

• TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE

  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.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

  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.

2017 Toyota RAV4 safety ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.

2017 Toyota RAV4 owner complaints (15)

• STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

  The liftgate on my 2017 Toyota RAV4 has been having issues for a couple of months. Makes a horrific noise when opening and closing. On several occasions it won't even open but about 5 inches then stops. The driver's side door won't lock/unlock with the smart key fob. I have to manually lock it and then use the "key" in the fob to unlock it. It is very hard to turn the key and I am always afraid it is going to break off in the lock. I feel this is dangerous for me that the time it takes to do this, something could happen to me. I have checked a couple of places for repair of the lock and it can run between $600 and $800 per lock.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  Rust on roof by the windshield

• STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE

  Yesterday March 25th 2026 I went to work and parked my 2017 Toyota RAV4 and about 30minutes later it was on fire in the parking lot. The fire happened around the battery area

• FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  PCS brake has enormously engaged twice. 1. small branch fell off tree on a dirt road. brakes engaged and should not have and almost caused vehicle to slide off a 1000 foot cliff. 2. auto braked with my dog was in car and broke dogs' leg and cost a 2,000 dollar vet bill. brakes where not needed i could have easily just did a slight steering adjustment to avoid collusion. the braking prevented that and almost was also almost rearended overall, the autobrake can be disabled with a lot of work on various menus. but comes on when the car is restarted. I do this every time i restart the car. I suspect a glitch or a low voltage caused it to come back on. Also trying to always remember to do it is difficult to do. I consider this auto brake to be a huge safety risk and could cause loss of life. I am so scared by this and afraid to dive the car now. may have to take a total loss on the car I just bought. Toyota dealers said they cannot reprogram the car to prevent this serious safety risk

• Insert, Padding

  While my child was sitting in his carseat, the foam head support detached from the plastic casing where it is glued together. This is not the result of any action on our part and the seat has not been in car accident. The glue just gave out.

• VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

  I am the driver's husband and the driver was the only one in the car. I assist her to file this report The accident happened around 6 pm on 12.28.2025 My wife was involved in a single car accident in a parking lot. She made a left turn at the intersection of 192nd ave and 3rd st, and then entered into the parking lot from the north entrance. The car hit the curb as she entered the parking lot. Then the car (RAV4) started accelerating by itself, and was out of control. She cannot stop the car. To avoid going straight and hit the shops at the other end of the parking lot, she turned the wheel to one side. She hit a light post and then hit something else. The vehicle flipped over and landed on its roof. The vehicle was totaled. She was trapped inside the car unable to free herself until the ambulance, tow truck and the police arrived. By God's grace, she did not hit any other car or person and she only suffered minor injury. She was taken to the emergency room at Peace Health, examined and released after 3 hours. If you look at the RAV4, you cannot believe that she only suffered minor injury. Praise the Lord. She is still mentally shaken up by this traumatic event. Looking at the pictures of the damage to the vehicle, the car must have been traveling at a very high speed and there is no way that the driver stepped on the gas pedal intentionally. The insurance Company is Liberty Mutual Claim# [XXX] -XX The vehicle is considered total loss by the insurance company. EDR was inspected but data in the EDR was not collected. I suspect this incident was not caused by the driver, The data in the EDR will tell the true story. I asked Liberty Mutual to retrieve the data from the EDR to prove that the gas pedal was not depressed by the driver. If the car accelerated without the driver stepping on the gas pedal, then the vehicle has safety issues. I am waiting for Liberty Mutual to retrieve the data. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  My 2017 Toyota RAV4 suddenly caught fire while it was parked in front of my home. The vehicle was turned off and had been parked for several minutes. Without any warning, flames started in the battery area and rapidly spread, resulting in a total loss of the vehicle. The Wylie, Texas Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. Component or System Involved: Exact cause UNKNOWN. Fire appears to have originated from the engine compartment. The remains of the vehicle are available for inspection upon request by NHTSA, Toyota, or investigators. Safety Risk: This was a severe and unexpected fire with no warning and posed a serious risk to my family, neighbors, and surrounding property. The fire could have spread to my home and other vehicles nearby. It created a dangerous situation for anyone in the area. Reproduction / Confirmation: The problem cannot be reproduced because the vehicle is a total loss. No prior mechanical issues or symptoms suggested this could happen. Inspection Status: The vehicle has been inspected by the Wylie Fire Department, and my insurance company has opened a case and is investigating. Toyota USA has also opened a case (# [INSERT CASE NUMBER]) and is expected to review the incident. No final cause has been determined yet. Warning Lamps or Symptoms: There were no warning lights, messages, unusual smells, smoke, or performance issues before the fire. The vehicle showed no signs of trouble prior to the incident. Additional Details: I later verified that my VIN is included in an open recall related to potential fire risk. I believe this issue may be connected, but the cause is still UNKNOWN pending investigation.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  While driving the vehicle on an uphill stretch of highway with cruise control set at approximately 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly slowed down without warning. A distinct clunk was heard at the same moment. The cruise control system attempted to restore speed, and the engine became noticeably louder, but the vehicle struggled to return to the set speed. The driver tapped the brake to disengage cruise control and manually pressed the accelerator to resume normal speed. The trip was completed without additional events. After parking, the check engine light illuminated and the cruise control system became disabled on all subsequent drives. No warning indicators were present at the time of the initial failure, and there were no vehicles ahead that would have triggered the collision-avoidance system. Two days later, the vehicle became an intermittent no-start and eventually failed to start entirely. The vehicle was towed to a dealership for inspection. Technicians confirmed an electrical malfunction and reported that the multiplex ECU was likely experiencing an internal short. A parasitic draw test showed an abnormally high current draw of approximately 113 mA, which disappeared when the dome-light fuse and later the multiplex ECU were disconnected. The failure is intermittent and appears to involve an internal electrical short within the multiplex ECU. The sudden loss of cruise control function, abrupt deceleration, and subsequent intermittent electrical behavior created a safety risk, as the electrical malfunction occurred without warning while the vehicle was in motion. The issue was confirmed by a dealership service department.

• FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  My 2017 Toyota RAV4 XLE is experiencing unsafe behavior with the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). When driving around modest or slight turns, the ACC frequently loses tracking of the vehicle ahead and suddenly accelerates, then harshly brakes once it reacquires the vehicle. This creates a jerking motion and significantly reduces my confidence in the system. On one occasion while traveling approximately 45 miles per hour on a slight curve, the ACC began rapidly accelerating toward the vehicle in front of me as if no vehicle was there, forcing me to perform an emergency manual takeover and disengage the ACC to avoid a potential rear end collision. This issue is repeatable and appears to be related to how the ACC detects vehicles ahead while cornering. I am requesting that this behavior be investigated as a potential safety defect.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  The rear lift hatch on my 2017 Toyota RAV4 is not working properly. It can be raised without a problem most of the time but not lowered without a lot of effort and time. It might go down several inches and stop before going back up again causing me to have to start the process all over again. It definitely could present a danger if someone tried to force it up or down or if they got a body part under it while it was doing its weird motions. Plus it would not be safe to drive it unless it lowered all the way and latched. I did take it in to my Toyota mechanic who acknowledged the problem and said the only remedy was to replace parts at a cost of somewhere between $1200 and $1300. Since the issue with my rear lift hatch started a year ago, I have read numerous complaints from other persons who are having the same issue. My mechanic confirms that he has had a number of vehicles brought to him with the same or similar issue. I strongly feel that there should be a recall. I have been a loyal Toyota owner for many years and over the years have steered numerous persons toward purchasing a Toyota. My Rav4 is available for inspection if that is necessary.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  My lift gate hinges on my trunk have both bent, making my trunk unable to open. This is a known issue that they have a lawsuit against them for. This is available for inspection upon request. This vehicle has been inspected and diagnosed at a certified toyota dealership. No warning signs.

• SERVICE BRAKES

  The brake system on my 2017 Toyota RAV4 LE has repeatedly failed to provide normal stopping power, even after the replacement of pads and rotors in July 2025. This poses a serious safety hazard and may indicate a defect in the braking system.

• STEERING,POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  While driving on or around 6/5/25, an active recall on my vehicle caused damage to my battery connections causing my vehicle to completely shut off while driving on an highway exit ramp. I almost lost complete control of the vehicle. Thankfully, the vehicle turned back on and I was able to get the vehicle to safety. I had to get the car towed and repaired. The repair was directly related to the damage from an active recall issue being open without remedy for over 3 years on my vehicle. When I asked Toyota for reimbursement of under $200 they refused. This is a safety issue beyond the recall and I am concerned this is going to happen to someone else and there are going to be deaths. Toyota needs to stand by their recall too and may the financial aspect correct with me. Other members of the public need to be aware of the issues beyond their recall that can affect their cars and that Toyota is requiring them to be responsible for the damage that was caused while waiting on a remedy to the recall.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 85,887, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 237,660.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  The contact owns a 2017 Toyota RAV4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair, the dealer refused to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.