2005 Toyota RAV4 Owner Complaints

Electronic door locking mechanism on front passenger side has failed and cannot be controlled by the key fob like the other doors. Therefore, it is necessary for the driver to reach across the front seat to lock and unlock this door. The locking mechanism’s failure could be considered an inconvenience. However, there wss an incident where a friend and I were taking the train to the city, leaving the vehicle unattended in a railroad station parking lot for 10-12 hours. I used the key fob to lock all of the working doors, but my friend forgot to manually lock the front passenger door. Unfortunately, this oversight created the risk of theft. This could also pose a safety hazard to the front seat passenger in an emergency situation where he or she must quickly evacuate the vehicle in case of fire, for example. The critical issue lies in the fact that, in an emergency, the driver can press the key fob to quickly unlock all exit doors EXCEPT for the front passenger side, leaving that seat’s occupant struggling to locate the unlock button as smoke from the fire quickly fills the vehicle. First responders would have to pry the door open in this crisis situation when every second counts. A licensed auto mechanic has checked the vehicle and advised me that it would be necessary to dismantle and rebuild the car door at a cost of $300-$400 in order to correct this situation, which is an expense I cannot afford on my limited income. My vehicle is available for inspection as necessary. Thank you for any assistance you are able to provide.

NHTSA ID

11707434

Incident

Mar 15, 2022

The recall repair was completed 7/15/25. It never updated in anyone’s system. I have been fighting between Toyota corp and the dealership for weeks more like a month just to get them to do the repair. After it was done I got my car damaged. A whole separate issue. I need to get inspection done on the car; can’t get it registered and my insurance is hassling me. It’s been weeks of this nightmare. It still shows my car on the recall list. DMV says they didn’t receive updates, Toyota sends me to the dealership and the dealership does nothing. All this over a car problem that wasn’t my fault in the first place. How do I proceed please

NHTSA ID

11679796

Incident

Jul 15, 2025

Very often, while driving at normal speeds around curving and hilly roads, the traction control light comes on. It even locks the speed until the light goes off. And sometimes the VSC (Vehicle stability control) light comes on and takes control of the car. When the warning lights go off, the car returns to normal. I took the car to Kauai Toyota Service Department. They said that they cannot troubleshoot the problem until one of the lights stay on continuously. It is a little disconcerting when this happens while driving. I love this car and what to keep it. But I want to get to the problem and fix it. Is it possible for a repair facility to use a computer to back track the alarms and pinpoint the problem? Thanks for your time and response.

NHTSA ID

11595614

Incident

Jun 10, 2024

On 10/1/2022 in Berwick, PA while pulling into the Dollar Tree parking lot, smoke appeared in the passenger cabin and the vehicle accelerated on it's own. The brakes were applied and the vehicle continue to accelerate. The vehicle went down through a yard, across a road through another parking lot and crashed into a high curb before stalling out. The airbags deployed. My mother was transported to the hospital and is still in ICU with broken ribs, cuts and bruises. She was able to steer the vehicle away from a parked car, a person on a bicycle and missed a rose bush, no one else was injured in the incident. A police report has been completed, the vehicle is still in the custody of the towing company and has not been released to the insurance company.

NHTSA ID

11487875

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

WHEN DRIVING AT OR UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT ON SOME TURNS MY CARS SLIP INDICATOR GOES OFF WITHOUT ANY APPARENT ISSUES AND IT WILL START BEEPING AND SOMETIMES IT EVEN BREAKS ON IT'S OWN AND JERKS THE CAR. THE SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT HAS TURNED ONE WHILE DRIVING UNDER 30 MPH IN A DRY AND PAVED ROAD. THE BEEPING AND JERKING HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY

NHTSA ID

11394746

Incident

Jan 11, 2021

Mileage

120,000 mi

WHEN BACKING THE RAV, WE HEAR A THUNK NOISE AND RAV HAS DIFFICULTY REVERSING, ESPECIALLY WHEN REVERSING UPHILL.

NHTSA ID

11353250

Incident

Sep 4, 2020

Mileage

90,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE VSC LIGHT AND ALARM FLASH AND SOUND AND THE VEHICLE APPLIES THE BRAKES CAUSING VEHICLE TO VEER INTO OTHER LANE

NHTSA ID

11277452

Incident

Oct 15, 2019

Mileage

194,558 mi

NONE OF MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE WORKING I HAVE TRIED REPLACING THEM WITH NEW BULBS AND THEY STILL DON'T WORK I EVEN CHECKED TO SEE IF IT NEED A NEW FUSE AND ALL THE FUSES LOOK GOOD. I'M STARTING TO FEEL LIKE THE VEHICLE HAS A ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT'S CAUSING THE LIGHTS NOT TO WORK.

NHTSA ID

11270953

Incident

Oct 23, 2019

EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION, 1/2 QUART EVERY 2 WEEKS. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 3 YEARS.

NHTSA ID

11230931

Incident

Jul 11, 2019

Mileage

115,000 mi

AIR BAG RECALL: I HAVE BEEN GETTING RECALL NOTICES FOR YEARS. I HAVE NOTIFIED TOYOTA MANY TIMES THAT I NO LONGER OWN THIS VEHICLE!!! IT WAS TRADED IN TO TOYOTA OF LEWISVILLE TX IN OCTOBER 25, 2014. THIS IS BORDERING ON HARRASSMENT! IT IS ALSO A WASTE OF MONEY. I RECENTLY RECIEVED A NOTICE VIA FEDEX!! PLEASE UPDATE YOUR RECORDS. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11229910

Incident

Jul 7, 2019

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 50,000 OF THE 255,000 MILES ON MY RAV4. IT HAS BEEN ON IT SEEMS MOSTLY BECAUSE OF OXYGEN SENSORS AND RELATED EMISSIONS "ISSUES" AND THIS HAS COST ME THOUSANDS OVER THE YEARS IN DIAGNOSTICS, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND MASKING OTHER PROBLEMS THAT REALLY WERE OCCURRING. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON SO MUCH THAT IT'S HARD TO TELL WHEN THERE REALLY IS A PROBLEM. RECENTLY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON FOR ABOUT 9 MONTHS. THE MECHANIC CODES REVEALED THAT IT WAS RUNNING TOO "RICH." I PUT IT ON "NON-OPERABLE" FOR REGISTRATION PURPOSES WHILE I AGAIN TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHY. ONE DAY (ON A TEMPORARY MOVING PERMIT) I WENT TO GET GASOLINE AND FILLED THE TANK HALFWAY. A FEW MILES LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF, FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WENT TO GET A SMOG CHECK, AND WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE FAIL POLICY AT THE STATION, THE ATTENDANT SAID, "THESE TOYOTAS ALWAYS PASS THE EMISSIONS, AS LONG AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ISN'T ON." HE WAS RIGHT, AND MY RAV4 PASSED WITH PERFECT EMISSIONS COMPLIANCE. IN THE PAST I HAVE REPLACED MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER, ALL THE OXYGEN SENSORS, AND EVENTUALLY THE ENTIRE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IN ORDER TO GET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO GO OFF AND PASS A CA SMOG CHECK. SOME YEARS AGO MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. IT WAS LEAKING OIL, AND MY MECHANIC SAID JUST TO MAKE SURE IT HAD ENOUGH OIL IN IT UNTIL I COULD AFFORD TO FIX THE "LEAKY GASKETS." BUT THE PROBLEM WAS REALLY A FAULTY OIL PUMP, AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. I HAD A REBUILT ENGINE PUT IN, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. THE TOYOTA RAN FINE FOR 6 MONTHS. THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. IN ALL OF THIS, TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE ACCEPTS NO FAULT. THEY SAY I SHOULD COMPLAIN TO NHTSA, AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RECALLS. I HAVEN'T HAD SUCH AN UNRELIABLE CAR SINCE MY 1984 CHEVY CHEVETTE. MY NEXT CAR WON'T BE A TOYOTA.

NHTSA ID

11218393

Incident

May 5, 2019

Mileage

255,000 mi

I AM HAVING AN ISSUE WITH MY 2005 RAV4 THAT HAS BECOME SO FREQUENT THAT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. WHEN I AM DRIVING BETWEEN 30-50 MPH, AND THE ROAD MAKES A SLIGHT CURVE, MY VSC WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AND I LOOSE STEERING CONTROL UNTIL I REMOVE FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR. ISSUE BEGAN: APRIL 2018, AND HAPPENED ABOUT 2-3 TIMES A MONTH. SINCE THEN, IT HAS GRADUALLY INCREASED TO AT LEAST ONCE EACH TIME I DRIVE. APR-NOV, MOSTLY OCCURRED ON SAME SLIGHT RIGHT CURVE UPHILL SECTION OF ROAD. IT'S STILL MOSTLY THAT, BUT NOW IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN THE CURVE IS TO THE LEFT, OR DOWNHILL THE SPEED LIMIT IS 50 MPH WITH CONSTANT MODERATE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC WEEKDAYS ABOUT 4 ' 6 P.M. I ACCELERATE UPHILL AS I MAKE A SLIGHT RIGHT CURVE, AND SUDDENLY, THE CAR DOES THE FOLLOWING: I WILL LOOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING AND THE VSC WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. WHEN I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR, THE VSC LIGHT TURNS OFF AND I REGAIN CONTROL OF THE STEERING. WHEN I APPLY THE GAS, THE SAME THING HAPPENS AGAIN. THE SEVERITY OF THE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL SEEMS TO DEPEND UPON WHAT PART OF THE CURVE I AM IN. AS THE ROAD IS STILL SLIGHTLY CURVING TO THE RIGHT, THE CAR'S ABILITY TO ACCELERATE GREATLY DIMINISHES. THEREFORE, I AM FORCED TO DRIVE 35-40 MPH, WHICH CREATES AN ACCIDENT PRONE SCENE FOR MYSELF AND THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME THAT ARE TRAVELING 50-55 MPH. MY COMMUTE TO WORK, I'M DRIVING WEST & THIS RECENTLY STARTED DOWNHILL, THE PROBLEM OCCURS AFTER THE HILL WHERE THERE IS A SLIGHT CURVE TO THE RIGHT. ALSO, WHEN THIS OCCURS AT NIGHT, MY HEADLIGHTS WILL DIM AT THE SAME MOMENT AND FOR THE SAME LENGTH OF TIME THE VSC LIGHT COMES ON. SINCE NOVEMBER, THIS ISSUE OCCURS IF THE ROAD CURVES EITHER RIGHT OR LEFT, UPHILL OR DOWN HILL, BUT MORE OFTEN UPHILL. OCCASIONALLY, I WILL ALSO HEAR A BEEP WHILE THE LIGHT IS ON, BUT THIS HAS ONLY HAPPENED MAYBE FIVE OR SIX TIMES.

NHTSA ID

11172640

Incident

Jan 28, 2019

Mileage

195,000 mi

DRIVERS SIDE VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP. FALLS DOWN CONSTANTLY. DRIVER CANNOT SEE WHEN IT HAPPENS. I BOUGHT MY RAV4 USED AND DIDNT NOTICE IT UNTIL MY HUSBAND DROVE IT. IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME BECAUSE I'M SHORT. WHEN MY HUSBAND DRIVES IT WE HAVE TO RIG IT TO STAY UP BUT NOTHING EVER WORKS FOR LONG BEFORE IT FALLS DOWN AGAIN. IT COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ID

11172028

Incident

May 5, 2018

Mileage

100,000 mi

THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR WILL NOT STAY IN POSITION. IT FLOPS DOWN WHEN I'M DRIVING, MAKING IT SUDDENLY HARD TO SEE. THE PROBLEM STARTED VERY GRADUALLY A FEW YEARS AGO BUT NOW HAS RAPIDLY GOTTEN MUCH WORSE. I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP WILL NOT COVER THE REPLACEMENT AND IN COST, NOR WILL TOYOTA. I KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANY BECAUSE I CALLED THEM AND THEY SAID IT'S MY PROBLEM TO FIX. HOWEVER, THIS IS A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE, AND THEY ARE IGNORING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. THE VISOR ALONE COSTS $107.52 ! THE INSTALLATION COST IS IN ADDITION TO THIS (BTW, I SELECTED TODAY'S DATE, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT DATE. THE SAME APPLIES TO THE MPH - IT HAPPENS AT ALL MPH.).

NHTSA ID

11133174

Incident

Oct 3, 2018

Mileage

133,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING I WILL PRESS THE BREAK PEDAL AND INSTEAD OF BREAKING THE VEHICLE REACTS LIKE I HIT THE GAS INSTEAD AND SURGES FORWARD. THIS HAPPENS AT SEEMINGLY RANDOM TIMES, THE LATEST WAS YESTERDAY 7-30-2018, THE TIME BEFORE THAT WAS A FEW MONTHS AGO AND I HIT A PARKED CAR BECAUSE OF IT. WAS TOLD BY A NON-DEALER MECHANIC IT MIGHT BE THE AIR INTAKE SENSOR, CLEANED IT AND IT DIDN'T HELP. TOYOTA DEALER OF COURSE CLAIMS TO NOT KNOW OF THE ISSUE. IT HAS DONE THIS ON CITY STREETS AND PARKING LOTS.

NHTSA ID

11114711

Incident

Jul 30, 2018

Mileage

131,885 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DAN CAVA TOYOTA WORLD LLC. (2510 WHITE HALL BLVD, FAIRMONT, WV 26554, 304-366-2720) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VAPOR CANISTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 115,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *TT *TR

NHTSA ID

11111208

Incident

Mar 1, 2018

Mileage

115,000 mi

MY CAR WAS A TOYOTA RAV4 BASIC MODEL 2005 BOUGHT TOYOTA PURCHASE AT DEALER IN (LA,CA)， A CAR ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON JUNE 09, 2017 AND ANOTHER CAR ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 26, 2018; THE SECOND ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A LACK OF WORK ON MY CAR AIRBAG. MY HEAD AND BODY COLLIDED WITH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AND STEERING WHEEL, CAUSING ME TO LOSE MY JOB AND PAY TOO MUCH TIME AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. *TT *TR

NHTSA ID

11098255

Incident

Jun 9, 2017

Mileage

5 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CLUTCH MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SWITCHED OUT OF THIRD GEAR INDEPENDENTLY INTO NEUTRAL. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT TRANSMISSION FLUID SPILLED OUT OF THE TRANSAXLE AND THAT THE CLUTCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. A DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 93,000.

NHTSA ID

11072758

Incident

Jan 31, 2018

Mileage

93,000 mi

THE VSC TRAC, VSC OFF, AND ABS LIGHTS... ALL STAY ON, ALL THE TIME. THERE ARE NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES SHOWING ON THE OBD CODE READER.

NHTSA ID

11063635

Incident

Sep 6, 2017

Mileage

120,000 mi

"TAKATA RECALL" MY CAR ONLY HAD IT'S PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG REPLACED. TOYOTA DEALER SAID THE DRIVERS SIDE (STEERING WHEEL) AIR BAG, DID NOT NEED REPLACING???? I CAN'T FIND ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER IT SHOULD BE OR NOT. I'VE MISPLACED MY WORK RECEIPT, AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS CHANGED HANDS. SO I DON'T KNOW THE DATE OF THE REPLACEMENT OF ONLY THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG. PLEASE ADVISE ASAP!

NHTSA ID

11060860

Incident

Jan 5, 2018

Mileage

48,000 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V284000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED AUTONATION TOYOTA CORPUS CHRISTI (6672 S PADRE ISLAND DR, CORPUS CHRISTI, TX 78412, PHONE: (361) 444-0160), BUT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11048676

Incident

Mar 8, 2017

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V284000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO GET THE RECALL REMEDIED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN ON THE ISLAND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO GET SHIPPED BY BARGE TO ANOTHER ISLAND TO GET REMEDIED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT IT WAS THE CONSUMER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11048064

Incident

May 13, 2017

"TAKATA RECALL". I WAS DRIVING AND STOPPED FOR A LIGHT DOWN A ROAD IN STATEN ISLAND, NY. AS I WAS WAITING, A DEER WAS CROSSING THE ROAD. SIMULTANEOUSLY, A BUS WAS NEXT TO ME AND SCARED THE DEER WHICH CAUSED IT TO RUN STRAIGHT INTO MY VEHICLE DOING A FAIR AMOUNT OF DAMAGE WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN FIXED. MY AIRBAG DID NOT INFLATE, EVEN THOUGH I WAS HIT PRETTY HARD. I WAS SHAKEN UP BUT SUFFERED NO MAJOR INJURIES. RECALL#15V284

NHTSA ID

11039904

Incident

Feb 21, 2014

Mileage

60,000 mi

MY MASTER POWER SWITCH STOPPED WORKING IN 2014. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE 2005 RAV4 WAS NOT ON THE LIST FOR THE RECALL. WINDOWS WILL NOT GO UP AND DOWN.

NHTSA ID

11033270

Incident

Oct 1, 2014

Mileage

89,700 mi

TIRE FAILURE FOR WILD TRAIL TOURING CUV R601 215/70R16, DOT KAEH C27 W 4615 D13L. BLOW OUT TRAVELING 45MPH WITH NO PRECIPITATING EVENT. LESS THAN 1 YR OF USE AND LESS THAN 8000 MILES

NHTSA ID

10993132

Incident

Jun 1, 2017