2007 Toyota RAV4 Owner Complaints

UNKNOWN

NHTSA ID

11710612

Incident

Jan 13, 2026

My driver side door caught on fire and was completely destroyed to include all associated wiring. Toyota had my contact information but never contacted me about any of the recalls.

NHTSA ID

11696168

Incident

Oct 26, 2025

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle could not be aligned. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V596000 (Suspension). The vehicle was taken to a tire shop, and the contact was informed that the rear tie rods were welded, and an alignment was impossible. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 182,342.

NHTSA ID

11687356

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

Mileage

182,342 mi

Other people keep using my Bluetooth from my Toyota RAV4 2007. I don't even use it anymore. I found out because my android vehicle app keeps activating. Also, I live in a apartment complex, and notice when I look out my window, people walk by and slow down and stop right in front of my car and start messing with their phone. It appears they are hacking into the Bluetooth. I've also had much financial theft from my bank account.. including I paid for my auto insurance months ago, now I go on the AZ MDV and it's saying that my car is not insured! I'm a domestic violence victim..Its causing safety issues for me..I'm really upset. Also, your website is saying it's September 8, 2025. My phone is saying it's September 7th 2025. I don't know what to do!?!? Someone is causing me a lot of mental anquish. I know I have Recalls on this car, it says I have nun on the Toyota site yet in other places it says I have Recalls. I just feel extremely unsafe and angry that Toyota never sends me anything about my car.

NHTSA ID

11685604

Incident

Sep 7, 2025

Sub frame is rusted to the point of not being able to pass state inspection requirements.

NHTSA ID

11667304

Incident

Jun 9, 2025

Unknown I just strongly feel like I'm not getting the information on purpose..it has caused me much stress. I'm really upset. I've not once received any communication from you since I bought this vehicle 2nd hand. In 2018.. And to make matters worse, I've had my vehicle plates stolen 3 separate times including my cell phone number ( had to change it) and my driver license number was changed. I'm not having any help from my state DMV. Please help me.

NHTSA ID

11662984

Incident

May 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 222,822.

NHTSA ID

11661161

Incident

May 15, 2025

Mileage

222,822 mi

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with battery failure. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

NHTSA ID

11652383

Incident

Apr 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that after shifting into reverse, the brake pedal was fully depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed and remained reversing slowly. The contact frantically turned off the vehicle to avoid crashing into the vehicle behind. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ID

11646524

Incident

Dec 25, 2024

Mileage

93,000 mi

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the sound was coming from the tires. The contact was informed that no issues were found. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine warning light, the traction control warning light, and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11629684

Incident

Aug 31, 2024

Subframe rusted in half, the only way I found it was when we put new shocks on it. It peeled off about 1/2 the tread on a brand new tire. Dangerous, if passengers side rear tire would've broke loose it would throw rear of car into oncoming traffic!

NHTSA ID

11621510

Incident

Oct 23, 2024

I own a 2007 Toyota Rav-4 with 155k miles. I had bought the vehicle used from a licensed Toyota dealership about 3 years ago and have been diligent about conducting the routine scheduled maintenance. The vehicle had no known recalls. I was driving about 25mph when I started to smell smoke. The drivers side door caught on fire while the vehicle was in motion. There were literally flames coming out of area with the buttons used to control the windows. I immediately pulled the vehicle over and the car ended up having to be towed. On Google, Toyota has had several other incidents where this exact same recall issue happened and the vehicle caught on fire. I called the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and the Toyota Corporate as well. I smoke to a representative on a Wednesday and they let me know my case number and that someone would be in touch to follow-up within 48 hours. However, it has been 6 days and I haven’t received any update.

NHTSA ID

11589719

Incident

May 14, 2024

Rear subframe rusted through

NHTSA ID

11588124

Incident

May 3, 2024

Last year around December the passenger side airbag started separating from the cover it is in. I contacted toyota told was nit in recall list . Also called dealer they said to contact toyota. You can pop it back in but afraid airbag may explode open

NHTSA ID

11568663

Incident

Dec 1, 2023

I took my car in to address the panel warning symbols. Was told that my unibody style was no longer safe to drive due to severe rust. Was informed that the car could possibly fall apart.

NHTSA ID

11523055

Incident

May 20, 2023

The rear sub frame broke/ rusted, needing to be replaced unable to drive car safely

NHTSA ID

11518800

Incident

Apr 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while installing new tires on the vehicle, the mechanic stated that the wheel bearings fractured and that both front axles were rusted. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, and it was confirmed that the wheel bearings were fractured and that the front axles were rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted, and the contact left a message. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 179,000.

NHTSA ID

11503420

Incident

Oct 17, 2022

Mileage

179,002 mi

I was driving and the engine caught on fire. Thank God for people telling me that my car was having flames coming from under my car. By the time I pull over flames were coming out of my hood

NHTSA ID

11503039

Incident

Jan 21, 2023

while driving down the big bear mountain, the vehicle lost power steering i could not turn the wheel and hit the railing, thank god i didn't hit another car. The battery light was flashing steering locked up other dash lights came on. The mechanic could not give me any answers, Toyota says there is no recall on this and after reading other complaints about the 2007 Toyota RAV 4 i am shocked that the dealership has nothing to say and can not fix the problem, this is so dangerous and i am at a loss on how to fix the problem. who has to die for them to take this problem seriously!!!

NHTSA ID

11487914

Incident

Oct 4, 2022

Frame is rot

NHTSA ID

11473488

Incident

Jun 8, 2022

I noticed the steering wheel was becoming stiff and I resolved to immediately bring the car to the shop given that the mechanic was less than a mile away. The dashboard showed no sensors were off, but I figured it was best to double check. We were fortunately driving on local streets when we smelled smoke. I pulled over, checked the dashboard again to see that the battery light and the airbag light had turned on and off. No other sensor went off. I turned off the engine and turned on the hazards. Although the temperature gauge on the dashboard was normal, I figured that the car was overheating, which would be a first. I retrieved my son from the car, and thought it would be best to call a tow truck. When connecting with AAA, the smoke coming from the car started to grow and I hung up to call the fire department. As I held my son, a brave samaritan tried to help open the hood to extinguish the growing flame. The smoke was overwhelming, a crowd gathered to record the occurrence while I was fortunately able to shield my toddler in an apartment lobby. The fire could not be distinguished until the fire truck arrived. We had taken the car for a roadtrip in April, prior to which we got a check-up, we ensure that we pass our annual registration even though we're no longer paying for extended warranty, which we had til a few years ago.  I'm writing because I'm concerned given how quickly these circumstances had escalated. The fact that we didn't even have time to make it to a local auto shop, nevertheless, the service center, or that no sensors or alerts went off prior to this, is truly shocking. Had we been on the highway, the situation would've been worse, where it would've taken longer for the fire department to arrive and the fire would've reached the gas tank, harming many other people.

NHTSA ID

11466865

Incident

May 28, 2022

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a quart of oil each was added each week. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the charcoal canister needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11461809

Incident

Mar 1, 2019

Mileage

150,000 mi

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact noticed that his vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil upon inspection. The contact stated that he had to add two quarts of oil to the engine every five weeks. The contact went to a dealer where he purchased a PCV valve and a hose connection; the contact's neighbor performed the work on the vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

NHTSA ID

11441927

Incident

Jan 1, 2020

Mileage

106,000 mi

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for a rear brake replacement. After the mechanic replaced both of the rear brakes and front outer tie rod, the mechanic remained outside of the vehicle but leaned in and depressed on the brake pedal when both of the driver and passenger curtain air bags inadvertently deployed. The driver-side curtain air bag deployment caused bruising to the mechanic's back. However, no medical attention was received. The driver-side seat belt was inoperable after the air bags deployed but was replaced by the independent mechanic. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that they inspected the air bags on 10/27/2014. However, no repair was performed at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the dealer had already resolved the air bags recall prior to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.

NHTSA ID

11436767

Incident

Jul 14, 2021

Mileage

189,000 mi

Excessive oil consumption. Oil checked religiously every Friday. (Added 1-1.5 quarts weekly 500-700 miles). Vehicle owned 21 months. Oil checked and added on Friday 10/08, Saturday 10/09 Engine failed, no oil on dipstick and motor has a grinding sound.

NHTSA ID

11436235

Incident

Oct 9, 2021