TOYOTA RAV4 · model year

2005 TOYOTA RAV4

168 NHTSA complaints, 31 crash reports, and 5 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2005TOYOTARAV4 carries 168 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 31 crashes, 4 fires, 18 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2005 RAV4 is air bags with 59 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (12) and unknown or other (11). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 5 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2005 RAV4, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

168
Complaints
31
Crashes
4
Fires
18
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

168 filings

Crashes Reported

31 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS59
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER11
ENGINE9
STEERING8
SERVICE BRAKES6
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING5
POWER TRAIN5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)5
STRUCTURE:BODY4
SUSPENSION4
TIRES3
VISIBILITY3

Recalls (5)

19V74100017/10/2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX4

15V28400013/05/2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured May 13, 2003, to October 25, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time

06V09600003/04/2006

AIR BAGS

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY OF THE AIR BAG INFLATOR, WHICH IS USED IN THE SIDE AIR BAG, THE CURTAIN SHIELD AIR BAG, AND THE KNEE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY, SOME INFLATORS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF THE HEATING AGENTS NECESSARY FOR PROPER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. IN THIS CONDIT

10V03600003/02/2010

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2011 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS.

10V03500003/02/2010

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 AND JUNE 2, 2008 WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPA

Recent Complaints

20251229UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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 seatâ

20250811AIR BAGS

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

20240620UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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.

20221004CrashPOWER TRAIN

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.

20221004CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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.

20210204SERVICE BRAKES

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

Mileage: 120,000

20210204STEERING

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

Mileage: 120,000

20210204UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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

Mileage: 120,000

20200904POWER TRAIN

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

Mileage: 90,000

20191101ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

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

Mileage: 194,558

20191025SERVICE BRAKES

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.

20191025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

20190711ENGINE

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.

Mileage: 115,000

20190707AIR BAGS

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.

20190606UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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 P

Mileage: 255,000

20190128STEERING

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 H

Mileage: 195,000

20190125VISIBILITY/WIPER

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.

Mileage: 100,000

20190125UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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.

Mileage: 100,000

20181003UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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.).

Mileage: 133,000

20180731SERVICE BRAKES

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.

Mileage: 131,885

Compare 2005TOYOTARAV4 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2005 TOYOTA RAV4 have?
The 2005 TOYOTA RAV4 has 168 NHTSA complaints, 31 crashes, 4 fires, 18 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2005 TOYOTA RAV4?
Yes, the 2005 TOYOTA RAV4 has 5 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 TOYOTA RAV4?
The most-complained component for the 2005 TOYOTA RAV4 is AIR BAGS with 59 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2005 TOYOTA RAV4 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.