2007 Toyota RAV4 Problems, Recalls & Reliability

1,240 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2007 Toyota RAV4, alongside 14 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 46,781 miles.

Avoid this year if you can. The 2007 Toyota RAV4 sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1996–2000, 2004–2005, 2022.

1,240Complaints
100/100Trouble index
14Recalls
66,000Typical trouble mileage

Avoid

Where 2007 sits among all RAV4 years

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

What owners report

Steering 273 complaints (22%) · typically ~46,781 miles
“2007 toyota rav4 has a binding and thumping noise in the steering column when the steering wheel is turned to the left or right.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 RAV4
Engine 237 complaints (19%) · typically ~90,000 miles
“My 2007 rav4 burns excess engine oil and by the time. After about 2000 miles i would get the engine oil light and no oil is left in the engine.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 RAV4
Suspension 129 complaints (10%) · typically ~91,678 miles
“The recall on the rear suspension epoxied the bar in place. Now it is not possible to do an alignment. Tires are wearing unevenly and vsc light is on all the time.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 RAV4
Speed control 101 complaints (8%) · typically ~30,815 miles
“I was turning my 2007 toyota rav4 south onto interstate 182 to head east, the car sudden out of my control and went off the road and hit a concrete barrier at 5:49 pm at 5/8/17. Two passengers were hurt.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 RAV4
Airbags 101 complaints (8%) · typically ~87,125 miles
“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”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 RAV4
Electrical 80 complaints (6%) · typically ~78,875 miles
“Power switch control on door panel was on smoke and melted . It was intoxicating and scary. Why dd it happen? Very dangerous. Is there a recall for this ? I was driving when it happened.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2007 RAV4

Mileage when trouble shows up

Among the 965 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 66,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.

Recalls (14)

SUSPENSION 16V596000 2016

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 31, 2005, to September 7, 2010, and 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured July 6, 2009, to August 26, 2010. The affected…

Fix: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will replace both rear suspension arms and encapsulate the locknuts, free of charge. The recall began on September 30, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer…

SEATS 16V396000 2016

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011…

Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact…

SEAT BELTS 16V096000 2016

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured July 28, 2005, to December 19, 2012, and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the event of a…

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a protector over both rear seat cushion frames, free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at…

VISIBILITY 15V689000 2015

Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010…

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The…

SEATS 14V743000 2014

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4,…

Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected…

AIR BAGS 14V168000 2014

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, 2008-2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 Tacoma, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and General Motors Pontiac Vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical…

Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall.…

SUSPENSION 13V383000 2013

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear…

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tie rods and replace any that have rust or corrosion on the alignment adjustment threads. All of the rear tie rods will then be encased in an…

VISIBILITY 12V491000 2012

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of…

Fix: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge. Toyota owners…

SUSPENSION 12V373000 2012

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear…

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear tie-rod nut for looseness and replace any suspect tie-rod found loose. Dealers will also affix instructions in multiple places to prevent…

AIR BAGS 11V245000 2011

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2008 RAV4 VEHICLES. IN THE CURTAIN SHIELD AIRBAG (CSA) SYSTEM, THERE ARE TWO SENSORS IN THE AIRBAG SENSOR ASSEMBLY WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO DETECT VEHICLE ROLL ANGLE.…

Fix: TOYOTA WILL REPLACE THE AIRBAG SENSOR ASSEMBLY WITH A NEW ONE CONTAINING IMPROVED ROLL RATE SENSORS, FREE OF CHARGE. TOYOTA INTENDS TO SEND AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION TO OWNERS EARLY TO MID-MAY,…

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11V113000 2011

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2011 LEXUS LX570, 2003 THROUGH 2009 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, AND 2006 THROUGH 2010 RAV4 VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR…

Fix: THE REMEDY IS NOW AVAILABLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN EARLY APRIL 2011. THE REMEDY WILL INVOLVE MODIFICATION OR REPLACEMENT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND REPLACEMENT OF ANY TOYOTA ALL-WEATHER FLOOR…

EQUIPMENT 10V036000 2010

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…

Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…

EQUIPMENT 10V035000 2010

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…

Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY…

EQUIPMENT 09V223000 2009

TOYOTA IS RECALLING 27,080 MODEL YEAR 2005 THROUGH 2010 PASSENGER CARS BUILT FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 TO MAY 4, 2009. THESE VEHICLES WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR…

Fix: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH A NEW, ACCURATE LABEL TO BE INSTALLED OVER THE INACCURATE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA…

Federal defect investigations

Power Window Master Switch Fire EA12006 opened 2012, closed 2013

Led to recall campaign 12V491000.

Rear Suspension Arm Assembly Failure PE12013 opened 2012, closed 2012

Led to recall campaign 12V373000.

Power Window Master Switch Fire PE12002 opened 2012, closed 2012
Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration RQ10003 opened 2010, closed 2011

Led to recall campaign 11V112000.

Complaint history for this model year

When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.

2007peak 172 in 20102026

Questions buyers ask

Is the 2007 Toyota RAV4 reliable?

The 2007 Toyota RAV4 drew 1,240 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2007).

What are the most common 2007 Toyota RAV4 problems?

The top reported problems for the 2007 Toyota RAV4 are steering (273 complaints), engine (237), and suspension (129).

At what mileage do 2007 Toyota RAV4 problems show up?

Owners most often report 2007 Toyota RAV4 problems around 66,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.

Does the 2007 Toyota RAV4 have recalls?

14 recall campaigns apply to the 2007 Toyota RAV4. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.

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Data updated 2026-08-12 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.