2011 Toyota RAV4 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
403 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2011 Toyota RAV4, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 38/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Speed control leads the reports, typically around 29,280 miles.
Below average
Where 2011 sits among all RAV4 years
What owners report
“Car suddenly accelerated when slowing for a traffic light. Foot securely on the brake. Speed under 5 mph. No floor mats or interference with the throttle of any kind.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 RAV4
“Was driving down the road took my foot off the gas & put it on the brake 2 slow down because i was approaching a stoplight & the brake would not work. I repeatedly tried the brake with no luck, i ended up hitting a utility box on the side of the road right in front of the intersection.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 RAV4
“The driver's side sun visor will not retract up fully, but hangs at eye level, impeding visibility and causing distraction. Dealership admitted receiving multiple complaints, but said my car is not under recall.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 RAV4
“A lot oil consumption from oil change to 1000 miles 4 quarts of oil consumption no warning light until car stops I’m been charging oil every 4 k miles now I have to check oil every day is been almost 4years with this problem”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 RAV4
“The recall is announced in feb 2010, 6 month later now in aug 2016, the remedy is still not done.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 RAV4
“Transmition has a grinding noise while in 3rd gear. This is happening in the other 3 rav-4 that i have. Happening at 90,000 to 105,000 miles on the odometer”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 RAV4
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 271 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 46,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 20,000 and 80,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
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…
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…
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…
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…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 27, 2008, to December 19, 2012 and 2012-2014 RAV4 EV vehicles manufactured July 24, 2012, to August 29, 2014. In the affected…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water diverter channel. In addition, a new wiper linkage with a wiper motor crank arm will be installed. The wiper linkage will have a…
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…
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…
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ…
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still…
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and…
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may…
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…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 RAV4 VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 24, 2011, THROUGH DECEMBER 19, 2011. IN THE CURTAIN SHIELD AIRBAGS, PROPELLANT WITH THE INCORRECT SPECIFICATION WAS USED FOR THE INITIATOR ASSEMBLED IN THE AIRBAG INFLATOR.…
Fix: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER TO IDENTIFY THE CURTAIN SHIELD ASSEMBLIES AND REPLACE THE ASSEMBLIES AS NECESSARY WITH NEW ONES FREE OF CHARGE.…
Federal defect investigations
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2011 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
The 2011 Toyota RAV4 drew 403 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 38/100, scored against the model's worst year (2007).
What are the most common 2011 Toyota RAV4 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2011 Toyota RAV4 are speed control (70 complaints), brakes & stability (50), and visibility & wipers (50).
At what mileage do 2011 Toyota RAV4 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2011 Toyota RAV4 problems around 46,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 20,000 and 80,000 miles.
Does the 2011 Toyota RAV4 have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 2011 Toyota RAV4. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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.