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2009 Toyota RAV4Problems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 327 owner complaints about the 2009 Toyota RAV4, most often about the vehicle speed control. It is covered by 15 safety recalls, and for recall 16V-396 the manufacturer reports only 24% of affected cars repaired.

2009 Toyota RAV4
47
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.1× the RAV4 median · #13 of 29 years by complaints
Safety recalls15Lowest repair rate 24%Owner complaints32770 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage11kVehicle speed control, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through May 22, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2009 Toyota RAV4 has problems

327 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Vehicle speed control9931
Suspension551
Power train281
Engine272
Steering263
Service brakes, hydraulic193
Electrical system193
Structure174
Air bags139
15 other systems7214

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

15 recalls

2009 Toyota RAV4 recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

40%repaired · 2018 Q1

Suspension: rear

Recall 16V-596 · Aug 12, 2016 · 337,449 vehicles · 134,370 repaired

Risk. Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

24%repaired · 2017 Q4

Front assembly: seat heater/cooler

Recall 16V-396 · Jun 2, 2016 · 7,749 vehicles · 1,831 repaired

Risk. If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

56%repaired · 2017 Q3

Seat belts: rear/other

Recall 16V-096 · Feb 19, 2016 · 1,123,752 vehicles · 625,433 repaired

Risk. A cut seat belt may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

46%repaired · 2017 Q1

Visibility: power window devices and controls

Recall 15V-689 · Oct 22, 2015 · 1,814,284 vehicles · 828,698 repaired

Risk. If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 11 more recalls
63%repaired · 2018 Q1

Visibility/wiper

Recall 15V-577 · Sep 18, 2015 · 423,456 vehicles · 264,713 repaired

Risk. Over time, the dripping water may cause corrosion and wear at the joint, potentially resulting in the separation of the wiper linkage.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

27%repaired · 2016 Q2

Front assembly: seat heater/cooler

Recall 14V-743 · Nov 19, 2014 · 3,233 vehicles · 871 repaired

Risk. Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Suspension: rear

Recall 13V-383 · Aug 28, 2013 · 780,584 vehicles

Risk. Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

Recall 13V-014 · Jan 16, 2013 · 3,235 vehicles

Risk. If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

67%repaired · 2015 Q1

Visibility: power window devices and controls

Recall 12V-491 · Oct 10, 2012 · 2,519,424 vehicles · 1,687,785 repaired

Risk. If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Suspension: rear

Recall 12V-373 · Aug 2, 2012 · 780,584 vehicles

Risk. Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 11V-113 · Feb 24, 2011 · 1,363,244 vehicles

Risk. A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 10V-017 · Jan 21, 2010 · 2,230,661 vehicles

Risk. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY BECOME HARD TO DEPRESS, SLOW TO RETURN TO IDLE, OR, IN THE WORST CASE, MECHANICALLY STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION,…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Other: labels

Recall 09V-223 · Jun 15, 2009 · 27,080 vehicles

Risk. INCORRECT LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS COULD RESULT IN THE VEHICLE BEING OVERLOADED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Toyota.

Mileage at failure

When do vehicle speed control problems start?

11kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 93 vehicle speed control complaints. 94% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
74under 30k miles87under 100k miles6100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2009 vs. every other RAV4 year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the RAV4 median. How we score

'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2009 Toyota RAV4 safety ratings

2009 Toyota RAV4 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2009 Toyota RAV4 frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2009 Toyota RAV4 side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Rollover: 4 stars (17.4% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2009 Toyota RAV4, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Power Window Master Switch FireEA12006 · closed Feb 12, 2013
    Led to recall 12V-491
  2. Power Window Master Switch FirePE12002 · closed Jun 14, 2012
    No recall
  3. Unintended and Uncontrolled AccelerationRQ10003 · closed Mar 1, 2011
    Led to recall 11V-112
In owners' words

What RAV4 owners report

Recent vehicle speed control complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

Four incidents of unintended acceleration, in all instances foot was on break petal NOT on gas petal, 3 instances vehicle was stopped at traffic light, last incident was pulling into a parking space foot on brake, in all instances braked hard and shifted vehicle into neutral and turned vehicle off…
Complaint 11538937 · Aug 16, 2023
WHILE DECELERATING ON A FREEWAY OFF-RAMP AT APPROX. 25 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE CAR. GOING NO MORE THAN 5 MPH, I LIFTED OFF SLIGHTLY THEN DEPRESSED THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR; THEY DIDN'T ENGAGE PROPERLY BUT FINALLY SLOWED THE CAR ALMOST TO A COMPLETE STOP, BUT THE ENGINE REVVED AND…
Complaint 11396355 · Feb 15, 2021 · 113,000 miles
THIS COMPLAINT IS RELATED TO AND THE SAME TYPE OF COMPLAINT AS COMPLAINT #11297696. IT ALSO IS A DUPLICATE OF COMPLAINT # 11297717 WHICH I NOTICED WHEN I PRINTED IT OUT DELETED ALL BUT THE FIRST TEN WORDS OF WHAT HAPPENED. ON 5 JANUARY 2020 I WAS PARKING THE RAV 4 IN A LARGE PARKING LOT AT THE…
Complaint 11297729 · Jan 7, 2020 · 104,300 miles

Own a 2009 RAV4?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.