Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2001 record →
CONSUMER STARTED VEHICLE UP AND AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING ALL NIGHT. DOOR AUTOMATICALLY LOCKED ONCE VEHICLE HAD STARTED UP. CONSUMER WAS PINNED TO SEAT AND COULDN'T GET OUT FOR A FEW SECONDS. DEALER INSPECTED AIRBAGS AND COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. AN AIRBAG SPECIALIST LOOKED AT VEHICLE TO DETERMINE FAULT. *AK *SLC
THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS SLOWLY, POPS INTO REVERSE WHILE IN THE CAR WASH AND THE RPM GAUGE SHOWS HIGH RPM'S WHEN ACCELERATING IN THIRD GEAR. NLM
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE CROSSED INTO CONSUMER'S PATH WHICH RESULTED IN FRONT END OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE COLLIDING WITH OTHER VEHICLE. PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT FAILED TO REMAIN LOCKED INTO BUCKLE, WHICH ALLOWED RESTRAINT BELT TO COME LOOSE. PASSENGER WAS THROWN AGAINST REAR VIEW MIRROR AS A RESULT OF RESTRAINT BELT RELEASING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK
VIBRATION/RATTLE AT ALL SPEEDS FROM WINDSHIELD AREA OF VEHICLE. APPEARS TO BE FROM PLASTIC COWLING AROUND WINDSHIELD AND WIPERS. MAY BE DUE TO IMPROPER MOUNTING OF EITHER WINDSHIELD OR COWLING. MAY INTERFER WITH WIPER ACTION.*AK
THE SQUEEZING / RATTLING TYPE OF NOISE AT DASH / INSTRUMENT AREA. I TOOK MY CAR TO MAITA TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER FOR MORE THEN 6 TIMES AND THEY COULDN'T GET IT DONE RIGHT.I AM AWARE OF MANY OF 01 RAV4S HAVE THIS KIND OF PROBLEM.*AK
STEERING PROBLEMS; WHILE TRAVLING 45 MPH STEERING JERKED TO RIGHT SIDE, AND SHE COULD NOT GET BACK IN PLACE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK
CONSUMER'S FOOT SLIPPED OFF BRAKE PEDAL ONTO THROTTLE AND ALMOST RAN INTO SOMETHING BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. BRAKE PEDAL WAS TOO SMALL. MANUFACTURER HAD NO PLANS OF CHANGING DESIGN. *AK
THE WINDSHIELD AND REAR-VIEW MIRROR ARE NOT SET INTO THE WINDOW FRAME CAUSING VIBRATION AT ANY SPEED AND MAKING IT HARD TO SEE OUT THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. *AK
IS THE PLASTIC SUN ROOF SAFE? WILL IT SPLINTER IN A CRASH?*AK
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2001 Toyota RAV4 → · Every RAV4 year → · How the figures are calculated →