NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 257 owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota RAV4 (including the hybrid).
Recalled components: electrical system, tires, and brakes. Most-described problem: a shattered sunroof (15 complaints, 6%). Most-reported area: electrical system (60 complaints, 23%; median mileage when it happened: 49,500).
Fewer complaints than a typical RAV4 year
The 2016 drew 107 owner complaints in its first three years, against 130 for a typical RAV4 year.
Years to avoid: 2019; best year: 2022. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.
Risk: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
NHTSA listing: RAV4. Toyota campaign 23TB13 / 23TA13.
Tires
Apr 22, 2016
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Yaris, Rav4, Land Cruiser and 4Runner vehicles, and Scion FR-S, iM, and TC vehicles manufactured January 28, 2016, to March 14, 2016. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Risk: An incorrect label may result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: SET will notify owners, and provide them a corrected label to be installed over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on June 3, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET16A.
NHTSA listing: RAV4. Components: Equipment: labels; Tires. Toyota campaign SET16A.
Brakes
Apr 7, 2016
antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Fails federal standard 126 (electronic stability control)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Insufficient brake fluid pressure may cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2016, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0I, GLC.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 1 investigation that names the 2016 Toyota RAV4; it is closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
Battery hold down bracket thermal events
Preliminary evaluation PE21005Closed Aug 12, 2024 (opened Feb 25, 2021)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to understand the contributing factors and frequency of vehicle fires originating from the battery region of the engine compartment in Model… NHTSA's full summary
NHTSA ties this investigation to recall 23V-734, listed above.
NHTSA listing: RAV4. Component: Electrical system (12V/24V/48V battery).
A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
What owners report
Owners have filed 257 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 RAV4. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Median 49,500 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
Brakes50 · 19%
Median 19,000 miles at failure, from 39 reports with mileage
Exterior lighting28 · 11%
Median 13,400 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
Engine27 · 11%
Median 13,300 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
Air bags19 · 7%
Body structure19 · 7%
Most named: body (17)
Visibility/wiper15 · 6%
Unknown or other38 · 15%
Median 13,500 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Toyota RAV4 recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 RAV4 drew the most (437) and the 2016 drew 107.
Owner complaints
2016: 257 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota RAV4
Model year
Complaints
2010
400
2011
287
2012
266
2013
262
2014
208
2015
305
2016
257
2017
322
2018
348
2019
909
2020
654
2021
511
2022
177
2023
241
2024
208
2025
113
2026
52
Safety recalls
2016: 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota RAV4
Model year
Recalls
2010
14
2011
11
2012
6
2013
5
2014
7
2015
4
2016
3
2017
3
2018
3
2019
8
2020
6
2021
5
2022
3
2023
3
2024
4
2025
4
2026
2
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 257 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota RAV4, the problems described most are a shattered sunroof (15), stalling or shutting off (11), and smoke or a burning smell (11). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Toyota RAV4 safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Toyota RAV4 earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Toyota RAV4?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no open investigations for the 2016 Toyota RAV4. It lists one closed investigation, which closed on Aug 12, 2024.
How do I check if my RAV4 has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.