NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 348 owner complaints for the 2018 Toyota RAV4 (including the hybrid).
Recalled components: electrical system and equipment. Most-described problem: stalling or shutting off (35 complaints, 10%). Most-reported area: electrical system (131 complaints, 38%; median mileage when it happened: 17,000).
Fewer complaints than a typical RAV4 year
The 2018 drew 122 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.
Equipment
Jun 28, 2019
labels
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
NHTSA listing: RAV4. Toyota campaign SET19A.
Equipment
Dec 20, 2017
labels
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
NHTSA listing: RAV4. Toyota campaign Toyota H0Z Lexus HLF.
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 2018 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 348 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 RAV4. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Stalling or shutting off35 · 10%
Median 14,500 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
Most named: 12v/24v/48v battery (3) · Median 17,000 miles at failure, from 41 reports with mileage
Brakes33 · 9%
Median 13,800 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
Engine33 · 9%
Powertrain28 · 8%
Median 9,500 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
Exterior lighting23 · 7%
Speed control21 · 6%
Visibility/wiper19 · 5%
Median 8,800 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Unknown or other74 · 21%
Median 5,200 miles at failure, from 27 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 2018 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 2018 drew 122.
Owner complaints
2018: 348 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
2018: 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 348 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Toyota RAV4, the problems described most are stalling or shutting off (35), smoke or a burning smell (25), and a shattered sunroof (18). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2018 Toyota RAV4 safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Toyota RAV4 earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2018 Toyota RAV4?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no open investigations for the 2018 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.