NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 647 owner complaints for the 2020 Toyota RAV4 (including the hybrid).
6Safety recalls
647Owner complaints
17Complaints citing a crash
5Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags, fuel system, steering, suspension, and 1 more. Most-reported area: engine (182 complaints, 28%; median mileage when it happened: 7,600). Includes the RAV4 Hybrid and the plug-in hybrid (sold as the RAV4 Prime for 2021 to 2024).
6 safety recalls for the 2020 Toyota RAV4
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
NHTSA listings: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID. Toyota campaign 23TA15, 23LA03.
Air bags
Nov 25, 2020
frontal
Fails federal standard 208 (occupant crash protection)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Toyota Avalon and 2020 Avalon Hybrid, RAV4, and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Breakaway pins within the steering column, designed to absorb energy and reduce injury during a crash, could have been damaged during production, possibly affecting the performance of the driver's air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not perform as designed can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB17/20TA17.
NHTSA listings: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID. Components: Air bags: frontal; Steering: column. Toyota campaign 20TB17/20TA17.
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
NHTSA listing: RAV4. Toyota campaign 20TA02, 20LA01.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and 2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Water may enter through the steering gear box cover and cause a loss of electric power steering assist.
Risk: A loss of power steering assist could increase steering effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear box, free of charge. The recall began August 17, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB11 / 20TA11.
NHTSA listings: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID. Toyota campaign 20TB11 / 20TA11.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. The front lower suspension arms may have cracks, which may result in the suspension arm separating from the front wheel assembly.
Risk: If a suspension control arm breaks, it can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower suspension arms, free of charge. This recall began August 10, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's interim numbers for this recall are 20TB08 / 20TA08.
NHTSA listings: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID. Toyota campaign 20TB08 / 20TA08.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines. Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.
Risk: A coolant leak can cause the engine to overheat and cause a vehicle stall in conventional gasoline vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, for all involved vehicles, the engine may get damaged mechanically, possibly resulting in an engine oil leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine including the engine block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 3, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA04. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA02.
NHTSA listings: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID. Toyota campaign See report.
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.
What owners report
The areas named in the 647 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 RAV4. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Engine182 · 28%
Median 7,600 miles at failure (16 reports)
Electrical system121 · 19%
Median 2,900 miles at failure (51 reports)
Fuel and propulsion system91 · 14%
Median 500 miles at failure (57 reports)
Body structure61 · 9%
Most named: body (39); body, hatchback/liftgate, hinge and attachments (13) · Median 8,300 miles at failure (20 reports)
Air bags59 · 9%
Powertrain38 · 6%
Steering28 · 4%
Unknown or other120 · 19%
Median 5,300 miles at failure (23 reports)
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 2020 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 2020 drew 248.
Owner complaints
2020: 647 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota RAV4
Model year
Complaints
2016
257
2017
321
2018
346
2019
900
2020
647
2021
507
2022
171
2023
226
2024
204
2025
102
2026
32
Safety recalls
2020: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota RAV4
Model year
Recalls
2016
3
2017
3
2018
3
2019
8
2020
6
2021
5
2022
3
2023
3
2024
4
2025
4
2026
1
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Toyota RAV4 HYBRID SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.5%
Toyota RAV4 SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.5%
Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD
Rollover risk 15.9%
Questions
What are the most common 2020 RAV4 problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: engine (182), electrical system (121), fuel and propulsion system (91). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2020 Toyota RAV4 safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Toyota RAV4 earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
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 Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.