"How reliable is the 2005 Toyota Rav4?"

"Based on 168 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Toyota Rav4 has a median complaint mileage of 80858 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Toyota Rav4?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Toyota Rav4 is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 168 total complaints filed."

2005 Toyota Rav4: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 168 complaints

168

Total Complaints

80,858mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

48,000 25th Percentile

80,858 Median Mileage

120,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE

STEERING

SERVICE BRAKES

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DT: THE CONTACT STATES THAT THERE IS A UNDERCOATING ON THE ENGINE TO KEEP THE ENGINE FROM RUSTING. THE SMELL OF THE CHEMICAL IS TOXIC AND COMING INTO THE VEHICLE WHICH CAUSED THE PASSENGERS AND DRIVER TO GET SICK, AND CAN EVEN POSSIBLY TO PUT THEM TO SLEEP. THE EFFECT OF THIS IS EVEN HOURS AFTER GE..."

"I PURCHASED A 2005 RAV4 2 WHEEL DRIVE, 5 SPEED, IN DECEMBER 2005. THE EXACT DATE, I AM NOT SURE OF IN THAT THE ISSUE IS ONGOING. I FIRST NOTICED THE OE (TOYO TRANPATH A14 215/70R16 99S M-S) TIRES BY TOYO WERE LOOSING TRACTION WHEN GOING AROUND CORNERS, I ATTRIBUTED THAT TO THE NEW AUTO AND WAS M..."

"FUEL HOSE BROKEN WITHOUT ANY REASON I HAVE KNOWN OF. I DROVE MY CAR IN CASUAL MANNER (SHORT DISTANCE FROM WORK TO HOME) WITH 7900 MILES ON IT AND DIDN'T RECALL HITTING ANYTHING HARD UNDERNEATH MY CAR. PARKED MY CAR LAST FRIDAY. ON SUNDAY, MY 05 RAV4 COULDN'T START AND SMELLED GASOLINE. LOOKED DOWN T..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28