Your vehicle report
2002 Toyota RAV4
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 527
- Received Feb 2002 to May 2024
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Transmission fails or loses power while driving169 complaints · 32% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips133 complaints · 25% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking40 complaints · 7.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
No recalls naming this model year are listed in this data. This does not establish that your vehicle is free of safety problems.
View recall detailsBrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 36 crashes, 15 fires, 48 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 13 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003 | 11 |
| 2004 | 7 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2007 | 13 |
| 2008 | 76 |
| 2009 | 124 |
| 2010 | 146 |
| 2011 | 15 |
| 2012 | 17 |
| 2013 | 23 |
| 2014 | 18 |
| 2015 | 24 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 527 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 169 | 32% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 133 | 25% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 40 | 7.6% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 21 | 4.0% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 18 | 3.4% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 9 | 1.7% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 7 | 1.3% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 4 | 0.8% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 4 | 0.8% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 3 | 0.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
No safety recalls naming the 2002 Toyota RAV4 are listed in the data through October 2026. Check your VIN with NHTSA for current information; an empty list is not a safety assessment.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 Toyota RAV4.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN