IllustrationWHILE DRIVING AND APPROACHING A STEEP HILL AT 35 MPH, AND UPON GOING DOWN A HILL, VEHICLE FISH TAILED OUT OF CONTROL. HITTING A MEDIAN STRIP. CONSUMER HAD TO SWERVE RIGHT, AND WENT INTO A TAIL SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. THE SEAT BELT EITHER RELEASED OR BROKE. THE ROOF CAVED IN. ALL THE WINDOWS BROKE. CONSUMER WAS INJURED. *AK
1997 Toyota RAV4
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Toyota RAV4 are lower than the model-year median of 258.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAV4 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 14 of 54 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports2 fire reports6 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
5 reportsVEHICLE EXPERIENCED NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG SYSTEM DURING COLLISION WHICH RESULTED IN HEAD, CHEST AND NECK INJURIES. INJURIES MAY NOT HAVE OCCURED IF AIRBAG'S WERE NOT DEFECTIVE. *YC
SOMEONE HIT THE DRIVER FROM BEHIND AND VEERED INTO NEXT LANE WHERE ANOTHER CAR HIT THE DRIVER AND THE VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER, DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY,RESULTING IN AN INJURY. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN TWO ACCIDENTS IN WHICH THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS. THE FINAL ACCIDENT WAS A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT AT 40 MPH IN WHICH DRIVER WAS HURT. CAUSE OF PROBLEM UNKNOWN. *AK
CONSUMER REQUESTS ASSISTANCE IN DISCONNECTING PASSENGER AIRBAG DUE TO SMALL CHILD RIDING IN THE FRONT SEAT.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.