2019 Toyota RAV4: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
62%
507 of 822 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
62% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2019 Toyota RAV4 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 82% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 54 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 58%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE09/09/2026
As soon as my vehicle hit 100K mileages and there's "AWD System malfunction" sign showed up on dash. Got it done replaced it cost roughly more than $500. After 2 days later another problem shows up on dash this time it was "engine maintenance required" show on dash again. Heard people had the same issue to whoever own…
While driving in the mountains on a hot day, the car suddenly reported numerous faults, including check engine, parking brake malfunction, pre-collision system malfunction, AWD system malfunction, and secondary collision brake system malfunction. The car lost power and forced us to pull over on the side of a dangerous…
POWER TRAIN07/01/2026
transmission went out at 109,217 k miles had to pay for it out of pocket Toyota doesn't recommend transmission fluid replacement until 120k miles
Three of 507 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (7)
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry,…
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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…
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and 2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Water ma…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2019 Toyota RAV4
Ask the seller whether the fuel system has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown hard starts, stalling, hesitation, a fuel smell or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many fuel system faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the fuel system.
7 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A fuel system already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
