Toyota is known for making robust and reliable vehicles and the fourth generation of RAV4 SUVs is different. To be honest, here, we were not a big fan of the previous generation RAV4 SUVs and contrary to the reliability quotient the automaker had, that was one vehicle we would have easily excluded from that list. But Toyota has come a long way with the RAV4 since then and has earned a place in our records as one of the most dependable SUVs that you can buy in the market this year. That said, no vehicle is perfect and things could go wrong when the least expected, as seen with the RAV4 with its open investigation for fires originating from the 12V battery. The prices for the 2017 Toyota RAV4 start at $24,410 and the primary competitors would be the Ford Escape, the Honda CR-V, and the Mazda CX-5. This section discusses in detail all the known issues on the 2017 Toyota RAV4.
2017 Toyota RAV4 User Complaints and Problems
Mechanical Complaints
- Engine- Idle control valve failure is a commonly reported problem son the 2017 Toyota RAV4. Users complain about experiencing perceivable amounts of vibration from the engine side when the SUV is brought to a rolling stop or when the vehicle is stopped in drive mode. The idle RPMs also drop to 500-600, which does lead to engine stalls occasionally. Replacement or reconditioning of the idle control valve usually fixes this issue.
- Service Brakes- Premature cracking/warping or wearing of front discs/ pads has been one of the most common brake issues on the 2017 Toyota RAV4. Complaints were units did not last 10,000-miles and had to be replaced without warranty have been noted by the NHTSA on several instances. Spongy brakes are another issue to look out for and replacement of a master cylinder is required in this case.
Electric System complaints
- Battery- The battery on the 2017 Toyota RAV4 is known for premature failure and is also a part of an open investigation for engine fires recorded with suspicions of thermal runaway. At least 3 incidents of engine compartment fire have been reported against this issue by the NHTSA.A battery replacement is the only known resolution to this concerning issue.
- Headlamps- The 2017 Toyota RAV4, as reported has two major exterior lighting problems. The first one is the insufficient illumination of roads on trims equipped with basic halogen headlamp units. Drivers are forced to use aftermarket bulbs to fix this issue. The second issue is with the auto high-beam function on vehicles equipped with this feature. The headlight unit automatically switches between dim and bright settings intermittently reducing visibility to the driver and both oncoming traffic. A dirty or malfunctioning forward recognition camera is said to be the cause of this rather common problem.
Safety Complaints
- Airbags- Several instances where the airbags on the 2017 Toyota RAV4 fail to deploy in the event of a crash have been reported by the NHTSA. Since there haven’t been any warning signs of the system being faulty before the crash, no official statements on the cause have been released by the automaker. 8 crashes with 7 reported injuries have been recorded by the NHTSA on this issue.
2017 Toyota RAV4 Recalls
|
S. No |
Date |
NHTSA ID |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
28th June 2019 |
19V503000 |
Incorrect load carrying capacity label. |
The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect, leading to unintentional overloading of the vehicle, thereby reducing vehicle handling and increasing the risk of a crash. |
Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on August 23, 2019. |
|
2 |
2nd May 2017 |
17V295000 |
Spare tire air pressure may be incorrect. |
The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label, which may cause it to not perform as intended and increase the risk of a crash. |
The dealers will inspect the spare tires, adjusting their pressure as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2017 |
Should you buy a used 2017 Toyota RAV4?
Quite an easy answer here and it would be an absolute yes. When a vehicle that sells over 400,000 units, has just 2 recalls on its name, that too for nothing that’s imminently concerning, and with complaint numbers in the lower hundreds, it would be just hard for us to not recommend it. Quicker and premium options like the Ford Escape and the Mazda CX-5 do find themselves sharing the same space, but as far as reliability goes, the Toyota RAV4 places itself rather high in the pack in its current model year. All said, the 2017 Toyota RAV4 has been having a rough ride with 12V battery issues in recent times with the possibility of an engine compartment fire. So make sure that you got that bit sorted out before
