1999 Toyota RAV4: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 61 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is vehicle speed control (22% of complaints); the 2000 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2020
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 61 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v033000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. An unnamed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v033000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. *bf *js”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2020
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v033000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called toyota of wallingford (859 n colony rd, wallingford, ct 06492, (888) 927-7559) where it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v033000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact contacted berglund toyota located at 3000 wards rd, lynchburg, va 24502, (434) 509-0770, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. *js *bf *js”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2020
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v03300 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact called stevinson toyota east located at 444 s. Havana st, aurora, co 80012, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2020
“I lost control of the vehicle and I overcorrected causing the car to go airborne. I hit head on into an embankment then continued to roll 3or 4 times before stopping. There were no indications or warnings to make me think these parts were going to malfunction. My airbags never deployed and the seatbelt did not lockup.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Dec 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota rav 4. The contact was notified by an independent mechanic that the front cradle was completely rusted and the only thing keeping it from fracturing was the steering linkage. The vehicle was not able to be repaired. The manufacturer was not aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.”Owner report · Structure · Sep 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact noticed that the front sub frame and control arms were completely rusted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the engine cradle and control arms needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 120,000. Updated 10/8/14*cn the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired at the owners expense. Updated 3/23/2015*js”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the front sub frame and control arms were completely rusted. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 163,000.”Owner report · Suspension · May 2014
“There is rust in the front cross member passenger side. There is a big hole because of rust. It is not safe to drive it. *tr”Owner report · Structure · Sep 2013
When filing, owners marked a crash in 14 of these complaints and injuries in 14 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: AFTERMARKET THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEMS USED ON 1998-1998 TOYOTA RAV4, AVALON, AND SIENNA MODEL VEHICLES DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE ALARM WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH AND THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE ALARM HARNESS TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT. A PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE TERMINALS USED IN THE ALARM CONNECTOR WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE, CAUSING AN "OPEN CIRCUIT" CONDITION WHEN MATED TO THE MALE IGNITION SWITCH TERMINALS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE LABEL ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM HARNESS AND ANY DISPLAYING THE MANUFACTURING/FINAL DATE CODE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY PRODUCED HARNESSES. THE DATE CODES ARE: RAV4 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98, 6/26/98; SIENNA - 6/25/98, 6/26/98; AND AVALON - 6/30/98, 7/1/98, 8/31/98, 9/1/98, 9/2/98, AND 9/3/98.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, MINI VANS AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEMS (TDS) SUPPLIED BY AUDIOVOX CORPORATION AND DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE ALARM WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH AND THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE ALARM HARNESS TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT. A PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE TERMINALS USED IN THE ALARM CONNECTOR WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE, CAUSING AN 'OPEN CIRCUIT' CONDITION WHEN MATED TO THE MALE IGNITION SWITCH TERMINALS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE LABEL ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM HARNESS AND ANY DISPLAYING THE MANUFACTURING/FINAL DATE CODE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY PRODUCED HARNESSES. THE DATE CODES ARE: RAV4 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98, 6/26/98; SIENNA - 6/25/98, 6/26/98; AND AVALON - 6/30/98, 7/1/98, 8/31/98, 9/1/98, 9/2/98, AND 9/3/98.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 1998-2000 RAV4, 1998-1999 RAV4 EV and Celica and 1997-1998 Supra vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and owners will have the option to self-inspect, or have a dealer inspect the steering wheel on their vehicle to determine if their vehicle may be equipped with an affected inflator. Potentially affected steering wheel serial numbers will be inspected by a dealer. Based on the inspection, dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflator with an alternate one, as necessary. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 28, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall is 20TB01 and 20TA01.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY ELECTRIC VEHICLES. IF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE REPEATEDLY PARKED BY PLACING THE SHIFT LEVER INTO THE "P" POSITION WITHOUT APPLYING THE PARKING BRAKE, THE PARKING LOCK ROD, A COMPONENT OF THE TRANSMISSION PARKING LOCK SYSTEM, COULD BREAK.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PARKING LOCK ROD.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY ELECTRIC VEHICLES. THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTOR, WHEN EQUIPPED WITH STEEL WHEELS, CAN DEVELOP STRESS FRACTURES IF THE LUG NUTS ARE TIGHTENED WITH EXCESSIVE TORQUE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DISC BRAKE ROTORS. IF THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH STEEL WHEELS, TOYOTA WILL REPLACE THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS AND STEEL WHEELS WITH NEW DISC BRAKE ROTORS AND NEW ALUMINUM WHEELS. IN ADDITION A CAUTION LABEL THAT READS, "USE NEW GENUINE TOYOTA ALUMINUM WHEELS." WILL BE AFFIXED. VEHICLES ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH ALUMINUM WHEELS WILL ONLY REQUIRE CAUTION LABEL INSTALLATION.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1999 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact RAV4 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1999 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
NHTSA has 61 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 1999 Toyota RAV4. The most complained-about area is vehicle speed control (22% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1999 Toyota RAV4 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 110,000 miles or less.
Does the 1999 Toyota RAV4 have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.