2001 Toyota RAV4: problems, recalls and reliability
0 recalls and 309 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (55% of complaints); the 1999 and 2000 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 309 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My Rav4 is 23 years old and has 76K miles on it. Does it have Takata airbags? If so, I want them replaced. I plan on driving my car until I die and I don't want the airbags to take me out. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2024
“My2001rav4 with 125000 started jumping into gear also the rpm revs up but vechicle losses power very dangerous on highway transmission slipping and jerk into gears”Owner report · Power Train · Mar 2021
“The ecm on my 2001 rav4 was calibrated in 2008 by a local dealer. Under recall 601. In 2008 the car had just over 63000 miles. It now has 124000 and the transmission is hard shifting again.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2017
Show 7 more owner reports
“Driving car and it started jerking and then the check engine light went on tester showed it was related to ecm and transmission”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2017
“The automatic transmission is shifting irratically, sometimes it will take off slowly until the gear engages. Sometimes there is a clunking sound as the transmission shifts gears.”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2017
“My wife was driving car and it started doing strange changes with the transmission, such as slipping between gear changes and jerking movements. At one point, she told me getting on freway on ramp was a hazard, because of irratic behavior of transmission!!”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2017
“Takata recall I drive my 2001 rav4 that I inherited from my mother. The car is 15 years old but only has 56,000 miles on it. I am fearful about the airbag exploding since I plan to drive this car for several more years. I want the airbag replaced.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2016
“Takata recall I am the original owner of. 2001 toyota rav4 . I have lived in the state of hawaii for the last 9 years. As you might imagine the humidity is high here . Since toyota does not appear to want to replace the airbag in my vehicle should I disconnect the airbag so it does not inflate and injure or kill me??”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2016
“When I change gear or press accelerator to give gas, my car doesn't pick up race and doesn't shift the gear. It will do on its own. The engine light keeps coming turned on, even though thisngs have been replaced.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jan 2016
“Have been experiencing harsh shifting for the last week or so but the most debilitating transmission problem occurred on 6/5/2015 while driving 35 mph. I ended up driving directly home using "low" gear because I was afraid of damaging the car further. I am the original owner of this car and purchased it new in 2001. 7 years after purchase, back on 3/10/2008, it was serviced by toyota under a "special service campaign" where they reprogrammed the ecm under warranty. I imagine it was for the harsh shifting problem (see t-sb-0156-10). It has obviously come back 7 years later. Programming only good for 7 years?”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2015
When filing, owners marked a crash in 18 of these complaints and injuries in 12 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2001 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 2001 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
NHTSA has 309 owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns on record for the 2001 Toyota RAV4. The most complained-about area is power train (55% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2001 Toyota RAV4 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 102,000 miles or less.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.