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
Service Brakes, Electric complaints
1 reportsOfficial 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.