IllustrationTHE ACTUATOR IN LEFT & RIGHT FRONT DOOR FOR 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 NOT WORKING. *TR
2002 Toyota RAV4
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most RAV4 years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Toyota RAV4 are substantially higher 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
140–25K
3425–50K
7550–75K
15475–100K
157100–150K
44150K+
478 reports with mileage · 49 unknown
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.
- Power Train. Review the 376 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 92 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
36 crash reports15 fire reports26 injury reports
Latches/locks/linkages complaints
5 reportsTHE LOCK FOR MY PASSENGER DOOR AND DRIVERS DOOR IS DEFECTED. WITH THE PASSENGER DOOR, IT WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK USING THE KEY TAG; THE DRIVERS DOOR DOES THE SAME, HOWEVER ONCE LOCKED YOU CAN'T UNLOCK THE DOOR WITH THE KEY. YOU HAVE TO GET INSIDE THROUGH ANOTHER DOOR AND UNLOCK IT FROM WITHIN. *TR
DRIVER SIDE FRONT DOOR POWER LOCK FAILS TO LOCK OR UNLOCK WITH AUTO LOCK BUTTON. HAS TO BE LOCKED OR UNLOCKED BY HAND. PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR LOCK ALSO STARTING TO FAIL. *TR
ACTUATOR FOR DRIVER SIDE FRONT DOOR LOCK FAILED TO WORK WITH IN CAR ELECTRONIC BUTTON .ALL OTHER LOCKS WORK CORRECTLY. *TR
THE REAR LUGGAGE COVER DOES NOT STAY UP AND NUMEROUS TIMES IT HAS SLIPPED AND HIT ME OR ONE OF MY FAMILY ON THE HEAD. THIS WEEKEND, IT SLIPPED AGAIN AND CAUSED A CUT ON MY HEAD. I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT A FIX FOR THIS AND HE STATED NONE NOTED AND THEY HAVE HAD SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BUT NO TSB OR RECALLS ISSUED. THIS LUGGAGE COMPA…
Read full complaint
THE REAR LUGGAGE COVER DOES NOT STAY UP AND NUMEROUS TIMES IT HAS SLIPPED AND HIT ME OR ONE OF MY FAMILY ON THE HEAD. THIS WEEKEND, IT SLIPPED AGAIN AND CAUSED A CUT ON MY HEAD. I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT A FIX FOR THIS AND HE STATED NONE NOTED AND THEY HAVE HAD SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BUT NO TSB OR RECALLS ISSUED. THIS LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT COVER IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE RE-DESIGNED. *LA
Official 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.