2012 Toyota RAV4 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, which is considered above average. It received impressive scores in most crash tests, with a 5-star rating for overall side crash safety. However, its side pole crash rating is lower at 2. The car is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances safety by helping drivers maintain control in challenging driving conditions. Despite not having forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems, the overall safety features in this vehicle contribute to its good safety rating.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the car has a total of 253 complaints and 6 recalls. The number of complaints and recalls should be taken into consideration when evaluating the overall safety and reliability of the vehicle. However, with its solid safety ratings and stability control feature, the 2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD can still be considered a safe choice for consumers.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

253

Recall Count

6

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2012 Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 2 5

Complaints for the 2012 Toyota RAV4

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 toyota rav4. the contact stated that upon activating the windshield wipers, the wipers responded erratically. the contact stated that the wipers moved significantly slowly, changed direction, and paused in the center of the windshield. no warning lights were illuminated. the contact stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 15v577000 (visibility/wiper) however, the failure reoccurred. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. the failure mileage was 112,000."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2024-03-06
Complaint:
"poor winter visibility: this is an issue with this vehicle but also with almost all other vehicles with internal combustion engines. during cold weather the defroster is ineffective until the engine warms up and provides heat. this results in two unsafe conditions 1) warming the engine up while parked, which exposes the vehicle and driver to theft ("carjacking" is an increasing crime in our area) and increases carbon emissions, or, 2) driving the vehicle while the engine is cold and having poor forward visibility. if defrosters were equipped with electric heating elements, defroster heat would be provided almost immediately. i was told that vw provided this feature for several years and it was very effective. the electric heating element could be thermostatically controlled so it would turn off once the engine starts providing heat. since a household toaster can be purchased for $25, it should not cost manufacturers more than $15 to add an electric heating element to the defroster. thank you for considering this recommendation. i am embarrassed to admit to the times when i drove while peering through a small patch of clear windshield . . . reasonably safe for seeing directly forward but definitely not safe for seeing side traffic or crossing pedestrians."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2023-03-12
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v577000(visibility). when she received the recall notice, she drove the vehicle to city world toyota (3333 boston rd, the bronx, ny 10469, 888-258-4365) and was informed that the part was on backorder and was not available. the contact stated that her windshield wipers were leaking an unknown substance and did not operate. the dealer called the contact to have the recall serviced; however, once she arrived, she was informed again that the part was not available. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2016-01-09
Complaint:
"driver side sun visor blocks vision while driving due to visor sagging down from it's non-use state. the spring or mechanism in the sun visor won't keep the visor in the non use position. this has to be a recall / defect because this is happening on my current 2012 rav4 and also my previous rav4 that was a 2007 model year. sun visor is dangerous due to blocking view and or when braking your head will hit the visor as well. see more info in these threads: https://www.rav4world.com/threads/can-anyone-tell-me-how-to-fix-this-[xxx]-hanging-visor.78000/ parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2020-03-08
Complaint:
"i turned the wipers on the other day when it was raining, they came on and made one wipe up and stopped on the downward wipe. i got out and pulled on one side and they wiped several more times then stopped again. i pulled on them again and they moved but very slowly then they stopped completely. i tried to pull them down again but they wouldnt budge. the vehicle was sitting in .my driveway at this time"
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2020-09-07
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 toyota rav4. while operating the vehicle, the driver's side sun visor would not remain secured and fell down, which was a visibility hazard for the driver. the vehicle was taken to mike kelly toyota (1 mary jane wood dr, union town, pa) where it was diagnosed that the visor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 98,000."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2018-01-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 toyota rav4. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v577000 (visibility/wiper); however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact had not experienced a failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2017-06-04
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 toyota rav4. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v577000 (visibility/wiper); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. 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. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2018-02-11
Complaint:
"i recieved a recall notice in september that said i would get second notification but i never got one. when will i get a letter to fix this recall on my car????"
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2017-03-09
Complaint:
"this recall was initially issued on sept.17, 2015. as of oct. 11, 2016 no fix has been issued. a year is more than sufficient time for toyota to come up with a repair method and implementation. to date, nothing has been done."
Components Involved: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Date of incident: 2016-05-09

Recalls for the 2012 Toyota RAV4

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 rav4 vehicles manufactured july 28, 2005, to december 19, 2012, and 2012-2014 rav4 ev vehicles manufactured july 24, 2012, to august 29, 2014. in the event of a frontal collision, the rear seat belts for the outboard seats may be cut by the seat cushion frame."
Consequence:
A cut seat belt may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy:

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a protector over both rear seat cushion frames, free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0F.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS > REAR/OTHER
Date of incident: 2016-02-19

TOYOTA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

TOYOTA ranks 3 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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