214 of the
12,161 complaints filed about the Toyota RAV4
are about the seat belts —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2011.
Airbags, seats, and headrest all failed. State Farm insurance currently has the vehicle. I do not know if the people has been inspected by anybody. The vehicle had no warning lamps message or other symptoms of problems or failure before the collision. I was traveling in the far left lane when traffic came to abrupt stop and I was able to stop 10 to 15 ft from the vehicle in front of me. Two vehicles in my line behind me swerved out of the way. Then a semi truck with a trailer rear-ended me. The front end of the semi truck struck the rear end of my vehicle getting lodged inside my vehicle. My car was then pushed into the car in front of me and dragged 100 to 200 yards down The highway by the semi. The seat belts did not lock. The airbags did not deploy. Both front seat frames were bent and ripped apart. The rear seat that's became detached. The headrest for the front seats flew off. All four seats were occupied by adult males all weighing around 190 pounds or above. All four occupants were wearing seat belts. I the driver was knocked unconscious and received a concussion plus facial damage/injuries. Rear passenger side occupant received a broken jaw and a skull fracture. The other two passengers were also injured. All four passengers of the vehicle were transport to emergency room via ambulance.
NHTSA complaint #11756167 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a serious safety concern involving the rear passenger-side seat belt in my 2023 Toyota RAV4. After normal use, a child who had been properly secured in a child booster seat in the rear passenger-side seating position was unable to be released from the seat belt. The vehicle had not been involved in an accident, collision, or any emergency situation. The child had simply been riding in the vehicle under normal driving conditions. When it was time for the child to exit the vehicle, the rear passenger-side seat belt had become tangled and tightened around the child. The seat belt would not unlock or release despite repeated attempts to unbuckle it and allow the belt to retract or loosen. The restraint effectively trapped the child in the booster seat. Because the child could not be freed using the seat belt release mechanism, the only way to remove the child safely was to cut the seat belt. This occurred solely because the seat belt could not be released after ordinary use, not because of a crash or any other unusual event. A seat belt is intended to protect occupants while also allowing them to exit the vehicle safely after normal operation. In this case, the rear passenger-side seat belt failed to function as intended and created a serious safety hazard by trapping a child and requiring the seat belt to be cut in order to free them. I am requesting that this incident be investigated to determine whether the rear passenger-side seat belt or its locking mechanism has a manufacturing defect or design issue that could pose a risk to other occupants, particularly children using booster seats. I am able to provide additional information, photographs, repair records, or any other documentation requested as part of an investigation.
NHTSA complaint #11751540 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the front driver's and rear passenger's seat belt buckles and the other rear seat belt buckle, where a child was seated, failed to latch securely, causing his grandchild's rear passenger's side car seat to become loose. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that a diagnostic test was needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11705106 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Complaint Summary: Seatbelt failure on 2019 Toyota RAV4. Complaint Description: I own a 2019 Toyota RAV4, and the driver-side seatbelt has begun failing. The retractor and locking mechanism are not working reliably. Sometimes the belt won’t retract, sometimes it locks up randomly, and other times it doesn’t lock at all. This is a major safety hazard. I’ve owned many vehicles over my lifetime—older cars, newer cars, even vehicles over 50 years old—and I’ve never had a seatbelt go bad. This is the first time I’ve experienced a critical safety component failing like this. Toyota has issued seatbelt-related recalls on other RAV4 model years, but not on the 2019, even though the symptoms match what others have reported. This failure puts me at risk in the event of a crash, and it needs to be investigated. I am reporting this because I believe this is a safety defect, not normal wear, and it may affect more 2019 RAV4s than just mine.
NHTSA complaint #11704715 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the rear hatch door failed to remain securely closed. The contact stated that the failure intermittently occurred and became more frequent over time. Additionally, the front driver’s side seat belt buckle and rear passenger’s side seat belt buckle failed to buckle and lock securely. They also stated that the front driver's side electronic reclining seat made grinding sounds while operating. The contact also stated that water was leaking into the vehicle from the rear passenger’s side quarter panel. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failures, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 32,000.
NHTSA complaint #11704726 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH into a parking space, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration three times and crashed into a guard pipe. No warning light was illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. The front passenger's side seat belt was loose and failed to restrain the contact's husband in his seat. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt failed to retract after the crash. The contact and her husband did not sustain any injuries, and no medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that an engineer would inspect the Event Data Recorder (EDR) in three months. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
NHTSA complaint #11697363 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Truck hits a car that car lose control and drive in front of my wife wile driving she crash and the only messege apear on dash panel was air bag system malfunction my car is a Rav4 2022, before the crash lights like tps control come on and off
NHTSA complaint #11692322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At times it is difficult to connect seat belt into the lock I have to press release multiple times and try to lock in and click seat belt several times. It sometimes connect on first try and has taken 20 minutes to connect seat belt. As of 8/12/25 in for repairs at a cost $430 Driver and left set set belt lock replaced
NHTSA complaint #11680269 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear seat belt passenger side would not unlatch, trapping the passenger. This was and is the only time we have ever used this seat belt.It took two people to help get her thru the upper part of seat belt,had to exit over the top of back seat passenger. This life saving mechanism was and is unsafe and could of caused death if in the event of accident with fire. We have Owned two other Toyota's. Never any other dangerous life threatening events. Our request is the right thing to do. Replace this inoperative major defective part at an authorized Toyota Dealership here in. Dayton Ohio? Do we need to report this to the Highway Safety Dept.? [XXX] & [XXX] . Please respond. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11679788 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear seat seat belt warning and chimes comes up even when no one sitting in the back and no stuff is put on the back seat. It start chiming randomly and even when all 3 seat belts are buckled the chime comes up. It is security risk as the sudden sound of warnings can distract drive when driving and can cause accident. This model of Rav 4 does not have option to disable this feature, and cause lot of annoyance when random warning chimes start blaring through the vehicle without any reason and resolution. Toyota is refusing to do anything about it in spite of multiple forums reported this issue with various Toyota models. NHTSA need to take action on Toyota for this safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11679002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact's sister owns a 2011 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for a service appointment, the dealer performed the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V096000(Seat Belts); however, after the recall repair, the seat belts became inoperable. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that a diagnostic fee was required. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The failure mileage was 120,000.
NHTSA complaint #11677064 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seat belt lap buckle won't lock into the housing unit. Obviously a safety issue. Toyota told me I'm responsible to pay for the repairs . I believe Toyota has a potential recall issues here. How many people have to die before anything is done. 2017 Rav 4. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11666396 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while using the rear seat belts, the occupant was unable to adjust the straps, and while moving in the seats, the seat belt straps erroneously became tighter. The contact stated that the failure was present with the rear driver's side seat belt and rear passenger’s side seat belt. The cause of the failure has not yet been determined. The manufacturer and local dealer had not yet been contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.
NHTSA complaint #11657468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that a sudden complete stop on a major roadway was necessary due to a turtle crossing, and the vehicle in front was at a complete stop and exited the vehicle in their attempt to remove the turtle from the road. A third vehicle coming from the rear failed to slow down and was driving at 55 MPH, crashed into the rear of the contact. As a result, the contact rear-ended the vehicle in front, which was unoccupied due to the attempt of a turtle removal from the roadway. The contact mentioned that the seat belt did not retract during the impact. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to Copart Collision Center pending the insurance company's inspection of the vehicle. The contact stated that she sustained a head injury that required medical attention. A police report was filed, but the police report number was unknown. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 36,098.
NHTSA complaint #11654978 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving straight on side road. Vehicle entered road by attempting a left turn onto road without yielding to me. I swerved to the left and slammed on the breaks but was t boned by their vehicle. Airbags didn’t deploy and we got a message on dashboard indicating faulty airbag. Also upon impact our seatbelts were released.
NHTSA complaint #11650617 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.