Fourth generation (XA40)
2016 Toyota RAV4
The most reported problem on the 2016 Toyota RAV4 is brake wear, with 46 complaints, usually around 22,000 miles.
- 240owner complaints
- 3recalls
- 33involved a crash
- 25,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 24, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your RAV4 doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2016 model year.
Is the 2016 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
The 2016 Toyota RAV4 has 240 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, close to the median of 248 for 2016 SUVs on this site. Of the 12 RAV4 model years since 2014, it has the 7th most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2017
- At 22 complaints for each year on the road, the 2016 runs below the 2017 (31). That's the only adjacent model year with enough complaints to set beside it.
- Top problem
- No problem dominates. The largest, brake wear, covers 46 of the 240 complaints (19%), and dead battery is next with 22 (one complaint can fall under more than one problem, so these overlap). A quarter of the 35 owners who gave a mileage for brake wear saw it by about 6,000 miles, and half by about 22,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 45 of the 240 complaints (19%) report a crash, a fire or an injury. The typical vehicle on this site sits at 6%, so this one runs well above it. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 33 reports mention a crash, 12 mention a fire and 27 people were hurt. The most crash reports, 15 of 33, fall under airbag.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- Brake wear, the one problem here with enough reports to check, has a recall on the same system (16V-198). A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2016 at 34 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 18. So far in 2026, 9 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: brakes grind, pulse or wear early, 46 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
240 complaints is about the median for a 2016 model on this site and about the median for a 2016 SUV. Among the 12 RAV4 model years here it ranks 7th for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2016 Toyota RAV4
Toyota filed 257 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2016 Toyota RAV4. 20 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 4 bulletins · 46 complaints
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
REVISION NOTICE September 26, 2019 Rev1: ? The Warranty Information, Parts Information, and Repair Procedure sections have been updated. Any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be discarded.
2 more on this problem
Some 2009 ? 2018 model year RAV4 and 2017 ? 2018 model year iM vehicles may exhibit a grind/groan noise from the front brake pads. An updated pad kit is now available as a service part. Follow the Repair Procedure in this bulletin to address this condition.
SOME 2012 2016 MODEL YEAR RAV4 VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A SQUEAK NOISE WHICH IS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT BRAKES WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE BRAKING. TO ADDRESS THIS SQUEAK NOISE CONDITION, USE THE FOLLOWING REPAIR PROCEDURE.
Battery dies or the car will not start 3 bulletins · 22 complaints
CONSUMER ADVISORY 21TG01 12-VOLT BATTERY SIZE/INSTALLATION CONDITION DISCLOSURE FORM
A BATTERY IN A STORED VEHICLE IS SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS THAT CAN REDUCE ITS PERFORMANCE AND LIFE. THESE CONDITIONS INCLUDE STORAGE PERIOD, TEMPERATURE, PARASITIC DRAIN, AND BATTERY LOAD.
1 more on this problem
While a vehicle is in inventory, the battery is subject to conditions that can reduce its performance and life. Batteries can become discharged due to an extended storage period, temperature, parasitic drain, or while demonstrating vehicle features and ...
Airbag warning light or recall 1 bulletin · 19 complaints
Some 2005 ? 2022 model year Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty smell is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition.
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 12 bulletins · 12 complaints
TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ?Difficulty to pair the phone. ?Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first turning on the vehicle.
TT: Some customers may experience poor outgoing Bluetooth sound quality, this can occur for various reasons. Current multimedia systems are designed with the ability to adjust Bluetooth sound quality to compensate for echo or excessive background noise.
10 more on this problem
TT: Some customers may experience a call failure when attempting to call a conference call number that has been saved in their phonebook (ex: ?8005550122,,,1.,2;;;2#?).
TT: Some customers may experience greyed out buttons or inactive screens (lockouts) while driving. This is to promote safe driving practices and reduce the amount of distractions while driving.
TT: Some customers may experience Bluetooth disconnections or loss of SMS text message functionality on the navigation/audio system with Android phones running OS 4.4 or later.
TT: Some customers may experience Bluetooth connection issues after updating the Android Operating System to 5.x.x (Lollipop) or later.
Some 2016 model year vehicles equipped with Entune? Audio (version UU.10.48), Entune? Audio Plus (version EU.10.68 or EU.20.05 or EU.20.08), or Entune? Premium Audio (CU.10.71 or CU.10.72 or CU.20.05 or CU.20.08) may exhibit one or more of the following ...
SOME 2016 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ENTUNE AUDIO (VERSION UU.10.48), ENTUNE AUDIO PLUS (VERSION EU.10.68 OR EU.20.25 OR EU.20.28), OR ENTUNE PREMIUM AUDIO (CU.10.71 OR CU.10.72 OR CU.20.05 OR CU.20.08) MAY EXHIBIT ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING ...
TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth connectivity concerns such as: ? Difficulty pairing the phone. ? Intermittent Bluetooth failure to connect when first turning on the vehicle.
Tech Tip: Some customers may experience a condition that, after using Siri Eyes Free, the head unit will change from whatever source they were listening to, to the Bluetooth Audio source. This condition was introduced with the iOS 9 and later versions.
TT: SOME CUSTOMERS MAY EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT BLUETOOTH DISCONNECTIONS IF THEY TURN OFF BLUETOOTH AUDIO IN THE BLUETOOTH CONNECTION MENU ON AN ANDROID PHONE
TT: CUSTOMERS MAY EXPERIENCE CONNECTIVITY ISSUES WHEN THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET: THE CUSTOMER'S IPHONE IS OPERATING ON IOS9 FIRMWARE. THE CUSTOMER'S IPHONE IS CONNECTED TO THE VEHICLE VIA BLUETOOTH.
Complaints filed by year
34 complaints came in 2016. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
NHTSA investigations
Battery hold down bracket thermal events. Closed aug 12, 2024, led to recall 23V-734.
NHTSA summary
Recalls that include the 2016 Toyota RAV4
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Yaris, Rav4, Land Cruiser and 4Runner vehicles, and Scion FR-S, iM, and TC vehicles manufactured January 28, 2016, to March 14, 2016. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and provide them a corrected label to be installed over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on June 3, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET16A.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2016, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0I, GLC.
All 3 recalls on the 2016 Toyota RAV4, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2016 Toyota RAV4?
Brake wear, with 46 of the 240 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 22,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2016 Toyota RAV4 problems start?
Of the 146 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 7,000 miles and half by about 25,000.
Is the 2016 Toyota RAV4 better or worse than the 2017?
Counted per year on the road, the 2016 has fewer complaints than the 2017: 22 a year against 31.
How many 2016 Toyota RAV4 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
45 of them (19%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for brake wear on the 2016 Toyota RAV4?
Yes, NHTSA lists a recall on the same system: 16V-198. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.