2019 Toyota RAV4 · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 35owner reports
- 4,500median miles
- 5involved a crash
Newest report May 26, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
35 of the 879 complaints on this car describe brake wear.
Tick what matches of 35 reports
Brake wear on other RAV4 years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the pads and rotors (3 reports) and the booster (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2019 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 2,293 and 10,000 miles, from the 19 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 4 service bulletins or notices for the 2019 Toyota RAV4 that deal with this problem. 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.
Some 2019 – 2025 model year RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a squeal/squeak noise from the front brakes with light to moderate braking.
Some 2019 ? 2023 model year RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a squeal/squeak noise from the front brakes with light to moderate braking. Follow the Repair Procedure in this bulletin to address this condition
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
TT: Some 2019-2020 model year RAV4 and RAV4 HV vehicles may exhibit a front brake squeal/squeak noise when braking at low speeds.
What owners wrote
“Was in a front driver side T-bone @ 35 miles and hour accident and no Airbags deployed”
Filed May 26, 2026
“Well, making my research it shows that the RAV4 2020 will have a recall with the brake booster that my car the 2019 is having the same issues and itâs a very expensive fix. My car only has 40,000 miles is still brand new and I donât understand why am I having this issues with the brake booster RAV4 2020 has a recall for that same part so I would like them to honor the 2019 brake booster and fix it as well”
Filed Apr 21, 2025 · 40,000 miles
“Noticed air in the brake piston boot upon brake inspection. This is a safety risk for our drivers when commuting on their travels as they transport medical patient to and from the facilities. No warning lights on the dash, initial cause of inspection was due to screeching and popping noise from the brakes.”
Filed May 3, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 5 of 35 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Engine overheats or leaks coolant 141 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 97 reports
- Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 91 reports
- Fuel smells, leaks, or the gauge reads wrong 54 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 45 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 39 reports
- Water leaks into the cabin 36 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 31 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 30 reports
- Fuel pump failure 27 reports
- Tailgate or liftgate will not open or close 25 reports