The Toyota RAV4 is one of the most popular and reliable vehicles. This compact SUV is affordable, easy to drive, and dependable. Still, you should be aware of the three most common Toyota RAV4 problems before you choose it as your daily ride.

The most common Toyota RAV4 problems

Collecting data from real owners, RepairPal compiles lists of the most common problems reported for every vehicle. The three most common Toyota RAV4 problems are the following:

• EVAP system issue requiring EVAP canister replacement
• False report of catalytic converter failure
• Oxygen sensor failure

Fortunately, these issues have not reached the thousands of reports other vehicles face. Let’s dig into the RAV4 problems more.

What does the EVAP canister problem mean for the Toyota RAV4?

The vapor canister in the evaporative system might release charcoal pellets that plug the vent valve. This issue sends various codes to the system and can signal vent valve electrical failure. The correct way to fix this problem is to replace the entire canister with new valves.

The EVAP canister is located on top of the RAV4’s fuel tank. This position makes it expensive to repair this problem. Toyota covered the repair costs associated with this problem for some models. That could have changed for more recent models.

The false check engine report is another common RAV4 problem

Some Toyota RAV4 models report a problem with the catalytic converter by signaling the driver with the check engine light. In many reported cases, there wasn’t an issue with the catalytic converter, and a software update fixed the problem. Toyota released that software update, but owners still had to take their SUVs to the dealership to have the update installed.

Failing oxygen sensors are also among the most reported problems

An oxygen sensor failure is one of the three most common Toyota RAV4 problems. Thankfully, this problem has been reported by only 107 owners. When this failure occurs, the check engine light comes on, and owners must take their SUVs to a repair shop to have the light turned off and the sensors replaced.

Is the Toyota RAV4 a reliable SUV?

The Toyota RAV4 ranks third out of 26 compact SUVs for reliability. This ranking by RepairPal is based on an aggregate score of three factors. The RAV4 earned an overall 4.0 out of 5.0.

What factors go into the RepairPal rankings?

The three factors RepairPal uses to produce the Toyota RAV4 reliability score are cost, frequency, and severity of average annual maintenance and repairs.

• Cost: The RAV4 has an average cost of $429 per year for maintenance and repairs — lower than the $521 average cost for compact SUVs.
• Frequency: This Toyota SUV visits the repair shop for unscheduled repairs at a frequency rate of 0.26 times per year, compared to the class average of 0.3 times per year.
• Severity: Finally, the severity of those unscheduled repairs is 10% for the Toyota RAV4, compared to 11% for the compact SUV class.

Is the Toyota RAV4 a good SUV to drive?

There’s only one red flag when considering the most common Toyota RAV4 problems and the reliability ranking. The EVAP canister repair is expensive but shouldn’t be a deciding factor.

Only two other SUVs in this class rank higher for reliability than the Toyota RAV4: the Honda CR-V and the Subaru Crosstrek.