2006 Toyota RAV4 problems and complaints

Owners have filed 703 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Toyota RAV4. The most-reported areas: Steering (230), Engine (109), Vehicle Speed Control (74).

Key takeaways

  • 703 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 26 involve a crash, 5 a fire, 10 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Steering23033%
Engine10916%
Vehicle Speed Control7411%
Suspension7210%
Air Bags578%
Power Train538%
Electrical System426%
Engine And Engine Cooling406%
Service Brakes325%
Structure223%
Unknown Or Other223%
Visibility213%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2006 Toyota RAV4 4-DR. w/SABNot ratedNot ratedNot rated4/5
2006 Toyota RAV4 4-DR.Not ratedNot ratedNot rated4/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Electrical System - filed 2026-03-13

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2006 Toyota Rav4. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 122,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 199,694.

Suspension - filed 2025-10-30

My 2006 Toyota RAV4 was supposedly repaired under the rear suspension arm recall (C0J / G0V), but the rear tie rod ends still have yellow stickers reading “this is a recalled part” and no epoxy on the bolts. A Toyota dealer refused to inspect the vehicle and relied solely on the VIN record. The car now rides roughly, a...

Steering - filed 2025-08-09

For several months the 2006 Rav4 with only 118k miles had been experiencing intermittent failure of power steering while driving at speeds between 5-20mph. These failures resulted in the steering wheel to become extremely difficult if not impossible to turn while the car is driving. In each incident, this resulted in s...

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More for the 2006 Toyota RAV4

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.