2001 Toyota Rav4

Family: RAV4 · filed with NHTSA as RAV4

Summary

Of the 299 complaints that name a component, 64% concern Powertrain (190).
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Not enough history to compare this year with the rest of its generation.
No recalls filed for this model year.
No federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints: 309
Recalls: 0
Investigations: 0
NCAP overall: Not rated
Combined MPG: 22–24
Combined MPGe (electric): 72
Annual fuel cost: $1,050–$2,850
Median mileage at complaint: 102,000 mi (n = 236)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 18 / 2 / 12 / 1

What owners report

Powertrain

190 complaints · 64% of complaints that name a component · median 103,690 mi (n = 173)

Owner report MY RAV 4 2001 HAS ABOUT 140,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS DEVELOPED A SERIOUS PROBLEM. TO CLARIFY, A MASSIVE ACCELERATION PROBLEM IS OCCURRING WHEN I'VE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES, THEN SUDDENLY - WHILE I'M AT A STOP LIGHT, THE SUV'S ENGINE RACES WILDLY LOUD LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR AT THE INDY 500... IT JERKED AND …

Owner report THE ECM ON MY 2001 RAV4 WAS CALIBRATED IN 2008 BY A LOCAL DEALER. UNDER RECALL 601. IN 2008 THE CAR HAD JUST OVER 63000 MILES. IT NOW HAS 124000 AND THE TRANSMISSION IS HARD SHIFTING AGAIN.

Electrical System

60 complaints · 20% of complaints that name a component · median 104,500 mi (n = 52)

Owner report WE RECEIVED A LETTER LAST YEAR FROM TOYOTA NOTIFYING US ABOUT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON A PART THAT THEY EXPECTED TO MALFUNCTION, THE ECM - SOMETHING TO DO WITH TRANSAXLE AND A HARSH SHIFT CONDITION. WE WERE NOT CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM, SO WE DID AS THE DOCUMENT RECOMMENDED AND FILED IT. LAST WEEK OUT OF NO WH…

Owner report I HAVE A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH A DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. I CALLED TOYOTA WHO TOLD ME THAT I HAD THIS PART REPLACED IN 2007 UNDER A RECALL AND ONLY ONE TO A CUSTOMER. I ALSO HAD MISSED THE 10 YEARS TIME LIMIT, (FROM ORIGINAL USE DATE), BY A FEW MONTHS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF TOYOTA KNOW THIS PART IS DEFE…

Engine

37 complaints · 12% of complaints that name a component · median 113,000 mi (n = 29)

Owner report WHEN ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING, THE ENGINE JUMPS AND FAILS TO CHANGE GEARS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN SITUATIONS WHERE ONE MUST GET OUT OF THE WAY OF OTHER CARS (GENERALLY EVERY TIME DRIVING). WHEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER, I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION IN THE INTERNAL ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. *TR

Owner report TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HESITATE AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE…

3% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2001–2005)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2001	309	47	not compared
2002	527	27	not compared
2003	315	18	not compared
2004	154	19	not compared
2005	141	10	not compared

Recalls

None on file.

Federal investigations

None on file.

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
RAV4 2WD	2.0L 4cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	21	26	23	$2700
RAV4 2WD	2.0L 4cyl	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	22	28	24	$2600
RAV4 4WD	2.0L 4cyl	Automatic 4-spd	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	20	25	22	$2850
RAV4 4WD	2.0L 4cyl	Manual 5-spd	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	20	25	22	$2850
RAV4 EV	Electric		2-Wheel Drive	81	64	72 MPGe	$1050

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2001 Toyota RAV4 4-DR.	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	★★★☆☆

Service bulletins

Toyota issued 127 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about equipment.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood…
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and in…
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicl…
2024-12-05	STRUCTURE:BODY	Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow the Removal Procedure …
2024-12-03	STRUCTURE:BODY	Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. This type of contamination can be identified by the …
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and in…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicl…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and in…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this RAV4, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Toyota RAV4 model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.