Toyota RAV4 vs Mazda CX-5: Which Years to Avoid
Toyota RAV4 owners should avoid 2007, 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024, while Mazda CX-5 owners should avoid 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019. RAV4 logs 7,793 complaints across 46 recalls (371 per model year); CX-5 logs 2,430 complaints across 8 recalls (174 per model year). Neither total is sales-normalized.
Head to head
Toyota RAV4
- Model years
- 2005–2025 (21)
- NHTSA complaints
- 7,793
- Per model year
- 371
- Recall campaigns
- 46
- Years to avoid
- 2007, 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024
- Best years
- 2012, 2013, 2014, 2022
- Top problem area
- Engine
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 25.6
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 4.7 ★
Mazda CX-5
- Model years
- 2012–2025 (14)
- NHTSA complaints
- 2,430
- Per model year
- 174
- Recall campaigns
- 8
- Years to avoid
- 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
- Best years
- 2017, 2022, 2024
- Top problem area
- Engine
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 26.5
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 4.8 ★
Year by year
Complaint Index is relative within each model (0 = that model’s best year, 100 = its worst). Complaints and recalls are raw counts.
| Year | RAV4 | CX-5 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | |
| 2005 | Caution | 141 | 5 | 22.5 | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | Caution | 704 | 11 | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Avoid | 1,004 | 14 | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Avoid | 575 | 14 | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | Caution | 327 | 15 | 23 | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Caution | 400 | 14 | 23 | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Caution | 287 | 11 | 22.5 | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | Best | 260 | 5 | 23 | No verdict | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | Best | 257 | 2 | 25.5 | Good | 194 | 1 | 28 |
| 2014 | Best | 197 | 4 | 25.5 | Avoid | 377 | 3 | 27 |
| 2015 | Caution | 304 | 4 | 25.5 | Good | 133 | 3 | 27 |
| 2016 | Good | 240 | 3 | 25 | Avoid | 510 | 4 | 29 |
| 2017 | Caution | 307 | 3 | 25 | Best | 148 | 1 | 26.5 |
| 2018 | Good | 331 | 3 | 25 | Avoid | 349 | 3 | 28 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 878 | 7 | 30 | Avoid | 270 | 2 | 27 |
| 2020 | Avoid | 634 | 6 | 29.5 | Caution | 106 | 0 | 26 |
| 2021 | Avoid | 386 | 1 | 29.5 | Caution | 146 | 0 | 25.5 |
| 2022 | Best | 145 | 1 | 29.5 | Best | 63 | 0 | 25 |
| 2023 | Caution | 155 | 3 | 29.5 | Caution | 62 | 0 | 25 |
| 2024 | Avoid | 174 | 3 | 29 | Best | 44 | 0 | 25 |
| 2025 | Good | 87 | 3 | 30 | Good | 27 | 0 | 25 |
Complaint Index by year
Toyota RAV4
Mazda CX-5
Frequently asked questions
- Which RAV4 years should I avoid?
- NHTSA data flags 2007, 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024 as Avoid years for the RAV4, based on complaint index scores of 75-100 out of 100 relative to other RAV4 years.
- Which CX-5 years should I avoid?
- NHTSA data flags 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 as Avoid years for the CX-5, with 2016 carrying the highest complaint index (100) in the model's history.
- Does the RAV4 have more recalls than the CX-5?
- Yes. The RAV4 has 46 recall campaigns across 21 model years, compared to 8 recalls across 14 model years for the CX-5.
- Which SUV gets better fuel economy?
- The CX-5 averages 26.5 mpg combined across its model years versus 25.6 mpg combined for the RAV4, though both vary by year, with newer RAV4 hybrids reaching 30 mpg combined.
- Which has more total complaints, RAV4 or CX-5?
- The RAV4 has 7,793 total complaints versus 2,430 for the CX-5, but RAV4 covers 21 model years against CX-5's 14, and NHTSA does not publish sales figures to normalize these totals.