YearToAvoid

2009 Toyota RAV4 Structure & Body Problems

NHTSA has 21 owner complaints about body and structure problems in the 2009 Toyota RAV4, 6% of all 327 complaints for this model year. That is #10 highest body and structure complaint count among 21 RAV4 model years. These complaints report 5 crashes and 3 injuries. Median mileage at failure: 30,000 miles.

Structure & Body complaints
21
6% of 327
Crashes reported
5
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
3
Median mileage
30,000 mi
Related recalls
3

When 2009 Toyota RAV4 body and structure complaints were filed

First complaint May 30, 2009, latest Mar 25, 2024.

2009 Toyota RAV4 structure & body complaints: complaints filed per month1May 2009May 2010Feb 2012Apr 2014Jul 2015Sep 2019Dec 2021
21 complaints filed with NHTSA from May 2009 to Mar 2024; peak May 2009 (1).

Structure & Body recalls for the 2009 Toyota RAV4

  1. NHTSA 16V396000Jun 2, 2016Structure & Body7,749 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

    Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

  2. NHTSA 14V743000Nov 19, 2014Structure & Body3,233 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

    Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

    Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

  3. NHTSA 13V014000Jan 16, 2013Structure & Body3,235 vehicles

    Seats

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

    Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

    Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Structure & Body complaints by RAV4 model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 20054 (3%)
  2. 200628 (4%)
  3. 200731 (3%)
  4. 200824 (4%)
  5. 200921 (6%)
  6. 201019 (5%)
  7. 201119 (7%)
  8. 201218 (7%)
  9. 201330 (12%)
  10. 201421 (11%)
  11. 201531 (10%)
  12. 201620 (8%)
  13. 201723 (7%)
  14. 201818 (5%)
  15. 2019103 (12%)
  16. 202069 (11%)
  17. 202146 (12%)
  18. 202221 (14%)
  19. 202311 (7%)
  20. 202419 (11%)
  21. 20258 (9%)

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2009 Toyota RAV4 have body and structure problems?
NHTSA has 21 owner complaints about the body and structure in the 2009 Toyota RAV4, 6% of all complaints for this model year, including 5 that report a crash. Median mileage at failure is 30,000 miles.
Which Toyota RAV4 year has the most body and structure complaints?
The 2019 Toyota RAV4 has the most body and structure complaints (103), compared with 21 for the 2009.
Is there a body and structure recall for the 2009 Toyota RAV4?
Yes — 3 NHTSA recall campaigns for the 2009 Toyota RAV4 concern the body and structure: 16V396000, 14V743000, and 13V014000.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.