Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My car engine light goes on and off due to transmission fault. It continuously has a hard time shifting gears in between 2500-3000 rpm and gives a jerky stop before continuing to speed up/accelerate despite when I have not let go of my foot from the pedal. After taking it to the auto shop, I was told this is the same problem other Toyota RAV 4 between 2001-2003 experiences and the mechanics told me that there was a lot of recall for the same code my car is giving (2 codes that the computer diagnosed were p0775 and p0161). While Toyota extended the warranty to 10years/150,000k and my car is 1-2 years past the warranty, it's only been barely 80,000mi and it should not be causing this problem. …
I was driving my Toyota and my wife was a passenger. All of a sudden, a lady ran a stop sign and swerved and hit us head-on. We could not get out of my vehicle, the doors were jammed and the vehicle was on fire. The fire dept. And police came and quickly put the fire out and pried the front doors open. None of the airbags in my vehicle deployed. I incurred severe injuries to my head, chest, neck and left arm. My Toyota was totaled and the other driver was cited for the wreck. I have been in and out of the hospital several times since the wreck happened and if my airbags would have deployed, I might not have been so severely injured. My Toyota was totaled and the other driver was cited for the wreck. I would like to know why none of the airbags deployed in my vehicle. I probably have Takata airbags in my 2002 Toyota RAV4 which did not work.
I have a Toyota RAV4 2002-in May 2006 I went to military training school, I got back oct 2006 while driving my engine failed on the hwy. I took it to Toyota and they told me it was 420 miles over the warranty and it was not covered. I did all my required upkeep and maintenance and to my surprise it had oil sludge. He claims its from sitting but alot of vehicles sit and do not have problems especially military members that are deployed. I had to pay 3989.00 for a used engine. After researching and finding out 2001 -03 camry and Lexus had the same problems and were recalled. I fought got and attorney and still no recall. I hope to have a civil lawsuit with Toyota because of this but it never happened. March 2007 my transmission went out while on the hwy. I was driving and notice it kept jerking. Then it would hesitate getting into gear and reverse. …
Car seemed to struggle getting to 1st gear then lurched into 4th gear. Struggled to get it driven to the dealership. Ended up being a failure of electronic control module (ECM), failed code po 755. This was covered under a warranty enhancement of a NHTSA id#10037585 known problem that expired after 10 years from purchase or 150,000 miles. I purchased the car new in 2003 from the same dealership that did the repair. Toyota corporate office would not offer any help in fixing this known malfunction problem even though my mileage was less than 43,000 miles. I feel a known safety issue should be addressed in some way by Toyota beyond their stringent time limits. 1-9-2015 cost to replace ECM...$1,435....with no guarantees it did not ruin the transmission.
When traveling the transmission is slamming into gear. In 2012 there was a class action law suit. The law suit was won and rav 4 owners whom filed were reimbursed for cost of fixing. Toyota also agree to extend warranty on transmission. Toyota failed to inform owners of Toyota rav 4 of this problem. I have not owned this rav 4 for long but feel it should have been recalled. Please advise if we can extend class action law suit or add this to the recall list as it should have been. Thank you
November 17, 2006 - after being parked in my driveway for approximately 30 minutes the engine caught on fire. The RAV4 engine compartment and entire interior was demolished, tires exploded, glass exploded over at least a 20 foot radius. Two engine trucks and 10 responders later the fire was out. 63,000 miles, no prior problems, 50K maintenance completed by dealer jan 2006. VIN has zeros and letter o which are indistinguishable. Try both.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Toyota RAV4. While driving low speeds, the vehicle was abnormally loud while idling and the check engine indicator illuminated. The contact mentioned that the vehicle unintentionally accelerated on occasion. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,789.
2002 Toyota rav 4 engine control module/transmission failed on 82,264 miles, erratic driving, very dangerous to drive. Toyota is aware of this problem but not doing any thing to resolve. Spent almost $1000 to replace the ECU alone, May need complete transmission replacement.
I have a 2002 Toyota rav 4. I have taken my car to the dealer for the changes of oil and filter. Twice they suggested a wynns system engine cleaning which we paid for. The last one was done on April 2005. Last October 7, 2005 I was driving my car on the expressway and all of a sudden the oil light lit up and the car stopped. The car was towed from the highway to our house and the next day was towed to the dealer adriel Toyota in rio grande, puerto rico. About two hours later they called me and stated that the motor stalled and the warranty was not going to pay since I had not taken the car to them for the last oil change. I reminded them that just nine months earlier a wynns motor engine cleaning had be done by them and that it was impossible for the motor of the car to have sludge if they had done the job correctly. The Toyota company of puerto rico called to tell me the same thing. …
Was driving on the freeway when my oil light turned on an seconds later white smoke started coming out of the engine. Had car towed to dealership. After looking at the car the dealership determine that the radiator had cracked due to the sludge in the engine. Said I would need to replace the entire engine. Told them I had a 100,000 mile 5 year warranty. My car had about 85,000 miles on it at the time. Toyota dealership said that they doubted that the warranty people would cover that and they rarely saw people get coverage for sludge in the engine. Reported to warranty people and they told me that my car was "very poorly maintained" and because I did not change oil or maintain my car they would not cover. I told them that I had changed my oil several times since I owned the car. They said I need all receipts. I had a few receipts but not all. …
Engine complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2002 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 63 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Toyota RAV4, 12% of the model year's 527 complaints. The component named most often is engine (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Toyota RAV4 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2002 Toyota RAV4. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Toyota RAV4 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 2 fires and 9 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.