Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I own a 2007 Toyota Rav-4 with 155k miles. I had bought the vehicle used from a licensed Toyota dealership about 3 years ago and have been diligent about conducting the routine scheduled maintenance. The vehicle had no known recalls. I was driving about 25mph when I started to smell smoke. The drivers side door caught on fire while the vehicle was in motion. There were literally flames coming out of area with the buttons used to control the windows. I immediately pulled the vehicle over and the car ended up having to be towed. On Google, Toyota has had several other incidents where this exact same recall issue happened and the vehicle caught on fire. I called the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and the Toyota Corporate as well. I smoke to a representative on a Wednesday and they let me know my case number and that someone would be in touch to follow-up within 48 hours. …
while driving down the big bear mountain, the vehicle lost power steering i could not turn the wheel and hit the railing, thank god i didn't hit another car. The battery light was flashing steering locked up other dash lights came on. The mechanic could not give me any answers, Toyota says there is no recall on this and after reading other complaints about the 2007 Toyota RAV 4 i am shocked that the dealership has nothing to say and can not fix the problem, this is so dangerous and i am at a loss on how to fix the problem. who has to die for them to take this problem seriously!!!
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with battery failure. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota RAV4. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle suddenly stopped and smoke and flames were present behind the steering wheel. The contact used water to extinguish the flames. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 90,000.
I was driving and the engine caught on fire. Thank God for people telling me that my car was having flames coming from under my car. By the time I pull over flames were coming out of my hood
My driver side door caught on fire and was completely destroyed to include all associated wiring. Toyota had my contact information but never contacted me about any of the recalls.
Electrical fire starting inside master window control switch. I was cleaning my car with the ignition on battery power (in order to listen to the radio). After approximately 30 minutes I noticed a burnt plastic smell, considerable smoke pouring out of the driver's door and a small tongue of flame from the same place. The source of the fire was (later found to be) the white electrical connector, for the front passenger window master control, where the physical window switch meets the circuit board. I was not touching any window or other controls at the time or within 15 minutes before the fire. The fire stopped rapidly after I took the keys out of the ignition, disconnected the battery cables, popped off the master switch assembly with a screwdriver and then smothered the controls with a wet towel. All the vehicle's windows were inoperable after that. …
I was traveling down arrow hwy in the rain when my electrical system failed. I lost power from both my alternator and battery intermittently. I was coasting down to an approaching intersection when I made the descision to turn right at the intersection. The steering was so hard that I nearing hit the center divide. My windshield wipers were barely working and many of my dash icons were coming on randomly. Through it all, my engine continued to run and I made to the next street that turned into condos that had parking spaces. I shut my engine off and tried a restart. The engine,of course,did not start. After being hauled to the nearest Toyota dealer they diagnosed the problem as an alternator that shorted the battery. Having a little experience in this electrical area, I understand how this can happen but with proper design it could have been avoided. …
After driving for approximately 15 minutes, I saw a small amount of smoke coming from the drivers door panel and it smelled like an electrical fire. Afterwards, the drivers side power window switch and the passenger side power window switch was not functional. The passenger window would only let down (very slowly) but wouldn't go back up. I took the vehicle to a Toyota service center and they showed me that the main power window switch on the drivers side had a hole burned into it the size of a dime. The service manager said he had never seen anything like this before. Prior to this the passenger window switch was replaced twice between September 2010 and November 2010. However, the replacements still never took care of the problem of the passenger window switch intermittently working. …
My wife left home to drive to the store - a 3-mile trip, all in-town driving. After traveling about 1/2 mile, smoke started coming into the car from behind the panel on the inside of the driver's door. She stopped the car. The volume of smoke accumulating in the car increased. A passer-by stopped, called 911, reported the fire, and assisted my wife, who climbed into the front passenger seat and exited the car out the front, right passenger door. By the time the firemen and police arrived, approximately 3-5 minutes later, smoke was dense and flames were surrounding the edges of the door panel. Firemen sprayed water on the panel, pulled the panel off the door, and continued to apply water until the fire was extinguished. Thankfully, my wife was able to stop and exit the car quickly. Had she been in heavy, fast-moving traffic, it could have been a life-threatening situation. …
NHTSA investigations
Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration
On February 16, 2010, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened RQ10-003 to determine whether the scope of prior Toyota recalls relating to potential unintended acceleration were sufficiently broad, including, among others, Toyota recalls 07E-082, 09V-388, 10V-017, and 10V-023.NHTSA also requested information regarding potential electronic causes of unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles.I.
Power Window Master Switch Fire
ODI has identified certain Toyota vehicles experiencing a higher rate of fire and thermal event incidents among all Toyota vehicles that use the same power window master switch design.They include a total of approximately 1.4 million model year (MY) 2007 through 2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4 and Yaris vehicles built from approximately September 2006 through August 2008, as well as all MY 2008 Highlander Hybrid…
Power Window Master Switch Fire
On October 10, 2012, Toyota initiated a safety recall of approximately 2.5 million U.S. vehicles involving the following models and model years:2007-2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2008 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007-2009 RAV4, 2008-2009 Scion xB and xD, 2008-2009 Sequoia, 2007-2008 Tundra, 2007-2008 Yaris, and 2009 Pontiac Vibe.See NHTSA recall number 12V-491 for more details,…
Electrical complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2007 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 76 complaints about the electrical system of the 2007 Toyota RAV4, 8% of the model year's 1,004 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota RAV4 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2007 Toyota RAV4, though it has 14 recalls for other components. 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 2007 Toyota RAV4 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 26 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.