Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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 was turning my 2007 Toyota RAV4 south onto interstate 182 to head east, the car sudden out of my control and went off the road and hit a concrete barrier at 5:49 pm at 5/8/17. Two passengers were hurt.
We were driving 55mph on highway 168 in north carolina north towards virginia coming home from vacation in the outer banks, nc. We were driving in left lane passing a Jeep, pulling a small trailer, in the right lane when we heard a pop and the car started to swerve to the right. Our car struck the Jeep on the driver's side turning the Jeep so it ended up in front of us. Both vehicles finally came to a stop after I applied the brakes. After checking on the passengers (my wife, two children and our dog) in our car and Jeep passengers, I went to move the car at the request of the police and the driver's side rear tire collapsed in at the top at about a 45 degree angle. Thankfully nobody was hurt. After having the car put onto the flat bed tow truck by aaa, the aaa employee and I could see under the car and noticed the rear tie rod was completely separate in two pieces. …
77000 mile lower control arms with bushings went bad ,lower ball joints bad inner & outer tie rods bad , sway bar end links ball joints bad.alignment & re-balanced tires after replacement .began swaying in road fighting steering on every bump with dipping of front end & vibration badly of car especially steering wheel , worn new tires on outsides .complete records in Toyota vehicle repair service site.total cost so far for the above is 158.00 plus 44.95 plus 1 week down time, due to all joints bad and vibrations and swaying around has caused the cv shafts to get loose good shake and not in to out sideways direction - up to down they have slight play and hear a clunk both ways (to be replaced when have money will be another 150 to 195 bucks and another day or 2 down time, not sure of front wheel bearings yet or the rear sway bar all them links , this is how bad the swaying got so needs …
I bought the car 3 months ago from price auto. The tires wee fine at that point although after about 30 days I noticed the driver rear tiire was wearing a lot and the passenger rear was wearing also so I decided to buy new tires 4 of them from tire warehouse. When doing so I asked for an alignment thats when I found out that there was a recall on my vehicle and it was with the alignment. The rear alignment has to e sealed shut after initial adjustment or it could come loose and a bad accident could happen. I immedietly made grappone Toyota in concod nh aware of this and they scheduled me to come in so they could take pics and send a report to headquarters to see if they would cover the costs since it was a recall. I spoke with a scott at Toyota. . …
The wheels were designed with a lip that does not drain, causing them to rust over time as water and road waste sits in the lip. I only learned about the rust, which is not visible, when I recently purchased a new set of tires. Surprisingly, my new tires immediately started losing air. After checking the tires and replacing the valve stems, my mechanic used the soapy water test to determine that the wheels themselves are so rusted that they are letting air escape. The lip of all four wheels are rusted to the point where the rust is flaking off. Given the deterioration of the wheels, I am concerned for my safety. My initial contact with Toyota resulted in no action by them. I am writing to the vp of marketing to make him aware of my concerns.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota RAV4. The contact was traveling 60 MPH when the brakes were depressed after a gun shot like noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. Another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle and something from the passenger's side of the vehicle detached along with part of the passenger side rear wheel. The vehicle was not destroyed. The crash caused no injuries, but the police were contacted and a report was filed. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 49,600 and the current mileage was unknown.
On July 31st, 2015, the Toyota dealership performed a suspension recall work to replace both "rear #1 lower suspension arms". That work included a 4 wheel alignment and a permanent sealant that prevented future rear alignment of the rear wheels. On August 3rd, 2016, (approx. 13K miles later) the vehicle was taken to a les schwab tire center to have the brakes inspected. During the brake inspection, the technician noted severe abnormal tire tread wear on the inside shoulders of both rear tires. The inside shoulder of the right rear tire was so severe that it was showing steel belts and was near failure (immanent tire blowout condition). Les schwab noted that the front tires had normal even wear. …
In late summer/early fall 2016 my 2007 Toyota RAV4 began experiencing rear suspension, alignment, and tire wear problems associated with the Toyota recall at the time, although my car was not included in the recall. When my mechanic examined the car, he said it made no sense that Toyota's solution in their second suspension recall was to epoxy pieces in place and not allow the vehicle's suspension to adjust to movement on the road while driving. I had to argue with the dealership who sold the car to get them to make the proper repairs (perform the recall work on my car) at no charge to me. The damaged ruined my relatively new tires and I had to get another set. Recently during general servicing, my mechanic discovered the same tire wear problem and that the rear tires are severely tilting inward, and the most recent repair by the dealer was done using a solid tie bar. …
My 2007 Toyota RAV4 had a rear right wheel tie rod break while I was driving with my wife and our one year old child in the vehicle. We were on our way to see my wife's doctor for her medical condition at the time. Thankfully we had just made a turn on to the on-ramp of the garden state parkway and were moving at a relatively slow speed. I can't imagine what would have happened if we were traveling at highway speed when the tie rod broke, I might have lost control of the vehicle and had a terrible crash with serious injury (or worse) to our family and possibly other drivers on the road. After searching on the internet about Toyota RAV4 tie rod incidents, it seems that it has happened to other RAV4 drivers many times on all different model years of the vehicle. Just like us they all say they did not hit any pot holes or other objects to have caused the tie rod to break. …
Right rear lower suspension arm snapped causing the right rear tire to turn to the side, causing us to lose control of the vehicle. I was able to gain control and stop the car due to the low rate of speed. We had a recall for this problem. Toyota installed a temporary fix, however when we received an updated recall, we continually called to have the permanent fix only to be told that the part was not available we asked them to call us when the part arrived and they would not agree to this. We have called them continuously but they never had the part. Called Toyota today and they cannot help me today. They will not approve towing, rental car, or repair as of this date. I cannot get to work, I am handicapped and I do not have access to public transportation. The police did come to the scene of this incident we have photos and the broken part in our possession. …
Wheel & Tire complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2007 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2007 Toyota RAV4, 3% of the model year's 1,004 complaints. The component named most often is pressure monitoring and regulating systems (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota RAV4 wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires 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 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to wheels & tires 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.