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 2009 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the engine at startup. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil caused by a gasket failure inside a piston in the engine. Due to the failure, the contact was frequently adding oil to the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and an estimate was provided for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.
Engine timeing system rattle on startup. Even basic web research shows this is a common problem for select model years and acorss mulitple models. This issue has a high probility of causing catastrophic engine damage, where the timeing chain & VVT system fails to keep timing causing the valves to colide with the pistons. There is a TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE risk with each and every engine start. The fix on the 3.5L requires the engine to be removed, VVT and timing chain tensioner to be replaced. This is a $4000 to $5000 dollar repair. This is a clear manufacuting wide spread defect and should be repaired by toyota via recall!
Four incidents of unintended acceleration , in all instances foot was on break petal NOT on gas petal, 3 instances vehicle was stopped at traffic light, last incident was pulling into a parking space foot on brake, in all instances braked hard and shifted vehicle into neutral and turned vehicle off to avoid collisions, personal injury and property damage
While my wife was driving on the highway at 60 MPH the engine lost power. Moving to the right lane to pull over, flames began coming out of the top of the hood, hitting the windshield. She tried stopping but brake pedal went to the floor, requiring her to put the car in park and slide on grass. She jumped out of the vehicle and within 8 minutes the car was completely destroyed.
I was driving and the air bag inadvertently went off, exploding in my face. The vehicle filled with smoke, dust, and debris. Because I could not see (airbag in my face and smoke/debris in the vehicle), I crashed into the vehicle in front of me.
Just over 100,000 miles on the 2009 rav 4. Without issue. Not original owner. This weekend it tried 3 times to accelerate us into the vehicles or people in front of is. After looking online I verified that our floormats are both secured and do not extend to the area of the pedal. Incident 1. While sitting at a complete stop at red light, heard and felt engine start to rev. Car lurched forward, and I applied left foot in addition to the right which was already on the brake in attempt to stop it. Had to hit shifter into neutral to regain control only a foot or 2 from the car in front. Mistakenly thought it was an isolated incident. Incident 2 today-- while slowing to a red light by application of brakes with right foot, engine revved up to approx. 3000 RPM and tried accelerating us into vehicles in front of us. Again- only shifting into neutral brought vehicle under control.. …
Vehicle was parked overnight on our front driveway facing the garage. Where it always parked everyday. The weather was warm and clear my wife was in the vehicle and was preparing to buckle up and drive to church, I entered the vehicle into the passenger seat and buckled up. She started the vehicle and immediately accelerated through the roof. I yelled at her to get her foot off the accelerator and she yelled at me that she was no where near it. I then told her to pull the floor mat / carpet back and it was already back and locked down to the floor. I told her to turn it off. The car idled down to stop once key was turned off. We sat there for a few moments, I told her to depress the accelerator pedal once and try to start the vehicle. The car started normally we let it warm up for a moment and drove away. …
Whenever we are traveling about 40 MPH and 1500 RPM, there is a rattle noise. The vibration holds for as long as 1-2 seconds. As soon as the vibration starts, you can let off the gas or step on the gas to change the rpms and it instantly stops. The car has been making this sound since shortly after we bought it brand new. Now we're being told that it's a transmission failure. The torque converter is the route if the problem. At 1500 RPM and 38-40 MPH the torque converter in the transfer case is vibrating, causing the heat shield to rattle because of the transfer of vibrations. It just seems like we've had a faulty transmission all along.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started there was a loud noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing pinion needed replacement. The contact also stated that the same failure occurred three other times. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,300.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that the water pump leaked fluid without warning. The vehicle was taken to Toyota of orange (1400 n tustin st, orange, ca 92867, [phone]) where the technician diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
Engine complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2009 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2009 Toyota RAV4, 11% of the model year's 327 complaints. The component named most often is engine (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Toyota RAV4 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2009 Toyota RAV4, though it has 15 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 2009 Toyota RAV4 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 2 fires and 0 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.