Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2016 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that due to the failure, the vehicle in front of the contact's vehicle was rear-ended. The Police and ambulance arrived on the scene. A Police report was filed. No injuries were sustained, however, the contact was later informed that a passenger who was riding in the vehicle that was rear-ended later received medical attention. The contact's vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact's vehicle was condemned as a total loss. The contact stated that no damage to the other vehicle had been reported. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced at the dealer for full maintenance six weeks before the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. …
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, she noticed traffic had slowed down and the driver applied the brake pedal but the brakes failed to respond and crashed into the rear of an unknown vehicle. The TPMS warning indicator light was illuminated. The contact sustained injuries to her neck, but medical attention was not provided. A police report was filed. There was no fire due to the crash. All the frontal air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated the failure was similar to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V198000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control). The approximate failure mileage was 89,500.
I was driving on the entrance road to a major highway, and as I approached the curve in the road and pressed on the brakes to decelerate, the vehicle began to shake, and as I pressed the brakes harder to slow down, they did not engage, the front wheels became locked in the position of the curving road at an angle and the vehicle went off road at approx 45mph down an embankment and into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle is totaled and although there were no fatalities minor injuries did occur since the airbags did not keep the passenger nor driver from hitting there head on the windows and door jam, and the steering wheel.
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to depress the brake pedal while stopping the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
While exiting slowly from the parking lot, the Toyota started to make a beeping alarm noise, then suddenly lurched forward. Applying the brake had no effect, and the car accelerated across the LRT tracks, climbed onto the passenger platform, and only stopped when it collided with an electrical box there.
I was traveling at a speed of 40 mph on a wet road. As I approached an intersection with stop sign I applied brakes about 100 feet before the stop sign. The ABS engaged shortly after I applied the brakes. I continued to keep foot on brake but was continuing to get closer to the intersection and the ABS was not disengaging. I attempted once to let off the ABS and apply the brakes but the ABS was still on disengaging. At this point I was entering the intersection and turned my wheel toward the left at an embankment and pulled up on my emergency parking brake to stop the vehicle. The incident did not result in a collision, as it was a 3 way stop and the other vehicles at the intersection was able to avoid hitting me. I called Rohrich Toyota immediately to see if there was a recall in the brakes or a known problem. I was told there wasn't any known problem. …
I was parking the car in a gravel parking lot. When I pressed the brakes and shifted into park it instead accelerated and went over the side of an enbankment. I could not stop it even though my foot was pressing hard on the brake. Luckily there was no other person or property affected by the error and my car did not suffer external damage. It damaged a sensor on the bottom side of the car which had to be replaced. There was no indication of any problems beforehand. My mechanic did an extensive review of the car and could not find anything that would have explained the unintended acceleration.
On July 13th I was driving at a slow speed and I was making a right turn and the steering wheel felt like it was locked in not being able to turn into my lane and so a car coming into my direction, so quickly I had to stop across the opposite lane to let the car go by me, Then I looked at the dashboard it had the steering wheel and brake symbol illuminated, so I tried to restart the motor but it made the clinching noise telling me that still running so I stopped and restarted the motor and the symbols went off and continued driving with caution, made it home safe
The braking system malfunctioned during Winter and snowy road conditions. Several instances happened during the month of December 2023 and 2024. Latest were December 10 and 13, 2024. The brake pad was soft when depressed that the car accelerated instead of stopping.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 65 MPH and approaching an exit off the freeway ramp, the contact depressed the brake pedal which failed to engage properly as the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard. The contacts husband pumped the brake pedal a couple of times but failed to respond causing the vehicle to crossover a 4 lane highway, onto a uphill onramp where it came to a stop after crashing into a curb. The vehicle was restarted and the vehicle resumed to normal. The vehicle received minor damage to the passenger front tire, and the rim was cracked. The vehicle was towed to a dealer (balise Toyota 1399 riverdale st, west springfield, ma 01089 [phone]) however the vehicle was not diagnosed or seen. …
Brake complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2016 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the brakes of the 2016 Toyota RAV4, 19% of the model year's 240 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2016 Toyota RAV4 brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2016 Toyota RAV4, though it has 3 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 2016 Toyota RAV4 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 22,000 miles, and 54% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 14 crashes, 0 fires and 11 injuries to brakes 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.