1998 Toyota RAV4 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1998 RAV4 most often write in about brakes and airbags, and both threads are dominated by older vehicles: squealing or grinding brakes, rotors replaced more than once, and frontal impacts in which the airbags did not deploy. A separate cluster of complaints describes sudden or unintended acceleration and cars that will not stay put when parked, while manual-transmission owners report fifth gear popping out on the highway.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Airbags not deploying in a frontal crash

   • 10 complaints (13%)
   • median 105,000 mi at 14.6 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2021

   Complaints describe frontal and side impacts at speeds from roughly 25 to 60 mph in which the front airbags did not deploy, and owners say the occupants were injured. In a few cases owners say a repair shop found a scratched sensor; most say the dealer or manufacturer was not notified. One owner also reports the bags deploying in a low-speed driveway impact and injuring an arm. Reported in crashes rather than at a set mileage; filings span 1998 to 2021 and one airbag-related filing notes high mileage.

   Recall 20V0330001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check whether the driver airbag inflator recall (20V033000) has been completed for the VIN, since owners reported parts were not yet available; ask whether the airbag warning light behaves normally and whether the SRS system has ever been inspected.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Consumer was driving approximately 50 miles and was impacted by a head-on collision of a 75 chevrolet nova. The air bag deployed, shredding the steering wheel cover, injuring the driver. The vehicle was totalled during this crash.”

   NHTSA complaint #827007, filed 1998-08

   “Consumer was turning into a driveway at about 25 MPH when and hit a tree on driver's side front. Upon impact, airbags deployed and broke consumer's forearm. Consumer felt that airbags should not have deployed at that speed.”

   NHTSA complaint #864991, filed 2000-07
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden or unintended acceleration, sticky accelerator

   • 12 complaints (16%)
   • median 120,000 mi at 12.6 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2011

   Complaints describe the car lurching forward at low speed, sometimes while parking or pulling away from a stop, and in some accounts pressing the brake coincided with the engine revving. Several owners say the accelerator pedal felt stiff or stuck and that a service center lubricated it or pointed to a computer or sensor; one owner reports an idle that jumped above 2,000 rpm and then corrected itself. Appears across the mileage range, from low-mileage cars to ones past 120,000 miles; several reports involve parking-lot or stop-and-go situations.

   What to check: With the engine running and the car in park, press the accelerator slowly and feel for binding or a sticky pedal, and check that idle speed settles; ask whether the throttle body or pedal linkage has ever been cleaned or lubricated.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 98 RAV4 started acceleration problems after we hit 120,000 miles. It has done it about a dozen times but it seems like it has only happend when we are stopped at a light or stopped to pull out into trafic, it may have done it only 1 or 2 times while driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #10307109, filed 2010-02, 120,000 miles

   “The engine idleing speed sometimes goes up to over 2000 RPM. I took the car into the Toyota dealer in concord, nh who said I needed a new computer costing $1300 but it would be weeks before it was availble. Next day the idling returned to normal. So I told Toyota that it was not necessary to get the computer. However, the problem reoccurs and seems to right itself. Having the revs so high can be very dangerous, especially in heavy traffic. …”

   NHTSA complaint #728392, filed 2000-08
3. 3
   Brakes

   Squealing, grinding brakes and repeat rotor replacement

   • 13 complaints (17%)
   • median 120,000 mi at 13.5 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2017

   Owners describe brakes that squeak constantly and progress to grinding, with pads replaced as often as twice a year and rotors replaced more than once. Some report a pedal that feels loose after highway driving, an abnormal noise when braking at low speed, or a hard pedal and longer stopping distance; dealers in some cases could not identify a cause. Mostly reported between roughly 100,000 and 130,000 miles, with some noise complaints at much lower mileage.

   Recall 00V2120003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect rotor thickness and pad life on all four corners and ask for service records showing how often pads and rotors were replaced; drive it and listen for squeal or grinding, and check pedal feel after a highway run.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The brakes failed to work twice and the vehicle lurched forward instead into drive. This was at low speed when attempting to come to a complete stop at a red light. When the first braking attempt failed, the brake was pumped a second time and it failed to stop and accelerated instead. Firm pressure was applied to the brake pedal a third time and this did prompt the vehicle to stop but it was close to rear-ending another car already stopped at the light.”

   NHTSA complaint #10395749, filed 2011-04, 120,000 miles

   “Intermittently the braking system malfunctioned, causing the brake pedal to be hard and extended stopping distance. The vehicle slid, almost resulting in an accident. Cause unknown. Dealer cannot determine problem. Toyota decided to take vehicle back and give consumer a new one.”

   NHTSA complaint #827718, filed 1998-09
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Manual transmission pops out of fifth gear

   Mentioned in 5 of 53 sampled complaints

   Owners of manual cars report that fifth gear disengages on its own at highway speed without warning, forcing them to hold the lever in place; one owner says a service bulletin covered the problem but that the coverage was inadequate. Others describe thunking or a car that rolled when left in gear on an incline, and some report slipping, jerking and loss of power diagnosed at the dealer as nothing to fix. Mostly around 95,000 to 135,000 miles, typically during highway driving or on inclines.

   Recall 00V2110003 related service bulletins

   What to check: On a manual car, drive at highway speed in fifth and see whether the gear stays engaged without holding the lever, and test that the car holds on a slope in gear with the parking brake set.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Toyota RAV4 2000 has a transmission problem. Transmission is making noises and acting strange. Problem presented first in highway 15 in connecticut, without any warning. Very dangerous without warning incident. No accident occurred, but very frightening. After incident transmission start slipping and making strange noises. The car is parked and I do not know what is the problem. I saw an article in the ny times indicating this site for recording complaints.”

   NHTSA complaint #10295470, filed 2009-12, 132,000 miles

   “I purchased a used 1998 Toyota RAV4 in october 2009. The vehicle has 42,000 miles. When driving home on the interstate the truck began to jerk and loose power. We got off on the nearest exit and made it home safely. The truck continues to do the same. I took it to the Toyota dealership and was told there was nothing they could do because there was no check engine light on. The truck has done this and 4 occasions. It puts my daughter at risk for being rear ended.”

   NHTSA complaint #10292432, filed 2009-11, 42,000 miles

Buying note. On a car this old, condition and records matter more than the model's reputation: have the brakes and airbag recall status checked, confirm the manual gearbox stays in fifth, and watch oil level over a few hundred miles. The sampled complaints are mostly about wear and age on high-mileage cars rather than a single recurring failure.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 53 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.