RecallMyCar

1999 Toyota RAV4 Recalls, Complaints & Specs

4 safety recalls list the 1999 Toyota RAV4, and owners have filed 62 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

4
safety recalls
62
owner complaints to NHTSA
14 / 4
complaints citing a crash / fire
21–23
MPG combined (EPA)

4 safety recalls for the 1999 Toyota RAV4

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 20V033000 Reported 138,842 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 1998-2000 RAV4, 1998-1999 RAV4 EV and Celica and 1997-1998 Supra vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI…

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and owners will have the option to self-inspect, or have a dealer inspect the steering wheel on their vehicle to determine if their vehicle may be equipped with an affected inflator.…

  2. Park/neutral start interlock switch (power train)

    NHTSA 00V211000 Reported 756 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

    Vehicle description: sport utility electric vehicles. If the subject vehicles are repeatedly parked by placing the shift lever into the "p" position without applying the parking brake, the parking lock rod, a component of the transmission parking lock system, could break.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the parking lock rod.

  3. Rotor (service brakes)

    NHTSA 00V212000 Reported 780 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

    Vehicle description: sport utility electric vehicles. The front disc brake rotor, when equipped with steel wheels, can develop stress fractures if the lug nuts are tightened with excessive torque.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the disc brake rotors. If the vehicle is equipped with steel wheels, toyota will replace the front disc brake rotors and steel wheels with new disc brake rotors and new aluminum wheels. In addition…

  4. Electrical system: control module

    NHTSA 98V278000 Reported 1,960 vehicles potentially affected SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS

    Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles, MINI vans and passenger vehicles equipped with a theft deterrent systems (tds) supplied by audiovox corporation and distributed by southeast toyota distributors, inc. In the states of alabama, florida, georgia, north and south carolina. The alarm wiring harness plugs into the vehicle's…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code label on the security system harness and any displaying the manufacturing/final date code will be replaced with newly produced harnesses. The date codes are: rav4 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98,…

62 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1999 Toyota RAV4 have filed 62 complaints with NHTSA; 14 describe a crash and 4 describe a fire. Reports cite 14 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 112,365 miles. Complaints peaked in 1999 with 8 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“I lost control of the vehicle and I overcorrected causing the car to go airborne. I hit head on into an embankment then continued to roll 3or 4 times before stopping. There were no indications or warn”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, January 31, 2024 · Air bags

“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1999 toyota rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v033000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 31, 2020 · Air bags

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 1999 Toyota RAV4 (RAV4 2WD, RAV4 4WD, RAV4 Soft Top 2WD, RAV4 Soft Top 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Combined21–23 mpg
City / Highway19–21 / 23–27
FuelRegular
EPA classSport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD
Engine4 cyl, 2 L
TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd; Manual 5-spd

Compare Toyota RAV4 model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Toyota RAV4 model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1994 Toyota RAV404
1995 Toyota RAV401
1996 Toyota RAV4047
1997 Toyota RAV4054
1998 Toyota RAV4477
1999 Toyota RAV4462
2000 Toyota RAV4330
2001 Toyota RAV40309
2002 Toyota RAV40527
2003 Toyota RAV40315
2004 Toyota RAV42154
2005 Toyota RAV45141
2006 Toyota RAV411705
2007 Toyota RAV4141,004
2008 Toyota RAV414575
2009 Toyota RAV415327
2010 Toyota RAV414400
2011 Toyota RAV411287
2012 Toyota RAV45260
2013 Toyota RAV42257
2014 Toyota RAV44197
2015 Toyota RAV44305
2016 Toyota RAV43240
2017 Toyota RAV43307
2018 Toyota RAV43331
2019 Toyota RAV47879
2020 Toyota RAV46635
2021 Toyota RAV41387
2022 Toyota RAV41147
2023 Toyota RAV43157
2024 Toyota RAV43176
2025 Toyota RAV4388

Checking a specific 1999 Toyota RAV4

How do I know if my 1999 Toyota RAV4 has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 4 campaigns currently list the 1999 Toyota RAV4; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Toyota dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 00V211000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Toyota models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.