Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Toyota RAV4 2009: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 61 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2009 Toyota RAV4 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2009 Toyota RAV4 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,429 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
61 in every 100
Did not pass first time
39 in every 100554 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
16 yearsabout 113,021 miles
First tests counted
1,429

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)10 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2009 Toyota RAV4 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage (rear): 16 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 554 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Anti-roll bar linkage (rear)

Failed on 31 first tests16 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 48 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 54 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008), 6.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 80 first tests6.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One fault: rigid brake pipes (rear), 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 35 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Vehicle structure condition

Noted on 20 first tests4.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 82 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Noted on 25 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 109 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 33 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 40 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 20 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
61in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
34in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 61.2% of 1,429 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 66.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 34 not fixed make the 39 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Diesel1,05459
Petrol37567

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020002005200920152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200020092020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 62 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199856 in every 100459
199963 in every 100373
200060 in every 100389
200162 in every 100808
200260 in every 1001,544
200361 in every 1002,179
200461 in every 1002,857
200563 in every 1002,942
200657 in every 1001,936
200759 in every 1002,836
200859 in every 1002,869
2009 This car61 in every 1001,429
201069 in every 100427
201168 in every 100458
201271 in every 1001,489
201376 in every 1004,288
201479 in every 1004,492
201581 in every 1005,189
201682 in every 1007,354
201782 in every 1007,501
201883 in every 1007,041
201991 in every 1008,590
202091 in every 10011,168
202191 in every 10011,743
202294 in every 1009,602

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2009 Toyota RAV4 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 61.2% of 1,429 first MOTs on the 2009 Toyota RAV4 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 66.0%. Among 554 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (5.6% of those tests; 31 observed failures; about 16× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2009 Toyota RAV4 at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (15.7%) and Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) (9.7%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) (5.6% of those tests; 31 observed failures; about 16× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (5.6% of those tests; 31 observed failures; about 16× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2009 Toyota RAV4 include Anti-roll bar linkage (rear), Shock absorbers (front), Rigid brake pipes (rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2009 Toyota RAV4 (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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