One problem related to engine failure has been reported for the 2009 Toyota RAV4. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2009 Toyota RAV4 based on all problems reported for the 2009 RAV4.
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!.