1999 Toyota RAV4

This page is a draft. It has not been approved yet, so read it with care.

Learn

What changed

The L Special Edition package with leather seats and color-keyed cladding, color-keyed mirrors and door handles, and a full-size spare.¹

Buy

Rare options, colors and interiors to look out for, and whether finding one is good news.

Good find Soft Top Trim
Sold in the US from 1998 to 2000 only⁴

Why it is a good find: The Autopian calls the soft-top convertible an even cooler version of the three-door RAV4, and found none for sale.⁴

00V212000 1998–2000
Front brake rotors can crack if the lug nuts are over-tightened. Dealers replace the rotors, and the steel wheels with aluminium ones.^6,7,8
00V211000 1998–2000
Shifting into P again and again without the parking brake can break the parking lock rod.^6,7,8
20V033000 1998–2000
The driver airbag inflator can take in moisture, and then rupture or under-inflate in a crash.^6,7,8

Checked against NHTSA records on 21 October 2026.

Reputation: what owners and the press report

Sought after: The Soft Top All years

Jalopnik calls the Soft Top the best RAV4 ever made, and The Autopian says Toyota fans regard it as rare.^9,4

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.