Is Genesis as reliable as Toyota?
Genesis GV70 3.25 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 sold: Toyota has the lower complaint rate in 3 of 3 model matchups (Genesis 0, Toyota 3). There isn't enough sales data for a Genesis brand score, so the models are compared head to head.
By CarWhere Research · Updated November 2026 · Method
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022; published U.S. sales). Not a survey, not Consumer Reports' method, and not repair frequency.
Genesis vs Toyota at a glance
| Genesis | Toyota | |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints per 1,000 sold | Not enough sales data for a brand score | 0.94 |
| Serious-safety complaints per 1,000 | — | 0.10 |
| Rank of 19 brands | — | #2 |
| Models covered | 3 | 12 |
| Vehicles sold (rated model years) | 112,428 | 15,629,831 |
| Owner complaints | 317 | 14,637 |
| Share of brand U.S. sales covered | 63.2% | 96.2% |
| Top complaint areas | Fuel / propulsion 30.9% · Engine 24.3% · Electrical system 16.7% | Powertrain / transmission 16% · Engine 14.6% · Electrical system 13.9% |
| Recall campaigns (vehicles covered) | 33 (401,118) | 198 (15.8 million) |
Model years 2015–2022. Lower is better. Serious-safety complaints are those where the owner reported a crash, a fire or at least one injury. Recall campaigns are NHTSA campaigns filed January 2016 to September 2026; vehicles covered counts a vehicle once per campaign. Genesis: covered models are 63% of the brand's U.S. sales (minimum 70%).
What drives the numbers
- Genesis's count is driven most by 2022 GV70 complaints about fuel / propulsion and powertrain / transmission (97, 30.6% of Genesis's complaints).
- Toyota's count is driven most by 2019–2020 RAV4 complaints about engine and fuel / propulsion (1,563, 10.7% of Toyota's complaints). Other models with rates above Toyota's overall 0.94: Highlander (1.46), Venza (2.00), Tundra (1.06).
Genesis GV70 vs Toyota RAV4, by model year
Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are still growing. Compare the two lines within a year, not one year against another.
| Model year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis GV70 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.00 | 5.07 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 0.97 | 0.73 | 0.79 | 0.81 | 2.03 | 1.52 | 1.25 | 0.48 |
What Genesis and Toyota owners complain about
Share of each brand's NHTSA complaints naming the area (a complaint can name more than one).
Genesis
- Fuel / propulsion30.9% · 98
- Engine24.3% · 77
- Electrical system16.7% · 53
- Powertrain / transmission11% · 35
- Lighting10.1% · 32
- Forward collision avoidance8.8% · 28
Toyota
- Powertrain / transmission16% · 2,340
- Engine14.6% · 2,143
- Electrical system13.9% · 2,028
- Fuel / propulsion11.9% · 1,744
- Brakes11.8% · 1,725
- Air bags9.6% · 1,404
Model matchups
Each brand's best-selling model in the classes both sell, on the same per-1,000-sold measure.
Compact SUVs: Genesis GV70 vs Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Genesis GV70 3.25 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. The GV70's most-cited area is fuel / propulsion (33%); the RAV4's is electrical system (21.5%).
Genesis GV70
3.25 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 97 complaints / 29,876 sold, MY 2021, 2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2022, 2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Fuel / propulsion 33% · Powertrain / transmission 22.7% · Engine 22.7%
1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 3,483 complaints / 3,155,248 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Electrical system 21.5% · Engine 17.8% · Fuel / propulsion 13.6%
Compact cars: Genesis G70 vs Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Genesis G70 2.55 vs Toyota Corolla 0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold. The G70's most-cited area is fuel / propulsion (28.9%); the Corolla's is air bags (20.9%).
Genesis G70
2.55 complaints per 1,000 sold
0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,586 complaints / 2,339,849 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2009–2011, 2019, 2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Air bags 20.9% · Engine 16.8% · Powertrain / transmission 13.7%
Midsize SUVs: Genesis GV80 vs Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Genesis GV80 2.80 vs Toyota 4Runner 0.44 complaints per 1,000 sold. The GV80's most-cited area is fuel / propulsion (31.1%); the 4Runner's is steering (13%).
Genesis GV80
2.80 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 106 complaints / 37,846 sold, MY 2021, 2022 NHTSA
- Too few sold to rate:
- 2020
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Fuel / propulsion 31.1% · Electrical system 22.6% · Engine 21.7%
0.44 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 438 complaints / 1,003,611 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2020
- Years to avoid:
- 2011, 2018, 2019, 2025
- Top complaint areas:
- Steering 13% · Air bags 12.6% · Electrical system 12.3%
How these numbers are calculated
complaints per 1,000 sold = NHTSA owner complaints filed for model years 2015–2022 ÷ U.S. vehicles sold in calendar years 2015–2022 × 1,000
Complaints come from NHTSA's public owner-complaint database (NHTSA data), counted once per complaint and matched across NHTSA's trim and body-style names. Vehicles sold are published U.S. calendar-year sales per nameplate. Model years with fewer than 5,000 sold are too few to rate and are left out. A brand gets a score only when its covered models number at least 3 and make up at least 70% of its U.S. sales; rates under 10% apart are called close.
This is the federal complaint rate, not an owner survey or repair-frequency figure. Consumer Reports publishes a survey-based ranking that measures something different. Full method and brand ranking.
Questions
Is Genesis as reliable as Toyota?
Genesis GV70 3.25 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 sold: Toyota has the lower complaint rate in 3 of 3 model matchups (Genesis 0, Toyota 3). There isn't enough sales data for a Genesis brand score, so the models are compared head to head.
What do Genesis and Toyota owners complain about most?
Genesis: fuel / propulsion (30.9%), engine (24.3%), electrical system (16.7%). Toyota: powertrain / transmission (16%), engine (14.6%), electrical system (13.9%). Shares are of each brand's complaints for model years 2015–2022; one complaint can name more than one area.
Which has more recalls, Genesis or Toyota?
From January 2016 to September 2026, NHTSA lists 33 Genesis recall campaigns covering 401,118 vehicles and 198 Toyota campaigns covering 15,819,237. Vehicles covered counts each vehicle once per campaign, so one car in three recalls counts three times. Recalls are fixes the maker files, a different signal from owner complaints.
Is the Genesis GV70 more reliable than the Toyota RAV4?
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Genesis GV70 3.25 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 29,876 and 3,155,248 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the GV70: 2022, 2023. Years to avoid on the RAV4: 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024.
Is the Genesis G70 more reliable than the Toyota Corolla?
The Toyota Corolla has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Genesis G70 2.55 vs Toyota Corolla 0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 44,706 and 2,339,849 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the G70: 2019. Years to avoid on the Corolla: 2009–2011, 2019, 2020.