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2003 Toyota RAV4

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 258.5.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

275 reports with mileage · 39 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 209 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports4 fire reports8 injury reports

Fuel/propulsion System complaints

2 reports
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84,072 miles · Sep 15, 2016
Fuel/propulsion System

2003 RAV 4 85,401 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO MISS SHIFT, ENGINE WOULD SPEED UP AND THERE WOULD BE A LOSS OF POWER. FROM A STOPPED POSITION THE ENGINE WOULD REV AND NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. TOYOTA TECH ADVISES THAT THE VEHICLE REQUIRES NEW COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION , A $6,000 EXPENSE. MIND YOU THAT THIS VEHICLE IS 13 YEARS OLD …

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2003 RAV 4 85,401 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO MISS SHIFT, ENGINE WOULD SPEED UP AND THERE WOULD BE A LOSS OF POWER. FROM A STOPPED POSITION THE ENGINE WOULD REV AND NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. TOYOTA TECH ADVISES THAT THE VEHICLE REQUIRES NEW COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION , A $6,000 EXPENSE. MIND YOU THAT THIS VEHICLE IS 13 YEARS OLD BUT HAS ONLY 85,000 ORIGINAL MILES AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED. TOYOTA ADVISES NO WARRANTY EFFECT FOR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ON A MAIN HIGHWAY ( SUNRISE HIGHWAY LONG ISLAND) WHEN MALFUNCTION OCCURRED.

NHTSA ODI #10906922

204,000 miles · Aug 31, 2016
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLES RPMS CUT OUT AND THE THROTTLE WOULD NOT RESPOND IT STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND THEN DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HWY IN LAWTON OKLAHOMA. IT TOOK ME 2 AND A HALF HOURS TO GET THE VEHICLE HOME IN RYAN OKLAHOMA BECAUSE I HAD TO CONSTANTLY PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL ALL WHILE COASTING AND LET IT DIE THEN TURN IT …

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WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLES RPMS CUT OUT AND THE THROTTLE WOULD NOT RESPOND IT STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND THEN DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HWY IN LAWTON OKLAHOMA. IT TOOK ME 2 AND A HALF HOURS TO GET THE VEHICLE HOME IN RYAN OKLAHOMA BECAUSE I HAD TO CONSTANTLY PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL ALL WHILE COASTING AND LET IT DIE THEN TURN IT OFF AND TRY SEVERAL TIMES TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STAY STARTED AND EVEN THEN IT WOULD ONLY REVIEW TO 2000 RPMS AND DIE. I HAD TO GUIDE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE HWY SEVERAL TIMES AND LET IT SET FOR 20 TO 30 MINUTES BEFORE IT WOULD DRIVE AT AROUND 60 MPH FOR ONLY 2 TO 3 MINUTES. I WAS ALMOST HIT SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE OF HOW THE THROTTLE WOULD NOT RESPOND WHILE THE RPMS CUT OUT AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GET UP AND GO.

NHTSA ODI #10899682

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

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