IllustrationDRIVING MY 2013 TOYOTA RAV4EV WHEN THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT SHIFT BACK TO DRIVE AND LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 70 MPH. LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. THERE WAS A MESSAGE IN THE DISPLAY OF "CHECK EV SYSTEM. HAVE YOUR VEHICLE CHECKED BY DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY"
2013 Toyota RAV4
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Toyota RAV4 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 258.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAV4 years →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
870–25K
2325–50K
2150–75K
1275–100K
12100–150K
6150K+
161 reports with mileage · 96 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. 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.
22 crash reports29 fire reports11 injury reports
Power Train complaints
29 reportsTRANSMISSION IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. IT SHAKES A LOT WHILE DRIVING I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC AND HE CONFIRMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND SHOULD BE REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY RECALL SINCE MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 77000 MILES.
MY CAR IS ONLY 70,000 MILES AND FROM THE PAST I AM EXPERIENCING MISSED MISFIRE OF MY TRANSMISSION FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. THE CAR IS DRIVEN DAILY, BUT BEING FAIRLY LESS NUMBER OF MILES THIS IS A VERY UNEXPECTED BEHAVIOR. I CHECKED WITH A CERTIFIED MECHANIC, WHO ASKED ME TO GET IT REBUILT FOR MORE THAN $3,000. BUT COULD NOT TELL …
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MY CAR IS ONLY 70,000 MILES AND FROM THE PAST I AM EXPERIENCING MISSED MISFIRE OF MY TRANSMISSION FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. THE CAR IS DRIVEN DAILY, BUT BEING FAIRLY LESS NUMBER OF MILES THIS IS A VERY UNEXPECTED BEHAVIOR. I CHECKED WITH A CERTIFIED MECHANIC, WHO ASKED ME TO GET IT REBUILT FOR MORE THAN $3,000. BUT COULD NOT TELL ME THE REASON FOR THIS ISSUE. HE SAID LIKELY TO BE TOYOTA TRANSMISSION ISSUE.
TRANSMISSION HESITATES 2 TO 3 SECONDS BEFORE CHANGING FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE AND JUMPS WHEN IT GOES TO DRIVE IF YOU DON'T LEAVE YOUR FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL IT GEARS.
MY 2013 TOYOTA RAV4 IS SHOWING TRANSMISSION ISSUES. AFTER STARTING, PUT IN GEAR AND IT WON'T MOVE, JUST REVS LIKE IN NEUTRAL. WHEN I SHUT OFF AND RESTART IT RUNS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME 4 DIFFERENT TIMES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS, AND ONE TIME I WAS IN A LINE OF CARS AND WHEN IT WAS MY TURN TO GO, IT WAS JUST REVVING. I HAVE BROUGHT…
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MY 2013 TOYOTA RAV4 IS SHOWING TRANSMISSION ISSUES. AFTER STARTING, PUT IN GEAR AND IT WON'T MOVE, JUST REVS LIKE IN NEUTRAL. WHEN I SHUT OFF AND RESTART IT RUNS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME 4 DIFFERENT TIMES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS, AND ONE TIME I WAS IN A LINE OF CARS AND WHEN IT WAS MY TURN TO GO, IT WAS JUST REVVING. I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO MY LOCAL DEALER 3 TIMES FOR THIS, ONE TIME THEY HAD IT FOR 3 DAYS AND ANOTHER TIME OVERNIGHT SO THEY COULD DO A COLD START AGAIN. THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. THERE IS SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG WITH IT. THERE ARE ALSO TIMES WHEN GOING DOWN THE ROAD IT LIKE SHIFTS TO A LOWER GEAR, LIKE SOMETHING HOLDING IT BACK.
TAKATA RECALL WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE TENDS TO SUDDENLY GIVE OFF A "JERKING" SOUND. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE VEHICLE TEND TO JIGGLE OR SHAKE THEN GOES BACK TO NORMAL. THIS HAS BECOME FRIGHTENING, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THIS EVENT HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY,…
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TAKATA RECALL WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE TENDS TO SUDDENLY GIVE OFF A "JERKING" SOUND. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE VEHICLE TEND TO JIGGLE OR SHAKE THEN GOES BACK TO NORMAL. THIS HAS BECOME FRIGHTENING, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THIS EVENT HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY, LOCAL ROAD, CITY STREETS, IN FACT, ANYWHERE. IT JUST HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING. IT IS HAPPENING MORE OFTEN, HENCE I AM VERY CONCERNED NOW. THE LATEST OCCURRENCE WAS SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2018. BEFORE THAT, IT WAS INFREQUENT, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS NORMAL OVER THE YEARS, BUT NOW IT IS HAPPENING TOO OFTEN.
THIS COMPLAINT INVOLVES SUDDEN ACCELERATION. IT OCCURRED TWICE, ONCE WHEN SHIFTING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND AGAIN WHEN YOU GET SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. THE CAR WAS AT A STANDSTILL BOTH TIMES. THE FIRST TIME WAS APRIL 2017. I WAS DRIVING ALONG A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET AT 20 MPH. WHEN I STOPPED AND PUT THE CAR IN REVERS…
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THIS COMPLAINT INVOLVES SUDDEN ACCELERATION. IT OCCURRED TWICE, ONCE WHEN SHIFTING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND AGAIN WHEN YOU GET SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. THE CAR WAS AT A STANDSTILL BOTH TIMES. THE FIRST TIME WAS APRIL 2017. I WAS DRIVING ALONG A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET AT 20 MPH. WHEN I STOPPED AND PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, IT SHOT OFF LIKE A ROCKET. I APPLIED THE BRAKES; THE CAR STARTED SPINNING AROUND. I PULLED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND THE CAR STOPPED. THE SECOND EVENT OCCURRED ON JANUARY 4, 2018. I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE; I STOPPED SO I COULD RENTER THE SPACE. WHEN I SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE, THE CAR ROARED OFF AND BECAME AIRBORNE. IT FLEW OVER THE MEDIAN AND HIT THE CAR PARKED IN THE SPACE OPPOSITE. THE TIME BETWEEN WHEN IT ACCELERATED AND WHEN IT HIT THE OTHER CAR WAS SO FAST I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO APPLY THE BRAKES. IT FELT LIKE WE WERE FLYING AND THE CAR WAS IN TOTAL CONTROL. I FEEL THERE IS SOME FLAW IN THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM CONTROLLING THE GEARS. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED BECAUSE IT OCCURRED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. MY PASSENGER WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED - A BRUISED CLAVICLE, PROBABLY FROM THE SEATBELTS.
AT FIRST IT HAPPENED ONLY WHEN TURNING CORNERS OR STARTING FROM A STOP LIGHT. THE CAR WOULD JUST SEEM TO STALL FOR 3-4 SECONDS, THEN RESUME NORMAL ACCELERATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER PAST YEAR. YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED WHILE ON MAIN HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH. "SCARY!" I STARTED LOSING SPEED, THEN IT RESUMED NORMAL …
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AT FIRST IT HAPPENED ONLY WHEN TURNING CORNERS OR STARTING FROM A STOP LIGHT. THE CAR WOULD JUST SEEM TO STALL FOR 3-4 SECONDS, THEN RESUME NORMAL ACCELERATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER PAST YEAR. YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED WHILE ON MAIN HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH. "SCARY!" I STARTED LOSING SPEED, THEN IT RESUMED NORMAL SPEED AFTER 3-4 SECONDS. I TALKED TO TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGER TODAY. HE SAYS THERE'S NO WAY TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM UNLESS THEY CAN DUPLICATE IT. THAT MIGHT TAKE 100S OF MILES AS IT"S SO INTERMITANT. HE CLAIMS THEIR COMPUTER WON'T SHOW A CODE FOR THE PROBLEM. I AM AT A LOSS AS TO WHAT TO DO. IF IT LOSES POWER ON A CROWED FREEWAY IT COULD BE QUITE DANGEROUS. THE VEHICLE HAS 44000 MILES.
TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED SUDDENLY WHILE CROSSING A HIGHWAY BRIDGE WITH NO BREAKDOWN LANE. NO PRIOR WARNING, JUST SUDDEN RPM JUMP TO REDLINE AND NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS THE BRIDGE TO AN EXIT RAMP. DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. SINCE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, WE BROUGHT IT TO AN I…
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TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED SUDDENLY WHILE CROSSING A HIGHWAY BRIDGE WITH NO BREAKDOWN LANE. NO PRIOR WARNING, JUST SUDDEN RPM JUMP TO REDLINE AND NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS THE BRIDGE TO AN EXIT RAMP. DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. SINCE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, WE BROUGHT IT TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WHO FOUND IT WAS ACTUALLY THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE SPLINE CONNECTION TO THE STATOR WAS BROKEN, EITHER THE WELD BROKE OR THE OVERRUNNING CLUTCH GAVE OUT. THIS IS THE SECOND TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE CAR. THE FIRST WAS REPLACED DUE TO A SHUDDERING ISSUE 2 YEARS AGO AT 45,000 MILES. THIS FAILURE OCCURRED AT 78,000 MILES. TOYOTA DENIES ANY RESPONSIBILITY SINCE THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURED OUTSIDE THE 1 YEAR REPAIR WARRANTY. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH SHOWS THIS LIKELY ISN'T ISOLATED AND IS RELATED TO DEFECTS WITH THE SIMILAR CAMRY TORQUE CONVERTER. TRANSMISSION WAS TORN DOWN AND REBUILT OUT OF PRECAUTION AND NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND, THUS THE FAILURE WAS ENTIRELY DUE TO A DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTER. I BROUGHT THE PART TO THE DEALER SO THAT THEY COULD WITNESS THE FAILED PART. TOYOTA ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS NO PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED ON THE TRANSMISSION.
TOURQUE CONVERTER IS BAD IN RAV 4 VEHICLE AND IT HAS TO BE REPLACED IN EVERY VEHICLE. I OBSERVED HESITATION IN LOWER SPEEDS LIKE 30 MILES AN HOUR WHEN I HAD 20 TO 30 THOUSAND MILES IN MY VEHICLE. I DID A MISTAKE AND DIDN'T CARED MUCH ABOUT THIS ISSUE. AT 78,000 MILES, THE TOYOTA DEALER DIAGNOSED MY VEHICLE WITH BAD TOURQUE CONVE…
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TOURQUE CONVERTER IS BAD IN RAV 4 VEHICLE AND IT HAS TO BE REPLACED IN EVERY VEHICLE. I OBSERVED HESITATION IN LOWER SPEEDS LIKE 30 MILES AN HOUR WHEN I HAD 20 TO 30 THOUSAND MILES IN MY VEHICLE. I DID A MISTAKE AND DIDN'T CARED MUCH ABOUT THIS ISSUE. AT 78,000 MILES, THE TOYOTA DEALER DIAGNOSED MY VEHICLE WITH BAD TOURQUE CONVERTER AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. COSTS ME ABOUT 2,500 TO DO IT. I JUST WANT THE OWNERS OF THE RAV 4 TO GO TO DEALERS TO MAKE SURE THEY WOULD CHECK THIS ISSUE BEFORE 60,000 MILES AND GET IT FIXED. LOOKS LIKE RAV 4 HAS THIS ISSUE WITH TRANSMISSION IN EVERY VEHICLE AND ITS BETTER AS A CONSUMER, WE WOULD FIX IT BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPIRES AT 60,000. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL BECAUSE THE VEHICLE BEHIND YOU MAY HIT YOU DUE TO LOSS IN ACCELERATION AND CAUSE INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS. THANK YOU.
Official recalls
223V734000 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery
Nov 1, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
15V011000 · Exterior Lighting; Trailer Hitches
Jan 16, 2015
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Toyota Rav4 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2013, to December 29, 2014, and equipped with an accessory trailer light module. The software within the module may incorrectly detect an electrical short and preventively turn off the electrical current and the trailer lights.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the system incorrectly detects an electrical short and turns off the trailer lights while the trailer is being towed at night, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer light module with a new unit with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-15A.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Trailer Hitches
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Toyota Rav4 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2013, to December 29, 2014, and equipped with an accessory trailer light module. The software within the module may incorrectly detect an electrical short and preventively turn off the electrical current and the trailer lights.
Consequence: If the system incorrectly detects an electrical short and turns off the trailer lights while the trailer is being towed at night, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer light module with a new unit with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-15A.
Exterior Lighting
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Toyota Rav4 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2013, to December 29, 2014, and equipped with an accessory trailer light module. The software within the module may incorrectly detect an electrical short and preventively turn off the electrical current and the trailer lights.
Consequence: If the system incorrectly detects an electrical short and turns off the trailer lights while the trailer is being towed at night, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer light module with a new unit with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-15A.
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
1PE21005 · Battery Hold Down Bracket Thermal Events
Opened Feb 25, 2021 · Closed Aug 12, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to understand the contributing factors and frequency of vehicle fires originating from the battery region of the engine compartment in Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles on 25 February 2021. At the time of opening, ODI attributed eleven allegations and additional EWR events to this PE. PE21005 focused on replacement batteries installed in the subject vehicles. No reported fire event identified in PE21005 involved the originally supplied 12V battery. The reported fires took place in vehicles known to contain aftermarket batteries or whose age exceeded the expected life of the original equipment battery. ODI identified battery dimensioning as it relates to the battery retention system (hold down bracket, radiator support bolt, J-hook, and battery tray) as the main factor set in the contact between the battery hold down bracket contacting the positive terminal of the 12V battery. The subject vehicles carried over the same battery tray and retention system from the prior generation (MY2006 – MY2012) of RAV4 vehicles. However, the subject vehicles were equipped with a dimensionally smaller battery (Group 35) than the prior generation (Group 24F). The smaller- length measurement in the Group 35 battery size in a battery tray originally designed to fit a Group 24F battery contributed to increased potential for battery movement which was exacerbated by the diversity in aftermarket battery configuration and irregularities intrinsic to battery replacement procedures. Battery movement coupled with the proximity of the B+ terminal on the battery and the grounded electrically conductive hold down bracket set the stage for a short to ground leading to an engine stall (if in operation) followed by a vehicle fire. This investigation was not able to classify the installation status, battery size, or cause of every allegation due to the fire event causing damage to the area, inaccessible vehicle, modification to the battery retention system after the event, and/or inconclusive photographic evidence. Toyota's investigation of the issue identified aftermarket battery catalogs that listed an improper battery replacement size (Group 26R) that would nevertheless fit into the subject vehicles whose battery retention system is incapable of reliably restraining a Group 26R battery. On 18 November 2021, Toyota initiated a consumer advisory campaign (21TG01) to the subject vehicle owners, notifying them of the correct size battery and offering a free inspection of the battery and retention hardware, a caution label to affix to the hold down bracket, and a discounted replacement 12V battery. This investigation with Toyota established three broad categories to characterize the battery retention system state of a given vehicle: "correct", "minor mis-installation", and "major mis-installation". - The "correct" terminology references the front bolt, bracket, and J-hook installed in a position not in contact with the positive battery terminal and the front bolt torqued to 17 Nm and the J-hook engaged with the tray hole and torqued to 4.9 Nm. - A "minor mis-installation" would describe the three retention components installed in the prescribed location, however not to the correct torque values. - The "major mis-installation" condition would constitute a retention component missing or disconnected from the system. Toyota's own testing used five exemplar batteries installed on a subject vehicle in each battery categorization resulted in: - Contact between the B+ terminal and hold down bracket in "major mis-installations" - Movement of the battery in "minor mis-installations" - No observable motion in "correct" installations. ODI conducted its own evaluation of the Toyota- specified replacement battery and 5 aftermarket Group 35 batteries. The six batteries tested conformed to the Group 35 Battery Council International (BCI) standard on overall dimensional tolerance and terminal location. That standard does not define the edge shape or material of battery casing. Physical interaction between the hold down bracket and the battery case and the friction between the casing material and the battery tray resulted in a large variability in movement forces required to incite movement when the battery was installed in the "correct" condition. Resulting in movement at an induced lateral load between 0.6 G and 1.91 G equivalent force across each battery. This force is higher than a typical vehicle could exert in a steady state turn and would only experience loads through brief shock or impulses. Multiple shock or impulse loads across time would contribute to a delay between the replacement battery installation and the fire event. Likelihood of a fire event increases as the installation method degraded from the "correct", to "minor mis-installation", and then to "major mis-installation". Protruding vent caps atop some of the batteries tested aided in restricting battery movement relative to the hold down. An absence of vent caps permitted additional movement. Following several discussions and vehicle inspections with ODI during this investigation, on 01 November 2023, Toyota filed a safety recall (NHTSA 23V-734) of 1,853,568 MY 2013 through MY 2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles to reduce the risk of a vehicle fire with redesigned battery retention components. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.