IllustrationAPPROACHING STOP SIGN WITH FOOT ON BRAKE, SUDDEN ACCELERATION , TOWARDS ONCOMING INTERSECTION , WITH CROSS TRAFFIC, VEHICLE STILL LUNGED AND VIBRATED FURTHER, ABLE TO STOP VEHICLE BY TURNING THE IGNITION OFF! *TR
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
What owners actually said
257 reportsI PURCHASED THE 2013 RAV4 IN APRIL, 2013. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, I BEGAN TO SMELL AN ODOR COMING FROM THE AC WHEN I START THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP STATES THAT THE BOX THAT HOLDS THE AC CONDENSATION IS TOO SMALL DUE TO MANUFACTURING CHANGES. ON MY SECOND TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THIS COMPLAINT, THEY SPRAYED AC FRESHENER IN THE…
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I PURCHASED THE 2013 RAV4 IN APRIL, 2013. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, I BEGAN TO SMELL AN ODOR COMING FROM THE AC WHEN I START THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP STATES THAT THE BOX THAT HOLDS THE AC CONDENSATION IS TOO SMALL DUE TO MANUFACTURING CHANGES. ON MY SECOND TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THIS COMPLAINT, THEY SPRAYED AC FRESHENER IN THE PART UNDERNEATH THE CAR. THIS HELPED WITH THE ODOR BUT ONLY TEMPORARILY. I AM CONCERNED THAT WHAT I AM BREATHING IS MOLD AND THAT THIS WILL ONLY GET WORSE AS LONG AS I KEEP THE CAR. I BELIEVE THIS COULD HARM MY HEALTH OVER TIME. THE DEALERSHIP REP STATED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM ON THESE CARS FROM TIME TO TIME. I LIKE MY CAR (MY 5TH TOYOTA) BUT I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE DUE TO THIS ISSUE. *TR
WHEN VIEWING MY 2013 RAV4 FROM THE REAR, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR SEEMS TILTED TO THE LEFT, IN OTHER WORDS THE RAV4 SITS HIGHER ON THE RIGHT SIDE THAN THE LEFT. I MEASURED FROM THE TOP OF EACH WHEEL WELL TO THE GROUND AND FOUNDS AN ALMOST 1" DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE LEFT ON BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE RAV4. T…
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WHEN VIEWING MY 2013 RAV4 FROM THE REAR, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR SEEMS TILTED TO THE LEFT, IN OTHER WORDS THE RAV4 SITS HIGHER ON THE RIGHT SIDE THAN THE LEFT. I MEASURED FROM THE TOP OF EACH WHEEL WELL TO THE GROUND AND FOUNDS AN ALMOST 1" DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE LEFT ON BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE RAV4. THE MEASUREMENT WAS REPEATED ON 3 DIFFERENT LEVEL SURFACES WITH THE SAME RESULTS. THE RAV4 WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND THEY AGREED. THEY WROTE ON THE SERVICE INVOICE THAT THIS CONDITION IS "AS DESIGNED AT THIS TIME. ALSO COMPARED TO OTHER LIKE VEHICLES AND FOUND SAME." THE SERVICE MANAGER ALSO STATED THAT THEY FOUND DIFFERENCES FROM 0" TO 3/4" ON OTHER RAV4'S AND THAT THERE WAS NO REPAIR AT THIS TIME. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE THIS CONDITION MIGHT AFFECT THE HANDLING OF THIS VEHICLE OR RESULT IN UNEVEN TIRE WEAR. *TR
ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WIRING IS EXPOSED TO ELEMENTS. THIS IS A CRUCIAL PART AND IN CLIMATES WHERE SALT IS USED, LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO FAILED STABILITY CONTROL OR ENGINE PROBLEMS COULD RESULT. SEE PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM AT HTTP://WWW.YOBYOT.COM/CARS/WHY-TOYOTA-IS-LOSING-ITS-REPUTATION-FOR-QUALITY-AND-RELIABILITY/2…
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ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WIRING IS EXPOSED TO ELEMENTS. THIS IS A CRUCIAL PART AND IN CLIMATES WHERE SALT IS USED, LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO FAILED STABILITY CONTROL OR ENGINE PROBLEMS COULD RESULT. SEE PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM AT HTTP://WWW.YOBYOT.COM/CARS/WHY-TOYOTA-IS-LOSING-ITS-REPUTATION-FOR-QUALITY-AND-RELIABILITY/2013/11/10/ . *TR
2013 TOYOTA RAV 4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DASHBOARD SPEEDOMETER DESIGN FLAW. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DASHBOARD SPEEDOMETER WAS SET BACK INTO A TUNNEL THAT DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED ON. WHILE DRIVING DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS, THE CONSUMER WAS FORCED TO TURN ON THE NIGHT DRIVING LIGHT IN ORDER…
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2013 TOYOTA RAV 4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DASHBOARD SPEEDOMETER DESIGN FLAW. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DASHBOARD SPEEDOMETER WAS SET BACK INTO A TUNNEL THAT DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED ON. WHILE DRIVING DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS, THE CONSUMER WAS FORCED TO TURN ON THE NIGHT DRIVING LIGHT IN ORDER TO SEE THE SPEEDOMETER.
THE 2013 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS NO DASH LIGHTS AROUND THE SPEEDOMETER IN THE DAYTIME. THE SPEEDOMETER SITS BACK IN THE DASH AND YOU CAN NOT SEE YOUR SPEED AT A GLANCE. THEREFORE YOU CAN FIND YOURSELF GOING FASTER THAN THE SAFE SPEED LIMIT. AT NIGHT IT LIGHTS UP AND IS FINE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN SHIFTING INTO GEAR. NO POWER AND THEN A SURGE CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK. HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOP INTO FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. THE ECM IS DEFECTIVE AND TOYOTA WAS FORCED TO ADDRESS THIS AFTER CLASS ACTION SUIT SEE RAV4ECMSETTLEMENT.COM, ALTHOUGH THIS RESULTED IN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY RATHER THAN A R…
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VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN SHIFTING INTO GEAR. NO POWER AND THEN A SURGE CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK. HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOP INTO FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. THE ECM IS DEFECTIVE AND TOYOTA WAS FORCED TO ADDRESS THIS AFTER CLASS ACTION SUIT SEE RAV4ECMSETTLEMENT.COM, ALTHOUGH THIS RESULTED IN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY RATHER THAN A RECALL. MY CAR IS 4 MONTHS PASSED THE 10 YEAR WARRANTY ALTHOUGH IT HAS LOW MILEAGE. THE FAULTY ECM CAN CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. THIS IS A DANGEROUS AND UNFAIR SITUATION FOR THOUSANDS OF OWNERS. TOYOTA DID NOT NOTIFY ME OF THIS ISSUE. *TR
2013 TOYOTA RAV 4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A DEFECT IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE DISPLAY PANEL BACK LIGHT ONLY ILLUMINATED WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ON. EVEN IF THE HEADLIGHTS WERE TURNED O…
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2013 TOYOTA RAV 4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A DEFECT IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE DISPLAY PANEL BACK LIGHT ONLY ILLUMINATED WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ON. EVEN IF THE HEADLIGHTS WERE TURNED ON DURING THE DAY, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS ONLY MARGINALLY ILLUMINATED AND THE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL THUMBWHEEL HAD VERY LITTLE EFFECT.
2013 TOYOTA RAV 4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BRAKE PEDAL MALFUNCTION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE TRIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND DID NOT STOP UNTIL SHE HIT A CEMENT POST IN FRONT OF THE PARKING AREA.
TELL ME WHO TO TALK TO ABOUT HOW YOU DECIDE SAFETY FEATURES FOR THE NEWLY IMPROVED ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS IN CARS. OR FORWARD THIS TO THEM. FIRST OF "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR". HAVE YOU DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY LATELY? DID YOU NOT NOTICE HOW EACH AND EVERY CAR GETS IN FRONT OF A SEMI W ONLY 3' DISTANCE? THAT MIR…
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TELL ME WHO TO TALK TO ABOUT HOW YOU DECIDE SAFETY FEATURES FOR THE NEWLY IMPROVED ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS IN CARS. OR FORWARD THIS TO THEM. FIRST OF "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR". HAVE YOU DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY LATELY? DID YOU NOT NOTICE HOW EACH AND EVERY CAR GETS IN FRONT OF A SEMI W ONLY 3' DISTANCE? THAT MIRROR THING NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED BECAUSE NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION. I DON'T SEE ANY CARS IN MY BLIND SPOT. THEN THERE IS THAT NEW THING ABOUT PUTTING THE DIALING PAD ON MY NEW PANEL? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND MY DIALING ON MY PHONE. ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. NOW, SOME CARS HAVE AUTO ANSWER WITH A BUTTON, OTHERS DON'T. MINE HAS THE ANSWER WHICH SHOULD BE PAINTED GREEN BUT IT'S NOT, BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE THE "CALL BUTTON" VOICE ACTIVATED. ONLY UPGRADED VEHICLES DO. SO, I'M ON THE HIGHWAY AND FORGET WHAT EXIT OR WHAT CITY I'M SUPPOSED TO GET OFF ON. IT'S RUSH HOUR AND THE TRAFFIC IS MOVING SLOWLY. I HAVE TO PULL OFF TO THE CURB AND CALL?. THEN I HAVE TO MERGE ONTO THAT CRAZY TRAFFIC. REALLY? WHO ACTUALLY DOES IT. AND YOU ASK WHY THERE ARE SO MANY ACCIDENTS? THIS SHOULD BE A MANDATORY FEATURE ON ALL CARS FROM NOW ON FOR AN ACTUAL HANDS OFF EXPERIENCE. BLUETOOTH IS THE BEST NEW INVENTION FOR DRIVING, BUT WE NEED TO UTILIZE IT TO IT'S BEST. NEXT: MY CAR HAS A METALLIC DECORATING RIM ON THE DASHBOARD. I WAS ALMOST BLINDED BY THE SUN THE OTHER DAY. I HAD THAT AND THE WINDOW OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME SHINING ON MY FACE. I COULD BARELY FIND A SAFE SPOT FOR ME TO SEE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND MAKE CERTAIN THINGS MANDATORY STANDARD FEATURES (NO METAL RIMS ON DASHBOARD.). YOU WANT SAFETY? LEND ME EACH NEW CAR AND I BET YOU I WILL FIND STUFF WRONG WITH IT WITHIN THE MONTH. THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT. *TR
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.