10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 1
Average Mileage:
30,825 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Toyota RAV4:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #27

May 142023

RAV4

  • miles
Car jerks when shifts gears and the problem just appeared one day with no warning. I went to 4 different mechanics and none can confirm if there is metal in transmission but to solely tell the transmission needs to be replaced. Either defective transmission or another problem not related causing jerking in driving.

- Hattiesburg, MS, USA

problem #26

Dec 242022

RAV4

  • miles
Since we purchased the car new in 2013 the trunk doesn-€™t always open when the button is pushed. I never saw a recall so I figured -€œmy luck-€ until today. I saw another person unable to open the trunk. Is there a fix?

- Nashua , NH, USA

problem #25

Nov 302022

RAV4

  • miles
Engine started smoking and a few minutes later the vehicle completely engulfed in flames.

- Lombard, IL, USA

problem #24

Dec 012021

RAV4 4-cyl

  • miles
Please see letter attached. Thank you!

- East Point, GA, USA

problem #23

Apr 292021

RAV4

  • 99,905 miles
The car was parked and off. The engine compartment burst into flames. Firefighters had to extinguish. Car is a total loss.

- Canton, MA, USA

problem #22

Apr 092021

RAV4

  • 60,000 miles
Driving down the highway the sunroof exploded

- Woburn, MA, USA

problem #21

Mar 232021

RAV4

  • 2 miles
Indicates a malfunction in the ev system. High battery temp show malfunction on evsystem while on road and sudden power loss may be create deadly accident. While charging it show malfunction in ev system.

- Wyile, TX, USA

problem #20

Dec 012020

RAV4

  • 67,000 miles
Vehicle was parked in parking lot, ignition turned off. Left car for approximately 1-2 minutes, returned to parking lot to find vehicle had caught fire. Fire appeared to originate in front of vehicle. Fire department was called and fire extinguished. Most of damage done to front of vehicle and passenger compartment. Vehicle destroyed.

- Manakin Sabot, VA, USA

problem #19

Feb 172020

RAV4

  • miles
I am entering a safety complaint regarding the headlights on my Toyota 2013 Rav4. Today, I went to my local car repairman to fix a headlight that blew out. This is the 3rd time in 6 months. In September, we had to completely change both headlights because parts in the headlights were melting. Yet, less than 6 months later, my passenger headlight blew out and needed to be replaced. There is something systematically wrong with my headlights. According to my car mechanic, it looks like they are going to continue to burn out. This creates hazardous driving conditions for me and my passengers.

- Chantilly, VA, USA

problem #18

Nov 062019

RAV4

  • miles
The car burst into flames spontaneously in the parking lot. Nobody was inside the car at that time. It happened a few minutes after the car was parked.firefighters put out the flames later. However, the car was completely destroyed. Fortunately, nobody was injured or hurt.

- Rockville, MD, USA

problem #17

Sep 252019

RAV4

  • 84,000 miles
While driving the vehicle on a city street, all the lights on the dashboard flashed on, then off. Vehicle immediately lost all engine and electrical power. I was able to drive the vehicle off the road and on to a parking lot. Thinking that a battery cable possibly had come loose, I raised the hood. The area at or near the battery was on fire. I called 9-1-1, but by the time the fire department arrived, the entire front part of the vehicle was in flames. The 2013 Toyota Rav4 was completely destroyed. I was not injured, but I am concerned that other Rav4 drivers may not be as fortunate.

- Fort Gratiot, MI, USA

problem #16

Apr 072018

RAV4

  • 17,000 miles
Speedometer is not accurate. When using an external gps unit in other vehicles, the speed on the speedometer is accurate. When I am driving in this 2013 Toyota rav 4, the speedometer says 60 mph but the gps says 57 mph. The faster you drive, the larger the discrepancy.this is a limited with 18 'wheels, maybe it was set from the factory for 17' wheels?

- Williston Park, NY, USA

problem #15

Nov 302018

RAV4

  • 160,000 miles
My husband and I were carpooling to work. While driving on the highway with minimal traffic in a clear straight away (no overpasses) we heard what sounded like a gun shot and I panicked. My husband thought I may loose control of the vehicle out of fear. He was able to coach me to pull off the highway so we could inspect the vehicle. The sunroof had looked like it exploded from the inside out. We called the dealership which stated they do not cover any glass damage and referred me to safelite which then referred me to sunroof express for repair. This was extremely upsetting as nothing struck the vehicle and we feel that we were not at fault. We did nothing to cause the breakage.

- Colfax, CA, USA

problem #14

Aug 152018

RAV4

  • 100,000 miles
The Rav4 2013 is not even 5 years old yet. The car does not speed up when pressing gas and jerks suddenly. Per dealer, there is a problem with the computer connected to the transmission and had a lot of customers with the same problem.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #13

Jun 042018

RAV4

  • 47,000 miles
This repair is for the pistons on the rear lift gate of the 2013 Toyota rav 4

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #12

Jun 102018

RAV4

  • miles
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.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #11

Jan 132018

RAV4

  • 65,600 miles
While my daughter was driving on the interstate in Oklahoma her sunroof exploded and shattered into small pieces of glass without any warning. She did not hear anything hitting it prior to it exploding. It just happened.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #10

Mar 102017

RAV4

  • miles
Squirrels crawled into the hood and chewed the battery cable wire and turn signal wire, this happened 2 days in a row after repairs were done the first time. The soy based coating of the wires is attracting a swarm of squirrels.

- Glenview, IL, USA

problem #9

May 122016

RAV4

  • 20,000 miles
The sunroof spontaneously shattered. It sounded like a loud thud of something hitting the roof of our car, but we were driving in an open park area with nothing overhead and no other cars within close distance. We opened the sunroof cover and saw that it had completely cracked. By the time we got home, much of the glass was missing.

- Burlingame, CA, USA

problem #8

Mar 232016

RAV4

  • 15,234 miles
On rare occasions, the push button start will not turn off engine even when the brake is depressed. I also had trouble starting the vehicle even when the brake pedal is depressed.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

Read the next 7 complaints »