2013 TOYOTA RAV4 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
4/5
Safety Rating
328
Owner Complaints
2
Recalls
43
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4
The 2013 TOYOTA RAV4 has received a total of 328 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 6 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY. 43 technical service bulletins have been issued by Toyota Motor Corporation for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Electrical System (65 complaints), Unknown Or Other (38 complaints), and Engine (29 complaints).
Recalls for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4
NHTSA has recorded 6 recalls for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4, potentially affecting up to 7,416,552 vehicles.
Recall 23V734000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
| 1,853,568 vehicles affected
Defect: 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: 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...
View full details →Recall 23V734000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
| 1,853,568 vehicles affected
Defect: 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: 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...
View full details →Recall 23V734000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
| 1,853,568 vehicles affected
Defect: 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: 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...
View full details →Recall 23V734000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
| 1,853,568 vehicles affected
Defect: 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: 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...
View full details →Recall 15V011000 — TRAILER HITCHES
| 1,140 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
View full details →Recall 15V011000 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
| 1,140 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4
328 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
The vehicle has experienced premature and widespread paint peeling and clear coat failure on multiple body panels. The paint began deteriorating without impact, collision, or environmental damage and has progressively worsened over time. This condition is consistent with a known manufacturing defect affecting certain Toyota vehicles, which Toyota acknowledged through a Customer Support Program. The defect results in exposed metal and body surfaces, increasing the risk of corrosion and long-term structural damage. The issue has been visually confirmed and documented and is reproducible across affected panels. No warning indicators were present prior to the failure. The vehicle remains available for inspection upon request.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Toyota Rav4. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 89,704. At the time of the vehicle registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 251,351.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that large pieces of paint had separated from the hood and contacted the front windshield while driving, creating a visibility hazard for the driver. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the contact heard an exploding sound and became aware that the sunroof had exploded. The contact stated that the shattered glass fell onto the shade cover that was closed during the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the sunroof was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Over the course of the past two days, 2013 Toyota RAV4 has engine cut-off while moving on surface streets, tollroads, and Interstate Highways. Thus far, this has occurred 9 times without any warning whatsoever. Car is in otherwise fine mechanical condition, with all four new tires, new brake rotors & ceramic brake pads, new battery & cables inspection, professional throttle body cleaning, 5,000 mile full-synthetic oil change & oil filter, new engine air filter, and all features and functions in what was known as 100% condition with no Engine Fault indicator on or subsequent OBD II codes. Yet it stalls at all speeds, including street traffic speeds and cruise at 70mpg. No indication whatsoever.
Safety Rating for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4
The 2013 TOYOTA RAV4 received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4
Toyota Motor Corporation has issued 43 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
21TG01 Region Le — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
RL: During a recent investigation of reported battery fires in 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles with gasoline engines (excluding hybrid models), Toyota discovered that many non-Toyota retailers and others who sell or install replacement batteries were recommending a small size battery for replacement. Toyota specifies a particular size replacement battery for the...
ZH1 Updated U760 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
Dealer Letter: December 13, 2017. Description of the covered transmissions has been corrected. In these vehicles, Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder during torque converter flex lock up. This shudder may be observed while driving under light throttle conditions between approximately 25 ?...
ZH1_Toyota POL17 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
Warranty Policy Bulletin: Toyota has received reports of customer concerns in which the vehicle may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder during torque converter flex lock up. This shudder may be observed while driving under light throttle conditions between approximately 25-50 mph.
ZH1_Toyota POL17 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
Warranty Policy Bulletin: Toyota has received reports of customer concerns in which the vehicle may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder during torque converter flex lock up. This shudder may be observed while driving under light throttle conditions between approximately 25-50 mph.
ZH1_Dealer Email — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
Dealer Email: In our continuing efforts to ensure the best in customer satisfaction, Toyota is announcing a Warranty Enhancement Program to extend the warranty coverage for repairs related to U760E Torque Converter Shudder. In these vehicles, Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder during...
ZH1_Dealer Lette — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
Dealer Letter: In these vehicles, Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder during torque converter flex lock up. This shudder may be observed while driving under light throttle conditions between approximately 25 ? 50 mph. Although the Torque Converter is covered by Toyota?s New...
T-SB-0168-13_Obs — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE August 18, 2017: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0275-17.
T-SB-0275-17 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes SB No. T-SB-0168-13. ? The entire bulletin has been updated. Service Bulletin No. T-SB-0168-13 is obsolete and any printed versions should be discarded. Be sure to review the entire content of this bulletin before proceeding. Some 2013 ? 2017 model...
T-SB-0061-15 REV — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TSB: REVISION NOTICE: INTRODUCTION HAS BEEN UPDATED. ANY PREVIOUS PRINTED VERSIONS OF THIS BULLETIN SHOULD BE DISCARDED. SOME 2012 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A DISPLAY AUDIO NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND ENTUNE (VERSION LESS THAN 2.1.0) MAY EXHIBIT 1 OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS; SOME 2012 2013 MODEL YEAR...
T-TT-0392-16 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
TT: Some customers may experience Bluetooth connection issues after updating the Android Operating System to 5.x.x (Lollipop) or later.
Showing 10 of 43 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2013 TOYOTA RAV4
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the TOYOTA RAV4
- 2008 TOYOTA RAV4 — 707 complaints
- 2009 TOYOTA RAV4 — 391 complaints
- 2010 TOYOTA RAV4 — 493 complaints
- 2011 TOYOTA RAV4 — 398 complaints
- 2012 TOYOTA RAV4 — 355 complaints
- 2013 TOYOTA RAV4 (current)
- 2014 TOYOTA RAV4 — 264 complaints
- 2015 TOYOTA RAV4 — 391 complaints
- 2016 TOYOTA RAV4 — 289 complaints
- 2017 TOYOTA RAV4 — 402 complaints
- 2018 TOYOTA RAV4 — 422 complaints
Other TOYOTA Models
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- TOYOTA COROLLA — 14,342 total complaints
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- TOYOTA TACOMA — 10,512 total complaints
- TOYOTA TUNDRA — 8,997 total complaints
- TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 6,663 total complaints
- TOYOTA 4RUNNER — 6,405 total complaints