UsedScore

2013 Toyota RAV4: Solid

Owners filed 121 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 59 for every 100,000 sold: 0.6× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (7% of complaints, median 18,000 miles).

Complaint index
0.6×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical RAV4 year
Rank
6th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
121
first five years; 59 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
2
campaigns
4th generation, 2013–2018 (first year of the generation; redesign years often run worse) · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2013 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD

Photo: 2013 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD · Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Air bags7% · 8 complaints · median 18,000 miles
  2. Electrical28% · 34 complaints · median 1,000 miles
  3. Brakes14% · 17 complaints · median 20,000 miles
  4. Engine12% · 14 complaints · median 7,000 miles
  5. Speed control12% · 15 complaints · median 4,000 miles
  6. Body and structure12% · 14 complaints · median 11,000 miles
  7. Powertrain9% · 11 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  8. Seats and belts2% · 3 complaints
  9. Steering5% · 6 complaints
  10. Fuel and propulsion4% · 5 complaints · median 5,000 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners of this RAV4 report crashing with substantial damage but having their air bags fail to deploy, sometimes resulting in injuries. A few others say the bags deployed but did not deflate, making it hard to exit or reach passengers afterward.

Warning signs:
Some report no warning lights before the crash, and in the non-deploy cases there was usually no indication of a problem beforehand.
What shops did:
A few vehicles were towed to independent shops or dealers for inspection, with one manufacturer inspection finding no defect; several were declared totaled.
Mileage:
most between 15,000 and 50,000 miles, among 9 complaints that give it

“While the contact's spouse was driving 20 MPH through an intersection, she struck an oncoming vehicle head on. The air bags failed to deploy.”

“The air bags seem to have deployed properly but did not deflate after the initial impact.”

Brakes

Owners describe brakes that feel soft, noisy, or that fail to stop the car, sometimes leading to collisions with objects or other vehicles. Some say dealers could not find a cause, while others had pads and rotors replaced, occasionally with recurring problems.

Warning signs:
Some owners noticed excessive pedal travel, squealing or grinding noises, vibration through the steering wheel, brake fade after prolonged use, or dashboard warning lights before failures.
What shops did:
Dealers sometimes found no issue and performed no repair, while others resurfaced or replaced rotors and pads, though a few owners say the noise or softness returned.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 30,000 miles, among 17 complaints that give it

“The brake pedal travel felt excessive, as if there was too much air in the system”

“I experienced significant brake fading and overheating”

Electrical

Owners of this RAV4 report a mix of electrical complaints, from navigation screens that are unreadable in daylight to door locks that fail and 12-volt battery problems that in some cases led to engine-bay fires. Several say a recall repair for the battery issue has been delayed due to parts shortages, leaving the problem unresolved for a long time.

Warning signs:
Many report glare washing out the navigation or gauge display, doors that won't lock or unlock, dashboard warning lights, or smoke and burning smells before the vehicle stalled or caught fire.
What shops did:
Dealers sometimes replaced the navigation unit, updated software, or replaced the 12-volt battery, though many owners say the recall repair parts were unavailable or the problem wasn't found.
Mileage:
most between 0 and 60,000 miles, among 44 complaints that give it

“In any significant ambient light level, the navigation screen is not visible”

“the vehicle shut off and smoke and fumes began to fill the cabin”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (2)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 23V734000November 20231,853,568 vehicles

    Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery

    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.

    Risk: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 15V011000January 20151,140 vehicles

    Trailer hitches · 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.

    Risk: 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.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trailer light module with a new unit with corrected software, free of charge.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Toyota sent NHTSA 398 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2013 RAV4. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 21TG01 · June 202521TG01 Exprired - Replaced with Campaign 23TA13 During a recent investigation of reported battery fires in 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles with gasoline engines (excluding hybrid models), Toyota discovered…
  • T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · June 2025The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks.
  • 24TE03 · June 2024On April 9, 2024, a settlement of claims for certain 2013-2018 model year Rav4 vehicles was preliminarily approved by the federal court.
  • TSB003220 · August 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ?
  • T-SB-0057-18 · May 2023TSB: The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master keys are lost.
  • T-SB-0094-21 Rev · November 2022TSB: Some 2005 ?
  • TTT063620 · March 2022TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions
  • 21TG01 Dealer Le · February 2022DL: 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…

All 2013 RAV4 bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2013 Toyota RAV4 reliable?
Owners filed 121 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota RAV4 in its first five years on the road, about 59 for every 100,000 sold: 0.6× the rate of a typical RAV4 year. That's close to a typical year. Ratings compare RAV4 years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2013 RAV4 problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (7%), the electrical system (28%) and the brakes (14%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2013 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2013 Toyota RAV4, the most recent in November 2023 (electrical system). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Toyota. The 2013 Toyota RAV4 on NHTSA.gov · How we rate