2013 Toyota RAV4 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 256 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota RAV4 over 14 years — 32 per year. The other RAV4 years sit at about the same rate: their median is 35 complaints per year. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including 12V/24V/48V battery and Trailer hitch.

Complaints

256

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (74 of 256), then Engine (29) and Powertrain (29). Those filings include 22 that report a crash, 29 that report a fire, 11 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 RAV4 has 266 complaints, 27 per year, and the 2014 has 197 complaints, 12 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Toyota RAV4. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (2)

Recall electrical system, 12V/24V/48V battery 2023-11-01 · NHTSA campaign 23V734000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall trailer hitch 2015-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 15V011000

Summary 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.

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.

Complaints by component (256 total)

Electrical system

Engine

Powertrain

Structure

Service brakes

Speed control

Air bags

Equipment

Steering

Fuel and propulsion system

Visibility

Visibility and wipers

Exterior lighting

Seat belts

Tires

Wheels

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Latches, locks, and linkages

Adaptive and mobility equipment

Engine and engine cooling

Hydraulic brakes

Suspension

Back-over prevention

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel system, gasoline

Lane departure

Seats

Show 19 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The system that failed is the 12-volt battery hold-down assembly and associated electrical infrastructure, exactly as described under NHTSA Safety Recall Campaign Number 23V-729 (Toyota Recalls 23TA13 / 23TB13). The…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-08-24
"Toyota issues a Customer Support Program Notification regarding paint peeling on vehicles with factory applied Blizzard Pearl or Super White paint. The original expiration date was December 11, 2022 with secondary…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-20
"Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that a mileage discrepancy was discovered after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-06-08
"I have a Blizzard White RAV4 2013 that I just bought the paint is peeling from roof and side doors. I called a Toyota dealer and they told me that they wouldn’t be able to paint it beacause the warranty of repainting…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-05-29
"The other night driving home i notice that my headlights gotten dimmed. I turned on my fog lights so that i could see the road. after turning on my fog lights i had limited vision on the road. I feel that it's a safety…"
Exterior lighting · filed 2026-04-27

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Toyota Rav4 EV SUV FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2013 Toyota Rav4 SUV AWD Early Release	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2013 Toyota Rav4 SUV AWD Later Release	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2013 Toyota Rav4 SUV FWD Early Release	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2013 Toyota Rav4 SUV FWD Later Release	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
RAV4 two-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	23	30	26 MPG	$2500
RAV4 all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	22	28	25 MPG	$2600
RAV4 EV	—	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-wheel drive	78	74	76 MPG / 103 mi range	$1000
RAV4 Limited all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	22	29	25 MPG	$2600

Specs and fitment

5th generation, 2013–2018

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-20 (5W-20 acceptable if 0W-20 is unavailable) , 4.6 qt capacity

Tire size 225/65R17 (LE) to 235/55R18 (Limited/SE)

Towing capacity 1,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Toyota recall 23V-734 (23TA13) covers 2013–2018 RAV4 vehicles after some replacement Group 35 batteries with smaller top dimensions can shift when the hold-down clamp is not tightened correctly, allowing the positive terminal to contact the clamp and short-circuit. Toyota states that can increase fire risk; dealers replace the battery hold-down clamp, tray, and positive terminal cover at no charge. Toyota estimates about 1,854,000 U.S. vehicles are involved in the recall.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Toyota RAV4 Next year 2014 Toyota RAV4 See every Toyota RAV4 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Toyota RAV4 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Toyota RAV4?

Is the 2013 Toyota RAV4 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 RAV4 has 266 complaints, 27 per year, and the 2014 has 197 complaints, 12 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Toyota RAV4 been recalled?

The 2013 Toyota RAV4 has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Toyota RAV4?

Owners have filed 256 complaints about the 2013 Toyota RAV4 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Toyota RAV4 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Toyota RAV4 is 38 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2017 Toyota RAV4?

5th generation (2013-2018).

What oil does a 2019 Toyota RAV4 use?

Toyota’s 2019 RAV4 maintenance guide specifies 0W-16; Toyota service bulletins list about 4.8 quarts with filter for the A25 engine family.

Does the Toyota RAV4 have a battery fire recall?

2013-2018 RAV4 models are covered by NHTSA recall 23V-734 for 12-volt battery hold-down and terminal contact issues; 2019+ models are not part of that campaign.