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What 254 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota RAV4 Phev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (254)Crash / fire / injury (49)Electrical system (73)Engine (29)Transmission & drivetrain (29)Body & structure (28)Brakes (23)Speed control (17)Airbags (13)Equipment (13)Visibility & wipers (13)Steering (11)

29 of 254 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Oct 18, 2013Transmission & drivetrain

I HAVE BRAND NEW 2013 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED WITHOUT ANY KIND OF INDICATION OR WARNING. THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS ABOUT TO HIT MY VEHICLE. SOME HOW, HE COULD MANAGE TO DIVERT THE VEHICLE. AFTER THAT ENGINE STARTS, BUT IT WAS UNABLE TO MOVE ANY FURTHER. I HAD STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF ROAD, BLOCKING THE TRAFFIC. FINALLY I HAD TO TOW THE VEHICLE FROM THAT PLACE TO SERVICE CENTER. LUCKILY IT HAPPENED IN THE CITY LIMITS. IF THE SAME THING HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY, I AM SURE, I MIGHT NOT BE LIVING ANYMORE. I CHECKED WITH TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY SAID IT IS AN AXLE FAILURE. I AM SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT, HOW COME A BRAND NEW CAR (4 MONTHS OLD) COULD HAVE MECHANICAL FAILURE WITHOUT ANYKIND OF WARNING AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD SUDDENLY STOPS. I COULD NOT EVEN PULL OUT THE CAR FROM THE ROAD. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10548458

Sep 11, 2013SteeringTransmission & drivetrainElectrical system

ON LOCAL ROAD, ACCELERATING FROM STOP. VEHICLE SUDDENLY "SHUT-OFF" GOING INTO NEUTRAL AND UNABLE TO PUT BACK INTO DRIVE. STEERING WENT "LIMP". VEHICLE DRIFTED RIGHT, POWER STEERING WAS EFFECTED, STEERING DIFFICULT. VEHICLE COASTED INTO PARKING LOT TO THE RIGHT, FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLES HAPPENED TO BE PASSING ON THE RIGHT AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT, THEREFORE NO ACCIDENTS. BUT THERE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN ONE. ATTEMPTS AT RESTARTING VEHICLE RESULTED IN "TAKE EV TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP" MESSAGE AND SEVERAL WARNING INDICATORS ON DASH. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ORIGINATING DEALERSHIP WHICH IT CONTINUES TO BE DIAGNOSED AND UNRESOLVED. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON 9/3/2013 < 6 DAYS PRIOR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10543196

Jun 22, 2013Transmission & drivetrain

WHILE ACCELERATING FROM APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, A JERK WAS FELT AND A NOISE WAS HEARD AS THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTING GEARS. (THIS VEHICLE IS AN AUTOMATIC.) THIS SAME INCIDENT OCCURRED AGAIN LATER THE SAME DAY. HOWEVER, AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND THE "TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT CAME ON. THIS OCCURRED ON THE FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE WITH ONLY 15 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR A REPLACEMENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10521235

May 15, 2013Transmission & drivetrain

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 55MPH,MY NEW 2013 TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR PROPERLY WHEN I ACCELERATED. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD ASAP AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. THEY HAVE DIAGNOSED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THERE IS LESS THAN 600 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10512209

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Working with the data? Download all 254 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 20, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Toyota RAV4 Phev verdict →