The 2013 Toyota RAV4 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,854,708 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 331 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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 on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. …
TRAILER HITCHES15V0110002015-01-161,140 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…
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 this recall is SET-15A.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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 105,836; however, carfax reported the mileage as 311,581.”
“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 had expired. In some parts of the car the pint is starting to bubble up . .”
“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 concern that needs to be address so that I won't get into an accident. How…”
“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.”
“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…”
“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,…”
“The dealer, toyota of chula vista insists that I pay for the recall of the battery they had my car all day yesterday first they lied battery not available then they quoted me $337”
“The paint on the roof of my 2013 toyota rav4 has begun to peel (delaminate). I first noticed it in may 2025. More recently, in june, while driving I saw in my rearview mirror what was clearly a chunk of white paint fall off the blowing from the top of my vehicle behind me - which is poses a safety…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE21005 Opened 2021-02-25 · closed 2024-08-12
Battery Hold Down Bracket Thermal Events
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to understand the contributing factors and frequency of vehicle fires originating from the battery region of the engine compartment in Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles on 25 February 2021. At the time of opening, ODI…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2013 Toyota RAV4 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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