2013 Toyota RAV4 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 29about this part
- Share
- 11%of 257 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 43,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 29 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2013 Toyota RAV4, 11% of the 257 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 43,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My car is only 70,000 miles and from the past I am experiencing missed misfire of my transmission from 2nd to 3rd gear. The car is driven daily, but being fairly less number of miles this is a very unexpected behavior. I checked with a certified mechanic, who asked me to get it rebuilt for more than $3,000. But could not tell me the reason for this issue. He said likely to be Toyota transmission issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11258783, filed 2019-09, 70,000 miles“Transmission is not working correctly. It shakes a lot while driving I took it to the mechanic and he confirmed that the transmission is not working correctly and should be replace under warranty recall since my vehicle only has 77000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #11312172, filed 2020-02, 77,301 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10512209, filed 2013-05, 530 miles“My 2013 Toyota RAV4 is showing transmission issues. After starting, put in gear and it won't move, just revs like in neutral. When I shut off and restart it runs. This has happened to me 4 different times in the past 2 months, and one time I was in a line of cars and when it was my turn to go, it was just revving. I have brought it to my local dealer 3 times for this, one time they had it for 3 days and another time overnight so they could do a cold start again. They told me they could not find any problems. There is something definitely wrong with it. …”
NHTSA complaint #11184705, filed 2019-03, 74,000 miles“Tourque converter is bad in rav 4 vehicle and it has to be replaced in every vehicle. I observed hesitation in lower speeds like 30 miles an hour when I had 20 to 30 thousand miles in my vehicle. I did a mistake and didn't cared much about this issue. At 78,000 miles, the Toyota dealer diagnosed my vehicle with bad tourque converter and it needs to be replaced. Costs me about 2,500 to do it. I just want the owners of the rav 4 to go to dealers to make sure they would check this issue before 60,000 miles and get it fixed. …”
NHTSA complaint #10981659, filed 2017-05, 54,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10190454Mar 15, 2021TSB: Some 2013 ? 2015 model year RAV4 vehicles may exhibit a brief shudder intermittently while driving under light loads between approximately 25 and 50 mph. The torque…
- 10164344Jul 9, 2019Warranty Enhancement Bulletin: Toyota has received reports of customer concerns in which the vehicle may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder during torque converter flex lock…
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10142894Jun 20, 2018Warranty 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…
- 10140600Dec 13, 2017Dealer 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…
- 10119431Sep 15, 2017Warranty 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…
- 10119426Sep 14, 2017Dealer 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…
- 10119425Sep 14, 2017Region 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…
- 10119424Sep 14, 2017Dealer 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…
- 10119423Sep 14, 2017Region 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…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 7% |
| 2024 | 8 | 5% |
| 2023 | 11 | 7% |
| 2022 | 11 | 7% |
| 2021 | 23 | 6% |
| 2020 | 38 | 6% |
| 2019 | 82 | 9% |
| 2018 | 26 | 8% |
| 2017 | 16 | 5% |
| 2016 | 11 | 5% |
| 2015 | 25 | 8% |
| 2014 | 20 | 10% |
| 2013 | 29 | 11% |
| 2012 | 19 | 7% |
| 2011 | 25 | 9% |
| 2010 | 38 | 10% |
| 2009 | 28 | 9% |
| 2008 | 37 | 6% |
| 2007 | 53 | 5% |
| 2006 | 53 | 8% |
| 2005 | 8 | 6% |
| 2004 | 23 | 15% |
| 2003 | 209 | 66% |
| 2002 | 376 | 71% |
| 2001 | 190 | 61% |
| 2000 | 5 | 17% |
| 1999 | 4 | 6% |
| 1998 | 10 | 13% |
| 1997 | 5 | 9% |
| 1996 | 9 | 19% |
Other parts of the 2013 Toyota RAV4
75 complaintsOther or unknown
40 complaintsEngine
29 complaintsBody and structure
28 complaintsBrakes
23 complaintsVehicle speed control
17 complaintsEquipment
15 complaintsAir bags
13 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
13 complaintsSteering
11 complaintsFuel system
9 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2013 Toyota RAV4
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology