2003 Toyota RAV4 Engine Problems
- 20
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
What owners report
- check engine · 7 records
- engine light · 6 records
- needed replaced · 4 records
- failure mileage · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 12 |
| 100–150k mi | 4 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
| 30–60k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
This car has been maintained and preserved and only 84000 miles on it. And the car wont shift. It jolts me or revs extremely high and also almost caused me an accident as it almost shut down on power while making a left turn in intersection. The check engine light comes on and off. It's only while going from 2nd to 3rd or shifting down from 2 to 1st. I had my mechanic look at it and he said it's a common issue with…
ODI 11309385
Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact attempted to accelerate again and the vehicle responded very slowly to approximately 15 mph. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that…
ODI 10906455
Engine
While driving engine light started blinking, the vehicle lost power. And smelled bad odor. My first complaint was filed with nhtsa in 2012, and i took my vehicle to maplewood toyota, mn 55109, in 2012 and they did not fix it. It is serious issue of safety with the engine / transmission
ODI 10897451
Engine
While driving engine light started blinking, the vehicle lost power and smelled bad odor. My first complaint was filed with nhtsa in 2012, and i took my vehicle to maplewood toyoa, mn 55109, in 2012 and they did not fix it. It is serious issue of safety with the engine / transmission
ODI 10897446
Engine · Power Train
My vehicle began to "buck" and then shortly thereafter the check engine light came on. I initially took it to the closest mechanic and was told i needed a new transmission and that they couldn't replace it. Told them to take it to krause toyota. Was then told by krause it needed a new ecm but they were too busy and couldn't look at the vehicle for 2 weeks since i wasn't a "regular" customer. I then took the car to…
ODI 10760770
Engine · Power Train
I'm the owner of a 2003 rav4, purchased from a toyota dealer in 2011. Last week, i experienced a time lapse of my car shifting into first gear, in my opinion, a safety hazard. This morning i took the car to a mechanic and began searching the web for any recalls for a 2003 rav4, there are none. However, on this site, i discovered that i am one of many who have this complaint, and that we ,the consumer, all share the…
ODI 10631106
Engine · Power Train
I purchased a 2003 toyota rav4 from the toyota dealership that only had 13 miles on it in august 2003. In august of 2014, i started having trouble with the automatic transmission shifting harsh when changing. The car would strain to change gears, then all of a sudden it would jerk into gear. No lights came on at all. I took it to the toyota dealership to have the problem inspected and they told me about an extended…
ODI 10660707
Engine
The vehicle with 71,000 miles and perfect service record had a engine failure, without warning, while driving on the highway. The oil pressure light came on and before i had time to pull over to the shoulder to inspect the engine started knocking badly. I barely made it to the shoulder before the vehicle stalled. After having it towed to the dealership, they came out with the diagnose that the "engine threw a rod"…
ODI 10578521
Engine · Power Train
Vehicle driven by elderly widowed mother (josephine beasley, age 70) no more than 6,200 miles per year and began experiencing harsh shift in transmission in march 2014. Aamco informed us that a malfunctioning electronic computer module (ecm) caused the damage to transmission. Aamco technician notified us that the ecm repair claims are covered under a toyota settlement agreement (www.[redacted].com). Repair cost for…
ODI 10620672
Body · Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Experience a hard shift jerking motion when driving my car and almost got hit twice due to the car jerking and immediately slowing down. I took it in to kendall toyota of anchorage right away and then read online that there was a class action lawsuit and enhanced warranty of 2001-2003 toyotas because of the malfunction of the ecm and transmission. This car is not safe to drive! Toyota kendall said it would be $6,000…
ODI 10551328
Engine · Fuel System, Gasoline · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
2003 rav4 with automatic transmission started having trouble accelerating from a stop. There seemed to be hardly any power when the gas pedal was pressed, and then about 5-8 seconds later the car would jolt into gear. This problem would happen also when increasing speed, or any time the gas pedal was pressed down. The car was taken to an auto shop where they said the transmission was broken and needed to be…
ODI 10548647
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
I purchased the rav4 in late july, 2013. The rav4 had 78,000 miles on the odometer. I paid $9,000+ for the rav4. At 80,000 miles the automatic transmission began having shifting problems such as jerking between gears, very sluggish response during acceleration and horrendous gas mileage. I get about 8 miles per gallon. Took it to the dealer, they ran diagnostics on my car and discovered that the problems fall…
ODI 10546218
Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle was jerking violently as the check engine warning light illuminated. The check engine warning light would illuminate intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer and the power transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The…
ODI 10536307
Electrical System · Engine
Often (and unpredictably), vehicle does not accelerate from stop. It creeps forward as tack jumps, then with a loud "clunk" it jerks into 2nd (or 3rd) gear and suddenly leaps forward. Check engine light goes on and off. Took vehicle to toyota dealer more than once and told "no problem found." when this issue was finally demonstrated, the toyota dealership reported that solenoid b is faulty and entire transmission…
ODI 10534673
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 60 mph, the vehicle lost acceleration power. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was determined that the ecm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000. The vin was not available.
ODI 10536282
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Engine · Power Train
On or about may 5, 2013 i noticed my car started to hard shift, though i was driving as usual. The problem happens off and on and is most noticeable when waiting at a stop sign, red light or drive thru at a restaurant. The shift jolt is most noticeable when needing to accelerate or shifting into drive--it doesn't happen when i go into reverse. The shift jolt sometimes is accompanied by a thud noise. On may 7, 2013 i…
ODI 10513658
Engine
Tl* the owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the air filter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle had surpassed the statue of limitations. The failure…
ODI 10482851
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, she noticed that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer stated that the head bolts would need replacing. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was contacted who stated that there was nothing they could do to assist with the defect. The failure mileage was 89,000 and the…
ODI 10459234
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
I own a 2003 toyota rav4. My car was running in good working order, with just over 99,000 miles on it. On may 2nd 2012, i experienced issues with the car's transmission and ecm. The car would rev when i pressed on the gas, but it would not move. Also, when shifting gears, the car would slow to a brake and then there was be a bump or grinding in the gears before the car would proceed to move. This would put me in…
ODI 10458345
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle did not shift properly. The contact also stated that there was an increams in the engine rpms and the vehicle would hesitate before accelerating. The contact spoke with a dealer and was informed that the engine control unit was failing and would cause the transmission to fail. The failure mileage was 210,000 and the current mileage was…
ODI 10461027