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NHTSA vehicle safety data

2003 Toyota RAV4 Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

The 2003 Toyota RAV4 has no NHTSA recall campaigns and 315 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Toyota dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2003 Toyota RAV4, plus NCAP crash-test ratings. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

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2003 Toyota RAV4 owner complaints

Owners have filed 315 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Toyota RAV4, describing incidents dated July 18, 2002 to July 6, 2026.

Most-cited components

  • Power Train 209 complaints
  • Engine 47 complaints
  • Electrical System 42 complaints
  • Vehicle Speed Control 29 complaints
  • Unknown or Other 15 complaints
  • Air Bags 10 complaints

Of the 315 complaints on file, 19 report a crash and 4 a fire; across all 315 complaints, owners report 9 injuries (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

  • ODI #11768326 · Filed

    See attached document for complaint

  • ODI #11547851 · Filed

    The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and at various speeds, the transmission slipped out of the intended gear. The contact stated that after depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine would rev before the transmission would jolt into gear. The…

  • ODI #11512145 · Filed

    The vehicle is very delayed shifting and will slow down without pushing the breaks

Read all 315 complaints

Owner-reported

2003 Toyota RAV4 mileage at failure

268 of the 315 complaints on file for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 give the vehicle's mileage when the problem happened.

Mileage at failure by component, from owners' complaints to NHTSA
Power TrainMedian 100,000 milesMiddle half 85,000–120,000 milesBased on 186 complaints
EngineMedian 90,000 milesMiddle half 70,000–115,000 milesBased on 40 complaints
Electrical SystemMedian 100,000 milesMiddle half 85,000–120,000 milesBased on 37 complaints

A component's median is its 50th percentile, and its middle half runs from its 25th to its 75th percentile.

Owners give the mileage themselves, often as a round number, and NHTSA doesn't check it. A complaint that names several components counts under each one, and mileages that can't be right, such as 999,999, or 50 miles on a five-year-old car, are left out.

These figures describe the complaints owners filed. They don't predict when a particular vehicle will have a problem, and vehicles that never had one aren't counted.

Mileage from NHTSA's complaints file of October 31, 2026. How these figures are worked out

NHTSA defect investigations

NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003 Toyota RAV4 in 1 investigation. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

Open and recently closed NHTSA defect investigations
NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 as of November 3, 2026. New recalls can be issued at any time, so check the specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before buying.

Other Toyota RAV4 model years

Check your 2003 Toyota RAV4 VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Toyota RAV4 at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

Check a Toyota VIN