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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 RAV4's top complaint is that the navigation screen is impossible to see in direct sunlight.

While certainly an annoyance, it's not a big deal in the world of car problems. Luckily the fix is a $10 anti-glare screen cover.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,386 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Toyota RAV4 body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2013 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments

problem #15

Sep 142023

RAV4

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Water leaks inside from the sunroof and out of corner of sun visor

- Port St Lucie , FL, USA

problem #14

Apr 202022

RAV4

  • miles
I turned the key and started the RAV4 parked in my driveway. It immediately made unusual noices (gurgling, spitting, etc.). Within a minute, there was a loud "BOOM" under the hood and fire began coming out from underneath the car. I got out of the car and got a safe distance from it. My neighbors came running over as they heard subsequent explosions and saw black smoke billowing from my direction. Within a matter of a few minutes, the entire car was engulfed in flames. The fire department came and extinguished it. There is nothing left! BTW, I am 91 years old. This could have had a very different and sad outcome!

- Crewe, VA, USA

problem #13

Jan 302022

RAV4

  • miles
Paint peeling on car. Paint could come off hood while driving and obstruct vision while driving.

- Tamarac, FL, USA

problem #12

Jun 012016

RAV4

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Paint peeling off my car. Toyota stated over a year ago that they would repai nt the affected area but have not done so yet.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #11

Feb 062020

RAV4

  • 70,000 miles
Toyota Rav4 with the blizzard white paint have a paint peeling problem which can quickly become a safety issue when it peels off the engine hood and flies up on the windshield blocking your field of vision on I-84 at 90ft/sec.Toyota will only paint parts of the car as they peel from the primer but they should paint the entire car since the paint and primer are the same on the entire car.they did some bogus tests and told me the rest of car was okay.I picked the car up on February 6 and one week later the passenger car door started to peel.I have another appointment on March 9 to paint the passenger side door.the work is being done at greentree Toyota in danbury, ct.Toyota is procrastinating hoping these problems will disappear.

- Ridgefield, CT, USA

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problem #10

Feb 132019

RAV4

  • miles
Roof paint peeling off

- Port Washington, NY, USA

problem #9

May 012019

RAV4

  • 51,600 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The paint on the hood is bubbling and peeling off.

- Belle Chasse, LA, USA

problem #8

Mar 152017

RAV4

  • miles
Car painting is detaching. A small hole is formed and then become bigger every day.

- Mayaguez, PR, USA

problem #7

Aug 102017

RAV4

  • 60,000 miles
While opening the trunk, which is electric, the right lift gate piston blew and separated from the ball mount. At that point the trunk/hatch would not work electrically or by hand. In fact the malfunction of the piston was so intense it caused significant damage to the body of my car, buckling the back roof, shifting the door and buckling the hinges. The grand total of damage is well over $5000. Toyota was well aware of this defect. In fact I have their technical service bulletin from Toyota that discusses the problem in detail (T-sb-0168-13 for which I am sending you a copy). The piston, known as an actuator has been changed after a certain VIN # (see page #2 of attached bulletin). Because of the defect I now have to replace the unaffected piston also. Each piston costs $686.16 for the part alone. If the car is under warranty they cover repair, as I have owned my car for almost 4 years, it is not covered. Toyota not only knew about the defect, they chose not to notify the car owners'. if the pistons had been replaced, all of the other damage would not have occurred. Several mechanics I spoke with could not believe this was not a recall. If an animal had been in the back or worse yet, if it occurred as it was open, it could potentially cause significant injury or worse. Apparently Toyota does not have an obligation to repair this as it is no longer under warranty. If deemed a recall they would need to address this at no cost to the consumer. We contacted Toyota; they have offered us $2500 as 'goodwill', which is less than 50%. at this point I am having them do the actual mechanical work, and will also have to pay over $1100 out of pocket to cover the full cost of the mechanical repair. This still will not address the body work. Therefore this will devalue my car, and also runs the risk of rusting as the paint is damaged.

- Oakdale, NY, USA

problem #6

Dec 012015

RAV4

  • 36,000 miles
La pintura de la guagua SE esta saliendo. Las puertas delanteras tienen problemas cuando quieres abrir O cerrar las mismas con el llavero. SE le dao a ambas puertas delanteras el motor O lo que le llaman "actuator" a una semana de diferencia Y cuando intento abrir la puerta desde adentro para bajarme SE queda cerrada Y no me permite abrirla tengo que estar dndole lock/unlock hasta que me deja quitarle el seguro para poder bajarme de la guagua; esto asunto en particular me preocupa en caso de algn accidente no pueda abrirla. Otro problema que tiene ES que cada 3 meses, ES que las bombillas de "stop" del lado derecho SE daa Y tengo que estar cambindola. Esto ha sucedido desde aproximadamente diciembre 2015. The paint is coming out. The front doors have problems when you want to open or close them with the key ring. Both front doors damaged the what they call the actuator a week apart and when I try to open the driver's door from the inside to get out the car it is closed and I can't open it I have to be hit the lock/unlock button until it lets me remove the lock to get off the car; this issue in particular worries me because in case of an accident I won't be able to open the door fast. Another problem that has is that every 3 months, the bulbs light for stop on the right side has to be change because it damage and I have to be changing it. This has been appening sing around December 2015.

- Arroyo, PR, USA

problem #5

Feb 072017

RAV4

  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Door lock actuators failed in every door. The passenger and driver actuators failed completely and the two back doors will work sometimes and won't others.

- Cornelia, GA, USA

problem #4

Feb 112017

RAV4

  • 58,000 miles
2/20/2017 2013 Toyota Rav4 limited pear white. One week age on a Saturday I was wetting my SUV with a garden hose while it was parked and the engine off before washing and when I got to the passenger door on drivers side paint started flaking off. I stopped spraying at that time and I was left with a 3 inch diameter area that has no paint left, but a gray base. I did report this to lake charles Toyota in Louisiana and was told since the factory warranty has ended and I have 60,000 miles, that Toyota would not cover, to have it repaired. I questioned them about my 'bumper to bumper' extended warranty and it was left up to the manager of the service department and he said the extended warranty would not cover it. This is the worst treatment I have ever received from them. The service starting going downhill about two years ago at lc Toyota. I have referred several people there for purchase of their new vehicle. But will only give negative reviews on them now. Melinda D. in Louisiana

- Mittie, LA, USA

problem #3

Mar 102016

RAV4

  • 17,450 miles
The engine started on fire under normal driving conditions. The car was not involved in any accident. The Rav4 limited was totaled. It was less than 3 years old and had 17,500 miles on it. The car was serviced regularly by Toyota. The last service was about 4 months prior to the fire. Toyota has not honored their 3yr/36,000 mile warranty coverage on the car. Toyota has not offered a replacement car, rental or anything. Every time we call our Toyota case manager or legal department managers, we have to leave a message and they never return our calls.

- East Providence, RI, USA

problem #2

Dec 012014

RAV4

  • 45,000 miles
"blizzard pearl bisque" paint peeling between the windshield and the sunroof. Paint is coming off in large pieces the size of silver dollars. Paint "blisters" first then just falls off the roof of the car. This problem has been there for the better part of the year and seems to have nothing to do with the car being stationary, in motion - or the environment. It has been parked in the same places that my prior Toyota have been parked, and this problem has never occurred before. My wife and I have seen this problem, with this color paint on other Rav4S, prius, and Lexus models.

- Redington Shores, FL, USA

problem #1

Mar 042015

RAV4 4WD 4-cyl

  • 17,745 miles
The throttle stuck on the car. I could not stop the car and it went over a 10 foot fall and crashed to the ground. It was a very scary ride. I tried every way to stop the car but could not. I had my foot on the brake the entire time of the unintended event. I am still very sore three weeks later and have some spinal sprain and wrist sprain, cervical sprain and both knees bruised both knees. The car was taken to a collision center for repairs after I consulted my insurance company....updated 06-16-15 updated 10/2/2017

- Dandridge, TN, USA

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