2003 Toyota RAV4 engine problems
21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine on the 2003 Toyota RAV4 — 7% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“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…”
filed Feb 15, 2020
“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…”
filed Sep 14, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Engine problems in other RAV4 years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 RAV4 | 11 | 15% |
| 2024 RAV4 | 37 | 22% |
| 2023 RAV4 | 22 | 15% |
| 2022 RAV4 | 26 | 19% |
| 2021 RAV4 | 38 | 10% |
| 2020 RAV4 | 179 | 29% |
| 2019 RAV4 | 203 | 23% |
| 2018 RAV4 | 32 | 10% |
| 2017 RAV4 | 31 | 10% |
| 2016 RAV4 | 25 | 11% |
| 2015 RAV4 | 37 | 12% |
| 2014 RAV4 | 31 | 16% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2003 Toyota RAV4
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.