2003 Toyota RAV4 Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2003 Toyota RAV4. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 392 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“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 vehicle is very delayed shifting and will slow down without pushing the breaks”
“The vehicle is very delayed shifting and will slow down without pushing the breaks”
“The vehicle is very delayed shifting and will slow down without pushing the breaks”
“I drive and the sleep while I'm driving and the can not change correctly the gear. *tr”
“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…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. On several occasions, while driving, the vehicle failed to shift into gear correctly. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to shift into third gear. The rpms would rev; however, the vehicle would lose forward momentum. The vehicle was…”
“My transmission started raving up and shifting all crazy and taken to scan to show a shift selinoid b took to tranny shop who says it's computer and see several post about this happening to others. I am a grandma and I can't even drive him around don't feel safe. It was driving during this time in…”
Defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.