Vehicle Data Hub

2003 Toyota RAV4 engine problems

47 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2003 Toyota RAV4, which is 12% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the 3rd most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
47 12% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
89,000 miles 40 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
1 and 0
Injuries and deaths
0 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Engine complaints by mileage, 2003 Toyota RAV4 Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 89,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 0 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 2 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 3 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 8 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 13 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 6 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 6 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 1 complaints 200k+ miles: 1 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 89,000 miles
Based on 40 complaints that include mileage. 13% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles0
20k to 40k miles2
40k to 60k miles3
60k to 80k miles8
80k to 100k miles13
100k to 120k miles6
120k to 140k miles6
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles1
200k+ miles1

What the data shows

Of the 40 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 89,000 miles, and 12% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 1 crash.

What owners wrote

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. While driving 10 MPH and making a left turn the vehicle would not accelerate when the pedal was engaged. The contact was unable to shift gears which caused a vehicle to crash into the rear end of the contacts vehicle. The dealer confirmed that they have had problems with the ECM on this year, make and model vehicle and that they will not help her with the repairs. They estimated repair cost was approximately $1227. There were no injuries.

Reported at 70,000 miles, March 2005 Crash

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 current mileage was 89,500. The VIN was not available.

Reported at 89,000 miles, May 2012

Other problems reported for the 2003 Toyota RAV4

Engine problems in other years

Engine problems across all Toyota models