Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
80
Latest Jun 8, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
31%
of 256 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
13
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1
What this page shows
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 Toyota RAV4 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 80 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Owner reports naming electrical
The 25 most recent of 80, in the owner's own words
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that a mileage discrepancy was discovered after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 105,836; however, Carfax reported the mileage as 311,581.
NHTSA ID
11742666
Incident
Jun 8, 2026
Mileage
311,581 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 26, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Toyota Rav4. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 89,704. At the time of the vehicle registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 251,351.
NHTSA ID
11713356
Incident
Jan 23, 2026
Mileage
251,351 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 18, 2025
The dealer, Toyota of Chula Vista insists that i pay for the recall of the battery they had my car all day yesterday first they lied battery not available then they quoted me $337
NHTSA ID
11667758
Incident
Jun 17, 2025
Electrical
Filed Apr 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota RAV4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA ID
11654712
Incident
Dec 14, 2023
Electrical
Filed Mar 11, 2025
Fire reported
Car started cutting on and off then battery caught fire while driving. The battery is still in the vehicle. Car was inspected by Victory Toyota of Brook Park. There were no warning lamps or messages before the incident occurred.
NHTSA ID
11647656
Incident
Jan 28, 2025
Electrical
Filed Feb 25, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
NHTSA ID
11644710
Incident
Feb 10, 2025
Electrical
Filed Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact was not pleased with paying for the repair of the vehicle and then being reimbursed for the recall repair. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA ID
11644531
Incident
Nov 1, 2023
Electrical
Filed Feb 5, 2025
This recall has been an open, unresolved issue for more than 1 year. Finally Toyota has offered me a repair for this issue, but they are charging me an extra $250 to replace the car battery, which is perfectly functional. Without replacing the battery they would not complete the recall. So unfair as this was their issue to begin with!
NHTSA ID
11640862
Incident
Feb 5, 2025
Electrical
Filed Jan 17, 2025
The recall (no. 23v-734) repair performed by Toyota was not free of charge. They had to replace my relatively new battery with a different size that would fit the new battery tray. They charged me $300 for parts and labor, and they did not return my original battery to me! I need to be fully reimbursed.
NHTSA ID
11636506
Incident
Jan 8, 2025
Electrical
Filed Nov 21, 2024
Fire reported1 injury reported
The contact's husband owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while the husband was driving at approximately 35 MPH, smoke was coming from under the hood. The contact's husband managed to pull into a parking lot to inspect the vehicle where it was noticed that the battery compartment caught on fire. The contact's husband managed to extinguish the fire by hand. The contact's husband had sustained slight burns however, no medical attention was sought. No police report was filed. The vehicle was left at a Home Depot parking lot which was the initial destination. The local dealer was contacted and advised that the vehicle would have to be towed out of pocket for diagnoses to decide if it was recall-related however if it was determined to be recall-related the parts were not available. The contact was concerned that the vehicle could not be towed since it failed to shift into neutral. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ID
11626625
Incident
Nov 21, 2024
Mileage
130,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Nov 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota RAV4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA ID
11625354
Incident
Nov 14, 2024
Electrical
Filed Nov 14, 2024
Fire reported
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav 4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned on there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the 12-volt battery located in the engine compartment had caught on fire. The fire was extinguished by the contact. A fire report was not filed, and a police report was not filed. The 12-volt battery had been replaced by the contact. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ID
11625345
Incident
Nov 14, 2024
Electrical
Filed Oct 22, 2024
The contact owned a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact attempted to start the vehicle; and noticed that the vehicle would completely shut off with no warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the 12-volt battery was inoperable. The contact noticed that the battery was loose. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 191,264. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ID
11621266
Incident
Oct 22, 2024
Mileage
191,264 mi
Electrical
Filed Sep 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that a thermal event had occurred, causing the battery to overheat and engine components to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 166,744. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ID
11615667
Incident
Jul 3, 2024
Mileage
166,744 mi
Electrical
Filed Sep 19, 2024
Vehicle suffered electrical shortage after a deer impact, battery is under warranty and recall. Progressive insurance and Jim Hudson Toyota Sumter SC refusing to honor
NHTSA ID
11615327
Incident
Aug 2, 2024
Electrical
Filed Sep 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ID
11614777
Incident
Sep 16, 2024
Electrical
Filed Sep 9, 2024
Toyota USA failed to start recall campaign and fix Manufacturer Recall Number23TB13 & NHTSA Recall Number23V734 It was promised to start fixing recall in the middle of 2024, it is 3rd quarter of 2024 and not remedy available, Toyota USA fails to provide timeframes.
NHTSA ID
11613456
Incident
Sep 9, 2024
Electrical
Filed Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ID
11610999
Incident
Aug 26, 2024
Electrical
Filed Jul 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA ID
11602406
Incident
Nov 1, 2023
ElectricalEngine
Filed Jun 4, 2024
Fire reported
I had a 2013 Rav4, while i was driving the car the car started a fire under the hood and burn completely up. Im trying to file a complaint or talk to someone discussing this matter. Toyota says I need to file a bad faith complaint.
NHTSA ID
11592405
Incident
Feb 9, 2024
Electrical
Filed May 20, 2023
Fire reported
After driving vehicle, noticed smoke coming from under hood. Upon further inspection battery was on fire.
NHTSA ID
11523052
Incident
May 15, 2023
ElectricalEngine
Filed Jan 1, 2023
Fire reported
I was driving back home with my kids on 12/31/22 as usual, car suddenly turned off. The engine then caught fire within 2 min of turning off, the whole car was on fire within 8 min.
NHTSA ID
11499684
Incident
Dec 31, 2022
Electrical
Filed Dec 1, 2022
Fire reported
The battery caught on fire while driving causing a loss of power. I could pull over and a driver passing by jumped out and extinguished the fire.
NHTSA ID
11495582
Incident
Dec 1, 2022
Electrical
Filed Nov 25, 2022
Fire reported
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated when she attempted to start the vehicle, it hesitated to start, once the vehicle started the contact noticed smoking was coming from under the hood. The contact was able to shut down the vehicle. The contact stated that more smoke was coming from under the hood of the vehicle turning into flames causing the vehicle to burn. The fire department was contacted, and they were able to extinguish the fire. No police report was filed. No one was injured. The vehicle was not towed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 45,000.
NHTSA ID
11494908
Incident
Nov 23, 2022
Mileage
45,000 mi
Body & structureElectricalEngine
Filed Apr 28, 2022
Fire reported
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!
NHTSA ID
11462559
Incident
Apr 20, 2022
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own