Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving my 2003 Toyota RAV4 and attempted to merge into another lane when I experienced a very hard shift from the transmission causing the vehicle to stall with a reving engine noise and avoided being rear ended by a truck. I purchased my RAV4 brand new in 2003 to accomodate my disability needs and only have 82,000 miles.I checked with my mechanic today and he looked up the Toyota recall on these RAV4 transmission failures and not once did Toyota inform me about the recall. How is disabled individual on fixed income to afford $3000.00 for a transmission on a well maintained Toyota with only 82,000 miles. I wish Toyota would show some empathy to accommodate an individual whose sole purpose of a brand new RAV4 would fulfill his daily physical challenges in life and now left with a Toyota with 82,000 miles in need of a transmission. …
Experiencing abnormal behavior when shifting gears (auto trans). Transmission was shifting oddly - harsh shift condition . It was not a frequent problem and no engine light and I took it to the local mechanic and he connected to his computer and could not find any error codes. The problem happens every time I move from a stop. Found out that Toyota put out a technical service bulletin in early 2006 after defects started surfacing stating to replace the car's computer ECM/ECU and possibly the transmission.. The company did not inform owners about this defect which is now surfacing and did not recall due to cost of replacing the ECU and transmission it destroys. The defective ECU burns up the clutch and other parts in the transmission
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Toyota RAV4. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle jerked. As a result, the vehicle became stuck in second and third gear. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was undetermined; however, the technician discovered that the computer damaged the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
As my husband and I drove we smelled a strange odor we thought it was the air outside. My husband noticed there was smoke rising from the hood. He drove to the shoulder and got out of the vehicle. Sparks began to appear and very quickly the entire car became engulfed. We were very luckily not to be injured. We lost a significant amount of our belongings. We were going away for the weekend to our home in pa. And were carrying clothing, luggage,etc. To store.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Toyota RAV4. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly stop accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the ECM unit was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 162,000.
Original owner of 2003 RAV4. The vehicle was parked. When notified by college security that car had erupted into flames. Car was totally consumed by fire and was wrecked at junkyard. The car had never been crashed, had all maintenance up to date and was in perfect shape.
Electric control module (ECM) is bad, causing harsh shifting, failure to accelerate correctly, and RPM's to jump. This is a known problem with this model and should have been recalled. This vehicle only has 112,000 miles on it. The part is $800+ or $1100 from dealer.
Bought car used and didn't notice the shift problem til later.shifts hard from 2 to 3rd gear. Many people have issue with this mostly being the ECM going bad then destroying the transmission. Both are expensive fixes and both are dangerous leading to accidents.
Harsh shifting, jumping from gear-to-gear, sluggish acceleration and transmission/electronic control module failure. Called Toyota regarding the extended warrenty. They refused to honor the extended warranty despite not providing notice to the correct address.
ECM fail. Heading north on highway 53 and made a turn to go south on highway 53 car seem to apply brakes and gears was hunting which gear to go in all the time I giving it gas to get out of the way of on coming cars,, made it home, next day drove car and as I made a right turn same thing again went back home and call Toyota dealer they said it sound like the tranmission was failing, got on the internet and found that the ECM had fail on the car, I call Toyota and they said it would cost $1400 and that Toyota would not pay or discount any of it even they had know about the fail of the unit since the beginning, I pull the ECM unit myself sent it to be repair got it back and reinstall it and car would not crank had it tow to Toyota dealer and they said a wire had to be replace, after picking the car up it run good but front power door locks does not work and the security system does not …
NHTSA 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 pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
Electrical complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Toyota RAV4, 13% of the model year's 315 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › interior/under dash (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Toyota RAV4 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2003 Toyota RAV4. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Toyota RAV4 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 98,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.