2003 Toyota RAV4 consumer reviews

Yep. Buy this car and weld the hood shut. It's that's rock solid. So solid I bought an 2007 for my wife and also rock solid

As the headline describes, this vehicle works as an all-in-one dependable & comfortable ride. It is good on gas while being a 4WD all the time. This RAV4 has plenty of rear cargo space especially when I take out the easy-to-remove rear seats! This is what makes this small SUV a great all-in-one bargain!!

I owned this car for 7 years and I loved it. It has a great amount of space when the back l backseats are removed. I was moved twice using it. This car held up great with very few things that needed repaired. I would definitely own a Toyota again.

14 years and 135,000 miles and always reliable. Took this car everywhere and only had to sell because our family grew out of it. Will miss it...but bought another Toyota.

I always consider my car as my second home, All maintenance was performed on time and all the time

My rav 4 went beyond my expectations , i have 250.000 and its still running well as a mechanic the coil packs and plugs i replaced and kept up with the transmission and engine oil change.Use what toyota recommends especially the tranny fluid and buy NGK or Nippon Diesen coil packs and your car will be zippy.thius car hold its reseale value and than some.

There was a recall on this year, on the transmission. It would act like it couldn't go into gears and be very jerky. Took it into many auto mechanics but they could not figure it out but charged us for all the work and they didn't fix the problem. We googled it and it turned out the computer was malfunctioning. We ordered a new one online for like $300. And it like good as new! Been enjoying my rav ever since. It was frustrating trying to figure it out but glad we finally did. hope this review help you incase your having this issue, hate for someone to get rid of this great car over an issue that can be resolved so easily.

I traded a 2002 Ford Escape trod my RAV4 and got good money for a used Ford with 221k on it , Butt the rav4 had 77098 miles on it , I have drove it 1000 miles as of now, It is great on gas 32 city and 35 hwy the said 22/28 but great so far!

I bought my 2003 Rav4 in 2005 with 25K on it (automatic transmission). I now have 180K on it. About a month ago, it started intermittently acting weird when shifting through the lower gears. Last week the check engine light came on. Did some research, found out about the ECM problem, called a local Toyota dealership, and was quoted a price of $1650. Did some more research and decided to send the ECM to a circuit board repair service in South Carolina. I had my car towed to my mechanic, who removed the ECM for me. I overnighted it on Tuesday evening. By Friday afternoon, it was back in TN in my car. My car is working fine now! It seems to have escaped transmission damage -- probably because I drove it less than one mile after the check engine light came on. The charge for the repair was $225, with a 1 year warranty! My total cost including overnight shipping, the towing of my car, a rental for a week, and my mechanic's labor charges: @ $575. I highly recommend that you research this approach to the ECM problem. (I would give the name of the company but it is apparently against the rules on this site. But if you google South Carolina circuit board ECM you'll find them).

After I bought my 2003 RAV4 for from a Connecticut dealer "as is," I THEN found out about the notorious ECM problems for 2001-2003 RAV4s. Luckily this does not seem to be a transmission problem - though at first it sure felt like it, with a horrible "clunking" in reverse as soon as I got home - but even the ECM repair is not 100%. I still have some occasional hesitating or bumping in reverse. Cars.com probably won't print this review, but I'll never buy another 2001-2003 RAV4; they're more trouble than they're worth.