BUY WITH CARE

Recall 23V734000 (Toyota, 2024, all 2013-2018 RAV4): certain REPLACEMENT 12-volt batteries are smaller than the original and do not fit the tray tightly, letting the battery move and contact the hold-down bracket and short-circuit -- a fire risk. The fix is a redesigned battery clamp, tray, and positive-terminal cover so any correct battery is held securely. Owner letters and parts rolled out in phases across 2024-2025, so many cars are still awaiting the remedy; this campaign is the dominant theme in recent federal complaints on the generation.

Check — Run the VIN through Toyota's recall lookup and confirm 23V734000 is complete; if the car has ever had an aftermarket battery fitted, verify it is the correct size and firmly clamped. Look for scorching, melting, or corrosion around the battery hold-down.

Torque-converter shudder and harsh, hesitant shifting on the 6-speed automatic are this generation's one real mechanical cluster, heaviest on the pre-facelift 2013-2015 cars. Complaints describe a shudder or vibration under light throttle and a one-to-two-second delay or a lurch when the transmission takes up a gear, especially the low-gear engagement from a stop. It is a drivability defect, not a grenade: owners report the remedy is a transmission-control software update (a reflash) rather than a rebuild.

Check — Test-drive for a low-speed shudder and for a hesitant or clunky engagement into first/second gear, worst on a 2013-2015. Ask whether the transmission-control software was reflashed under warranty and whether the fluid has been serviced.