This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Water pump starting making incredible diesel / mechanical grinding sounds. Coolant leaking from water pump. Water pump bearing overheating - odor clearly discernible from inside vehicle. Checked internet - this is a very common complaint among Rav4 V6 owners - many owners having replaced water pump on this year vehicle at 25,000K miles! dealers charging anywhere from us $325 - $900.
Rear differential started making a whirring noise while driving down the road. The noise increased in pitch and volume with speed. Dealer informed me that it was a bad magnetic coupling between the transmission and the rear differential and replaced it.
I took my 2008 Toyota Rav4 to the dealership for its schedule appointment, and I was told that the rack and pinion and shaft needed replacement. Researching about this problem online, it was evident that many Rav4 owners were experiencing the same situation. This a common problem with many Rav4S. A so called dependable car should not have this problem before reaching 100,000 miles. Certainly, Toyota must clearly know that this is a common problem and should address it as soon as possible because this problem could potentially lead to an accident which can disrupt the safety of our communities.
2008 (started at 20,000 miles, 1 year out of warranty) Toyota rav 4 started a clunking noise in the drive shaft when turning the wheel. We took it in for service and the dealer said they could not duplicate the problem. It's a constant sound! why they said this is unexplainable. It's been non stop since and getting worse. We read on the internet this is common problem for rav 4 owners. We will be taking it back in again and will probably be told the same thing. I also understand there is a tag issued for this problem by Toyota also. The repair is averaged to be $800 and some dealers are willing to share in the repair cost. This should be Toyota's 100% responsibility!
Happy holidays & hanukkah! bob bridge took advantage of my age & background. They charged me $1280 out the door for tsb recall service. It's unfair & absurd 4 me paying Toyota's design flaws. Can you please help me get in touch with portland regional office so they can start reimbursement to me? bob bridge is milking both me & Toyota district managers. They took 14 days to put in new steering shaft and offered zero in-depth report on failure & steering shaft's warranty. Rushed through the job and left me dying battery & alternator. T-sb-0318-08 (steering shaft recall) steering now feels hard since they didn't refill power steering reservoir. My alternator & battery was left as is with diminishing capacity. I will only pay $150 out the door labor for this tsb service, the rest will be paid by Toyota's district office. When can you send me my check?
- Seattle, WA, USA
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For a while I recall a light flashing on my dash but it would disppear before I could actually see what it was. On May 31, '12, I was able to see it was the oil light. Apparently my Rav4 was running "low" on oil and I didn't know. So on June 1 (61,469miles) I took it in and the service advisor couldn't "elaborate" what happened, so they topped off the oil until I was due for another maintenance. (I did have another scheduled oil change before my next incident) well, during the first few weeks of Nov '12 I noticed the flashing again and I couldn't confirm what was flashing until Nov 17 when I had to hit my brakes and bam, the oil light again! when we got home & rav was cooled off we checked the oil.....and guess what, I had no oil again! I took it back to the service dep't (after doing research as to this happening around the country) and since a tsb doesn't mean crap to them, I have to do this oil consumption test because I am over the 60,000mile powertrain warranty and they will not honor the "life time powertrain warranty" that was given to me by the previous owner of the lot. I have contacted Toyota and opened a case, but they will not even began to review it until the oil consumption test comes back "abnormal". so in the mean time I have to worry is my "engine" going to blow up due to lack of oil. This is my only means of transportation. When will Toyota acknowledge that there is a problem and make this a recall rather than a tsb....is it because they don't want to front the bill" does the consumers safety not matter to them" and don't forget the tsb came out in 2011 and yet the service department didn't even think to tell me that this could "possibly" be the issue!
My 2008 rav 4 is burning oil at an unusually high rate. This began last December when my oil light flicked on when I was braking. When I brought it into a service station they said I had no oil. I have since brought it back to my dealer a few times for the light coming on and being out of oil. I have already done the oil consumption test back in may but Toyota felt that it was normal for my car to have lost oil in 1569 miles (per the owners manual). I just had it back at the dealer because after driving only 3,200 miles since my last oil change, my oil light flicked on again. When I checked it there was no oil in the vehicle. I know there is a tsb out for this issue with my car, and several other models of Toyota, but since I don't have an extended warranty on my vehicle the dealer/service dept told me to contact Toyota directly. Toyota did not acknowledge that I have an issue and continued to quote me page 314 of the owners manual and the oil consumption criteria on the page. For some reason they could not see the notes from my dealer from earlier in the day that I had run out of oil after 3,200 miles. The customer service rep actually said to me "what is it you want us to do"" I told him I want you to fix my car that you know has a problem as described in the tsb. I was told to once again do the oil consumption test with my dealer. I agree with others, if my car is set to go 5000 miles without an oil change, but I only went 3200 and had no oil, how can they not recall the vehicle or be forced to fix this known issue"!! Toyota, I feel, is jeopardizing mine and my family's safety by not correcting this issue. What disturbs me greatly is that the light doesn't come on and stay on, it flicks on when you are breaking so if you miss it, you will not know you are out of oil. A recall is in order and I hope it occurs before my engine is blown!!
Car is having excessive oil consumption issues. Problem started around 57,00 miles when the oil light came on whenever I stepped on the brakes. Took it to the dealer(keyes Toyota) who told me that there was no oil in the oil pan. Dealer changed the oil but "neglected" to tell me that there was a tsb put out by Toyota for this problem. Took it to the dealer a few more times and each time I expressed concern about the oil loss. Dealer did not take my concerns seriously till after my powertrain warranty was up. Then they told me that could document the oil loss, which they also "forgot" to mention when the warranty was still in effect. My car is losing about 1.5 quarts per 1000 miles. Toyota will not cover the repair to fix the problem because it is out of warranty. I believe the dealer deliberately mislead me into thinking there was nothing wrong with the car till after it was past my warranty period. Powertrain warranty was good for up to 60,000 miles or 5 years. Dealer tried to blame poor maintenance but when I offered to show proof that I did all the recommended maintenance, they stopped blaming the problem on that.
Slipping brakes, requiring frequent checkups and replacement popping noise in the steering wheel ( which after two years of complaining, I was informed is a defective steering shaft ) sudden acceleration increasing noise from under the vehicle jumping when the vehicle is place in reverse.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Rav4. The contact struck a deer while driving 75 mph. She pulled off the road to inspect the vehicle and noticed that it was on fire. The vehicle soon became engulfed in flames. The insurance company stated that the fire was due to the transmission fluid line being ruptured. The coolant dripped on the catalytic converter and caused the fire. A police report was filed. Toyota is not accepting responsibility because the contact was the one who struck the deer. The failure mileage was 7,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Palmdale, CA, USA