We were on a trip to Ohio (from Colorado) when the "check engine" light, plus the 4WD and "traction" lights came on. We took the car to Nourse Toyota, in Chillicothe, OH immediately (Dec. 31, 2013). They couldn't take it until Jan. 2, which is when we had hoped to be on the road home.

On Jan. 2, the service adviser at Nourse told me that the car needed a $1400 repair, and that it wasn't covered by the warranty. She couldn't explain the issue or why it happened. She also told me that, if we didn't repair it, the 4WD wouldn't work. Because threatening weather was forecast, I decided to have the repair done, despite the fact that nobody could answer my questions. They made me pay ahead for the parts ($1100), which came in on Jan. 3. We had the repair done on that date, and the car operated normally on the 1250-mile trip home.

The service adviser told me she never heard of the issue I had; I have since learned that this is a COMMON problem and that Toyota pays part of the cost, at least for some customers. I have owned 6 Toyota's, including 3 RAV4s, and I am very angry about what appears to be a blow-off by Toyota. I complained to their "help" line, and was told to resolve the issue with the dealer.