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Toyota RAV4 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • gilvkonagilvkona Member Posts: 31
    ...but on another car. As far as the dent, I don't even know where the fuel pump is on the RAV4, so I can't help you there. These parts do fail on ocassion, so you were just unlucky.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    A $700 fuel pump..???

    I suspect you meant to say a dent in the fuel TANK.

    These days most fuel pumps are located inside the fuel tank.

    If it is a fairly serious DENT then ask the dealer if they're sure it isn't/wasn't caused by the intentional VACUUM within the fuel system.

    A rock "hit" would leave a mark/scratch of some kind.
  • kelntomhkelntomh Member Posts: 3
    I have the same exact problem. My wife drives the Rav most of the time, so I did not notice it until closer to 4000 miles. It happens at highway speeds and I also had it in to have the wheel balance checked. They told me everything was fine. The problem is noticeable and annoying, but at the same time it is quite minor. I don't feel it all the time, especially on concrete surfaces. I fell it more on freshy paved black top. How about you?
  • josemacejosemace Member Posts: 1
    Took my car to dealership for recall on ECM that was causing check engine light to come on. Had just noticed a hard shift from 2 to 3rd with vehicle and asked that it be looked at when hooked up to computer for ECM issue. Was told that they could find nothing wrong with car and was told to make another appointment to have transmission torn apart to try to locate problem. Was given no idea of estimate of cost for this and decided to take car to transmission shop (was 16,000 over 80,000 warranty ). Took car to transmission shop and they stated I had internal transmission error and would need transmission rebuilt at cost of 2,600. Had this done and then car would not run properly. Transmission shop then found bulletin from Toyota March 2006 that said faulty PCM caused problems with 2/3 shift and probably needed replaced. Told me that this issue should have been apparent to service department at dealership on my visit on 9/17/2007. After big run around dealership service department agreed to replace PCM sold me the part for what they said was wholesale (938.14 before tax) and did not charge labor to install . Problem seems to be solved now but am wondering why tech did not check that bulletin (said they do not have time to check all bulletins, even though I saw his search on his lap top brought the bulletin up in less than a minute) Now am trying to get Toyota to reimburse me for cost of transmission and getting no where. Filed complainant with NHTASA. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
  • jcolegrovejcolegrove Member Posts: 1
    My girl friend purchased a 06 Rav4 on my recommendation. I have a 03 Tundra and never had as much as a squeek of trouble from it (45,000 mi). About 2 months after purchase going thru a rain storm water started coming in under dash passenger side. Contacted dealer and they had some kind of special notice that other Rav4's were having the same trouble. A special order was sent to my dealer on the cause of the problem. The problem was corrected by sealing something around the windshield wipers, have not had any water coming in since. Also, having trouble with the surging of the engine while cruise control on, have not contacted them yet on that. After reading all the issues being reported on Toyota vehicles probably will not buy one. According to a article in the paper Toyota has lost some of its top executives in qualtiy control to American Car manufactures which they claiim has caused Toyota to fall from grace. I'am looking for a mid size SUV but have yet found any I would trust to run without problems. Maybe someone out there can recommend something.
  • gilvkonagilvkona Member Posts: 31
    I have a 2006 RAV4. I have been generally pleased but I have had a minor surge problem. It is most noticable when I have the A/C on and am going around 25 mph. Interestingly, if I have cruise control on, it is better but still there. What happens is that the RPM drops from 1000 rpm to 600 and immediately comes back up again. I have not noticed this at highway speeds. The dealer has twice told me that speed is at a shift point and there is nothing they can do about it.

    Something more annoying is happening lately. When I turn the car 90 degrees like into the garage or a parking space, I hear a noise in the steering wheel. I am going to ask about it today when I go in for 25k service.

    Other than that, I have been please with the performance, economy, and size.
  • cfreas1cfreas1 Member Posts: 6
    This is my third attempt at this post, so forgive me if there are duplicates.

    I have just purchased a 2007 RAV4 LTD V6. Over the 100 miles or so that I have driven so far, I have noticed that I seem to feel every imperfection in the road surface. When I stop, I feel several small oscillations that damp out, but it feels as though I am sitting on a bowl of Jello. Am I being overly sensitive coming from driving a Ford Explorer and this just the nature of the RAV4? I dont recall feeling this way when I test drove another RAV4, but it wasn't a long drive.
  • speedy1speedy1 Member Posts: 4
    Purchased 2006 Toyota Rav 4 V6 and now with 33000km. Just came out this morning to second cracked windshield. First one cracked all over from a single stone chip and now this one cracked from the bottom near the electric grid up to the center of the window. Something is wrong with the glass or the design of the windshield puts too much stress on the glass or something. Never had such a problem with any car I've ever owned.
    Passenger side has been soaked from about second week of ownership, dealer says it's fault with air condition system and seeing as the air comes on to even defrost the window, it lets water in all the time???? Popping noise from front suspension since new, dealer says it's normal.
    After this Toyota I've realized that all cars are the same. It doesn't matter who makes them, they are all put together the same way and all are going to have problems. Got the Toyota based on reputation and I'm very disappointed. Next time I'll buy domestic, at least it doesn't cost so much to replace things when they go wrong. $800 for a windshield, $250 for maintenance service. Car and Driver and Motor Trend are all garbage magazines saying there is no maintenance cost in first year ownership and how dependable Toyota and Honda etc.
  • dtowndtown Member Posts: 20
    Speedy, you might want to check out this TSB, as it may apply to your Rav 4. http://rav4world.com/tsb/2006/BO021-06.pdf
  • dtowndtown Member Posts: 20
    TSB Number: BO021-06
    Bulletin Title: COWL PANEL WATER LEAK
    Release Date: November 1, 2006
    Applicable Year(s): 2006-2007 (VIN Specific)
    File Size: 479kb PDF
    Download: http://RAV4World.com/tsb/2006/BO021-06.pdf

    Description: Some RAV4 customers may complain of water on the passenger’s side floorboard after a heavy rainstorm or when going through a carwash. Water may be traveling underneath the outer cowl panel and entering the passenger compartment through the fresh air inlet of the heater box.

    TSB REVISION NOTICE:
    March 22, 2007: 2007 model year has been added to Applicable Vehicles.
    The illustration in step 8A of the Repair Procedure has been clarified. Steps 5 – 9
    and step 13 of the Repair Procedure have been updated.
    PLEASE READ ENTIRE TSB.
    February 13, 2007: A note has been added to the Introduction. The VIS’ in the
    Production Change Information table have been updated. Step 8 has been added.
    The illustration in step 9A has been clarified.
  • speedy1speedy1 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks very much dtown for the service bulletin. Going to my dealer tomorrow, so I can make sure he knows about it. Any chance they have another on the front suspension popping noise?
  • redsoxruleredsoxrule Member Posts: 2
    Gilvkona, I have been experiencing the same problem with noise and slight "roughness" to the steering wheel when turning - same as yourself at lower speeds turning 60 degrees or so and more. It wasn't there when I bought the car, but gradually developed.

    I had our local dealership check it out, and I while I wasn't exactly told there was nothing wrong, the service guy said there was no Toyota memos on issues with the steering and there was no recommended repair. The service guy also said he tried another 2006 on the lot and found a similar noise. I decided not to press the issue for now since it is pretty slight, but if it progresses I plan to take it back and be a little more assertive about a repair.

    I am very curious about your experience with the dealer on this issue.
  • applepieapplepie Member Posts: 1
    My wife has a 07 rav4 with the service reminder i.e. maint. reqrd.,but the manual does not tell how to reset.It does say that the light is to let you know it is time for an oil change,but that is all.
  • cbmortoncbmorton Member Posts: 252
    Have another look. In my copy of the 2007 owner's manual the instructions for resetting the service reminder are at the end of section 1-6.
  • vrockvrock Member Posts: 3
    Really happy with our two RAV4's. Need troubleshoot help with the '02. It is automatic transmission. Starts, runs fine. When depress the button on shifter, it will NOT come out of park mode. Have tried also turning steering wheel..since have had that kind of lock-up on others of my toyotas. But no dice.

    When I depress the button on that shifter, can hear and feel one click within the steering column. Does not make click when released. Have also tried engaging/disengaging the parking brake. (And of course, yes, I am doing this when car is running).

    Don't have Haynes manual for our current Toyotas since they have needed nothing from me in terms of personal repairs since purchase 3 yrs ago.

    Searched through postings here. GREAT site! :shades:
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    The is an electric solenoid that locks the shifter in park until you apply the brake, compliments of Audi. The solenoid may have failed or the brake light switch on the brake pedal may have failed.

    There is a work around to manually actuate the solenoid in the owners manual.
  • vrockvrock Member Posts: 3
    Thank you for your quick reply! Will try both today after work and let you know how it goes!
    Wisconsin here and 5" snow yesterday on top of ice. 1/2 mile farm/gravelly uphill driveway, no plowing. RAV goes through no problem though. Sweet! ;)
  • vrockvrock Member Posts: 3
    Thanks wwest! Took several tries before it would "come out of" park. At first, it really seemed as if it would not be the solution. Perhaps the cold weather affecting complete depression of brake pedal. Gut feeling says I should proactively replace the solenoid, but I'll old off on that. Thanks again! ;)
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Generally there is a small opening, sometimes with a cover "plate", near the shift lever that can be removed and then the solenoid can be actuated via inserting a key.
  • ginsvalloginsvallo Member Posts: 9
    Does anyone know where the V6 oil filter is located, and do you need to remove a shield of some sort to get to it?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Yes, it is just under, very close under, the front exhaust manifold. A real BEAR to get to.
  • ginsvalloginsvallo Member Posts: 9
    Thanks, is it a conventional screw on filter? I know that previous years had a filter that you just replaced the filtering elements.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    I don't know, mine is an "all-in-one', but the most simple way to find out is at the parts store.
  • cbmortoncbmorton Member Posts: 252
    The four-cylinder uses a regular screw-on filter; on the V6 you just replace the filter element and O-rings.
  • richardsonrichardson Member Posts: 92
    Does anybody know if the 96 rav has a differential that I should be checking the oil in?
    I have a manual for the 96 corolla and it says the three speed auto also has a differential that needs checking. Our rav has a four speed auto. Thanks
  • markc514056markc514056 Member Posts: 3
    I own a 2008 RAV4 4cyl 4WD and have noticed now that it's cold, two times now that it has been below 20 degrees, the engine does not shift into overdrive when you start off and hit a normal speed. If you move the shifter over and then shift into OD, it will then shift correctly. Is this a common occurance? Thank you for your assistance on this matter.
  • richardsonrichardson Member Posts: 92
    I'm pretty sure that your car is acting the way it should. The computer wants the rpms to stay up until the ice is warm enough.
  • kathrynleekathrynlee Member Posts: 9
    I have a 2006 Rav4 Sport...and have the same knocking felt in the steering when turning...started off intermittently...now more frequent. I took it to the dealer and they couldn't duplicate it. I've been watching more closely now...and it seems as though after I've had the break on...and then turn...I get the noise. Anyone else having sucess in fixing this with a dealer?
  • kathrynleekathrynlee Member Posts: 9
    Did your service on your Rav4 correct the noice in the steering wheel?
    I've got the same problem.
  • hibeamhibeam Member Posts: 9
    Yes, I have the same thing, Doesn't do it all the time. especially when you have the mechanic in the car.The dealer said that everything is tight. It is driving me crazy too. I am going for oil change and tire rotation and ask them again.
  • gilvkonagilvkona Member Posts: 31
    kathrynlee, I have been procrastinating and will not take the vehicle to the dealer until the end of the month. If something happens, I will post something here.
  • happy21happy21 Member Posts: 1
    The driver side door lock in my 2004 RAV4 doesn't work either by remote or switch inside the door. The dealer quoated $99.00 to open the fron door pannel. Ant parts and labor required to fix the problem is extra.

    Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you.
  • redsoxruleredsoxrule Member Posts: 2
    I posted a few weeks back also with the same problem of some "unevenness" to the steering when turning at slow speeds. Took it to a dealer and they said it was normal for the electronic steering - or at least they didn't have a fix for it.

    I have the '06 Rav4 Sport.

    Clearly, this is not an isolated problem.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    Maybe some oil in the lock in the side of the door will help....worked on our 96 RAV...just be sure not to get any oil on any platics, it can discolor them. I have had this problem in my Camry on and off, it does not work and then just before I get to the dealer it starts working again. No doubt it will fail right after my 7/75 runs out!
  • bigdadi118bigdadi118 Member Posts: 1,207
    I had the same issue but it is front passenger door ... posted below

    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0e0eb1/359!
  • kst1kst1 Member Posts: 22
    I have a 07 2WD 4-cylinder RAV4. On my way back from work, my instrument panel lit up for a couple of seconds. The engine malfunction, VSC, airbag lights stayed on. I shut off the RAV when I reached home and started it but those light stayed on. Took it to local Toyota dealer and the service manager suspected a loose gas tank cap. Well, they cleared the codes and siad that it was a temporary communication failure between the computers. Anyhow, he said that it should not happen again. Well, guess what the same lights came on again and have stayed on. Will have to take it in next week. Anybody experienced this scenario?
    Thanks!
  • cuapecuape Member Posts: 1
    thanks your info was acurate in the section 1-6 it shows how to do it. you have to turn the ignition to on, and trip A. hold the button while turning the ignition off and then on, the lights will flash and then it will reset , release the button when the light is gone.
  • walepopwalepop Member Posts: 1
    I use a Toyota RAV4 2006 model. Sometimes after parking the car for about 5 minutes and I want to start it back, the engine refuses to start. The car uses the keyless ignition, the light on the button turns green when pressed but it doesnt kick the engine. Also I notice that when it does this, the break pedal is always very stiff. it has done this 3 times now. What can be the problem?
  • ttaylor6ttaylor6 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 RAV4 and in the 10 months I've owned the car I've had three cracks in the windshield. The first one happened right after I bought the car - a rock hit the windshield and it was pretty bad so I had it replaced. Not 3 weeks later another rock "barely" hit the windshield and caused a chip which I had filled. 4 days after having that filled another rock hit it and is bad enough that I'll have to replace it.

    Has anyone heard any more on this or had any luck with the dealership owning up to the fact that there is a stress problem with the windshield??

    Looking for suggestions!
  • ldgomezldgomez Member Posts: 1
    Your Sunglases are likely polarized, as is the LCD cover of the radio and clock display. Unfortunately, the result is that it obscures the LCD screen to the point where you can't read it. You might notice the same problem with ATM machines, and LCD watches and even the windshields of some cars. The only practical solution is to get sun glasses that are not polarized.

    A more technical explanation is that the axis of the polarization of your glasses is rotated 90 degrees with the axis of the polarized screen that you want to see. The net result is that the light waves are cancel. A cool experiment to do is to look at the screen while you tilt your head to 90 degrees of your driving position. As you rotate it, you will see how the screen becomes clearer as the axis of polarization in both your glasses and the screen get aligned. This is common with polarized glasses and one of the reasons airplane pilots usually do not use polarizes lenses.
  • bigdadi118bigdadi118 Member Posts: 1,207
    My suggestion is don't follow the car in front of you that close. Farther Distance can make a difference, that is reduce the force of the stone. To avoid busy braking, cracked windshield, I would do roughly a car length per 10 mph, about 3-4 car length in city driving, 5-6 car length in highway.
  • jlaheyjlahey Member Posts: 4
    The dealership replaced the door trim and said it corrected my problem. I still hear the same noise, and occasionally hear it from both front doors? Any ideas, or any solutions? Its been like this since I bought it in Sept. of 07'. They keep trying things to correct and it nothing is helping. I love the vehicle, just can't stand the annoying noise. Thanks.
  • tss46tss46 Member Posts: 1
    2003 RAV4 4WD MANUAL TRANSMISSION purchased used. When started cold makes a howling noise until warmed up. Could this be the water pump with only 31,000 miles?
  • wlblackwlblack Member Posts: 6
    This is a strange topic but my 1998 Rav4 w/ 109,000 miles is currently in the shop because out of nowhere I started hearing a rod-knocking type of sound. Luckily I was just about a mile from our local dealer when it happened so pulled in, left it overnight and had them look at it.

    The best that they can figure is that something came in via the air intake, made it past the valves and got between the piston and head. It had to be metallic because it caused damage to the top of the #3 piston, to the side of the top of the piston, to the surface of the head and to the spark plug. The valves were not damaged nor were the cylinder walls.

    They could find no broken parts or anything that would have caused the damage and because there are not signs of some part actually failing the warranty company (Wynn's) wouldn't cover the repairs.

    Is is even possible that something came in via the intake of that nature to cause this kind of damage? The air filter was fine and there was no damage to it either.

    Thanks in advance for your help/advice.
  • dtowndtown Member Posts: 20
    You might what to check this TSB and see if it may solve your problems. http://www.rav4world.com/tsb/2006/NV012-07.pdf
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    I would remove the catalytic converter and get whatever is lodged in there out to see what caused the damage. 10:1 it is something that came loose within the intake system.

    My vote would go toward a piece of one of the valve return springs.
  • wlblackwlblack Member Posts: 6
    Thanks very much for your suggestion. I have since gotten the Used Car Manager and Business Manager from the dealership involved since we have been customers of theirs for 12+ years having bought several cars there in that amount of time.

    I passed along that information to them along with the Service Manager in hopes of finding some broken part somewhere that would justify Wynn's having to pay their fair share for the repairs.
  • yrisaelyrisael Member Posts: 1
    My son was driving my rav4 its a stick i just taught him and i let him drive it well he was backing out and hit a tree with the right tire so now the alignment is all screwed up on its left turns i was wondering if it is possible to fix it yourself and if not how much would it cost?
  • djcsouthburydjcsouthbury Member Posts: 2
    I have questions about how to remove the valve cover on my a 2000 Rav4 in order to adjust the valves.

    I attempted to remove the valve cover by...
    Removing the spark plugs and wires,
    removing the nuts on the spark plug tubes,
    removing the 2 rubber hoses to the cover,
    removing the throttle cable bracket attached to the intake manual,
    removing 2 bolts at the top of the timing belt cover (also had to remove the battery and battery holder to access the bolts)

    After these steps, the cover still couldn't be lifted off because the following two components acting together were in the way...

    1. The bracket between the left end of the cylinder head and the intake manifold.
    2 The wiring harness on top of the right end of the cover.

    (The above left and right are based on the driver orientation).

    I stopped at this point because it seemed I must be doing something wrong because I couldn't imagine the design could be so poor.

    Questions:
    1. Must all the wiring harness wires to the alternator, the diagnostic port, and the AC compressor be disconnected in order to move the harness far enough out of the way or can the harness be moved far enough without disconnecting wires?
    2. Must the bracket between the cylinder head and intake manifold be removed? If so, do both the throttle body on the intake manual, and the ignition coils need to be removed in order to remove the cylinder_head to intake_manifold bracket?

    I would think that there must be a trick to removing the valve cover without having to also remove all these other parts.

    Answers to the questions and any other tips are appreciated. Thanks.
  • konradsakonradsa Member Posts: 1
    Hi Joel,

    I seem to have the same issue on my new 2008 RAV4 I4. It sometimes idles a little rough when the AC is on.

    Did you ever get that problem fixed? Or did you just learn to live with it? Thanks!
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