2006 Toyota RAV4

jimd4

OK Fred, my new 2007 V6 Sport should be here next week.

engineer1

Have a 2006 RAV 4 4WD with approximately 7K miles. V6 base model.
Experience and impressions as follows:
1. Average gas mileage (surburban driving) 23 +, worst gas milage (lot of city A/C running) 22 +. Best hwy milage (interstate ideal conditions) 31 +. Am a conservative driver.
2. Quality good, no problems.
3. Oil filter interesting, easy to change. I could only buy filter from Toyota.
4. Very fast, no noticeable torque steer (surprised me). Wonder if Toyota has programmed electric power steering with compensation voltage? I was skeptical of electric power steering, but works very well.
5. Handling is good, lot better than my old 93 4Runner.
6. Could stand improvement in automatic tranny shift points. Needs a 6 speed.
7. I do not like the styling, bought strictly on performance numbers for a work car and has performed as advertised. Can carry a surprising amount in it, even 2 x 4 x 8s (three or four) by laying between seats. Really wanted a new 4Runner, but gas prices/mileage scared me away.
8. Toyota obviously has given a lot of attention to reducing drag. Windshield slope, front end treatment, small flaps in front of wheels to deflect windstream from tires, etc. The 4 WD is unique in that one can only manually engage it below 25 mph and normal driving is in FWD mode with slip sensors to sense when to engage 4WD. Slick approach to the full time 4WD vehicles which lose gas milage due to full time 4WD systems normally used. Approach is logical.

Summary: Would be hard to find a better light duty SUV.

dog

Probably a reaction by the traction control system as this car has quite a bit of horsepower and can give torque steer.

serge06

Base, V6, 2WD. Last two fills I've got ~23mpg. HWY/City 70/30, a/c was running ~50% of time.
ODO reading ~2K.

orioninil

I noticed yesterday that both of my front windshield wipers have pulled away 4-5 inches at the top from the main strip.

They are now flopping around causing smearing on my windshield.

This is not normal wear and tear.
I bought it in April - there has been no snow or ice here yet.

Just another nuisance to deal with, and a blemish on Toyota quality (even though I understand that they do not make the wipers themselves)!

mov4wrd

20 years as a service manager; I see it A LOT. You'd be surprised what road testing with the customer at the wheel can reveal; things they flatly deny doing.
You are letting the wipers run too much on a dry, or near dry windshield; resistance between the rubber and the glass on a near dry windshield is very high, more at the outer edges because they cover more area. The result is what you now have. There is nothing wrong with the wipers. Replace them, use them just as you always have, and the condition will reoccur. Your situation is one of the reasons some more upscale cars have rain sensing wipers.

andrew17

Dear Friends! Everybody has noticed already a decline in gas mileage. The explanation is that in the US since September 01, most states introduced the 10% ethanol additive to commercial gasoline. Please keep in mind, that the energy density of ethanol is only about 73,000 BTU, while the commercial gasoline has 132-133,000 BTU and Diesel Fuel #2 contains approximately 142-143,000 BTU. Although most of us quit using the AC during the last couple of weeks, the expected mileage improvement will not shoe up at all.
1. Suggestion: -don't idle your engine too long, it will warm up during slow driving; -apply gradual acceleration; -avoid hard breaking; -don't use cruise control in hilly terrain.
2. Question: -could somebody tell me if pulling the CPU (computer) from the board for 5 seconds would eliminate the lag of acceleration? Thanks for your time and cooperation!

desertguy

Pulling the ECU 20 amp FUSE for one minute is supposed to do a reset and eliminate lag. I did it on mine and I have no lag. But then I don't think I ever had the lag so I can't give a ringing endorsement.

gasburner1

I'm considerting an 07 RAV4 to replace my Explorer. I'd like to have a 3rd row seat for occasional carpool duty. The questin is for any owners with the 3rd row seat option, is it a viable option for teenage kids? How well does the fold down seat work, and is there really enough space back there?

desertguy

Simple, no BS, answer is no, there is not enough space back there and it is not a viable option IMO. You also lose the great storage space under the rear floor. I had an '04 Highlander that I traded in on the Rav and the third seat was usable in it. Six to eight yr olds, maybe.

raviola4

Sure hope i see others trying your possible fix. Not sure though why that would reset it. Where'd you hear/find that info? I was only told by Toyota electronic throttle is culprit so not sure how pulling a fuse and replacing would alter that. Then again, none of this in my area of expertise, but do hate this lag crap. :confuse:

mov4wrd

Pulling the ECU fuse only resets the "baseline" settings for the ECU; this may give an initial improvement in performance. Your ECU "learns" conditions on which it makes decisions, which affects performance - the amount of so called "lag". If you run 87 octane on a hot day w/A/C, you car will be more likely to ping; your knock sensors will retard timing and your ECU will hold this information. The ECU and software garner information from numerous sensors; they tune or detune your car to run on the fuel of choice - low grade fuel = lag. Cooler autumn temperatures should mitigate this condition. Or, run 89 octane. If you start running 89 octane and you do not pull the ECU fuse, it could take several hundred miles for the system to completely "learn" the new raised performance parameters, and lessen lag. The Camry's have the same thing, as do most other drive by wire vehicles. The is also one reason why you're seeing an increase in CVTs.

sayers1

We got the 3rd row for the same reason. Very usuable for teens, and even adults. We were amazed at how versatile it is with the 3rd row. Tons of room with the seats down, and still some left over with the seats up.

lgs

No offense, but there's no indication that octane levels are behind the lag issue on the Rav4.

desertguy

Extensive discussion of the fuse pulling and results are on another Rav board that we are not allowed to mention here!

ateixeira

Agreed, and remember the data we saw - the 4 banger actually had more reports of hesitation as a % for each engine.

-juice

cbmorton

I pulled the EFI main fuse on my V6 - didn't pull the ECU fuse for fear that the ECU would forget about the customized settings in the climate control that the dealer changed for me.

I've never had this lag issue, but felt the throttle response could be improved. A bit jumpy on initial tip-in, then lazy. Seemed like a large bias towards economy in the throttle and transmission made me have to dig deeper than I wanted to access the V6 power.

After pulling and reinserting the fuse: big improvement. The throttle became more linear and responsive, even sporty. I zoomed around everywhere, hoping the computer would learn. Unfortunately, the effect lasted about a day and a half, or 5-6 cold starts. After that it went back to the way it had been before.

orioninil

mov4wrd
I appreciate the reply.

However, I have been driving now for 22+ years.

I'm fairly confident that owning this new Toyota Rav4 has not changed the way I have used my wipers in the last 22+ years.

I have driven 4 different vehicles in this time span (3 different manufacturers - one of them a Toyota Celica).
and have never had a single windshield wiper problem.

I don't discount the reason why this occurred and your explanation, however, there must be a brand of wipers that handles this better, since again, I have never had this problem before.

mov4wrd

No offense taken, but you are incorrect; the ECU does detune the engine for lower grade fuels, and this exacerbates the lag. The combination of drive by wire throttle and electronic controlled transmission are key factors. The ECU CONTINUOUSLY receives and processes new data from several sources/sensors with EVERY input from the gas pedal. Moreover, Toyota has set up the software for your fuel delivery system to be slightly more gradual, in application, than you are doing with the pedal – for economy. Conservatively designed ECUs – necessary when running 87 octane in high compression engines - will zap the fun right out of driving. There are times, under certain throttle applications, when lag is more than I like. You cannot eradicate the lag, but you can mitigate the lag by using higher octane. If you do not pull the ECU, it will learn to “tune” your engine to take advantage of the better fuel, and performance will improve, but the improvement will come gradually.
Formally trained certified tech and Toyota service manager more than 20 years, and wife Toyota CR manager more than 20 years...qualified to make this statement; just trying to help, but you can believe whatever you want.

mov4wrd

I stand by the content of what I said, I've seen more than a few Ravs, and no wiper failures. I'm at a loss; just slap on new ones and hope the next are better.
That said, my delivery may have been a bit curt - sorry.
This is the time of year when I start getting these complaints: "My vehicle has a short...it's shocking me every time I touch the door to get in". When I remind them of dry air and static electricity, I sometimes get accused of refusing to help, and that they'll call Toyota! Sigh...

raviola4

Bad pair of wipers. Why exert any more energy on wipers. More serious issues out there. Now, back to the horribly designed electronic throttle which is a serious safety issue with the 4cyl. Rav4...

orioninil

Raviola4

I'm sorry for wasting your valuable time trying to show a pattern here of Toyota's inferior quality OEM partners.

Since, you feel we should all focus only on your topic, and instead of an open discussion board, turn this into a one topic board - then go right ahead and beat your dead horse some more.

tidester

More serious issues out there. Now, back to ...

I recommend scrolling past any messages you do not wish to read. The topic is the 2006 RAV4 which covers quite a bit of ground and people will decide for themselves what is important or relevant.

tidester, host

raviola4

Good point. One thing about wipers, i haven't used the product in years but Rain-X. Several years ago i used on a couple different occasions. Seemed to adversely affect the life of the blade. For what it's worth. Perhaps whomever had problem with wiper blades had something on blades that a simple alchol wipe could have fixed.

jimd4

I have a new 2007 Sport V6 and use 87 octane gas as it comes in NY. No sign of any lag anytime, slow, fast or in the middle.

And the ECU tuning did not take any of the fun out of my V6 so far. Too new to run any numbers yet but I think it will give my Audi 2.7T a good run for the money! With much better MPG so far.

Lots of talk on this topic but not much facts.

lgs

I'm sorry, but not using higher octane than necessary in an engine will not "zap the fun right out of driving". You're perpetuating the age-old myth of those that put high test gas in their cars thinking that they'll see performance differences, when in fact, more often then not, cars designed for 87 will run worse than better on higher octane levels.

I find it interesting that you state your Toyota tech qualifications, along with your comments, yet Toyota claims not to have a solution for the hestitation, nor acknowledge that it even exists. Either you're fluent in Japanese, or there's an obvious disconnect here.

raviola4

Good response. All i know is after last night trying to pull into the passing lane and merge (mine's a 4 cyl) and getting no response from applying pedal, i'm about ready to sell my Rav4. I've seen other posts similar and have filed to NHTSA (not sure what good that does) yet as you note, Toyota claiming ignorance. Normal. I've had 2 people working in my department who really like my Rav4, appearance etc. and are looking for a small 4cyl. suv etc. Based on my experiences Toyota's already lost 2 potential customers. And i'm sure it won't stop there.

orioninil

Ok, now I am going to beat my own dead horse one last time regarding the wipers. Sorry in advance.

No, I did not have RainX or anything else on the windshield and I am using them exactly the same as I have in the last 22+ years without incident.

My contention, right or wrong, is that Toyota's windshield wiper OEM is a low cost, low quality manufacturer.

I need to buy new wiper blades.

So my question is, does anyone know of any brand of wiper blades that are the most durable for people like me (that is, people who may use them too much on near dry surfaces)?

Thanks.

bbthomas

Try to find silicon wiper blades. They are expensive, but last several (up to five) years. There is some transfer of silicon to the windshield so you get a little of the sheeting effect of Rain-X (which is silicon based I believe).

charles64

New radio is installed and working fine so far. On the service sheet, it says "tech found open circuit in radio head unit." Maybe this tidbit could help others who have this problem periodically but can't get to the dealership when it's happening.

wizzobutter

When I started up my 2006 RAV4 this morning, my low tire pressure warning light was lit. I checked all the tires and they were all either 25.0 or 25.5 . I had pumped them up to 30 pounds months ago but had not checked them since. I went to a gas station and used thier air pump to put in the 32 pounds reccomended on the door decal. The light immediatly went off when I started it up. I had heard that these lights usually only come on when one tire is significantly lower than the other three. Now, I'm thinking the light goes on when any of the tires gets down to 25 pounds. This is very nice, if true. Does anyone else know what the tire pressure sensors trigger at? My mother has a two month old Nissan Versa. The low tire pressure light has come on also. I checked the tires and all were either 27.0 or 27.5 . I'll see if they go off with a little more air.

P.S. After 5 months, wipers are fine ;-)

fhspsu67

Your interpretation is correct. If any tire including the spare drops to 24-27, it is alarmed. I say 24-27 because it seems that some go off lower (ie. 24) and some higher (ie. 27).

jimd4

I measured some MPG readings on my 2007 Sport V6 this AM with scangauge at steady speed, level ground, NY 87 octane.

I just truncated the numbers to two digits. 40 MPH is where it gets into 5th when warmed up it seems.

40MPG=32 MPG
50MPH=31 MPG
55=30
60=28
65=27
70=25
75=24
125=....not going there!

Trucklet has about 650 miles on it. I cannot vouch for the Scangauge accuracy in the RAV4 until I get a few more tanks recorded but have found it very accurate in another car.

RAV4 speedo versus scangauge and GPS is very close, reads about 1-2 MPH high at about 65. Actualy I cannot read the needle to 1 MPH!

The MPG at 55 is pretty close to EPA numbers it seems.

Don't take these numbers too serious, just a rough idea.

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wwest

According to the repair/shop manual for my 2001 AWD RX300 the engine/transaxle ECU will ALWAYS command, whenever possible, an upshift of the transaxle during closed/lift-throttle coastdown periods.

Now when you re-apply foot pressure to the accelerator pedal if the transaxle can remain in the upshifted gear without incurring engine knock then it will do so. Clearly then, a higher octance fuel will/can reduce the instances of delay/hesitation due to upshifting followed closely by downshifts.

A quick dual shift sequence, reapplication of accelerator pressure just as the upshift begins, for which there is not sufficient ATF pressure/fluid flow, especially with the engine at idle, throttle fully closed will almost always result in a downshift delay/hesitation.

So the DBW system maintains the the throttle at fully closed to protect the drive train by allowing the extra time needed for the "coming" downshift.

jimd4

My 2007 RAV4 V6 has no lag on regular 87 octane.

desertguy

I have no lag on 87 octane either. Even had a tank of 86 octane in Oklahoma which had no affect.

tidester

Hi, everyone. As you've probably noticed, we have been trying to refine the discussions into more narrowly focussed topics. Our objective is twofold. We want to make it easier for people seeking specific information about their vehicles to find it easily and without having to wade through hundreds or thousands of postings.

To those ends, we will be shutting down the general make/model discussions and work exclusively with specific issues. This requires us to populate the make/model subsections with relevant, interesting and timely topics. Rather than having the hosts simply create boilerplate topics for each make/model, we feel that you, the owner, the make/model enthusiast and the prospective buyer can best judge what those topics should be.

You can help by adding a discussion (it's easy!) or suggesting one here.

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ateixeira

Interesting data. Wind resistance increases with the square of speed, while rolling resistance decreases only linearly. That's why we see better MPG at slower speeds.

Pretty huge difference between 55 and 75, it uses 25% more fuel!

-juice

tidester

Please go to the group top level and create a discussion that fits your comments/questions or post in an existing discussion.

Toyota RAV4

tidester

Enjoy!

tidester, host

danfitz2

I purchased a new 2X4 Limited Rav4(silly name) on May of 2006 and have to date put on about 5500 miles. About half are city and half are highway.

Plus:
The V6 is quick. That part is a bit fun. Steering is tight and the gas mileage is tracking at around 21mpg. I have never gotten better then 23mpg even with all highway driving and have gotten as low as 18mpg with the air running and mostly city driving.

Minus:
Had multiple trips back to the dealer on fit and finish issues, the sort of stuff you expect from Ford or GM but not Toyota so that was a bit of a disappointment. Examples: The plastic covering on the "A" pillar fell open while driving down the road. Why would a plastic cover just fall open? Leather seats lost sections of their stitching on three separate occasions. The display on the stereo would suddenly go blank. It would otherwise work but you had no idea what the buttons did because the display just showed a blank screen. It is an intermittent problem and will not reveal itself when I bring it in the dealer for repair. So I am stuck with this nuisance until I suppose it breaks for good. Like I said, this is all the type of stuff you expect from most American made brands.

When the key is inserted in the ignition, the key chain is close enough to my knee that I find it is constantly rubbing against my knee at the slightest movement. I have gotten into the habit of only using the driver’s key and keeping my other keys in a separate location...waiting to get lost.

The cup holders seem to be well intended in their location however I find I need to keep a hand on my coffee as the cup fits too loosely and tends to slosh around. Odd design.

Highway road noise is quite something. On a recent 3 hour drive I noticed after the trip my voice was horse as I had to talk so darn loud to overcome the noise in the car. No, the sterio was not on.Without a doubt this is the single biggest annoyance to me. Indeed I have probably steered at least three people away from this car because of the noise levels when driving at highway speeds. Too much!

Holding onto the steering wheel makes me feel like I should be driving the car at a Shiner’s parade. Not very manly holding onto a steering wheel that reminds one of driving a childhood go cart.

Conclusion:
Every car has problems. This one is no exception. I test drove the car and didn't initially pick up on the aforementioned things that bother me now. I intend to keep the car but soon see it finding its way to one of my children where they will be less inclined to notice the problems.

I will likely steer clear of Toyota on my next purchase. They make a fine car I am told, just not for me.

stever

Thanks for the report - you may want to click the Consumer Ratings link at the top of the discussion and paste your review in there as well.

martymacgyver

I'm curious, for those of you who have replaced the wiper blades on the 2006 Rav4, what brands do you recommend (or suggest one strongly avoid): Bosch, Rain-X, Anco, others? Also, what are the exact sizes for the blades? Seems to be 24"/17" in the front (haven't checked the rear yet) but I didn't find that info in the manual (tape measured it). I'm in the Chicago area so something all-season is preferred... my experience with "winter" wipers has always been rather poor. Lately the winters here have been pretty poor as well so maybe it won't matter.

Note: I used the Rain-X blades for a long time on my old car and they didn't seem to last that long but they did work ok. Before that, Anco (which seemed to last even less time). The OEM ones have held up surprisingly well thus far but other threads here suggest they fail badly when they fail.

- Marty

raviola4

Surpised by all the negatives. After 5800 miles my major and actually only complaint is the serious lag when trying to accelerate from slow speeds either passing or merging. Serious safety issue in my opinion.
But fit, finish, ride all great. I had a 2001 Mazda Tribute (sold to my son)car still runs great but noticed the other day how much noisier it is than this Rav4.
Also do agree cup holders (can i say suck?).
Oh yeah, forgot the 6 disc radio system had to be replaced but again, not alone on that. Replacement fine.
I have noticed a decline in gas mileage though. Attribute some of that to Ethanol in gas.

danfitz2

I was surprsed as well. It could be my expectations are out of alignment with this vehicle. It is after all an entry level car in it's respective segment. For me, Toyota has raised the bar on product quality and fit and finish expectations. Indeed I was willing to pay more to realize the benefits implied. I paid more so I expect more from Toyota. Next time around I will be less inclined to believe the Toyota quality hype.

mov4wrd

Are you talking about cars that aren't designed to take advantage of higher octane??? Both RAV4 engines ARE designed that way!
I'll try again: Toyota designed the software such that one can run 87 octane in these vehicles. THIS is what zaps the fun right out of driving an otherwise potent engine. Your vehicle "being designed to run on 87 octane" simpy means that it will run on 87 (certainly NOT optimized), and because it's the cheapest, it's what most people, especially frugal Toyota owners want. They should say, "It's designed to cope with 87 octane", because that's what it's doing, but the folks in marketing would rather put a positive twist on the statement.

Your 4 cylinder has 9.8 to 1 compression, and the v6 10.8 to 1. Such high compression means ECU detuning for 87 octane - lost power/efficiency. Run the 87 if you want, but put in higher octane, in a more capable engine like yours, and you WILL notice a difference - if you pull the ECU, or drive a couple hundred miles. ***This is why performance ECU chips/remapping are BIG business! They work, and it's Dynamometer proven.***

This will also reduce, but not remove the "lag", and Toyota doesn't yet have a fix because they consider it normal operation; the undesired characteristics of drive by wire are industry wide. I'm not saying you have to accept or like the "lag"; I'm trying to help those whom are willing to be receptive, to understand.

desertguy

It has been proven many times in many cars that using higher than required by the mfgr octane will NOT increase performance. It is just a waste of money. Using a performance chip is another matter but may void your warranty.

battina

Hi, just jumping in w/this question.
I have not been able to find the rain guards to fit the 2006 RAV4 limited, anybody have any suggestions??

ateixeira

It has been proven many times in many cars that using higher than required by the mfgr octane will NOT increase performance

Not quite, you worded it incorrectly.

You should have written "using higher octane than the manufacturer designed/optimized the engine for will not increase performance."

A 10.8:1 compression ratio is very high. Usually most engines above 10:1 will go ahead and just require premium fuel.

Toyota obviously programmed the ECU to retard the ignition to tolerate lower octane than what is ideal, but you absolutely will lose power, have no doubt about that. It may be only 5hp or so, and a lot of people won't feel the difference, but if you want speed, or haul heavy loads, or tow, you'd be better off using premium fuel in a high compression engine (10.8:1 is certainly high) like the 3.5l V6 in the RAV4.

-juice

raviola4

Not sure about your area, but i got mine this past summer. Numerous web sites (ues google), and locally i got mine from a store that deals with stuff for trucks, bedliners, rain guards etc etc. These are surface mount ones, not in track. I had in track once and screwed up windows after a time. Since i have the dark blue Rav4, the dark window rain guards look fine .........