Toyota RAV4 pre-2006

yooper53 · January 2005

Great feedback. Thanks!

yooper53 · January 2005

AGREED! More balance under braking too. My current and last car, both fwd, have had four snows on. Bought 'em mounted on steel wheels so I can change them myself in spring and fall and know it was done right. i.e. use a bloody torque wrench!

wsommariva · January 2005

I need to get a torque wrench. Can you recommend an exact make and model?

Thanks

meleach · January 2005

I hear the Rav4 is getting a face lift, has it already happened or coming?

rbleland · January 2005

Model year 2006 is new body style, I'm told.

escapenut · January 2005

The dashboard noise discussed in previous posts is back though not quite as bad as before, but still there nonetheless. It can definitely be heard over some paved roads, moderately bumpy, etc. Two (2) fixes have been applied by the dealership :

1.) Cowl fix kit (did not help at all as applied).

2.) Dash rattle fix kit per Toyota (noise started

about two (2) weeks after being in shop

overnight for fix).

I was contacted by the dealer customer satisfaction dept. about the fix, and I received a

follow-up call from the Service Advisor because of it. They want us to bring the vehicle back in the shop again. Good-sign, but very inconvenient, d/t wife's work schedule. Will try again and report back. My wife is about ready to trade d/t the dash-rattle. Sounds goofey, but she's pretty TO'd. Otherwise she loves the vehicle. For free it's worth a try again.

mcdawgg · January 2005

Ours fixed perfectly now for close to 4 years. Some dealerships are terrible. Maybe try another one?

vcarreras · January 2005

There are some drawings shown on the Autoweek forum. Look nice to me. Hope drawing are corret and do not have the spare wheel in back..

richardson · January 2005

Has anybody driven a rav where the timing belt has broken while driving? We have a 96 rav with 57000 miles. The manual says to check the belt at 60000 miles, a mechanic wants to sell me a new one for 500 dollars. I'm trying to decide if this ia really necessary. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

tidester · January 2005

a mechanic wants to sell me a new one for 500 dollars.

$500? Does that inlcude a new water pump, pulleys and other belts?

tidester, host

richardson · January 2005

No, that only includes the installation of a new timing belt. The tensioner, water pump and anything else would be extra.

gpolt · January 2005

Don't know if this is the appropriate forum, but for those interested in the '06, there are several web cites showing drawings of the newly styled model, and what appears to be reliable source states that a V6 RAV4 will appear a few months later (perhaps December or January).

suvshopper4 · January 2005

If it was me, and I was planning to keep the RAV for a while, I'd get the belt replaced around 60k miles (which I read is the mfr recommendation).

I'd also shop for prices at the most convenient Toyota dealerships, and get the water pump changed out at the same time.

With only 57k miles on it, your RAV might have a lot of life left.

If I thought I might sell the RAV in a year or two, I'd probably take my chances not replacing the belt. Judging by the mileage on it, maybe you don't stray too far from home.

Have you had the '96 RAV since new?

Any problems?

Good luck.

richardson · January 2005

Yes, Wehave had the rav since it was new. No real problems. It's been back to the dealer one time. The cover over the torque converter got bent in the snow and the teeth on the flywheel started hitting it. That's about it.

suvshopper4 · January 2005

Sounds like you've got a keeper.

So you have had the '96 since new.

Just imagine all the car payments you aren't making these days.

-ss4

ronstoy · January 2005

I would be interested in some info on the 2006 RAV4, I am starting the search for a small SUV, in the CRV, RAV4, Hyundai Santa FE or Tuscon.

I like the Highlander too, but I rub my head on the roof of the car.....Same with the Lexus RX330.

yooper53 · January 2005

I have an old Snap-On that must be 25 years old. If I needed to replace it I'd go with a no name cheapo. Had to borrow one of these a couple times and I was able to get the wheels off no problem in the spring.

suvshopper4 · January 2005

I've seen some '06 RAV4 info, but it is on another site with a message board, and therefore I can't direct you to it, according to Edmunds' rules.

But it is nothing definitive, just spy photos and speculation, so you're not missing much.

-ss4

cindyc · January 2005

having a problem with our 2002 toyota rav4, oil changed last in oct 2004. driving home on jan 23rd, the oil light came on then pulling off the road, every indicator light went on then the car stalled out. had the car towed to a mechanic that said the oil was like mud, then had the car towed to a dealer where it sits today, and they can't tell us what is wrong with it. looking online we see this is a common problem with certain toyotas from 1997-2002 that toyota recognized, we are wondering if anyone out there knows anything about it???

mcdawgg · January 2005

Actually, the sludge problem occurs if you do not change oil often enough. Certain Toyota engines MAY have been more prone to developing sludge, but only if the oil changes were not often enough. I have talked to two Toyota mechanics (at a very large dealership) that say they have never seen even one single sludge case that was legit. They said it was always a case of owner neglect, and people on this website have said the same thing.

I am not saying that this is your fault, but just clarifying what you saw about the 1997-2002.

How many miles on the car, how many miles between oil changes, how long (months) between oil changes, has filter always been changed, who did the oil changes???

petl · January 2005

The RAV motor is not included with the sludge problem. Are you the original owner of the RAV? How many miles are on it? Was the oil changed on a regular basis? The answer to these questions should help determine what the problem is. The RAV has a pretty reliable engine. However, anything is possible.

pilot130 · January 2005

Truth be told, there are a number of reasons why your Rav4 engine oil could have become "like mud".(BTW,That engine wasn't one of the ones which was alledged to have problems.)

As Mcdawgg says, lack of, or extended oil changes

are by far the most common reasons for sludge development.

And yes, there has been considerable discussion about sludge in the past.

In spite of what some insisted, it eventually turned out there was far more hype than substance to the controversy.

When the dust finally settled, it also became clear that Mcdawgg's assessment and experience is as close to the truth as it gets.

In your case it's difficult to provide any kind of helpful information without more information from you AND your dealer.

When an assessment by your dealer is made on what the cause (or causes) might be, it would be interesting to hear what was determined.

scoti1 · January 2005

Cindyc, Can you describe the "mud"? Is it the color of a chocolate milkshake (such as when water or coolant mixes with oil) or more dark brown, almost black and tarry looking?

The others are right in that the Toyota engine sludge campaign was limited to certain models and years and does not include the Rav-4. If you maintained your engine according to Toyota specifications and developed sludge, then you could have recourse through the new car drive train warranty, if still in effect. Toyota has placed inserts in some vehicles stating specifically that the warranty will not cover sludge. If that is the case, and again, if you maintained your car according to Toyota's specifications, then the next step would be lawsuit or arbitration.

cindyc · January 2005

We did get the oil changed on a regular basis, and this family has been going to the same mechanic for over 20 years. the car had about 45,000 miles on it. Most of the miles were put on it in the first year, but the last year and a half, we didn't drive it as much. we have 4 oil change receipts for 2004, the last one was in october, and I had a baby on october 20, so we really haven't driven a lot at all since then. By what little the dealership is saying, we are guessing the car needs a new engine. we don't know what we are going to do, it seems unacceptable that a car we bought new and had oil changes regularly in would die like this.

pilot130 · January 2005

For what it's worth Scoti1, I think it's a bit premature to speculate at any length about what little is known so far.

As I understand it, the first mechanic said oil was like "mud", which can mean many things.

The car "stalled out", which can also mean a bunch of possibilities.

Now the vehicle is at the dealer being diagnosed, and the owner apparently hasn't yet received any info as to cause, effect, or repair cost.

Speculating about the color of the "mud", or dispensing advice about sludge at this juncture, might raise unwarranted concerns.

I would like more info, especially what the dealer has to say, before raising any flags. I have some ideas about what might be involved with this problem, but without more details it might unduly confuse things.

These people are (justifiably) worried, and I think it's unwise to create additional concerns at this point.

mcdawgg · February 2005

By the way, this would still be under warranty - 5 years/60,000 miles. So you should have nothing to worry about, as long as the proper maintenance was done. But we are all curious...

scoti1 · February 2005

mcdawgg, I would hope it wouldn't be an issue, except for that nasty notice Toyota places in the owners manuals about not covering sludge under warranty. If it isn't sludge, and the engine has been maintained properly, then yes, the warranty should take care of it. My recommendation is to take it to the dealer, cindyc, with all of your backup maintenance information in hand.

Also, cindyc, I am still interested in the appearance and consistency of the mud if you have that information.

cindyc · February 2005

Unfortunately the car is over an hour away from us. We were driving home from my mothers when it broke down, and even though we have AAAplus, they would only tow it 10 miles because of all the snow we had. The mechanic we had it towed to first couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, so we towed it to the dealer where it has sat for over a week. we faxed all the oil change receipts to them, but they are saying they are useless because the mechanic we take it to didn't write the mileage or vin# on the receipt. My husbands family has been going to this mechanic for over 20 years, so I don't think he did anything shady like not really changing the oil. our warranty is for 75,000 miles 72 months, we are under both. We have a newborn baby, and my Honda was stolen less than 2 weeks before the Rav broke down. We are both working and taking care of a newborn with 1 rental car and can't really get down there until we have some info to go on. Toyota has said they will call us every day, but don't. We end up calling them, they say they will call us back, but don't. No matter what happens, we are getting rid of that car when we get it back. I just pray they do the right thing.

cindyc · February 2005

so, surprise, toyota never called us back, so we called them again only to find out that toyota will not cover it, and the car needs a new engine. it will only cost $8,000 for a new one, and $6,000 for a used one, seems reasonable for a $20,000 car. it makes me feel sick...tell me, other than regular oil changes, what other maintenence should we have had done on a car with 45,000 miles that if we didn't have it done, it would destroy the engine?

719b · February 2005

doesn't toyota have a 60,000 mile drive train warranty? seems if you have the receipts for all your oil changes, they have to cover it

cindyc · February 2005

well, the mechanic we take it to, that my husbands family has gone too for over 20 years, did not put the mileage or vin# on the receipt, in addition to this the dealer is saying that since some other things were not done (his example was not all spark plugs had been replaced) this might be an example of lack of maintenance. But when my husband asked if any of the "other things" might be related to the engine problems, the dealer said no. We're taking it up the corporate ladder now, because we did get the oil changed regularly, which they are saying is the main cause of the problems. We are also going back to our mechanic who hopefully has better info on his receipts than what he originally gave us.

mcdawgg · February 2005

Not having the mileage on the oil change receipts?!?!? I think you can kiss the money goodbye. You have to have decent proof of oil changes, no matter who does it, and that includes the basic info like miles AND date of oil changes.

Your mechanic may be good, but I am a little skeptical of someone who does not record this information. I have a hard time blaming Toyota with anything related to sludge just because no one can provide real proof, and also because of the two guys I talked to who work at a large dealer. Just my opinion.

By the way, the spark plugs on 2001 thru current Ravs do not require (per the manual) spark plug changes until at least 80,000 miles, so that dealer is full of it. Although I would change them sooner, but that's me.

Seriously, I wish you the best of luck. Also, congrats on the new baby.

scoti1 · February 2005

No mileage and VIN on the receipts could be the kiss of death. Does your mechanic keep electronic records? Maybe those are more complete. Do you have the date on the receipts? Does the date record show reasonable maintenance? I was told that people getting the fix under the sludge policy only had to show proof of one oil change per year!

Also, what about the people who change their own oil? Other than the date of the purchase of the oil (if they keep those receipts) would be documented. Can they deny warranty to someone on the basis of lack of maintenance if they change their own oil?

One other comment, Cindy, the amount they are quoting you is outrageous. I would estimate it is about double what one would expect to pay for a rebuilt or new engine. If you do replace the engine, I would not give the Toyota dealership one penny of that money.

petl · February 2005

There's something wrong with the whole situation. There is a big part of the puzzle missing. As some have stated, key pieces of information are required before anyone can arrive at solutions and/or blame. Here are few questions. Who actually drove the car in for oil changes? The first mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with it? Toyota offered to install a used motor on a 2002 for $6,000.00? Something just doesn't add up.

cindyc · February 2005

My husband drove the car in for the oil changes. The first mechanic we had it towed to (mainly because triple A would only tow 10 miles and this was the only mechanic we knew, through my husbands father, in the area) didn't try to go further than changing, checking the oil. Right away, when the oil light stayed on after the oil change, he told us we needed to take it to a dealer or different mechanic, as they are simply a shop that specializes in tires, wheels, and the like. He isn't our regular mechanic.

When the dealer finally told us toyota would not warranty it, my husband asked what is the next step. Now, when he first called after the dealer did the initial diagnosis, the service rep said it didn't pay to speculate about price yet, wait and see what toyota would do. My husband pressed for some kind of rough price, even saying could it be a $400 job or $4000? He was told that it could be either, or somewhere in between, but again, wait to hear from Toyota. On Weds, when my husband called the dealer and was told that Toyota said no warranty, my husband again asked what would the price be to fix it. After some lengthy technical jargon about what was wrong, he said basically it will need a new engine, at $8000, or "sometimes they could get a used engine, from a car that didn't have a lot of miles on it" for $6000. Without trying to be argumentitive, my husband basically said $8000 for a 4 cylinder engine on a 2002 car was crazy. And $6000 for a used engine was ridiculous. But this is exactly what he was told by the dealer. We've tried searching online for rebuilt and remanufactured engines for 2002 Rav4's, but couldn't find anything. But most used engines seem to between several hundred to several thousand. But none near as high as $6000.

After speaking with Toyota on Weds (not the dealer, but someone in corporate, who we called after getting the bad news from the dealer) they told us to go back to our mechanic and see if he had records. He did in fact have records, 3 of which had the mileage on it, which we've made copies of. Toyota told us that they put an order in with the dealer and that they are required to call us within 3 business days (monday being the 3rd day), and once they called we will most likely be faxing any other records/receipts. Toyota corporate seemed very friendly and helpful, so perhaps that will make a difference. What we should have done (besides have better records altogether) was simply write the mileage on the reciepts before we faxed it to the dealer, but we assumed that the dates would be enough.

Another thing that the dealer also mentioned as a problem on the receipt was my husbands last name rather than mine. Why this should even be remotely an issue is beyond me, but it seems that from the get-go they were looking to justify not being able to warranty the engine.

titan613 · February 2005

My wife purchased a new 2004 RAV4 L about 8 months ago. In the morning following a cold night (sub 20 degrees), the automatic tranny initially refuses to shift into the last gear or overdrive at highway speed. You have to decelerate the vehicle to sub 20 MPH and then re-accelerate. The tranny will usually shift up through the gears normally. On occasion, you have to repeat the deceleration step. Of note, pressing the OD override button... or manually shifting into a lower gear has no impact.

I noticed the issue about 6 weeks ago. Her RAV4 is normally relatively quiet, but the excess engine rev was noticeable. The tach registered about 3500-4000 RPM at 60 MPH which is obviously not normal.

We are new to this site. I read through several months of postings on this forum and found nothing related to this issue. We are headed to the dealer tomorrow for an oil change and we plan to bring the issue to their attention. Does anyone have experience with this issue? Is there a solution?

Please advise.

mcdawgg · February 2005

The car is operating the way it is supposed to. The transmission is locked out of overdrive until the engine is warm enough. This is to more quickly warm the catalytic converter. Check your owner's manual - this is explained in there. Also, all newer automatics from other manufacturers do this.

mcdawgg · February 2005

If you change your own oil, save all receipts for buying the oil and filters, and keep a log book of the dates and miles of when you change the oil and filters, as well as other maintenance. I usually buy a year's worth of oil and filters - you don't have to buy oil and filters each time before you do your oil changes. Just keep the logbook. This is sufficient for the warranty.

petl · February 2005

Cindy, It looks like you are handling the situation in an appropriate fashion. Hopefully Toyota will replace/repair the motor under warranty (I think they should). If they don't, I would suggest that you obtain everything from Toyota in writting including the diagnosis and reason for not covering (it may not be related to the oil changes). Producing a written statement from the mechanic that performed the oil changes may also be beneficial (particularly if you plan on taking them to court). Keep copies of everything. Pleading your case in a rational fashion based on facts should assist you in winning your case (getting angry and loud may be detrimental). Good luck.

cindyc · February 2005

good news!!!Toyota covered the new engine. still want to find out exactly what happened, but thank my lucky stars they did the right thing.

cindy

mcdawgg · February 2005

Wow! That's great! I guess even the most reliable car producer makes a mistake every once in a while.

petl · February 2005

Good for you. Toyota did the right thing. Although Toyota has a reputation for manufacturing reliable vehicles, anything can happen. It is mechanical and that's why there is a warranty (peace of mind). I guess you could "By the way, what caused the problem? Just curious." with the dealer. What's important is that they did the right thing.

bobshow · February 2005

can anyone tell me a site to download a free owners manual for a 99 toyota rav4: only seem to find places that want to sell and then send the by regular mail.. thanks.

scoti1 · February 2005

That is great news Cindyc. I would like to know what happened, too. Did they ever determine if this "mud" was "sludge" or "gel"? I am glad Toyota valued you as a customer!

new4 · February 2005

Hi all,

Just purchased a RAV4 4 Dr. 4WD on Saturday 2/12/05 for a Valentines Day gift for my wife.

I found the engine noise in the interior to be very loud, almost like a Diesel Auto...

I say this because a co-worker of mine purchased a 2004 RAV4 late November 2004 and the engine noise inside and outside doesn't seem anywhere as loud.

Any ideas, please

paulcudlip · February 2005

Take the RAV 4 back to the dealership. Something is wrong with it. I have one and the engine is quiet.

andrelaplume · February 2005

HELP! Surely I can not be the only one with this issue. For the last 4 years in the winter the driver side door lock will periodically freeze shut in very cold weather. If you click the unlock button on the key fob all doors unlock EXCEPT the driver door. If you enter the car you can not even manually flip it. The key will not open the door either. If you run the car until the cabin warms up then it eventually may be manually flipped or will open if you hit the key fob or unlock switch.

Any ideas what causes this to happen and only on this one door? Better yet, what might be a fix...

THANKS!!!!!!

wsommariva · February 2005

Moisture in the lock? Do you park outside and does the driver's side get hit with wind/rain/sleet? Try positioning the car so that the driver's side is protected.

andrelaplume · February 2005

Yes the car is outside, along with my Camry and every other car on the block. No others ever had this problem. Like I said, not only can you not use the key but the lock button will also not flip.

escapenut · February 2005

I took my wife's '03 RAV04 in for the third time to fix the dash-rattle. Upon closer inspection, I was told later, that the noise seemed to be coming from behind the instrument panel, with either the air vent-tube or other plastic parts
clanging together. The NVH tech. took it this time and seemed to fix it right. So far, so good, after one week, no noise from the dash in hot-cold weather, or going over rough-smooth roads, or anything. My wife is elated finally, as these little noises drive her crazy. After the dealer-cowl fix, complete dash-removal and insulation, and instrument panel removal and insulation, it seems that this may have done the trick. If not, then at least I've got a well-insulated dash area. If you have similar noises
under warranty insist that Toyota fix the problem.
Don MCgill Toyota did for me. I know that the service advisor probably got sick of dealing with me, but he never denied hearing the noise and persisted with the tech. until it was fixed. Kudos to Don McGill for not denying a problem and recognizing that it should be fixed.

Toyota RAV4 pre-2006

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