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Comments
It's human nature to gripe, and there are plenty of lurkers out there enjoying their RAV4 who think they don't have anything to post about since their Toyota isn't giving them any trouble.
Most all brands here have a "problems" discussion.
Here's the one for the '06 RAV4 btw (hopefully you won't need the Explorer one):
Toyota RAV4 2006+: Problems & Solutions
Steve, Host
If not, should it be called a LSD, or simply TC?
we have 3rd row and love it. only occassionally use, family of four, but enjoy the flexibility to carry up to 7 if needed. we highly recommend.
My selling dealer claimed it was made this way but the Rav4 forum came back to me with a big no answer.
I moved from LA to San Diego and finally, my new Escondido CA dealer checked the problem and found a part was broken in the seat at the factory.. Today, it is temporary working but Toyota can not produce the proper part to get the seat in original proper working order. I love the car but lack parts availablity for 7 months from Toyota sucks!!! :mad:
Gary
Remember all that good stuff you are reading in CU is not for your RAV4, it is for previous models. And some day the paint chips and cracked windshields and slow shifting will catch up with the ratings.
We even have budding Sherlock Holmes and couch analysts here guessing people motives. Give it up!
'06 Rav4 Owner Opinions
Please reply!
Thanks!
Chris S.
Chris S.
Steve, Host
Lots of people here buy them in MD and VA and drive them west. One guy all the way to Little Rock!
I actually noted a minor problem yesterday with my 2006 RAV4. The trim in the upper corners of the windshield is buckling some, more on the driver side than the passenger side. It's about a quarter inch out of it's track on the drive side and about one eighth of an inch on the passenger side. Has anyone else noticed this problem? It may have been there when I bought it 2 months ago. I'll have to see if Toyota can do anything about it, but I consider it very minor. It's where the trim alongside the window meets the trim from the roof rack.
PS I got rid of my Honda Accord bc
1) the lease was up.
2) We wanted a bigger car to carry cargo.
3) I like driving above the road (feature in SUVS)
BTW my Eddie Bauer cost around 30,000 with taxes included(28,000 without)... im pretty sure the Limited Rav4 costs around the same price or even more.
The 03 Lexus RX has this transmission issue the worst, and pretty unacceptable for a "luxury" car.
The 05 Sienna has it, but not as bad as the RX, yet still noticeable.
The 06 RAV4 has less of this problem, and not as noticeable compared to the Sienna. A clear improvement.
The 06 GS350 doesn't have any transmission issues at all.
It's obvious to me that Toyota has been working on this over the years and the RAV4 (for me at least) is definitely improved. I knew about this problem (and others posted here) prior to purchasing, yet, I still bought the RAV4, because NO car is perfect. Sure the throttle isn't as responsive as my BMW 330Ci automatic was during sudden accelerations, BUT I never have to worry about expensive visits to the dealer shop when my warranty is up.
Bottom line: the transmission issue is minor enough to not be a factor for me in my decision to purchase the RAV4 over competitors, when all the pros/cons have been added up.
Steve, Host
They ask inane questions! (JUST KIDDING - I simply could not resist!)
tidester, host
-juice
Besides.... if you're not going to post something relating to my experience with this, please keep it to yourself.
This has become and is a serious issue with regard to the safety of consumers purchasing these vehicles...My children like to play with sidewalk chalk in our driveway and if one of them got hurt or cut on this glass.... This has happened over a week ago and I am still cleaning up glass that was missed in the driveway! :mad:
I've read so many posts and reviews on the net now regarding the 06 Rav4...but there is no such thing as a "perfect car". The blown out rear window....well, this shouldn't have happened, and in a perfect world; it wouldn't have happened. But through no fault of my own, the weather, our surroundings, etc....it happened; and Toyota does not know what to do.
You were looking for an explanation, yet that's the type of thing that cannot be explained.
I had my Miata vandalized, a rock was thrown through the rear glass. Believe me, I know what it's like to have to vacuum shards of glass out on the driveway, not to mention the interior.
You know what helped? Of all things? A leaf blower.
-juice
Boy I'm sure glad I got mine BEFORE the prices dropped
-------------------
-juice
But look at all the fun have had for all these months drivng past that fence post over and over again. Don't you and the RAV4 ever get tired.
I am still waiting for the 2007.
I've had stuff thrown through windows before ... I know what a pain it is to get it all cleaned up, but I witnessed this happen with the rear window in my RAV4 on June 30th in my driveway.. The glass shattered and popped out... nothing hit it. Toyota provided me with no course to follow to make sure all evidence of this happening was not tainted in any way... I had to be the investigator on this and believe me, nothing to which Toyota or the dealer has told me adds up. I inquired about the New Vehicle Warranty; which was explained by the Dealer that this was a comprehensive bumper to bumper warranty for the first 3years/36000 miles (whichever comes first). Windows or flaws in windows is not mentioned in the "What NOT is covered" section of the warranty either. Needless to say, because the service person at the dealer cannot come up with a story on how this happened.. they cannot take responsibility for it (even after incident was explained with pictures provided that substaniate the story; as well a a second opinion from the auto glass company that repaired it stating that it appeared this happened due to a flaw in the window itself). It was explained to me yesterday (car was in the shop for 10 days now), when I picked up that Toyota will cover the window under their "Good Will Faith" Policy... but not cover expenses for the rental I needed to get to work. I've just found out that this Good Will Policy is given to drivers when their cars are just out of warranty by 1000 miles or so. My RAV is still under warranty.. As well, The dealer never bothered to repair scratches on the rear door caused by the glass falling out of the car, and this has become a nightmare.
By the way, I inquired also about the hesitation in the RAV4 on quick acceleration and was told by the dealer that this is a "safety mechanism" to prevent hard shifting, thus maintaining the life of the transmission... And he sees this delay in other makes/models.. I'll remember that when I'm trying to merge onto the Washington Beltway with traffic going 85+ mph...
I walked out the next day and found a rock in the passenger seat, next to the smashed cup holder.
Hopefully you can buff the scratches out of the paint. If Toyota sees a pattern maybe they'll issue a TSB. I wonder if you should report the issue on the NHTSA web site, perhaps?
-juice
Actually I already filed a complaint with NHTSA..Office of Defect Investigation.
One thing though is that I am learning all the tricks of the "blame" trade with regard to "smooth talking". I spoke with the dealer's service tech who said he inspected the window. He said that it was his impression that after his inspection of the window, the broken window did not happen as a result of a "stress crack" or a manufactur's defect. I asked how he arrived at that conclusion since the window was no longer in the car... and the broken remenants of the window were in the driveway and the trash. I've also got a 2nd opinion from the Auto glass repair tech who installed the new glass on my car. He stated that he agreed that there may have been a flaw in the window that lead to the blow-out. Also, I just found out that my car sat at the dealership for 3 days before it was inspected; the dealer knew about the incident on July 1st, car was dropped off July 3rd in am, phone message left on my cell phone on July 6th in pm. I don't know when the window was ordered, but Auto glass repair tech said appointment was made on Tuesday, July 11 in the afternoon and they came July 12 in the am to install. Toyota has agreed to cover the window repair through a "Good Faith Will" Policy... but not the rental.. But no one can tell me what this policy is or how repairs are determined to be put under this policy. I heard that this policy is used when vehicles are just out of warranty... and is a deal between the factory and the dealer. I also heard that "Good Faith" is covered the same way a warranty item is covered. They argued with me over the questions I had about this, stating that they used Good Faith Policy because window defects are not covered under New Vehicle Warranties. I replied, Windows are not listed in the "What is not covered" section of the New Vehicle Warranty. I was transfered to a supervisor then.
I know when something is wrong, and this is clearly wrong. I hope no one else has to go through what I am going through!
"Good Faith" repairs are not warranty work. It's good relations thing, period. There is a slush fund for these types of repairs. I can see why an individual with many questions would be referred to the Supervisor. They probably don't understand why there would be so many questions, particularly since it's being fixed.
For some unknown reason it appears that you are hoping for this incident to turn into something that many will experience. Life is short. Be happy that it is being repaired (no charge to you) and enjoy your RAV. If you can't, get rid of it and buy something else.
Toyota is a bit slow to admit fault and own up to problems, you may recall the Sludge debacle? It took months and some heavy pressure from many internet sites before they extended the powertrain warranty on those.
To be fair, there were hundreds of cases of Sludge, and that's not (yet, at least) the case with the mysterious glass explosion.
-juice
If this isn't a occasional problem with the RAV4, I'm sure we'll hear other reports soon enough.
Meanwhile, go borrow a leaf blower I guess.
Steve, Host
It's either a fluke or the beginnings of a Toyota issue that we and they may not be aware of for several years to come....either way, how many other people will this happen to and it will NOT be reported....
"Good Faith" repairs are not warranty work. It's good relations thing, period.
This is the first time I've ever heard of "Good Faith" repairs..In fact, I would NEVER expect to hear the words "Good" and "Faith" coming out of ANY car manufacturer. I am sure it stays a "good relation thing" until enough consumers have the same problems...then it becomes a recall thing and I'm sure they don't like to see their slush fund run dry.
I work five days a week and don't make a lot of money here. As a blue-collar worker who just bought a $27,000.00 brand new vehicle, is it so bad that I am expecting quality? I have spent more time researching this window crap than I've spent with my family in the past two weeks and why? Because I am tired of being lied to or simply fed BS just to shut me up. It finally appears that it is paying off as I have asked all the RIGHT questions for once & am finally getting somewhere!
For some unknown reason it appears that you are hoping for this incident to turn into something that many will experience. Life is short.
It appears that you've got that backwards..If it does become something that others experience, at least somewhere people will know that I've experienced the same thing and have someone to talk to.....
As I've stated in previous posts... this is a problem, and this is my problem. If you can't contribute something positive towards this experience, then please don't reply to my posts.
The leaf blower worked great!