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Toyota RAV4 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    Is yours a JBL? Keep us all posted as to whether your third radio works. Mine needs replacing as the vol. control knob functions only intermittantly. Toyota said to bring the radio issue to the attention of the dealer when I take the car in to get the droning noise issue addressed again.
    Anyhow good luck with your new radio!
  • speedy1speedy1 Member Posts: 4
    Had a small rock hit my windshield after being shot out from a truck tire in front of me on the highway. At first when I looked there was no damage...then I got home and parked the car for a while and when I came back out...it looked like a stone chip but no chipped out glass. Next day I went to work and tried to call someone to fix the chip/mark on the windshield. by the time they got there it had cracked about four inches long. now it is about 15 inches in two directions. New windshield on the way but dealer says he has 58 of them back-ordered. 58? Do you think there is a problem with the glass? One mechanic told me that because the windshield is heated that it is weaker having the lines in between to heat the wiper area....design flaw if you ask me. Anyone else have a windshield cracked?
  • gregorylynngregorylynn Member Posts: 38
    Yep, top o the line JBL. My guess is poor QC at Toyota on the part let defectives creep into the build process *or* there is a more complex power/wiring issue damaging the radios post install.

    Goes in tomorrow am, will report in the pm.
  • jasondojasondo Member Posts: 8
    Hi All, I got my rav4 last month, and ever since then, I've been using "4" position for my daily driving. It's been 2000 miles already, and I just had a chance read my manual, and it says it's better using "D" position all the time.

    I m really worried if this "4" position thing really hurt the engine or hopefully not at all. Please advice please.

    thank you all very much

    J.S
  • gregorylynngregorylynn Member Posts: 38
    3rd radio replaced appears to be the charm, although the first one failed when things got hot in the summer, so will see if #3 makes it past August 2007!
  • gregorylynngregorylynn Member Posts: 38
    I am having a piece of defective window trim on the passenger side replaced under warranty, fyi to all here. The black strip that runs vertically from windshield bottom to top between windshield and body door frame was deformed as it reaches the roof and had buckled slightly upwards, creating a gap that could let water in...wonder if this is an water entry point for leaking into passenger footwell posts I have seen here?
  • mlot51mlot51 Member Posts: 8
    Your car is fine. You can drive in 4 all the time if you want. The D just has overdrive which knocks the RPMs down, resulting in better gas mileage. For regular driving keep it in D. If you need power for a hill or something, go to 4 or even 3.
  • jasondojasondo Member Posts: 8
    Thank you! I feel better for my car right now.
    I even got paranoid after read my manual, especially when I start the engine, it makes a pretty loud noise than it was before. (when the engine warmed up, it goes quiet again) But it surely louder than before when it was new.
  • idpidp Member Posts: 3
    Hi,
    My RAV4 has a scratch - paint scrape on the interior of the cargo door on the vinyl/plastic part. I found some vinyl paints but I am not sure about the exact color match. The interior color code is FD13, which looks like a flat black or a medium charcoal -depending on the light. Is there any place I can find a color-matched paint or any other solution you guys know of? Toyota seems to have paint pens for the exterior but none for the interior...
    Thanks in advance
  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    Glad to hear your new radio seems to be ok - I hope one replacement does the trick for my vehicle as I'm getting tired of taking the car in to the dealer so often.
  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    I mentioned the heat shield to the Toyota people as a possible cause of the droning noise, but the tech. rep. is pretty sure it is somehow connected to the fuel pump or fuel pump housing. He said the engineers at Toyota are stymied by the problem. Not too encouraging. I'm glad to hear that you were able to solve your particular problem though and thanks for the input - it may indeed heop someone.
  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    The initial communication from Toyota in which they told me they were going to put the 4cyls fuel pump into my 6cyl vehicle was faulty. The tech rep. from Toyota called me and explained that he only wanted to put it in for diagnostic purposes as he thinks doing that may help him get to determine the cause of the droning noise. He intends to put the V6s fuel pump back into my vehicle before returning it to me. He said the engineers at Toyota are at a loss as to determining the cause. Not too encouraging!
  • desertguydesertguy Member Posts: 730
    This is copied from another board and may be of help:

    If it is on any interior plastic,except on foam backed plastic dash boards ,there is a repair method that works. Unless the plastic has a very deep scratch this will work to hide,or in some cases eliminate the scuff or scratch. This will work with most theromplastic material.

    Take a heat gun ,or propane torch ,and heat ONLY the scratched area. Be VERY careful not to hold it at the same spot. Wave the heat source over the scratched/scuffed area. The scratch in some cases will disappear . Only heat enough for the scratch to disappear,and not until the plastic gets shiny,as you are melting it then. Light colored plastics will yellow when heat applied,but darker colors will not. Do not touch the heated area because it will imprint whatever touches it,just let cool. DO NOT USE THIS METHOD ON PAINTED PLASTIC, ONLY MOLDED PLASTIC. Painted plastic should use touch up paint,and micro sand 600/1500 grit touched up area to blend in.

    I use a propane torch with a pin point flame,quicker heat, narrower heat point,and easier to control . It's an old kayakers trick to clean up scratches on plastic boats.

    As for protection I use 303 protectorant. Several applications give good scuff protection,and when applied to scuffs,will help hide them. Remove any protectorant before using heat method,as it will change color of heated area. Use rubbing alcohol to remove protectorant.
    _________________
    paraver
  • idpidp Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the method but there is no cut/scratch on the actual plastic/vinyl part. The paint was scraped off and now there is a lighter colored area showing as a scratch. I think I only need touch-up paint but I am not sure how to find the right shade or the product...
  • desertguydesertguy Member Posts: 730
    This is what you said: "My RAV4 has a scratch - paint scrape on the interior of the cargo door on the vinyl/plastic part" Operative words are "on the vinyl/plastic part." I guess I was just confused as to what you were alluding to.
  • idpidp Member Posts: 3
    I am really sorry for the confusion. I should have attached a picture to show the problem, I guess. The plastic part I am unsuccessfully trying to allude to is the interior covering plate of the rear door - the part that is not metal or glass :).
    Thanks again for your help
  • happyharryhappyharry Member Posts: 22
    Just bought a 2007 Sport RAV4 4WD and to get the hard-shell spare tire cover instead will cost C$395 Canadian extra.

    Do you experts know where can I mail order one (Flint Mica color)in the States and how much will it cost?? :confuse:

    Thanks.
  • schlierseeschliersee Member Posts: 2
    Look at TOYOTA-PARTS.COM which is Texas Toyota.Click on RAV4 ,2007, then accessories , wheels.
    Don't know if they need backing plate to attach them or if they have something other than the original system.
    Make sure you order for 17-18" wheels. Price is about US $165.+ shipping. Email them for more info. Good luck.
  • bob777bob777 Member Posts: 19
    I would say yes. The Mazda CX-7 is the one I would look at as well. I have many of the problems noted on this forum. I think you're right, these are not Toyota like, but this is the first one I have owned. Likely the last though.
    Mine is a 2006. Good luck
  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    I don't think the 4cyls have the droning issue - one of the service writers at the dealer basically said that they don't. In fact Toyota wants to put the fuel pump which was designed for the 4cyls into my 6cyl RAV4 as sort of a diagnostic experiment because the Toyota engineers are "baffled" by the droning noise (according to Toyota's area tech rep). So you did well to buy the 4cyl!
  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    I did some research on the Mazda CX-7 and it has some problems - check engine light issues because of faulty gas caps, but Mazda has redesigned the gas caps. (It would be nice if Toyota would redesign the fuel pumps for the 6cyl RAV4s!) Also when I looked at them (CX-7s)I noticed that all of the ones at the dealer I went to made a rubbing/grinding or scraping noise when I opened the driver doors. Anyhow I would look at the forums on them if you haven't already. I checked the forums a couple of years ago before I bought an Infiniti G35 and everyone was talking about how the brakes were wearing out too quickly. I ignored the warnings and bought one anyhow (they're really quick off the line) and sure enough the rear brake shoes had to be replaced at 7,000 miles! Ultimately Infiniti put out a service bulletin which gave everyone who owned a G35 brake pads for 3 yrs or 36,000 miles. And as for the 2007 Honda CRV - I have now ruled that out as many of them were shipped to the US with bad fluid in the differential so Honda is going to call everyone who bought one and have them come in to get the differential replaced. It's actually going to be a recall. The Subaru Forester gets good marks from Consumer Reports and is really nimble and has beautiful fit and finish.
  • gilvkonagilvkona Member Posts: 31
    I am up to 15000 miles on my car. I have taken it to 3 different Toyota dealers for servicing. The first put 5/30 oil in the car for the first oil change. When I got my second change out of state, the CSR came up after the oil change was done and told me he had to charge me more because the RAV4 required 0/20 weight oil. Being in a rush, I did not question this. However, I read the manual and it says to use 0/20 or 5/20 weight oil. I recently went to my third dealer since I was back home and got a coupon in the mail. He told me they use 5/30 on everyone. He said they don't carry 0/20 or 5/20. Anybody have any thoughts on the subject?

    Gil
  • bdymentbdyment Member Posts: 573
    You can't go wrong if you follow the manual. The dealer that uses 5/30 for everything is definitely wrong and I would take my business elsewhere.
  • jrav4jrav4 Member Posts: 2
    I recently bought a new 2007 RAV4 and was wondering if anyone can tell me which MP3 players will work with it? I don't have an MP3 player but I would like to buy one and I don't want to get one only to find out that it won't work in the RAV4. I have been looking at Zune & iPod. Any advice would be appreciated. :confuse:
  • yankeex31yankeex31 Member Posts: 1
    The confusion probably comes from the fact that the V6 uses 5W30 and that the 4-cyl uses 5W20. Never heard of 0W20. 5W20 exist. It's less viscous than 5W30 and it is used more and more in new tighter engine.

    Some people say that, in the long-term, 5W20 does not offer enough protection for the engine (since less viscous) and that car manuf use it only to improve their overall fuel consumption (since 5W20 offers slightly better fuel economy). Other people say new engine are tighter and requires a more "liquid" oil.

    It's hard to judge but if I was you I would use 5W20 SYNTHETIC oil.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    Hmmm, sounds familiar so I checked another forum whose name I may not mention or my post will be deleted. It seams some canister or something is exposed under there that are protected on most other vehicles. Some dude actually is fabricationg parts to cover the area. I wonder if this is the area where yours took the hit? Try googling: Quickdtoo fabricate.........see if this helps.....
  • lirlir Member Posts: 81
    The iPod works great with the RAV4.
  • jrav4jrav4 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the advice. Now that I know that the iPod works, I can go shopping! :)
  • mendota101mendota101 Member Posts: 17
    I commute 170 miles per day and have owned the vehicle 7 months. There's a very pronounced rattle on ceratin road pavements that the dealer cannot locate.

    The tires are LOUD . The vehicle came with the optional 17 wheels.

    Fuel mileage is 26- 28 which is fair considering all freeway driving on flat terrain.

    Use 0-20 Mobil 1 and change every 5,000 miles.
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    I didn't find anything on this subject here. I rotated the tires on a 05 RAV 4 and the next day the TPMS light came on. When trying to reset the light via the procedure in the manual I don't get the blinking 3 times indication described and the light only goes out temporarily.Is there some trick to resetting the light?
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    I tried it again using instruction from another web site and it seemed to work. First, reset the TPMS light by pressing the rest button. Then, press and hold the button again for several seconds - after about 10s I got the 3 blinking lights confirming total system reset. Now I'll have to wait for several days to ensure it doesn't come back on.

    BTW, the system is not very accurate - one of the tires was down to about 22-23 PSI (vs 29PSI normal) and the system did not come on. The newer direct sensor method (06 and later models) may be more accurate but also much more expensive long term.
  • wsw123wsw123 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 rav4 4wd with 70K miles. Recently the automatic transmission is not shifting correctly at time. The car is not shifting correctly at 1st and 2nd gear. Sometime it almost feels like it is starting up in 2nd gear (no power). The car will lurch when shifting between 1st and 2nd and sometimes 2nd to 3rd. If you're driving behind me, it looks like I'm a new manual transmission driver.

    The problem only occurs from time to time. I've noticed if I have not driven the car for couple of days, it works fine for up to a whole day.

    I took it to the dealer and after ruling the electrical connections, they said it was the transmission. I then took it to another shop which said it was electrical (the check engine light had came on after the dealer visit) and replaced some solenoids but that didn't fix the problem. The check engine light came on again with the same error codes and replacing the solenoids a second time did not help.

    Anyone experience this before? I don't want to spend any more money having people guess at what the problem is.
  • aceman322aceman322 Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the same problem with my 2003 Rav4.

    Does anyone have any idea what the problem is? Toyota is clueless... so they say.
  • bitobito Member Posts: 5
    Hi

    For a purchase in the near future, I'm looking at a Rav4 and 2 other small SUVs (CR-V and Forester). The V6 Rav4 tops my list, but I read the threads on this forum about the droning noise and throttle lag issues. The reported problems seem to stop in Nov, however. Does anyone know if the issues have been resolved? Thanks.
  • mark19mark19 Member Posts: 123
    No the problem has NOT been resolved. Toyota only wants to ignore the issue, because they can. There are no software updates or part fixes available yet. And doesn't seem that there are going to be either. Fact is the lag is an emissions "Trick" of the computer to avoid fuel being dumped into the cylinders at once which would increase the emissions. I highly doubt Toyota would want to correct this and have to replace all the catalytic converters as well. It won't ever be fixed.
  • desertguydesertguy Member Posts: 730
    MOST of us have no lag or droning noise.
  • mark19mark19 Member Posts: 123
    It's unfortunate that people have had to report this issue to NHTSA (government) about the safety issue of the lag of response from the accelerator pedal. Personally, I would look elsewhere than the 2006-2007 RAV4. Too many issues early on that should've been caught in the quality testing engineering by Toyota.
    The forester hasn't had such issues. And from what I've heard the CRV isn't doing too well this year either. Can be blamed on first year production, but it seems car makers are also having trouble into the 2nd year production cycle too. But that's what I'd do is to look more at the forester.
  • pearlpearl Member Posts: 336
    considering all the kudos for Toyota/Lexus re quality, there seem to be MANY, MANY complaints about poor automatic transmissions across their various nameplates. This seems to have been going on for years, too. I have friends with Camrys that have had all kinds of continuing shift quality problems and these message boards are full of similar stories. Seems incredible that Toyota cannot get a handle on these problems.
  • picard12picard12 Member Posts: 55
    Has Toyota fix the droning noise in your RAV4 yet? I had similar noise in my old accord 1993 recently. It was diagnosed as powersteering pump. the whole power steering pump system had to be replaced due to worn out parts.

    I can't believe your new RAV4 has this problem. My car is 12yrs old.
  • bitobito Member Posts: 5
    Hi

    Thanks for all the responses. It is greatly appreciated.
  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    Hi,
    To answer your question regarding the droning noise and throttle lag issues, I still have both. I have made 4-5 visits to the Toyota dealer where I have my 2006 V6 RAV4 serviced for the purpose of getting the droning noise diagnosed and eliminated and the noise has not been eliminated. After having replaced the fuel pump (that didn't work) and then on a different visit, the fuel pump assembly/housing, Toyota wanted to put a 4CYL fuel pump into my 6CYL RAV for diagnostic purposes (apparently the droning noise is not present in the 4CYL RAV4s) because the Toyota local tech rep said the engineers were stumped as far as coming up with a fix for the droning noise. They basically admitted to me that there is no fix on the horizon.

    I have not even addressed the throttle lag issue because the droning noise has been so irritating that I've been concentrating on trying to get that fixed. I'm also having a problem with my JBL sound system in that the volume control knob only works intermittantly. There's also a rattling noise on the dashboard coming from the piece of plastic which surrounds the emergency flasher button and the driver's side visor also rattles - I think it's the mirror in the visor.

    I have been wondering why the forum has not heard from the other folks who were experiencing the droning noise recently and the only answer I have been able to come up with is that maybe they have given up and just have decided to put up with it, but that is only conjecture on my part. Or maybe they requested relief under the Lemon Law, got that relief and were told to keep quiet as part of the settlement - Who knows.

    I don't intend to give up until the droning issue with my vehicle is resolved one way or another.

    I have been on the CRV forum checking out what people are saying about the 2007 and it seems that many of the first CRVs which came to the USA are having to have the rear differentials replaced - that doesn't inspire too much confidence in potential buyers. I have eliminated that vehicle from my list of possible replacements. The Forester seems to have no problems to speak of according to the forums and it handles quite nicely - The L.L. Bean model is nice and the Forester handles very well and is light on its feet.

    Hope this helps. I will keep the forum posted.

    I am continuing to pursue a solution and will not give up on the issue until it is resolved one way or another.
  • ihammerihammer Member Posts: 75
    Hi, No it has not been fixed yet - see a longer reply I wrote a few minutes ago for details (#436 I think)
  • 07rav407rav4 Member Posts: 1
    I also have the vibration situation in my feet while driving. Also noticed same vibration on the front passenger floor. Dealer said this is "normal". My opinion is that this is either the road or a mechanical operation that is not being isolated by the body. Situation is very annoying. Anyone with similar situation? 2007 RAV4 Base 4x4 4cyl, 3,600 miles.
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    If the dealer claims the condition is 'normal,'
    I suggest you ask the dealer to let you test-drive another one to check for the same condition. Call his bluff.
  • mcwestmcwest Member Posts: 1
    Count me in for vibration problems as well. We noticed two weeks ago that my 2002 Rav4 would shake and sputter when going from 1st to 2nd. There is only 62,000 miles on this car (Toyota's transmission warranty is for 60,000 miles). The dealer wanted $2,500 for a new transmission. AAMCO wanted less than $2,000. Merry Christmas. We brought the car home from AAMCO last Saturday and it *still* shakes. We brought the car back on the 26th and I'm still without a car. :lemon:
  • cbmortoncbmorton Member Posts: 252
    Well, I'm one who had posted about having the droning a few months ago. However, mine rarely did it so I wasn't overly concerned and could wait for an eventual fix. Then it turned out that at least in my case a temporary fix was a change in the weather - as soon as average temperatures dropped into the 60s in the fall, the droning noise disappeared completely. I haven't heard it at all in 2-3 months.

    The only other "problem" I have is the same noise you have from around the hazard button to the right of the radio. That one is intermittent.

    Apart from that, no complaints. I'm impressed with how solid the vehicle is overall. Too bad not everyone has had the same positive experience.
  • rick73rick73 Member Posts: 1
    I ran the battery down on my 97 Rav4 by leaving the key in it overnight while it was parked in the garage. I charged up the battery and cranks just fine but wont start. Now as soon a put the key in the door lock I get a warning buzzer pattern for about 30 seconds and then it stops. The pattern is 1 beep, then 2 quick beeps, then 1 beep. It pauses for a few seconds then repeats this pattern. The clearance lights also start flashing. I unlock the door and insert the key in the ignition and turn it on. At that point the dome light, signal lights, dash lights and clearance lights all start flashing. The open door light also comes on and the warning buzzer start a steady beep beep beep like I've left my headlights on. I crank the engine but it will not start. Took it to the dealer and they say its caused from an aftermarket security system screwing up the memory in the computer. I bought the vehicle used but everything on it looks factory installed. There is a small red light in one of the 3 panels on the left side of the steering column that starts blinking slowly when I lock the vehicle up but it looks like its OEM. I've been waiting for the dealer to fix the problem for 2.5 days now. I just called them and they said they are still scratching their head trying to figure out what to do. Anybody have any advice on what the problem is and how to fix it???
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Yes, locate the previous owner, find out who installed the aftermarket security system and take the vehicle there.
  • mark112mark112 Member Posts: 2
    I recently bought a Toyota 2007 RAV-4. The first 100 miles are okay, but after driving for 100 miles, I found that even when I depress the brake at one or two miles per hour, I can feel my body and the car body being pulled forward even though the car stops correctly. In addition, if I depress the brake when driving at about 5-10 mile per hour, this forward force grows greatly. If I put items at the other seat, they will often get thrown out of the seat. My other cars do not have this problem. Thus, I belive that my RAV-4 may have some braking problems. Has anyone experienced the same problem before? Thanks!
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    It's hard to discern from your description but you may be experiencing BA, Brake Assist, with which many newer vehicles come equipped.

    The braking assist system tries to determine if you are doing a panic, or severe braking stop, and actually jumps in and provides assistance to your foot in depressing the brake pedal.

    You will often get more braking HP than you expected.

    Not sure how it works, some say it responds to the rate at which you move your foot from the gas pedal to the brake, and others think it has to do with the rate at which you initially apply pressure to the brake pedal.

    Maybe both...?

    On the other hand do you mean that it feels as if the RAV4 just got bumped slightly from behind..?

    Then in that case what you are probably feeling is 1, the O/D lockup clutch being released as you apply braking, or, 2, the upshifting of the transaxle as a result of a FULL lift-throttle event. Your RAV4 is FWD and therefore it can be somewhat dangerous in wintertime conditions to have engine compression braking on those front "drive" wheels.

    If the roadbed happens to be slippery enough engine compression braking, even at the slightest level, can result in loss of directional control of your vehicle. The second issue, maybe even more important to your safety, is that engine compression braking can easily interfere with your anti-lock braking system and not allow the front wheels to turn freely even though the anti-lock system has fully released all braking pressure.
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