Toyota RAV4 Paint and Body

tree329 · June 2007

I just bought a rav4 and I have 3 small places where the paint is chipped down to the primer. I have never had this problem with any of my other cars. Shouldn't this paint last more than a few weeks?

cbmorton · June 2007

Modern paint chips easily. I got a nick on my way home from the dealership. Consider investing in paint protection film (aka, a "clear bra") if this is a concern.

hlee_good · July 2007

This caused by the small rocks when you travel on the road. I have few places in my 06 RAV4 too. I confirmed this does not cover by rust warranty. I had 1992 Camry and never had this problem, seems the paint qulaity is getting poor in Toyota products. Things you can do are buy a touch up paint to cover those places and install a hood protector to protector the front hood.

dtown40 · July 2007

Ive got a nic on my hood too. I purchased a hood protector after the fact, and some touch up paint as well. Toyota paint just doesnt seem to hold up as well as the paint on my old Honda did.

thriftytrooper · October 2007

I've my car for about 9 months and suddenly, the passenger side seem to have a water leak coming from somewhere in the dash. Does anyone know where this is coming from?

cbmorton · October 2007

There is a service bulletin (BO021-06) for this exact problem, that applies to 2006-07 RAV4s. Apparently water can get in through a fresh air inlet under the windshield. Your dealer should be able to fix it at no cost to you.

iceman293 · October 2007

I had an 06 Rav4 with the same problem. I took it to the dealer 9 times and they still couldn't fix the leak. My leak started around 7,000 miles and I got rid of the car with 21,000 miles. Sometimes it would leak the next time it rained and other times it would hold for a few months. I hope your dealer fixes it right the 1st time and you don't have to go through what I did.

verdi942 · December 2007

Trees, it may be 6 months since your post, but I want to tell you my new white RAV4's paint is just plain FRAGILE! There seems to be no protective clear coat like US cars all have; in just a month I'm finding chips right down to the galvanized coating on the hood! The last car that did that to me was a '79 Chevy. At this rate, I'll need a gallon of touchup paint.

raralew · July 2008

I bought a brand new 2007 RAV4 in October 2007. I haven't driven 4,000 miles yet, and I already have 3 small chips on my hood. I am stunned that a "quality" company like Toyota would sell cars with such bad paint. I know there's a legitimate problem because when I contacted Toyota in October about body side molding (it did not come with the car), they told me that it was "currently unavailable". When I asked why, I was told that the side molding wasn't staying on the car. "There was a problem with the paint." It didn't occur to me at the time to ask about chipping paint. Of course this conversion was over the phone so I don't have it in writing. At no time did the dealership mention anything about the paint during the sale. Has anyone considered or heard of a class action lawsuit?

By the way, I had a new Honda Accord from 1991 to 1998, and a new Honda CR-V from 1998 to 2007. In all those years I never had the paint chip. Needless to say, I won't buy Toyota again.

bbff · July 2008

I agree 100%. The quality of paint on the RAV 4 is very poor. I have a 2007 RAV 4 and it has so many scratches, paint chips, dings. The paint and body work are terrible.

sage3 · October 2008

Toyota was pushing the dupont paint protection during my Rav4 purchase. Has anyone had any experience with this product, after reading about the poor paint I am thinking about getting it done. My 06 Matrix has 70K miles on it and the hood and front bumper are freckled with touch up paint! I am guessing that chips on the dark gray Rav will stand out more then the silver Matrix.

tree329 · October 2008

I don't think they offered this when I purchased my Rav 4, I will tell you I don't think I would buy another Toyota product. I have 27,000 miles and need new brakes (mostly highway miles) Also it feels as though the trans is starting to slip when I go around corners. I expected more from my 2007 Rav 4. My paint is HORRIBLE!

sage3 · October 2008

Wow,
Sorry to hear about your negative toyota experience. My Matrix still has the original breaks with 70 K miles on it! Only complaint is that there is a strange wind up sound from the engine compartment, sounds like a sport bike that is far away, I don't think it's serious. I am, however, in the same boat as far as my next vehicle; it will most likely by a Honda or Subaru. I heard toyota quality is decreasing due to the high production numbers, sure looks like it is true.

macrae · October 2008

On my 2008 RAV4 with 5000 miles on it I have recently - in last 2 months - been getting a yellowish brown oily stain on the right rear fender panel - same side as the tailpipe. I have to wash it off with soap and water but in a day or two there it is again. The longer I leave it the worse it gets. The dealer seems perplexed and offered this explanation: Water on road splashes on to tailpipe, turns to steam and deposits the result on the panel. No way! I have checked with other RAV4 owners in the area, examined others parked in various lots and see no such stain. Toyota head office couldn't/ wouldn't offer any diagnosis via email and suggested I contact my dealer. Seems to be a catch 22. Anyone else out there with an answer I can present to my dealer?

sage3 · October 2008

Do you park under something that can drip onto that spot like a garage with rusting metal or under a tree?

upstateny5 · December 2008

I have a 2008 Rav4 Limited with less than 3,500 miles and it has 2 spots on the rear bumper where the paint is worn down to the primer. There is really no indication that stones hit the car and the car was primarily garaged until now. I was not offered any deal for extra paint protection and probably would have said no since I have never had paint problems with my other 5 Toyota cars.

cmr6 · March 2009

I have a 2007 RAV-4 and it also had a passenger-side leak. I found cbmorton's post with the service bulletin number before bringing it in for servicing and it saved us from your ordeal. The folk's at the dealership had no idea that there was a service bulletin for passenger-side leaks in 2006-2007 RAV-4. Fortunately, I had brought the service bulletin number TSB BO021-06 with me. When he looked it up, he said the repair was VIN specific, that is the cause of the leak depended on which factory your RAV-4 was built. They fixed the leak and replaced the sound proofing and carpet. We love our RAV-4 Sport V-6 and this has been the only problem that we've had. And thanks to cbmorton's post, it is now resolved.

1rav4gal · June 2009

My car only has 7025 miles on it. I had a 5000 mi. service 2/25/09. On 3/06/09, I took the car back to the servicing dealer (not selling dealer) because it had eight dents on it. Oddly enough, all dents were within the 10-12 inches just below the bottom of the windows or on front fender in top 10-12 inches. No paint was chipped/broken. Dealer paid for paintless dent removal. Everything looked great when I got my car back from dent removal. On 3/18/09, I again took car to local dealer to have two more dents documented. They were a result of having a hand car wash. On 4/08/09, a factory rep. looked at the dents and determined that they were from "outside influence". I washed my car on 6/16/09 and again got dents. My contention is that the metal body panels are not strong enough or fabricated properly to stand up to light pressure without getting small dents in them. When the factory rep. looked at the problem he did not apply any pressure on the body panels to see what happens (didn't want to dent the car). These dents are not a product of "door dings" and no paint has ever been chipped. Has anyone else had this problem with their 2008 RAV4?

tree329 · July 2009

I have a 2007 rav4 and have replaced brakes and need tires 40,000 miles. I also feel as if the trans is starting to slip as I go around corners. my mechanic gave some explanation that I am sorry to say I didn't understand. something to the effect that the trans was okay but I am not very confident with this car.

trifive · August 2009

I have a 2006 Rav4 with 75000Km. Overall, I'm satisfied with the Rav ..so far..BUT
the paint damage on the rocker panels and lower doors is very bad. Sometimes paint damage is the result of other problems. I've come to determine it was caused
by 2 things. The front mud guards are too small,you can actually see the damage
that has left hundreds of small rock marks as they come off the front wheels. The
paint on the front of the rockers is almost completely GONE. The other cause of this is the original tires. They are made from a soft rubber compound and they tracked up a lot more sand and gravel than the new tires we replaced them with.The
original tires wore completely out at 40000 km's. These tires were properly inflated
and rotated. The local dealer admitted Toyota was having a tire problem. Check out
other Rav4's in the parking lot...most I see have paint damage in the rocker/lower door panel. Has anyone noticed that the 2009 Rav4's have what seems to be be an attached fender flare. Just in doing this has Toyota noticed a flaw?

tula1 · December 2009

I just washed my car and was shocked to see the number of paint chips. I bought it in August--it had been driven by one of the managers and had 14000km. It now has 19000. Paint wasn't a concern to me so I probably didn't check it over carefully enough and the price was really good. My 1997 Honda CRV doesn't have as many chips on it after almost 13 years. I have a call into the dealership to see if there is anything they can do. I'm envisioning a freckle job of paint touch ups over the years and am not pleased at all. Has anyone had luck pursuing complaints of this type? I certainly didn't have a special protective coating on my CRV and the paint job has held up very well.

shrrann · June 2010

Bought a new Rav 4 in August 2009. Only have 7,000 miles on it and nothing but problems with paint chips. Every time we go out more chips gone when we get home. We are retired and do not drive far and only go on paved roads. Went to dealer with problem and they could care less. Anyone else have this problem. If so did you get results.

upstateny5 · June 2010

It's interesting as obviously dealers seem to respond differently. Bought our 2008 Rav4 in update NY and noticed paint chips on rear bumper - wintered in FL and brought car to local FL dealer who stated that we must have "dragged" some items across bumper causing paint loss - HOWEVER, they volunteered to repaint bumper which was done free of charge and they provided a loaner car while this was being done.

Recently complained about many paint chips on 2007 Yaris which was about to expire on warranty. Complaint voiced to upstate NY dealer and once again problem taken care of without charge.

shrrann · August 2010

After taking pictures and writing a letter to Toyota with regard to the paint
chips in my 2009 Rav 4 they called and stated they would not do anything about the chips. I feel this is unfair as we have never had a car that everytime you go out on the road, mind you we are retired and only have traveled 7,000 miles since we bought the car in August and on only paved roads, we come home with more paint chips off the car. Does anyone want to see about a class action law suit or does anyone know of one

stew16 · August 2010

My new Rav-4 Limited which is solid black and has all the bells and whistles and is also on the recall list. It now has 16,000 miles, since purchased on Dec-31-2009, and now has over 40 paint chips on the hood, and on other areas of the car, of course the dealer states were not responsible for road debris, and told me that I need to take another route to work. Its sad that a company that is struggling so hard to rebuild its image due to the recalls, and its willingness to put a sale above poor quality and control as well as the consumers's safety, is now going to blame the consumer for poor workmanship on the paint, not only do I have the stigma of the recalled vehicle which will hurt my resale, I now have to worry as to how much paint will I have left on the vehicle when it comes the time to trade or sale, at the rate of chips that I'm getting on the new paint, I might have more touch-up than actual paint on the vehicle, this is really sad, and no other vehicle that I've had has never had this many chips, perhaps all the money that your currently using touting new safety designs could be spent towards applying a thicker and quality paint, to all of you out there just remember a squeaky wheel gets the oil, feel free to contact me-Stew16 :mad:

stew16 · August 2010

Were do I sign up, I can only imagine how bad my new Rav-4 is going to get, seeing how toyota is trying to repair its image why not advertise your problems with the paint by having a local sign company make a magnetic sign that you can attach to your vehicle and place it on both sides as you drive around alerting others that apparently the paint is just to thin to hold up to normal wear and thin, I heard of others doing that, after all your vehicle appearance will tell the story, and if toyota can't acknowledge your problem let the public ask the dealerships when they are looking at buying a new car. My Rav-4 is also on the recall list as well.

shrrann · August 2010

What state did you purchase your Rav-4 in. I got mine in Florida. Also did you have the exterior paint sealant applied. I did and the package cost an extra $699 for the Toyoguard protection group. A lot of good that has done me. There has to be something we can do. I am going to make a complaint to Consumers Affairs and see if that does anything. I really think if we cannot get any help to see if we can get enough people to do a class action lawsuit. No other car I have ever owned ever did this.

stew16 · August 2010

I purchased my Rav-4 in TN, did not get the exterior paint sealant, I am also being represented in a lawsuit regarding the recall and you may want to contact the lawyers featured on fox news, I have close to 40 chips and counting, you can also visit your local sign stores get some magnets made up advertising your problems let your car speak for your claim as you drive it. No-one should have to do this but when enough people begin to complain and their bottom line is affected then you get there attention, I will never buy another Toyota. You have to make people aware and your vehicle is your bill-board.

shrrann · August 2010

I did not know there was a class action law suit regarding I do believe you are referring to the gas pedal issue which my car was also recalled for. Where do I find out the name of the lawyers handling this. Maybe they would want to handle the paint issue as well.

stew16 · August 2010

I'm using the Lanier Law firm and their group out of New York is handling the class action you may talk with them and alert them that one of their clients is also having the same issue with the paint as well as the recall.

rav4ga · August 2010

I bought my 2010 Rav4 3 weeks ago. I have 2K miles on the vehicle and noticed the hood is full of chips. I am extremely careful not to be behind trucks, drive through stones, etc. I've babied the car to the extreme. I am so disappointed to be reading this. I ordered a bug guard hoping it will help deflect the stones (which I am assuming may be hitting it even though I don't feel it. I'd love to know any class action filing that may occur as well. When I get back to the local dealer from this trip I am on, I will see what they'll do about the paint. I have toyoguard permaplate (I think that guarentees the paint and interior...we'll see). I'm angry to be reading this about the paint. My dad is about to buy a prius...I wonder if he'll have a problem too. My sister has a prius and it is already a mess (it's 6 months old) but she did the damage. she accidently closed th garage door on it, it appears someone keyed it..then there are chips all over too from the bad paint. ughhh! No wonder they sell that clear film to go on the hood!

stew16 · August 2010

check inside the driver's door look at where the vehicle was built at mine was from Canada, why would anyone have to buy toyoguard permaplate to protect the vehicle, why not put enough coats of thick paint on the vehicle to begin with, I'm only afraid the chipping is going to get much worse on your vehicle like it has on mine, how can a company like Toyota, rebuild its image when it appears that short-cuts have been taken in the painting process, I'm afraid your paint and others will only get worse. Keep all of us informed as to what happens. Stew16

shrrann · August 2010

We thought we were protected with the toyoguard paint sealant but they said that is only for fading not chipping. We are extremely careful about where we drive also and do just local driving on blacktop roads. Every time we go out we have chips out of the paint this is rediculous. I contacted the lawfirm another person had and they are not accepting anymore complaints. I am writing to the Department of Consumer Affairs now. How about you and everyone else who has written about their chipping do the same as if they get enough complaints they will contact the media and maybe then we will get something done or how about we contact Fox news to see if they might be interested in helping us.

stew16 · August 2010

That is and should be the goal of all of the Rav-4 owners; to file formal complaints with NHTSA and other federal agencies, and there's no reason why not to get the media involved, all of us have paid too much money to see our investments in these vehicles value decline due to poor paint prep and application, its apparent due to the numerous recalls that Toyota in its rush to be number one, has also taken to many shortcuts and its quality and value are not what it used to be. Those of you who have facebook accounts as well as twitter need to make your thoughts known as to your friends.

shrrann · August 2010

I contacted the Lanier Law Firm group and they are no longer accepting Toyota complaints so I will have to keep on looking to see if there is anyone else who is interested in a lawsuit.

shrrann · August 2010

I am urging everyone who has problems with the paint chipping off to file a complaint with consumers affairs. You can do it on the computer at www.consumer-action.org. The more people we can get to do this the better results.

shrrann · August 2010

I have contacted Consumers Affairs who referred me to National Highway Safety and they referred me to Federal Trade Commission. They took my complaint so everyone please call them at 1-877-382-4357

miller_toyota · September 2010

I bought a 2009 RAV4. Even this has the same issue. I had called the Toyota HQ about this issue. They have a case number on it.

Unfortunately, Toyota claims really a dramatic explanation about my driving to be the cause. They told me that the small rocks and particles caused it on the hood. My question to them was, why on the hood and not on the bumper. There response was, my driving. I have a Corolla 05 which doesn't have this. Why to RAV4??

I cannot understand how could one potentially evade these things. It is a clear TOYOTA problem and they have to get this replaced / corrected.

If they don't, I bet TOYOTA is going to go down in no time. I will never ever recommend TOYOTA for any one due to there cutomer satisfaction / corporate behaviour.

Cutting CORNERS is not a solution. It might be a temporary fix, but a long term failure.

Regards
Kumar.

shrrann · September 2010

When I called Toyota they told me the same thing it was rocks which is rediculous. I drive the same roads for years with a mercury and never had this problem. Also paint chips all around the tail pipe, around front window. Please call the Federal Trade Commission the more people we can get the better. We have to keep fighting to get help. I was advised to check with a attorney which is our next step but also was told that we may be eligble under the Lemon Law.

stew16 · September 2010

They are claiming that my Chips are due to the environment, particles from the road, guess they might as well start blaming the environment for their recalls as too, In last week's mail, I got a thankyou card in the mail, inside it stated, "Toyota has been in business in the United States for over 50 years, and has built its reputation on Quality, dependability, reliability, and safety. We are confident we have the right plans in place to further strengthen your faith and confidence in Toyota. The foundation of Toyota's sucess is our loyal CUSTOMERS." Quality Paint-NO My faith and confidence that toyota will do the right thing-NO!

rav4ga · October 2010

Can you tell me who to write to for consumer reports? I am in GA. I'd be more than willing to do so. I am also upset my salesmen told me uphill assist and downhill assit was built into my vehicle. I read the manual and it wasn't. Toyota told me he was new and that if I wanted those options I could pay extra and trade up to a vehicle with it. I thought I got a good deal on price because I thought it was in there! BS! But my paint is chipped all over on the hood. I even bought a bug guard to deflect it as soon as I noticed. Now I have 4K miles on it. Bought end of July. This isn't right! Thanks for the help.

joe_consumer · October 2010

Yes I have confirmed the problem with rav4s by going to a dealership and viewing used rav4s. 10 out of 10 had paint chipping issues. The dealership had put touch up paint(or crayon) on all of them.

shrrann · October 2010

That really proves the point that there is a defect in the paint on the Rav4s. There must be something we can do or someone out there who can help us Rav 4 owners. If we can get enough people together maybe we could start a class action lawsuit.

joe_consumer · October 2010

I still haven't heard from the class action lawyer group I sent this issue to here in Canada. However in the mean time I have had to purchase a bug deflector, and will be putting on several coats of wax as well. Toyota Canada is having a dealership check the thickness of my paint with an ultrasonic tester, but I am sure they will say it is in spec. They said they will not give me the specs, claiming it is proprietary. From what I able to get from the internet, the standard should be about 2mils of clear coat on most of the vehicle, but it should be thicker in chip prone areas such as the hood, front bumper, quarter panel areas. It definitely thicker on the quarter panel area, as this is standard on all vehicles.

stew16 · October 2010

You will get the standard party response, from Toyota, It your problem and not theirs the environment is at fault, and the answer to their response is apparently the environment is a widespread concern for all of us whose paint is being chipped off a little at a time, by time I have this vehicle paid for I should have more touch up paint and less factory paint, of course I could just decide to keep Toyota's new paint scheme its called Oreo's. And my quarter panels have chips as well.

stew16 · December 2010

It's apparent due to the number of questions on this site and others that those of us who are having the same issues should look at other options regarding Toyota's lack of concern over the numerous complaints of the poor paint.

In order to market a brand do not all the car makers place their Logo's in prominent positions for the public to see what each and every one of us is driving, and do we not give each manufacturer free advertising as we commute daily? Can you not do the same and have a sign maker make up magnets or stickers to advertise your displeasure regarding the quality of paint on your vehicles? The squeaky wheel gets the grease and Toyota's quality is no longer what it used to be, with the numerous recalls facing toyota, why would anyone let their friends drive a new toyota? :mad:

gibson5 · January 2011

I met with a Toyota rep yesterday about my 2011 Rav4 Limited with 3500 miles and paint was completely off just above the plastic protection strip on the rear wheel flare on both sides, along with massive amount of chips in the clear coat. I was offered after market running boards and to replace the plastic wheel flares. This is a 1time good will offering, and this is no service report. The service manger did tell me the only way to get service reports is for service mangers to file the problems with Toyota. I am also filing complaints with better business bureau and federal trade commission.

stew16 · January 2011

Don't accept a aftermarket item on your toyota they will use that against you, if there willing to replace but not document the work thru the proper chain of commands or by filing out a service report, they are protecting there butt and not yours, Toyota is aware of the problem, there are too many complaints about the paint, I have hired an attorney due to my vehicle also being affected by the recall. You do need to contact the FTC and remember the better business bureau supports the business's that support them, these dealerships love the BBB, after all with-out their monetary support, the BBB could not exist. I'll be glad to help you anyway I can but your payments will last longer than your paint, mine is only getting worse, sorry had to change my log-in forgot the old one :lemon:

stew16 · January 2011

If Toyota will not document the paint chipping problem via the proper chain of command you are doing all of us who are having the same problem a miss-service, in order for all of us to get the response that we need this incident and others like yours and mine need to be documented. Again these types of good-will treatments affect all of us, believe me I understand your frustration and I too hate to see my vehicle take a hit in re-sale value due to shortcuts taken to save a dollar on painting vehicles by these companies.

shrrann · January 2011

How did you get a Toyota rep to even come look at your car? We have been back to the dealer several times with the car with no satisfaction. Written to the dealer and written to Toyota which responded that they will do nothing about the paint saying it is from stones off the road which is not true. Contacted every agency we can think of and no one wants to hear us.

jme2 · March 2011

my rave4 2007 car paint chips all the time, the window seals are all melted and shriveling up, the plastic trims all around the car are dried up and shrinking, the engine runs great but all other parts of the car is super cheap quality~ I am definately buying something different next time.

Toyota RAV4 Paint and Body

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