The Toyota Rav4 is a relatively popular crossover SUV, offering a sporty and spacious drive. Although Toyota is known for reliability and excellence, the Rav4 has developed a few mechanical problems over the years.
Learn what problems you might encounter with this car. You can also discover common fixes and how much you might expect to pay to repair the damage.
The 2007 Toyota Rav4 engine appears to have problems with excessive oil consumption. The vehicle’s engine drinks up oil faster than it should, requiring car drivers to visit the shop for a refill two or three times more often than necessary. Over time, those extra oil repairs add up fast.
In some cases, drivers just swallow the cost and replace the oil as needed. In other cases, drivers might shell out $1,000 to $2,000 in order to rebuild the engine and solve the problem. Either way, it can be an unpleasant hit to the wallet.
However, the 2007 model Rav4’s engine problems don’t end there. A few drivers have complained of unexpected and complete engine failure, requiring a total replacement of the engine. This can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the shop’s labor costs.
Finally, 2007 drivers have reported issues with the steering shaft. Owners say that they hear an unexplained clunking sound when they turn the wheel while driving. Those who’ve brought their cars in for inspection have found that they need to completely replace the steering column. This can cost $1,000 or more to complete.
Both the 2007 and 2008 model years of the Rav4 share the excessive oil consumption problem with their engines. The same fix is required for both. Drivers have to replace the oil every 2,000 or shell out the cost for a complete engine replacement.
Luckily, however, the 2008 Toyota Rav4 has not generated numerous complaints outside of excess oil consumption. In general, it’s a fairly reliable vehicle. If your 2008 Rav4 isn’t eating up oil at an outrageous pace, you may be in luck.
One of the most common complaints with this model year is paint peeling prematurely. Typically, you’d expect a car’s paint job to last well over a decade. However, many drivers have reported that their paint is already peeling and bubbling away, leading to an unsightly exterior appearance.
Fortunately, this does not affect the safety of the car and is really only a cosmetic problem. However, for those who value the resale value of the car and maintaining its appearance, this can be expensive to fix. Repainting a car typically costs several thousand dollars.
Unfortunately, there appears to be no obvious solution to this problem. Different mechanics have attempted different repairs with mixed rates of success. It appears that this may continue to be a safety hazard for the 2011 model until the problem is addressed directly by Toyota.
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The relatively new Toyota Rav4 2019 model has not had time to accumulate many complaints. However, there appears to be one area where the model is prematurely generating errors: the transmission.
The 2019 Toyota Rav4 has transmission problems at slow speeds. Drivers have complained that the vehicle hesitates and lurches when driving under 30 miles per hour. This can be an unpleasant and unsafe driving experience, and may give pause to many with a newly purchased vehicle.
Luckily, the fix for this appears simple. Toyota issued a service bulletin to mechanics to address the problem. However, you won’t get a recall notice for this. If you’re experiencing this issue, you have to bring your car into the shop and let them know about it to get it taken care of.
There aren’t any more complaints about the 2019 model for now. Nevertheless, it might be alarming for many drivers that this new vehicle is already developing issues with such an expensive part of its drivetrain.
There are plenty of places to sell your Rav4 fast and easily. For instance, you can trade your car in at a dealership, sell it privately to an individual or sell it to an online car company. The best choice depends on your goals.
If you want to sell your car quickly and for a fair price, going online might be your best choice.
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