2008 TOYOTA RAV4 Complaints

A LITTLE AFTER ITS REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE MY 2008 RAV4 STARTED TO MAKE AN ODD NOISE (RATTLING) WHEN REACHING 40 MPH AT 1500 RPM. CHECKED FLUIDS AND NOTICED THAT ENGINE OIL WAS DRY (BURNT OIL ON STICK) AND BLACK ATF. IMMEDIATELY REPLACED FLUIDS (ENGINE AND WS ATF). TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T NOTICED ANYTHING UNUSUAL. DROVE WITH TECH AND SHOWED HIM THE NOISE AT SPECIFIED CONDITIONS. HE SAID MORE TESTS NEEDED TO BE DONE. UP UNTIL TODAY THEY ARE NOT SURE WHAT THE ISSUE MAY BE AND SUGGESTED A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT "FIX" THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR MYSELF. FOUND A TSB ONLINE FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE (T-SB-0094-11). TOYOTA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND FIX THIS ISSUE AT NO COST TO USERS. *TR

OUR 2008 RAV4 OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND WE HAD JUST HAD OUR OIL CHANGED SO WE THOUGHT THE BUSINESS DIDN'T ADD ENOUGH OIL WHEN THEY DID THE OIL CHANGE. WE TOOK IT BACK AND WAS TOLD IT WAS AN OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM THAT THIS MODEL YEAR HAS. FIRST WE HEARD ABOUT IT. WE TOOK IT TO TOYOTA DEALER IN OMAHA AND THEY IMMEDIATELY SAID WE HAD NO WARRANTY FOR THIS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT IT. RED FLAG. THEY THEN DID A TEST WHERE THEY DID ANOTHER OIL CHANGE AND WE DROVE IT FOR 1000 MILES THEN TOOK IT BACK. THEY SAID WE DID NOT HAVE AN OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM. FAST FORWARD TO AUGUST 2014 AND THE OIL LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON. THE DIP STICK WAS DRY. WE TOOK IT AGAIN TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD WE DID HAVE AN OIL CONSUMPTION. HE DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT IT. MY HUSBAND WAS FURIOUS SINCE WE HAD BEEN TOLD WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM 13 MONTHS EARLIER. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD IT WOULD TAKE $5000 TO $6000 TO FIX IT SINCE IT WOULD REQUIRE A NEW ENGINE. SINCE THEN WE HAVE FOUND OUT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT EVEN THOUGH THEY PUT THE FAULTY ENGINES IN THESE VEHICLES. THE ARE TRYING TO SHIRK THEIR RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THIS RECALL COST A LITTLE MORE. WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE CONSUMER? IF WE TRADE IT WE JUST LOST $5000 TO $6000 IN VALUE. IF WE DON'T WE ARE STUCK WITH A FAULTY VEHICLE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT CAME RIGHT OUT OF THE MANUFACTURING OF THIS VEHICLE. MY HUSBAND CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY JUST ARGUED WITH HIM. NO HELP. *TR

TOYOTA DEALER NOT BEING SUPPLIED WITH REPLACEMENT PARTS. DEALER HAS NO IDEA HOW MUCH LONGER IT WILL TAKE TO PERFORM RECALL REPAIR. I HAVE WAITED 9 MONTHS AND STILL GETTING THE SAME STORY ABOUT NO AVAILABLE PARTS AND NO TIMETABLE FOR REPAIR. THIS IS FOR RECALL CSJ. CHUCK PATTERSON TOYOTA IN CHICO, CA IS MY TOYOTA DEALER. *TR

THE 2008 RAV4'S SEEM TO HAVE A SERIOUS DEFECT WITH THE ENGINES BURNING A LOT OF OIL DUE TO BAD PISTON RINGS. THIS DEFECT IS COSTING RAV4 OWNERS QUITE A BIT OF MONEY AND TOYOTA ISN'T RECALLING THE ENGINES FOR REPAIR. TOYOTA SHOULD BE HELD REASONABLE FOR THE DESIGN FLAWS AND GET THESE CARS FIXED RIGHT AWAY BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO SOMEONE. *TR

I WENT TO THE DEALER BECAUSE I HEARD A CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THEY DID NOT HEAR ANYTHING AND I COULD NOT DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. A YEAR LATER, AT A ROUTINE CHECKUP, THEY SAID THEY HEARD THE SOUND AND IT WAS A DAMAGE STEERING SHAFT AND RACK & PINION. A YEAR LATER THE SAME SOUND, BUT ONLY THE STEERING SHAFT WAS REPLACED. THE YEAR AFTER THAT, THE NOISE AGAIN AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFT AND RACK AND PINION. TODAY I WAS TOLD THAT I HAVE TO CHANGE THE RACK AND PINION. I READ ON INTERNET THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THROUGHOUT RAV4 2008, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THERE WAS A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V373000 (SUSPENSION) AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 13V383000 (SUSPENSION). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE WHEEL BEARING/HUB ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED AND WHILE SERVICING THE VEHICLE, THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE NUT THAT GOES ONTO THE AXLE, WHICH HOLDS THE WHEEL BEARING IN PLACE ON THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING, WAS CROOKED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT COMPLETED PROPERLY. THE CONTACT FELT THAT THE RECALL REMEDY INSTRUCTION FAILED TO REMEDY THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION I WENT FOR AN OIL CHANGE AS I DO EVERY 3000 MILES AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS LITTLE OIL. THEY LOOKED FOR LEAKS ETC. NONE FOUND. THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE. ABOUT 1500 MILES IN MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON MY BROTHER IN LAW WHO IS A CERTIFIED MECHANIC FOR 30 YEARS AND TAKES CARE OF MY CAR TELLS ME MY CAR IS CONSUMING OIL AND YOUR TALKING A BIG JOB ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO RUN A CONSUMPTION TEST WHICH I DID AND YES THAT IS WHAT I AM TOLD. THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO UNLESS I PAY TO HAVE IT FIXES WHICH IS VERY COSTLY I WAS ADVISED TO CHECK OIL EVERY 1000 MILES AND FILL. UPON RESEARCH THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED BY NUMEROUS TOYOTA OWNERS NOT ONLY ON RAVA4'S BUT OTHER MODELS AS WELL AROUND THE 2006/2008 TIME FRAME. TOYOTA ADMITS TO PROBLEM AND FIXES IN LATER MODELS BUT DOES NOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX A KNOWN DEFECT!!!! I HAVE JOINED EVERY LAW SUIT, COMPLAINT BOARD, ETC. AND FOR THIS REASON WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA. *TR

IN MARCH 2014 AFTER DRIVING MY 2008 TOYOTA RAV 4 APPROXIMATELY 3000 MILES AFTER AN OIL CHANGE I CHECKED MY OIL AND WAS DOWN ABOUT 1 1/2 QUARTS. THE OIL AND FILTER WERE THEN CHANGED. IN SEPTEMBER 2014 AFTER DRIVING 3000 MILES THE OIL LEVEL FELL 2 QUARTS SHORT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE WEST VIRGINIA TURNPIKE WHEN THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. THE BAG DIDN'T OPEN, BUT IT SCARED ME. THERE IS NO SHOULDER ON THE TURNPIKE TO GET OVER AND THERE IS LOTS OF TRUCKERS. THE AIRBAG LIGHT STAYED ON UNTIL I GOT OFF THE TURNPIKE AND PULLED OVER TO A REST STOP. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND MY SON AND I RESTED FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE STARTING THE CAR AGAIN TO DRIVE HOME. WHEN I TURNED ON THE CAR THE LIGHT WAS OFF. IT COMES ON EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. NOT SURE WHY AND NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING IT TO COME ON? *TR

DRIVER'S VISOR IS LOOSE. IT WON'T FOLD UP. PLEASE KINDLY HAVE A RECALL ON THIS. THANKS! *TR