2008 TOYOTA RAV4 Complaints

VAPOR CANISTER FOR CAPTURE OF FUEL VAPOR FROM FUEL TANK BECOMES DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN VEHICLES GO THROUGH SNOW OR WATER. CANISTER, WHICH IS CONNECTED TO SEVERAL HOSES EITHER DANGLES UNDER VEHICLE OR PULLS LOOSE. THE LOSS OF THE CANISTER CAUSES ENGINE LIGHT TO INDICATE MALFUNCTION OF EMISSIONS SYSTEM. TOYOTA HAS REDESIGNED MOUNTING SYSTEM ON NEWER MODELS WHICH INCLUDES A SHIELD UNDER THE CANISTER AND MORE CONNECTION POINTS, BUT HAS NOT MADE AVAILABLE A CORRECTION FOR OLDER MODELS. CANISTER HAS COME LOOSE OR OFF TWICE; ONCE DRIVING ON SNOWY ROADS AND THE SECOND TIME WHEN VEHICLE WENT THROUGH A PUDDLE OF WATER ON HIGHWAY AFTER HEAVY RAIN. WITH CANISTER DISCONNECTED IT DISABLES 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND ALSO WILL NOT PASS EMISSIONS TESTS. *TR

REGARDING NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V383000 TOYOTA NOTIFIED ME OF THIS RECALL IN APRIL, 2014, AS I WAS IN THE LAST GROUP NOTIFIED. SINCE THEN, REPEATED CONTACTS TO MY DEALER RESULTED IN BEING TOLD THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. TODAY, JUNE 16, THEY STATED THEY COULD INSPECT THE CAR LATER THIS MONTH, AND IF PARTS ARE NEEDED [PARTS HAVE BEEN NEEDED IN NEARLY ALL CASES], I WOULD THEN BE PLACED ON A WAITING LIST, AND IT COULD BE MANY MONTHS, IF EVER, THE PARTS WOULD ACTUALLY ARRIVE. TODAY, CUSTOMER SERVICE AT TOYOTA HQ TOLD ME THAT PARTS CAN ONLY BE ORDERED AT THE RATE OF 1 PER WEEK. A CHECK OF YOUR RECORDS INDICATES THAT LESS THAN 10% OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES HAD BEEN REPAIRED IN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF THE RECALL. IS THIS GOOD PERFORMANCE, OR JUST A DODGE BY THE MANUFACTURER TO LIMIT THE COST OF ACTUALLY PERFORMING THE RECALL, BY MOVING SO SLOWLY THAT FEW VEHICLES ARE IN FACT REPAIRED? IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO, SHORT OF GARAGING THE CAR FOR THE NEXT YEAR; OR DRIVING A POSSIBLY UNSAFE VEHICLE? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA RAV4. WHEN THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING CONTROL UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR WAS MADE AND THE STEERING OPERATED NORMALLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,262. UPDATED 9/8/14*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 RAV4 TOYOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A HUMMING NOISE AS UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL COUPLING ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 114,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

THE MUFFLER HAS ALREADY SHOWN CORROSION TO THE POINT IT IS LOUD AND NOW MAY CAUSE HEAT ISSUES AND VAPOR ISSUES INTO THE CAR. *TR

VEHICLE MAKES NOISE WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURN. DIAGNOSED WITH RACK & PINION PROBLEMS BY THE TOYOTA DEALER AT 20, 070 MILES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 13V383000(SUSPENSION). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REPAIR HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DELAY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. DR

I WAS PULLING INTO MY GARAGE. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND WENT FOR THE BRAKE AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD AND STRUCK A FOLDED DECK CHAIR WHICH WAS PUSHED THROUGH THE GARAGE WALL. *TR

I BEGAN TO NOTICE A BURNT OIL SMELL WHEN I WOULD RETURN HOME FROM SCHOOL IN THE EVENING, I CHECKED MY OIL, THE DIP STICK SHOWED NOT A TRACE OF OIL! THE VEHICLE WAS HALF WAY BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AT THE TIME, MY HUSBAND ADDED 4 QUARTS OF OIL (SO WE KNOW FOR CERTAIN IT WAS EMPTY) AND BROUGHT IT TO TOYOTA. THEY "CHECKED IT", CHANGED THE OIL, AND SENT US ON OUR WAY TELLING US TO MONITOR THE OIL LEVEL. THIS WAS AT 68K MILES. IT WAS NEXT DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE AT 73,000MILES I CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL YESTERDAY AT 71,000 MILES AND IT WAS NEARLY EMPTY. CALLED THE DEALER AGAIN, WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T GET ME IN FOR 10 DAYS!! I CALLED ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER WHO TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN. THE SERVICE MGR ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH "CERTAIN RAV 4 ENGINES" AND THAT A SERVICE BULLETIN HAD BEEN ISSUED TO REPAIR THE ISSUE (NOT A RECALL-HE MADE THAT CLEAR). HE EXPLAINED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW THEIR PROCEDURE BEFORE IT CAN BE REPAIRED THOUGH BY DOING TWO OIL CONSUMPTION TESTS (THAT I HAVE TO PAY $24.95 FOR, AND DRIVE 1200 MILES EACH) THEN I WOULD HAVE TO AUTHORIZE THEM TO DO AN ENGINE REMOVAL AND DISASSEMBLY FOR $575 TO DETERMINE IT IS NOT SOMETHING I HAD DONE TO THE CAR. I HAVE BABIED THIS VEHICLE FROM DAY ONE! I NEVER GO BEYOND 4000 MILES FOR AN OIL CHANGE, EVER. NOW I HAVE TO DRIVE MY FAMILY AROUND IN A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS VEHICLE WHILE THEY DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO REPAIR THE ENGINE THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH FOR YEARS!! UNACCEPTABLE! THIS IS TERRIFYING KNOWING THAT MY ENGINE COULD SEIZE AT ANY MOMENT WHILE I AM ON THE HIGHWAY DRIVING WITH MY CHILD. IT IS EQUALLY AS FRIGHTENING TO REALIZE THAT I MAY END UP HAVING TO PAY $6000+ FOR A NEW ENGINE FOR THIS PIECE OF DEFECTIVE MERCHANDISE I AM STILL PAYING FOR BECAUSE TOYOTA BELIEVES THEY ARE ABOVE THE LAW. PLEASE HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. *TR

SUBMISSION FROM CONSTITUENT RE RECALL ON 2008 TOYOTA RAV 4 (AIRBAG). *SMD THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *JB