I have a 2005 4 cylinder toyota rav4 with about 68,000 miles. It starting making a gurgling noise in the dashboard area, and eventually left 2 puddles of anti-freeze on my garage floor. I immediately took it to the toyota dealer for repair. After checking the rav4 out, the repair manager phoned to tell me the engine was indeed leaking coolant around the engine head because the engine bolts had stripped. I asked how the head bolts got stripped and he replied, "wear and tear and the repair would be around $3000.00 if the head bolt holes could be repaired; otherwise, I would need a new engine." the rav4 has been well maintained, so this is not "wear and tear", but rather a manufacturing defect. After talking with the mechanic doing the repairs, he said they see many of these 4 cylinder engines with this problem -- mostly on the camry, since it is basically a camry engine. I've done some research on the internet and found this is becoming quite a common problem. Here a few websites with very unhappy toyota owners: (http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ee9e769/8444; http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/highlander/2003/consumer-reviews.html; http://www.camryforums.com/forum/general-tech-8/2002-stripped-head-bolts-4585/; http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/highlander/2003/engine/threads_for_engine_bolts_stripped.shtml) apparently, toyota has not done a safety recall for this problem and does not even cover the cost of the repair, even though they do have a written procedure the mechanics use to perform the repair.
2005 Toyota RAV4 engine complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 15 of 15, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota rav4. The contact stated the that the vehicle was constantly losing anti-freeze and causing the vehicle to overheat. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic where the mechanic stated that the water pump malfunctioned and needed to be repaired. The contact did not call the manufacturer and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 79,650.
I have a toyota 2005 rav 4 - 6 cyl. I am experiencing a problem not associated with the toyota recalls, according to toyota. Twice while the vehicle was in drive and I have my foot on the brake, and the vehicle is stopped, after the vehicle idles down from moving, the engine revs up again. The gas pedal was not touched and the floor mat is not in the way. The engine revving up is scary enough that someone outside of my car thought I was spinning my wheels in the snow and ice, and I was not moving. I took it in to a dealer and they hooked it up to their computer and found no problem. Of course when they drove it, they could not replicate the problem. They recommended that if it happens again that I immediately have it towed back to the dealer.
Re: 2005 toyota rav4 unintended acceleration it is very difficult to control acceleration from a stop while driving my rav4 in stop and go traffic. This has been true since I purchased the car with about 40,000 miles on it. I have removed the floormat with no change. I have been told by 2 toyota dealerships (one had the car for evaluation for a day. I was charged an evaluation fee and for a rental car) that this is normal. This is a potentially dangerous condition and clearly a safety hazard. I hold a commercial drivers license and have had many years of experience driving a wide variety of vehicles and have never encountered this problem. It is only a matter of time before the car hits something. Toyota must address this issue. Until this problem is remedied there is the real risk of something or someone being damaged or hurt (or worse).
Dt: the contact states that there is a undercoating on the engine to keep the engine from rusting. The smell of the chemical is toxic and coming into the vehicle which caused the passengers and driver to get sick, and can even possibly to put them to sleep. The effect of this is even hours after getting out of the vehicle is dangerous, including symptoms of light headed, dizziness, nausea, and headaches. The longest trip in the vehicle is 20-30 minutes at a time. Dealership said they would try to remove the smell. They would not let them trade the vehicle in for another vehicle with out that coating on the engine. The name of the chemical is cosomolene (rust protective sealant).
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