2006 Toyota RAV4: misfire or rough idle

Filed Mar 28, 2017 · Engine · 80,711 miles · NY

While driving east on I-490 from rochester to I-90, the check engine light came on and the engine was misfiring. We exited the freeway and the check engine light started to flash, the engine sputtered and died. I put the car in neutral and parked on the right curb. Fortunately this happened on a city street and not on the freeway. Power steering was of course lost, so the maneuver was difficult. Aaa towed the car to our repair shop, and they reported 24 engine codes were thrown, and recommended a complete engine tune-up, including replacement of the six ignition coil packs, spark plugs, and intake manifold gaskets. Much of the $1,000 expense was 4.5 hours of labor, to remove the intake manifold (necessary to reach the rear bank of cylinders 1,3,5). This was not the first time the ignition coils have failed on this vehicle. In october 2012 (around 50k miles) engine code p0354 was thrown, and I replaced the coil on cylinder 4. In january 2014 (around 58k miles) code p0356 was thrown, and I replaced the coil on cylinder 6. Since the dangerous incident of lost power and replacement of all six coils on 14 june 2016 (around 80k miles) only nine months and 7k miles later, code p0351 (bad coil on cylinder 1) was thrown on 24 march 2017, and now code p0355 (cylinder 5) was thrown on 28 march 2017. I have already spent around $1,200 to deal with this problem, and the car is today back in the repair shop to have two rear bank coils replaced, for $229. There is clearly something wrong when these coils are failing under normal operating conditions, especially after only 7k miles. This is not just a problem for us. Other repair shops have said this era of rav4 is known for this problem. See http://www.carproblemzoo.com/toyota/rav4/ignition-coils-failure-problems.php and you can find other similar records of this problem searching online.

Filed Sep 16, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 45,099 miles · CA

As of 9/16/14 our 2006 rav4 v6 currently has 45,790 miles and we just got a diagnostic from a toyota dealership service that this part is defective a charcoal canister and an b1s2 o2 sensor needs replacement. Me and my wife love the SUV but with such low miles I would not have expected for this to have happened. From my quick research, I understand this could cause more engine damage if not repaired, I see a decrease in miles per gallon and a rough idling. I wanted to know if there is a recall for this part which is a charcoal canister and the o2 sensor. Toyota wanted $1,303.00 total repair and for this low milage vehicle is not what I expect from a quality vehicle.

Filed Jan 25, 2014 · Acceleration, Engine · 38,000 miles · MD

When backing the car out and turning the steering, there is a clunking noise that occurs. It mostly occurs from a cold start. There is a service bulletin out for this, but the dealer won't cover it. The car started making a popping sound. It was coming from underneath that car and made the exhaust sound really loud. Dealership said it was the centerpipe that was connected to the catalytic converter. The material of the centerpipe and catalytic was rusted and the dealership blamed it on me and that I drove the car off roading. I told them that the car has never gone off roading, garaged, and well maintained. Other 2006 rav4 owners have cited the same issue stating that the material and craftsmanship of the centerpipe and catalytic converter were of poor quality. The seams of the centerpipe just completely came undone. When speaking with the dealership, they refused to cover it under the emissions warranty. When talking to the environment protection agency for emissions, they said that toyota should cover it. This centerpipe issue became a larger issue when the vehicle misfired and the vsc, check engine, and 4wd lights on. Took it to the dealership to discuss what the issue may be. Other owners stated that the ignition coils were of poor quality and toyota has issued replacements. Talked to the dealership and they refused to replace it under warranty. Shortly after, the car seems to be driving very clunky and does not drive as well as usual. The car vibrates and drives very slowly. It sounded like it dropped a cylinder. The engine sounds very clunky. This has happened many times. Ignition coils were replaced several times. Check engine light, vsc, and 4wd lights turn on solid each of these instances. Since then the tire pressure has turned on and gone bad. Had to get that replaced. Now all 3 lights are back on and will need to find out why.

Filed Sep 19, 2012 · Engine · 78,000 miles · IA

The engine coil malfunctioned, setting of 3 warning lights on the dash (check engine, vsc, and 4x4). The engine now misfires. This is the fourth time in three years.

Filed Feb 19, 2012 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 61,000 miles · CA

We were on the road (on a family vacation). The day that we were coming back the check engine light, the vsc light and the slip warning light came on as we were pulling out of the hotel parking lot. On the way to the dealer, I also felt like the car was misfiring. The dealer found "multiple codes p0304, p0305, p0306, p0356, p1578, c1201. #6 coil malfunctioning. Recommend replace #6 coil pack and recheck. Possible that other coil may fail from the result of #6 coil failing." #6 coil pack was replaced and the rav4 has been running fine since. The dealer also said that "typically after one coil goes the others follow shortly after", so I will keep an eye open for that. It is strange since ignition coils have a long life expectancy. I checked on-line and there seems to be a high failure rate with coil pack part # 90919-02251, which is the original part that came with the car. I made sure the part was replaced with the latest revision (90919-a2007) of the new part numbers (90919-a2002, 90919-a2004 or 90919-a2007) that toyota changed to. It is also interesting that most of the failures happen with #6, #4 and #5 coils (in that order). The failures seem to concentrate around the right front corner, which is close to the radiator (hot fluid) exit. Maybe that is why the later revision part # coil packs have a double metallic screen outside the plastic housing, to protect the assembly.

Filed Sep 7, 2011 · Electrical, Engine · VA

2006 toyota rav 4. Consumer states ignition coil and plug failure *tgw the consumer stated while driving, various dashboard lights illuminated and the transmission shimmied and the engine misfired and the vehicle became disabled. An inspection by the dealer revealed a misfire code and that a number two coil and plug had to be replaced. A month and a half later, the consumer experienced the same problem again. It was determined that another ignition coil had failed and the SUV was operating in four cylinder mode. The consumer was informed his model vehicle had a design/engineering problem which was identified and does not occur on subsequent year rav 4 models.

Filed Apr 18, 2011 · Engine · 71,000 miles · PA

Check engine light, vsc and slip indicator light came on at 71000 miles. Cruise control stopped working, car began to sputter every few minutes, feeling like it was going to stall. Dealer said it was ok to drive unless lights were blinking, which they were not. Took it to advanced autocare who told me 4 pistons were registering as misfiring. Took it to the dealer who checked it out, stating that the only thing wrong was a coil which needed to be replaced. Barely avoided an accident while car stopped accelerating! Toyota is saying it's not under warranty and is normal for this to happen. This is the latest of issues with this car! Door seals not working properly and had to replace the back door seal after standing water was found in the back after it rained.

Filed Jan 28, 2011 · Electrical · 66,000 miles · GA

Multiple cylinder misfire causing hesitation and lack of power. This problem can lead to safety issues since the car looses power intermittently. Mechanic says error code indicates all six ignition coils need to be replaced. The plugs are to be changed at 120k miles. The coils only lasted 66k ? Common issue see http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24070 went to auto part store and confirmed diagnostics: 6 plugs misfiring due to bad coils. Believe this issue is a problem that need to be explored for safety of all drivers