Driving on I-495 on my way to school at 70 MPH, on cruise control, 2006 rav4 started making noise, low oil sort of noise, and I started to pull over. No oil light, no check engine light, before I could even pull over to the side of the road the engine blew. Car was towed to dealership, where they replaced entire engine because of the damage. Cost of new engine and labor was around $9,000. Was told by the dealer that water pump failed, causing engine to overheat and blow piston 3 through the side wall, but as a amateur mechanic, I am 100% positive this is not what happened to the car. The vvt-I oil line ruptured on the highway, causing the engine to lose all oil and blow, but the dealership refused to agree and forced us to pay for the repairs out of pocket, rather than covering it because toyota knew that it was a defective part, as it had been the cause for many tsb's, as well as many many dollars spent by consumers trying to replace all of these defected parts.
2006 Toyota RAV4 engine complaints
Page 6 of 6: complaints 131 to 149 of 149, newest first, as owners wrote them.
This past weekend we had just driven our 2006 rav4 with a v6 engine over 150 interstate miles and pulled over for a rest stop. We smelled oil on exiting the vehicle and when we opened the hood we found that there was oil spraying on the passenger rear side of the engine. On checking the dipstick we found that it showed no oil. No warning light had come on and the engine had not made any unusual sounds. Since we were close to our destination we added 3 quarts of oil and made it another 30 miles to the end of our trip. Upon arrival I checked the dipstick and found again that it showed no oil. I contacted a local dealer and made arrangements to have it towed for repair. The dealer examined the vehicle and found that an oil line supplying the valve head had broken and that he had the part to repair the vehicle. When I asked if this was a common occurrence, the service manager (this is a small dealership) said that he stocked parts if he had 3 or more incidents in 12 months that required such a part. We are fortunate that we did not have major engine damage or have a fire and the dealership was very accommodating. The towing and repairs cost us $500. In doing an internet search, both on this site and in other locations, it appears that this is a problem occurring in any of their lines (avalon, camry , rav 4, etc).with the v6 engines and that toyota knows about it and that they have modified the oil line for newer models.
On tuesday, 22 september, 2009, I came home and parked my car in the > garage. When I got out, I noticed the smell of burning oil. I investigated > and found oil running out from under the front end of my wife's rav4. The > oil was continuing to flow and had covered most of the garage floor (I have > pictures). I opened the hood of the rav and found the engine compartment > covered in smoking oil. The underside of the car was also dripping oil from various > locations, with no apparent damage being visible. I examined the dipstick, > but no oil was indicated. When I opened the oil fill cap, smoke came out > with a strong smell of burnt oil being present. I immediately called > american toyota and requested a service appointment. This was scheduled for > the next morning. Next I called aaa and arranged to have a flatbed take the > rav to american. When the tow service arrived, we pushed the car out of the > garage and positioned it to be winched onto the flatbed. Oil was deposited > all over the driveway. > > I drove my car to american and met with the service advisor for > american. I explained that the rav had developed a serious leak and that > the car was being towed to the dealership. The service advisor related that there is a known issue with the oil supply line (to the head) for the rav and camry > using the 3.5l v-6 engine. He explained the failure mode for the line and > stated that the part should be in stock. I am very disappointed with toyota regarding this situation. My on-line research and discussion with the service advisor shows that the rav's failure mode was well known to toyota. The rav's maintenance has always been performed at american, but no one was proactive and replaced the oil line or even advised us that it might be a subject for concern. What would have happened if my wife had been driving the rav out in remote part of nm or it had burned my house down? Toyota is not cooperating by providing failure or repair information.
The car was lifted up to replace tires and somehow the exhaust system was pushed up and got stuck with the exit inside the bumper leading to a fire and melting the bumper. The car was taken to the car dealer and they explained that the tires place didn't noticed that the exhausted system was stuck up.the bumper was replaced at my own expense.
Email to toyota I have been generally very happy with my 2006 rav4 (6 cyl, 62k miles) but this past thursday I had a real scare. I was driving home from a meeting about 15 miles away via interstate. When I started my car leaving the meeting, my oil pressure light blinked on then went off. Although it was unusual, I did not do anything about it thinking I would check my oil when I got home. Midway home, I began to hear some strange noises coming from the engine compartment. Since it was fairly hot, I thought it might be the fan and shut down the AC and turned off the radio to listen. The engine continued to make strange noises. After stopping at the end of the exit ramp near home I accelerated onto the side street and the noise became very loud. I drove slowly the last 1/2 mile home. When I got home, I opened the hood and found oil all over the engine compartment. There was no oil reading on the dipstick. Note that the oil pressure light never came on. I added the only quart of oil that I had at home and drove slowly to my mechanic about a mile away. When they looked at the car the next morning, they said there was little or no oil in the engine. A rubber hose that ran from the valve cover to the oil pump reservoir had split and pumped out all the oil. They said that although the hose had some metal shielding, the heat had deteriorated the rubber causing the split. They were able to replace the part and clean my engine compartment for $600. I just drove it about 300 miles today and after a few miles of driving, the engine returned to its normal sound so I am hoping that there was no long term damage. My concern is that I had just returned from a 2000 mile trip to canada and if that had happened during an extended road trip, my engine would be toast. My mechanic said that he was not aware of this issue even though he has the same engine in his 2008 toyota. There is nothing I could find in my owner's manual telling me that I had to have this hose checked.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the vapor cannister, which was a part of the emission system, needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the repair would cost $1,300. The toyota manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 45,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. The contact noticed a patch of oil underneath the vehicle. He checked the oil and discovered that it was completely low. He placed five quarts of oil in the vehicle and within 30 minutes, all five quarts had leaked out. The contact took the vehicle to a repair shop, but it has not yet been inspected. The dealer stated that they had just repaired this issue on another toyota rav4 and that it was a safety issue. Through research, the contact discovered a tsb for the toyota avalon (service bulletin number 06405, the federal safety agency item number 10018855, component: engine and engine cooling:engine, summary: engine oil drip: bank 1 vvti oil line). Both the avalon and the rav4 have the same engine. The tsb stated that vehicles may experience a small/slow oil drip from the bank 1 vvti oil supply line on the front of the engine. The contact has experience repairing vehicles and stated that the oil supply line on the front of the engine appeared to burst, which caused oil to splatter all over the engine and exhaust manifold. There was no indication that the oil was low in the vehicle. The contact believes that the failure was due to a manufacturer defect and a recall should be issued. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 80,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. While driving 35 MPH, the contact was informed by another motorist that his vehicle was leaking oil. Prior to the failure, the contact heard valve chatter coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the entire engine needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 61,000. Updated 8/24/09 *cn a rubber hose in the oil delivery system failed which caused destruction of the engine. Updated 08/26/09.
Failure of oil line on 2006 toyota rav4 v6 causes engne to loose oil at rapid rate potentially causing engine damage or fire.
Huge oil leak! Started small, noticed a little on the turn around in my driveway - didn't even think it was my car since there was no oil when I parked. About one week later came home after a short trip and noticed the car smelled hot. I checked under the car and the oil was just running out - the bottom of the car was covered with splattered oil and in about 15minutes - no oil left! I haven't taken the car to the dealer yet - I'm afraid of the $$ and with all of the dealerships closing, the towing fee alone will probably be one I can't afford. I have check the internet and there are plenty of comments on this same problem. Where is the recall???
My wife was driving home from work and the engine started to lose power, and making a loud knocking noise. After arriving home, I started the engine and heard the same loud knocking noise. I checked the oil level, and saw that it was non-existent. After researching on the internet, I found many people with the same issue. It appears that the oil line is continuing to fail on the newer v-6 engines. I will be calling toyota tomorrow. The car is a 2006 toyota rav4 sport 4wd v-6. It has 53,000 miles on it. Toyota performs regular oil changes.
On freeway, other motorist notified me my car was "on fire!" I saw excessive smoke in rearview mirror. I took the next exit which was dixon, ca off interstate 80 west in california. The side of the freeway there is grassy, did not think it was safe to stop...I stopped the car and smoke was everywhere, coming up through the hood & under the car. This was tues, 2/3/09. I has the car serviced the fri before, 1/30/09 at toyota vallejo in vallejo, ca. I called the dealership after calling aaa for a tow. The service advisor, ryan said "it couldn't have been from anything they had done. But there is an 'oil hose' that had been coming off alot of the rav4's." I was already upset & that made me livid!! If it were a known problem the dealership should have checked during the scheduled maint. My car was towed to lithia toyota of vacaville #47 at 500 orange drive, vacaville, ca. Work order 394212. As of yesterday, 2/12/09, the assistant service manager, megan, told me there was no tsb she was aware of, yet the part that came off (vvti oil pipe) was not found at any other dealership or supplier in the united states, and was on order from toyota in japan. I am furious that it appears toyota was well aware of this problem and has failed to initiate any steps to prevent risk to its consumers. I am asking for a full investigation which hopefully will lead to a recall of the 2006 rav4's and any other year this affects. Megan, the assistant service manager at lithia toyota confirmed with my insurance adjuster, jose lara (geico 707‑688‑3318) the cost is covered under the powertrain warranty....what about the cost of my life, and the lives of the other motorist surrounding me??? The risk of fire is never to be taken lightly. Please investigate this matter to avoid any cost of life.
Toyota, 2006 rav4 ... Loose steering arms. Causing clunking noises while turning at low speed. Don't know if this gets bad enough to fall apart while driving? Toyota has a tsb out on this. Many many complaints on this topic online. Toyota wants $800. To fix this problem. I think they should do a recall on these cars. Also vehicle has a 2 to 3 second hesitation if trying to accelerate during a lane change or something similar. This is a safety issue. My car does this also .. And numerous complains with this issue on line. Should be a recall for this. Toyota won't acknowledge there is a problem with this.
Details: the vehicle has frequent problems with acceleration when cold. Car has no power when trying to enter traffic. I will step on the gas, begin moving, then the engine will bog down and I will have no acceleration at all. I have taken this up to my dealer, and their explanation is that nothing is wrong. However, this problem can occur when ever it is cold.
Engine hesitates upon acceleration from standing start, creating an unsafe situation.
The vehicle has frequent problems with acceleration - especially from standing still. I have had many close calls when trying to enter traffic from my driveway, or from other places. I will step on the gas, begin moving, then the engine will bog down and I will have no acceleration at all. Having children, I bought this vehicle based in large part to its safety features. This problem, however, practically negates all of that. If I step on the gas I should expect reliable acceleration so I can safely merge with traffic. I have brought this up to my dealer, and their explanation has been that this is an intentional thing, to be sure the lubricant in the transmission and drive train is of sufficient temperature before allowing hard acceleration, thus reducing wear on components. However, this problem can occur at any time, even after driving for a while - I do not accept this reason, nor do I feel that this is an acceptable way to deal with component wear. I should have acceleration at all times. It is my responsibility to drive intelligently and not gun the engine when it is cold, possibly damaging the engine. But it is toyota's responsibility to provide me with a vehicle that will respond to my demands at any time. My safety and my family's depends on this.
2006 toyota rav4 4wd, black gas fume hose dislodged from underside of vehicle on driver's side and then fell out in driveway as result of driving through puddle on highway during heavy rains coming home from work. Took vehicle to dealer for service the following day, service tech said that fume canister breather assembly attached to fume hose was missing and probably fell off on the highway while driving through puddle. Service tech replaced parts a couple days later after ordering it. Service advisor stated that part would not be covered under the manufacturer's warranty because it was due to damage and not defect - cost to owner $132 parts $50 labor. Went out of town for 5 days & did not drive vehicle. On 8/9/06 after having driven about 30 miles, the check engine light comes on including the vsc and 4wd indicator lights, no performance degradation noticed. On 8/12/06 brought the vehicle into dealer again to diagnose the problem. Service tech states that charcoal canister pump needed to be replaced due to valve not functioning properly. He added that the vehicle is safe to drive, but would be polluting the environment. Part is on order and will arrive next week.
2006 rav4 sports v6 269 hp plastic fume canister located underneath vehicle on drivers side is easily damaged. The plastic canister is exposed to road debris including rain puddles that will displace and knock the canister off the vehicle. The resulting damage includes unplugged and exposed gas fume hoses and emission control hoses that create a fire and explosive hazard. The part is not readily available from toyota and drivers may be tempted to drive the vehicle with out the proper repairs. Continued operations without the canister may also result in further engine damage and release of pollutants into the air.
Another driver was doing about 60 wednesday night in the pouring rain and hit a low spot on the freeway that had about 3" of water in it. He didn't see it soon enough to avoid it so he just hung on to the steering wheel and prayed. The car slowed down quite a bit but kept going straight spraying water everywhere. The noise from the water hitting the underside of the car was deafening. The next day the check engine light, vsc light and 4x4 light, came on. He stopped by the dealer on his way home to have it checked. He was in the waiting room a few minutes when the service mgr. Came and got him saying he wanted to show him something. They went out side and he pointed to the vehicle. There were two hoses hanging from the car below the drivers seat. It seems there was a plastic canister behind the charcoal filter that recircs tank fumes back to the engine. It got ripped off when he hit that puddle. He explained to him what had happened and he told him that warranty wouldn't cover the damage (~$150.00). He told him that he had never lost car parts by driving through a puddle in all his years of driving. He was unsympathetic to say the least. The worst part about this is the parts are on backorder from toyota and they don't know when they'll have them. Until then, the lights were on on the dash.
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