1) Vehicle had a recall for something concerning the transmission. Service was done and just after the warranty expired on that issue the transmission went out while driving and I had to put a new one in the vehicle, Toyota did help with $1500 of the cost but it cost me out of pocket over $4000. 2) For the last 2 years the car has been burning oil excessively, I have to put a quart of oil in almost every week. Now the vehicle out of the blue will start shaking and all the warning lights come on and I have to be able to pull over. I no longer can drive on the highway in fear this could happen. I am now being told I need a new or rebuild engine. I seen online that others have had this problem and there was a Class Action Law suit several years ago. What are the chances a Toyota Rav4 would need a transmission and now a engine.
Toyota RAV4 oil consumption problems
288 of the 9,428 owner complaints about the Toyota RAV4 describe excessive oil consumption, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 288
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,800
- typical mileage
- 93,667
By model year
Often reported together
Engine failure 32Check engine light 19Stalling 12Fire or smoke 6Loss of power 3Warning lights 2Overheating 2Won't start 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P0012 1
What owners say
My engine recently start to burning oil. Toyota had an extended Warranty for this issue which had to do with piston rings failure. which has expired. Searching the internet this problem is popping up all over the internet. Calling you
Issue started when I noticed the vehicle was burning oil, hence why I had to keep refilling the oil levels often. This is an issue many other RAV4 owners have reported. However, the problem was made worse when my mother used my vehicle to pick up some family from the nearest airport. On her way home, my engine blew a hole through itself, causing an engine fire. If it wasn't for the swift thinking of my stepfather, she, him, and my brothers could've been seriously injured or killed. I firmly believe this has to do with the reason why the engine was burning oil.
Burns oil. No leaks and compression is spot on. Burns oil so bad that around every 2,000 miles, if you hit the brakes to hard it causes the car to stall. Whether it's in a parking lot or intersection. Has happened several times. Since I purchased the car in 2022. Has been inspected by Toyota mechanics on more than one occasion, but can't find any solution, have tried thicker oils, oil stabilizers and nothing helps.
Constant brake issues Sun visors won't stay in place (breaks) Massive oil consumption (not leaking) Oil on dipstick appears black & burnt quickly after adding or replacing oil
The Rav4 is burning oil and consumption of oil. The oil is gone out before the next oil change. This has been going on for a while. There are no leaks and the milage on the 2008 Rav 4 Limited is only 88153.
A lot oil consumption from oil change to 1000 miles 4 quarts of oil consumption no warning light until car stops I’m been charging oil every 4 k miles now I have to check oil every day is been almost 4years with this problem
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, various unknown warning lights flashed and stalled. The vehicle was restarted but on several occasions, the vehicle would not start and required a jump start. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was burning oil at a faster rate due to the oil being changed less than a month ago. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced and an oil change was needed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
On 11/15/23 I went to Byers Toyota Dealership and asked them to check my car due to the gas smell inside of the car when driven and outside of my car when parked for a longer period of time. The smell is coming from the rear. The car also has a very strong gas smell when the tank is open to pump gas. I did not notice any leaks. On the visit on 11/1523, they fixed the leaking evaporator according to your bulletin from May 2023 to alleviate the burning oil smell coming from my carâs HVAC heater. They also checked the fuel pump and told me that I have the correct one and it should function as designed. The service advisor told me that the gas smell is exhaust fumes and it is normal for Toyota type of engine. They did not have any explanation for the fuel smell when my car is parked. Since the smell was still present, I scheduled another appointment at the dealership on 1/3/24, they kept my car overnight but they were not able to duplicate any of my concerns. I did not contact Toyota Customer Care because they can be very unpleasant if the dealership cannot duplicate the problem.Â
Two days ago my car was driving perfectly on the highway. The oil pressure light turned on I turned off the highway immediately and put more oil in the car. At this point my car is consuming over a quart every week and I don't drive more than a couple of hundred miles every week. I've taken several longer trips with this car. I started the car back up after checking the oil level, started driving and the light didn't come back on. About 10 more miles down the road on the highway the oil pressure light the check engine light vsc light the four-wheel drive light appear. I go to an AutoZone and I get a code p0012. I've done lots of research and I've learned that this is all related to Toyota's well-known defective design and manufacturing of their engines. I have a 2az Fe engine. I bought this car with 125,000 miles on it in 2020. It now has about 154,000 mi on it. I didn't know that the oil consumption was extreme until this point of research. Now my car is making a rattling sound most likely the engine needs to be replaced. Technically yes I can drive it but it will stall and probably light on fire if I do and this is dangerous. They had a TSB warranty extension in 2016 I believe. I did not own the car that time nor do I know if that car was even subjected to the extension notice. But it is well known engine can do this and the Pistons fail around this mileage that my car has. It's out of warranty but I'm reading everywhere people having problems with this year's car and the other cars with this engine right now. There's a whole group of engines that are starting to fail because of these poorly designed Pistons that can affect oil leakage. Not only wasting a precious resource but causing a very dangerous situation for drivers. This should be addressed by Toyota still I want them to fix my engine or replace it before I cause an accident that can lead to death. I'm choosing to not drive it right now but I don't have the luxury of a second car. I may have to drive it.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Lexus ES300h and 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with 2.5L 4-Cylinder engines. Porosity in the engine castings may result in cracks than can allow coolant to leak internally and/or externally.
- Risk
- A coolant leak can cause the engine to overheat and cause a vehicle stall in conventional gasoline vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, for all involved vehicles, the engine may get damaged mechanically, possibly resulting in an engine oil leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine including the engine block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 3, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑888‑270‑9371 or Lexus at 1‑800‑255‑3987. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA04. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA02.
Recall number 20V064000 · Recall details
Questions about the Toyota RAV4 oil consumption
Which Toyota RAV4 years have excessive oil consumption problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (113 complaints), 2008 (90 complaints) and 2006 (65 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix excessive oil consumption on the Toyota RAV4?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,800 (median of 34 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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