We were on a trip in Tennessee when suddenly started to overheat. we were on some of the mountain roads when this happened. We had it towed back to our place and the next day moved to a Toyota dealer. They checked it over and informed us that it had a blown head gasket. The repair would cost us over $2500. They also informed us that it might have happened by the head bolts being stripped. Toyota also said they have a service bulletin out to warn there service departments about it but not the people who bought their vehicles. This really sucks. There should have been a recall by Toyota to fix this problem at their expense. Now I'm going to be out time and money because of poor workmanship by Toyota.

There is a known manufacturing defect with the engines used in the 2003-2006 RAV4, Highlander, and Camry models. A quick search will show complaints on many online forums, and a TSB was provided to the dealerships. The head bolt threads in the engine block strip without reason, causing the engine to leak and burn coolant. The company will not repair, warranty, or recall this issue. It is expensive to repair with no guarantee of reliability afterwards. Used engines are expensive and difficult to find because of the demand created by this defect, and they would eventually have the same failure anyway. This was the first Toyota vehicle I've ever owned, and it was also the last.