10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 131,648 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Severe rust on frame and undercarriage. Other 2008 Toyota models were recalled due to the same rust issues. Unsure of when rust first started.
- Framingham, MA, USA
My vehicle has never been in an accident. All recalls have been fixed and then I started having an issue with the occupation detector in the passenger seat. It is not registering that there is an occupant over 1/2 the time. Since this is a costly repair (about 500$) I take it to heart knowing my vehicle is not safe at all times. I do have 2 children and this is our primary family vehicle. I do not think this is a part that an owner should be responsible to fix since it is a safety issue. Every now and then it will function but it's been on solid for over two weeks. Hence my email.
- Kingsland, GA, USA
Rav 4 4 wheel drive light comes on had to spend over $1000 to get it to stay off charcoal canister had to replaced, car only has 92000 miles, repair tech stated that while this light was on, I could not use 4 wheel drive if needed
- Pittston, PA, USA
2008 Toyota Rav4 - excessive oil consumption on 2az-fe engine lsc ZE7 my daughters Toyota Rav4 was consuming an unusual amount of oil. We originally thought the car was burning oil. After doing more research, we discovered it was a known issue. Toyota has an extended warranty for 10 years and/or 150,000 miles for an oil consumption issue (ZE7). The car was purchased August 2008. We purchased the car in 2017 from a family member. The previous owner had no idea that this was a known issue. They thought that the car just burned a lot of oil. We took the car into the Toyota dealership September 2018, one month before the warranty expired. Toyota agreed to start the oil consumption test which required them to ceil the engine and oil stick. We were told to drive the car for 1100 to 1300 miles. The car had the be towed back to Toyota at 1600 miles due to the oil light flashing on and off. They acknowledge the car most likely has the oil consumption issue, but since the car was driven approximately 318 miles over the limit, Toyota claims that they must restart the test and refuse to honor the warranty. A tune up was done by Toyota a few months prior. When we discovered that the oil leak was potentially related to a known oil consumption issue, we took the car in to start the phase 1 test. The service department marked the oil as severely low. Under no circumstances should the car run low on oil, when the oil was filled by Toyota and was driven only 1600 miles. Sincerely, [xxx] more complaints: Https://www.toyoheadquarters.com/threads/excessive-oil-consumption-on-2az-fe-engine-lsc-ZE7.362/page-2 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Manteca, CA, USA
Over oil consumption
- Sacramento, CA, USA
Toyota Rav4 2008 limited sunroof exploded going 70 mph on interstate (no other factors, such as we were not under/had not just gone under an interstate overpass). I was driving - sounded like a gunshot. Husband in passenger seat and sounded like a loud pop. Glass shattered all over us. We pulled over, patched it the best that we could and took state roads home (3 hr interstate drive vs 5 1/2 hour, 55 mph barely drive home. Took two replacement sunroof kits to get it right. Insurance paid in full under glass policy.
- Charlotte, NC, USA
Abnormal acceleration at times when I'm in the freeway or side street. As if pedal sticks.
- Wanut, CA, USA
Vehicle in motion on street sudden acceleration.was going slow step on brake put in park. Heard engine reup felt like wanting to go by itself. Happened once to my wife and once to me while driving on city street. Call Toyota dealer service dept. Asked about recall. Was told yes for recall. Too vehicle in was giving printout of recalls.showing floor interference problem to accelerator. Was not offered a recheck on ongoing same accelerator problem.
- El Paso, TX, USA
NHTSA search results for 2008 Toyota Rav4 vehicles reports this data: Recalls 14, investigation 4, complaints 468. My question is, how many defects in a vehicle is considered acceptable" if I had been informed before purchase of all these significant safety an serviceability problems, there is no way I would ever have purchased the vehicle. At what point does the NHTSA just face the reality and declare the car unfit for the road and that it never should have been offered for sale to the public in the first place, and consequently require the manufacturer to refund the purchase price and scrap the vehicle"
- Arnold, MD, USA
1. excessive oil consumption up to 1qt every 1200 miles, under normal driving conditions noticed December of 2013. 2. ECM fails to hold reverse gear. Gear frequently slips in reverse when gas pedal is pressed, won't back up hills. Noticed December of 2013, no power when first starting up for first 10 to 15 minutes of drive. October of 2013 immediately after purchasing 3. head gasket fail between number 2 and 3 cylinders due to faulty head gasket. Replaced head gasket June 2016 4. very low fuel economy December 2013. 5. no oil pressure very ruff idle oil pressure light on, with oil level reading full. September 2017
- Carmichael, CA, USA
Intermediate shaft making loud clunking noise when backing up and going forward. After further discussion with other Rav4 owners many experience the sameness issue. Mine is out of warranty but had less than 100,000 miles on I think when it started.
- Coronado, CA, USA
The driver's side visor won't stay up. Apparently this is well-known defect that has an expensive fix of replacing the visor and that it is common and a defect from Toyota.
- Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
Our 2008 Toyota rav-4 limited 4 cylinder model, burns too much engine oil. The engine is making a lot of noise - it does not sound healthy. Very worried about this engines longevity.
- Point Roberts, WA, USA
I have several recall notices but the dealers do not have the parts to fix the problems, what can I do now?
- Arcadia, CA, USA
Oil consumption !! seems to be burning oil. I had a small oil leak fixed so it's not leaking at all !!! I took a trip and drove 400 miles and I checked the oil level before I started and after 400 miles. I needed to add about a 1/3 of a quart !!
- Temecula, CA, USA
I received a notice that there was a recall no.16V-596, I called Toyota to schedule an appointment and they said they had to order the parts, when they call me to tell me they had the parts available, we schedule an appointment unfortunately I didn't make it because I had to take my daughter to the hospital, I went directly to Toyota two weeks later just to hear they didn't have the parts availabe again is been about 4 weeks and I still haven't hear back from them. How long do they have to fix the recall?
- Sun Valley, CA, USA
2008 Toyota Rav4. 1006,000 mileage. Suddenly stalls while driving at any speed. Taken to newark Toyota dealership several times since June this year unable to fix the problem. Stalled several times while driving on highway and on a city street.
- Newark, DE, USA
On Saturday May 21 2016 at 11:00am I was parallel parking. I backed up in the space. I then pulled up a bit and stopped, everything was normal. I then put it in reverse once more to center the vehicle. That's when the engine reved up. I looked at the shifter (in reverse) and my foot(on the break pedal). The engine reved up so hard that the vehicle jolted twice! I thought I had hit the car behind me. I was pushing on the break really hard to stop the vehicle. This vehicle already had the recall for the accelerator pedal / floor mat issue. The engine reved up previously about 6 months ago in my driveway but I wasn't too concerned about it. Now this happened a 2nd time and more violently, I am very concerned.
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
My 2008 Rav4 with 69,548 miles was in motion (approximately 50 mph) when my driver's side visor became detached from the headliner. The visor fell on my lap causing me to become very startled. Fortunately, I did not lose control. I found that there was a service bulletin T-sb-0068-10 issued for this defect but no recall. The dealer charged me $127.52 to replace the visor and the bracket.
- Algonquin, IL, USA
- Framingham, MA, USA