8.0

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
42,000 miles
Total Complaints:
1 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. replaced transmission and transfer case (1 reports)
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This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Toyota dealer.

problem #1

Feb 272021

RAV4 Limited AWD 2.5L I4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,000 miles

click to see larger images

fluid leak from transfer case / differential

My 2016 RAV4 started leaking fluid from the transfer case in early 2018. I took the car to Hertrich Toyota in Milford, DE to address this problem. The oil leak was corrected on June 19, 2018, but the dealer left the car with front suspension misaligned after removing the steering rack for the oil leak repair. The alignment issue was corrected by Hertrich Toyota on July 13, 2018. These repairs were performed under warranty.

In February 2021 the oil leak problem from the same area started again. I took the car to Desert Toyota in Tucson, AZ on March 1, 2021 to address the problem. Desert Toyota acknowledged the problem and contacted Toyota to request authorization for a warranty service. They attempted a repair and returned the car to me on March 3. However, the problem was not corrected, and the oil leak was evident as soon as a couple of hours after bringing the car back home. I returned the car to Desert Toyota on March 6. On March 12, Desert Toyota called me to inform me that they performed another (third) attempt to repair the problem following Toyota’s instructions, tested the car, and found that the oil leak is still present.

Finally, Desert Toyota ended up replacing the entire transmission and transfer case and returned the car to me on March 20. The leak is no longer preset.

Toyota warranty service was terrible. It took 4 repair attempts and over 20 days in the shop to fix a small oil leak. During the entire process, Toyota was nickel-and-diming, and taking days to make a decision what to do next at every step. Their "case manager" was rude and unhelpful. He made false statements until confronted by phone with the dealer's shop manager who confirmed that I was telling the truth.

- sjb, Tucson, US