general problems of the 2008 Toyota RAV4 - part 1

I have a Toyota Rav4 2008 2. 4 the motor is no leaking oil, no blue smoke but I put 4 quarts oil on 1. 000 miles,the comsuption oil is too much and the steering wheel column have problem and that is danger . I see on google the problem on this car Toyota Rav4 2008 2. 4 is came with factory problem on pistons and rings I call bernardi Toyota framingham,MA on 08/27/2022 and I talk a service guy the problem and he say the recall for my car expires on 2018 but I read on internet recall nver expires if the company o factory still on ,I did call to service on Toyota weslleyle,MA on 08/29/2023 and the service guy toll me the same my phone number 508 371 0039 . . . Jhordan my name thank you. Very much for help me.

I purchased the vehicle on [xxx] after seeing the carfax report the dealer furnished. Now my car is no longer driveable due to the numerous repairs it needs. I looked at a real carfax report recently and found out thar dealer didn't give me the true report. It only showed 2 owners and mileage close to the odometer reading. However, there are 4 previous owners and the mileage is 172,000 just before it was sold and then purchased by dealer and then sold to me. Dealer hid the part of the report about the odometer tampering. I now have a very expensive lawn ornament that I still owe over $9,000 on. I can't afford to fix and now stuck with it since I can't sell it. I am having trouble uploading documents. I've tried calling but it just hangs up. I'm calling the number that's online but it doesn't work. Please contact me [xxx] thank you! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Severe rust on frame and undercarriage. Other 2008 Toyota models were recalled due to the same rust issues. Unsure of when rust first started.

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.

Rav 4 4 wheel drive light comes on had to spend over $1000. 00 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.

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. . Read more...

Over oil consumption.

Abnormal acceleration at times when I'm in the freeway or side street. As if pedal sticks.

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.

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.

I have several recall notices but the dealers do not have the parts to fix the problems, what can I do now?.

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.

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 !!.

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.

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.

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.

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?.

Prior to 2015, 2 different service companies on 2 separate scheduled oil change informed me that the car had no oil. In 2015,received a warranty enhancement program related to excessive engine oil consumption from Toyota. Since being told on 2 separate occasions that the car had no oil during oil change service, I contacted Toyota to schedule for the consumption test. Brought the car on 7/7/15 then returned on 9/2/15 between 1100-1300 miles as instructed and was told it passed. However, on 1/20/16 brought car to another service company for scheduled oil change (first oil change after it supposedly passed test) and was told there was no oil marking on dip stick. Therefore,was advised to bring it back to Toyota. No oil change was performed but service company added oil (approx 3. 5 quarts)per my request. Spoke with a lady manager at Toyota via phone to report the findings and was advised to schedule appointment for re-test. I brought car to Toyota on 1/29/16 as scheduled and was told by service advisor that a re-test will not be performed because it already passed the test in sept. 2015 despite the latest finding of a dry dip stick in Jan. 2016. Toyota suggested to change the oil at my expense and to check if there was a leak. I declined it because I expected the appointment to be a re-test for oil consumption as indicated by a Toyota manager. I eventually had an oil change on 2/17/16 performed by a non-Toyota service company and was told the oil drained was 2. 5 quarts which is 2 quarts below factory standards.

Premature exhaust system failure before 80,000 miles or 8 years. Tried to resolve this issue with the dealer and Toyota corp (case #1508262478 @ 800-331-4331) but they will not replace defective parts. The catalytic converter is connected to an in-line resonator and muffler assembly. The muffler seam has split. My claim to the dealer and Toyota corp is the entire system works hand in hand and the way Toyota has designed the system it can not be separated from the catalytic converter. The entire system is required to reduce emissions and increase engine performance and therefore covered under the emission warranty. Not sure if it is a design or material defect but something costing over $1,400 to repair is more than a simple muffler replacement that should not fail at 52,000 miles.

The hose connecting the canister filter to the canister broke off driving in the rain and I didn't see until next day while 8 hrs away from home. Called the local dealer they didn't have the part. No check engine light shown. I got home and have the canister filter replaced with the dealer and next day check engine, vsc and 4wd light came on, dealer says it cost $1800 to fix it. I researched online and lot of 2006 and up rav 4 owner have same issue. Cannister hose broken or filter dropped and water getting into the system. I got Toyota service bulletin t-sb-0098-09 which was updated to t-sb0161-11 on October 20,2011 for this issue. Toyota had covered warranty for 2gr-fe engine from 2006-2011 sold on CA, CT, me, MD, MA, NJ, nm,vt,wa, ri under California long term emission warranty of 64 months or 70,000 miles which ever occurs first. Toyota knew the issue and even added a new cover (part no 77641-0r020) the protect the canister filter and the hoses but they didn't issue the recall. A lot of people have same issue. The filter and hose are unprotected underneath the chassis and it can break or fall driving under normal driving in a rain or snow. I called Toyota and they review my case and gave me case # but they won't fix it because my vehicle was not driven and sold on the aforementioned states. Toyota has covered the warranty on the states with heavy snow and rain only. But these things are true for the state I am in too. Remaining state standard 36 months 36,000 warranty. But this thing can happen to anyone at any mileage. Toyota knew it and had a fix by putting the new cover but didn't issue a recall . The service bulletin even states the vehicles manufactured before certain VIN number and mine does fall under it. I paid $220 to replace filter and $62. 5 to diagnose. Now they want another $1800 to fix it. I wish I could attached the service bulletin.

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.

Just learned today that I need a new transmission for a 2008 Rav4 with only 74,000 miles on it. Had the car in for service at 72,000 miles where they did the 70k mi service to include multipoint/floor mat, replaced the water pump, brake fluid flush and "engine minor". I think something is wrong here. My 5 year or 100k prepaid warranty ended in June so no coverage available. Shouldn't a transmission last longer than 70k miles?.

A little after its regular scheduled maintenance my 2008 Rav4 started to make an odd noise (rattling) when reaching 40 mph at 1500 rpm. Checked fluids and noticed that engine oil was dry (burnt oil on stick) and black atf. Immediately replaced fluids (engine and ws atf). Took car to dealer and they said they didn't noticed anything unusual. Drove with tech and showed him the noise at specified conditions. He said more tests needed to be done. Up until today they are not sure what the issue may be and suggested a bunch of different "fix" that I will have to pay for myself. Found a TSB online for a similar issue (t-sb-0094-11). Toyota should be held responsible and fix this issue at no cost to users.

Check engine light, vsc light, and 4wd lights stayed on after we purchased vehicle. We were advised to disconnect battery to reset, it worked until car was shut off. Then the lights care on again, and 4wd would not work. Our driveway requires 4wd! took it to Toyota service near our home, he called warranty company, they would not pay because evap cannister and hoses had previous water damage, and were rusted. Manly Honda in santa rosa has put us off for two and a half weeks. This is where we purchased the car for our daughter. They will not return calls. We were informed Toyota only covered this problem up to 70,000 miles. To take it to dealer!! they will no longer respond.

The muffler has already shown corrosion to the point it is loud and now may cause heat issues and vapor issues into the car.

In March 2014 after driving my 2008 Toyota rav 4 approximately 3000 miles after an oil change I checked my oil and was down about 1 1/2 quarts. The oil and filter were then changed. In September 2014 after driving 3000 miles the oil level fell 2 quarts short.

The airbag light came on and stayed on. Owner took car to dealer and was told that the spiral cable was defective. Also, the water pump is leaking. The Rav4 only has 86,000 miles. Owner has noticed there are multiple reported complaints on the airbag spiral cable defect. How many more "defects" have not been reported? this issue should be a recall. The repairs are very expensive. Owner used to think Toyota made a reliable car!!.

I brought the car to my mechanic because the engine has been getting louder, like a diesel. I've been told the fan in the water pump needs to be replaced. The car is 5 years old with 25,000 miles on it! this should not happen and must be a defect. Unfortunately, my drivetrain warranty expired one month ago. Now it is going to cost me $800 to repair. I have found many complaints about this very problem online, which proves there is a defect involved, but Toyota has not issued a recall. If the water pump gave out while I was on the road, I could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere. I live in the country with poor cell service. This is irresponsible on Toyota's part and should be addressed.

Vapor canister for capture of fuel vapor from fuel tank becomes detached from the vehicle when vehicles go through snow or water. Canister, which is connected to several hoses either dangles under vehicle or pulls loose. The loss of the canister causes engine light to indicate malfunction of emissions system. Toyota has redesigned mounting system on newer models which includes a shield under the canister and more connection points, but has not made available a correction for older models. Canister has come loose or off twice; once driving on snowy roads and the second time when vehicle went through a puddle of water on highway after heavy rain. With canister disconnected it disables 4 wheel drive and also will not pass emissions tests.

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.

The engine is burning too much oil too quick and woburn Toyota services refuse to research deeper for the problem, I have all extra warranties and they say it is normal. It is not normal the amout of oil the car is consuming.

Waterpump leaking. Water pump did not meet factory specifications. Water pump leaking engine block very damp .

Driver door, front passenger door, and tailgate door lock mechanisms have malfunctioned, not locking or unlocking with the remote. Had front driver door lock and rear tailgate door locks repaired each costing approx. $500. How can so many locks go bad? have other car owners had this problem?.

Driver's visor is loose. It won't fold up. Please kindly have a recall on this. Thanks!.

I am reporting and acceleration problem in my 2008 Toyota Rav4. The problem occurs randomly as I am approaching and slowing down for a stop sign or a traffic light. There is a slight surge in the car, even though my foot is on the break as I am slowing down. I estimate this problem has occurred around 10 times in the 19,000 miles that I have owned the Rav4. I cannot duplicate or replicate the surge at will, as I said it occurs randomly. The events of the last months with Toyotas has prompted me to report this situation.