2012 Toyota Rav4 Engine Problems

Your 2012 RAV4 is shuddering while driving at various speeds and burning through engine oil faster than normal. Multiple warning lights are coming on, and diagnostic scans found electrical fault codes (P0607, P1603, P1604) that an independent mechanic couldn't fully identify. Fixing this will likely require electrical system diagnosis and possibly engine oil system repairs.

Your radiator coolant hose connector adapter has a small pipe that can become brittle and break off, causing coolant to leak out of your vehicle. This deterioration happens over time and can leave you without coolant, potentially causing engine overheating. The fix would involve replacing the upper radiator hose assembly or the connector adapter with a new one.

Your check engine light, traction control light, and 4WD warning light are coming on while you drive. This problem has been happening on and off for about two months. You've scheduled a service appointment with the dealer, but the vehicle hasn't been diagnosed or repaired yet. The issue started around 125,000 miles. Diagnosing this will likely involve the dealer scanning your engine computer for fault codes and checking the traction control and 4WD systems.

AS I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY GOING STRAIGHT WITH A SPEED OF APPROX. 60 MPH, I HEARD A STRANGE ENGINE NOISE. I SAW THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT FLICKERING AND THEN I EXITED THE HIGHWAY, PARKING ON A NEARBY STREET. I CHECKED THE OIL AND THE DIP STICK WAS DRY. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A AUTO SHOP. THE FIRST SHOP ( NOT TOYOTA) DETERMINED THE OIL LEAK WAS FROM THE OIL FILTER CAP O-RING WHICH PART OF IT FLATTEN AND EXTENDED OUT CAUSING A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL TO LEAK OUT. THE SECOND SHOP( NOT TOYOTA) WHO DID THE LAST OIL CHANGE ( UNKNOWN BRAND OF FILTER KIT USED) REPLACED THE ORIGINAL PLASTIC OIL FILTER CAP WITH AN AFTER MARKET METAL ONE AND REFILLED APPROX. 3 QUARTS OF OIL. I WAS NEVER TOLD WHAT CAUSED THIS PROBLEM WITH THE OIL FILTER CAP O-RING. SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FINE BUT I'M CONCERNED THIS MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN.

MY 2012 RAV4 MAIN EVAP CANISTER WENT BAD AT ONLY 77,113 MILES. IT ALMOST COSTED ME $1550 TO GET THIS PART REPLACED, BUT THANKFULLY WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE THE DEALERSHIP TO GET ME A DEAL ON THE REPAIR. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS PART TO GO BAD SO QUICKLY. I DO NOT TOP OFF MY GAS AND I HAVE HAD IT IN FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED. TO MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE, WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THE 4WD AND TRACTION CONTROL UNITS TURN OFF, MAKING MY CAR HARD TO CONTROL IN THE SNOW. I WAS TOLD BY TUFFY THIS IS A COMMON THING AND THAT WAS A PREVIOUS RECALL FOR OLDER VEHICLES. THE CODE WAS ON FOR A FEW WEEKS, DIDN'T CLEAR. I HAD IT DIAGNOSED AT TUFFY AND THE DEALERSHIP, SAME DIAGNOSIS. I HAVE ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION JERKING WHEN I PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE, EVEN IN WARM WEATHER, WHEN IT'S THE FIRST DRIVE OF THE DAY. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WITH 40K ON IT.

I WAS WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT ON NORRISTOWN ROAD TO CROSS BETHLEHEM PIKE IN SPRINGHOUSE, PA AT APPROXIMATELY 5 PM ON 5/22/15. I WAS FIRST IN LINE TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION IN THE DIRECTION OF PICKING UP 309 SOUTH IN ABOUT 1/2 MILE. I HAD BEEN WAITING AT THE LIGHT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO WHEN MY CAR SURGED FORWARD. I PUT BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE BUT I WAS MOVING INTO THE INTERSECTION NONETHELESS. THERE WAS SPARSE TRAFFIC AND IT WAS SAFE FOR ME TO TURN RIGHT ONTO BETHLETHEM PIKE. ALMOST AS SOON AS I MADE THE TURN ONTO BETHLEHEM PIKE THE SURGE DISSIPATED AND THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE WHOLE INCIDENT TOOK ABOUT 30 SECONDS TO A MINUTE. IT WAS PROBABLY ILL-ADVISED, BUT I CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO MY DESTINATION, HOME. UPON REACHING HOME AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENNED I HAD THE CAR TOWED THE NEXT MORNING (YESTERDAY) TO A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THE CAR AT THIS MOMENT IS THERE AWAITING REPAIR, I HAD TO ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF MILES ON THE ODOMETER. ON THE FIRST LEG OF MY ERRAND ON THAT DAY (FRIDAY 5/22), I DROVE NORTH ON RT 309. I NOTICED THAT AT FREEWAY SPEED THE TACHOMETER WAS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 3000 RPM. I HAD DONE A LONG TRIP WITH THIS CAR THE PREVIOUS SUNDAY, 5/17, AND AT CRUISING SPEED THE TACHOMETER WAS IN THE VICINITY OF 2100 RPM.

ON FEB 26, 2015 I TURNED LEFT INTO MY BANK GOING MAYBE 5 MPH. THEN I TURN LEFT AGAIN INTO A PARKING SPOT. I PUT ON MY BRAKE TO STOP AND THE ENGINE STARTED ROARING AND PUSHING THE BRAKE WITH BOTH FEET THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. GOING ABOUT 7 TO 10 FEET UP CURB AND BUMPING INTO A FLOWER BARREL PLANTER. AS SOON AS IT HIT SOMETHING THE CAR DISENGAGED AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP CAR AND PUT IN REVERSE. LOWER FRONT END DAMAGE OCCURRED. IT HAPPEN ONE OTHER TIME LAST AUGUST 2014. I WAS PULLING INTO A GAS STATION AND THE SAME THING. ENGINE ROARING AND WOULDN'T STOP WITH BOTH FEET PUSHING HARD ON THE BRAKE. THE CAR STOPPED WHEN IT BUMPED INTO THE STEP UP THAT THE GAS PUMPS WERE ON ALLOWING ME TO BACK UP AND DRIVE AGAIN. NO DAMAGE OCCURRED. *TR

WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF PURCHASE OF NEW TOYOTA RAV4 VEHICLE, WE HAD ONSET OF ACID SMELL WHENEVER AIR-CONDITIONER TURNED ON. AFTER ABOUT 3 MINUTES, THE ODOR DISSIPATES, AND AIR-CONDITIONER FUNCTIONS ADEQUATELY. THERE IS NO ODOR WHEN HEAT IS TURNED ON. WE HAD NO TIME TO DEAL WITH IT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT ABOUT A YEAR AFTER PURCHASE WE WENT TO TOYOTA DEALER (WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR) TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ODOR. THEY CHANGED THE AIR-CONDITIONER FILTER, BUT STILL THE ODOR PERSISTS. ONLY THE DEALER HAS WORKED ON OUR CAR. IS THE ACID VAPOR HARMFUL TO THE OCCUPANTS OF OUR CAR? WHY DOESN'T IT GO AWAY? THE DEALER DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT...WHAT SHOULD WE DO? IT HAS NOW BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 1.5 YEARS! *TR

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP FOR STOP SIGNS OR TRAFFIC LIGHTS, THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING AT A HIGH RPM. IT REQUIRED SHIFTING OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL TO KEEP THE CAR FROM ACCELERATING FORWARD. OCCURRED ABOUT 5 TIMES OVER A TWO MONTH PERIOD. *TR