Common Toyota Rav4 Problems 

I have a 2004 Rav4 FWD and this vehicle surprises me to this day. Bought it at 94k miles and have only done basic car maintenance and it is about to reach 150k miles. I abused this car a lot and I truly mean it. I take this thing mudding, offroading, river crossing, and anything honestly and it is just FWD! Awesome car that has not let me down.

Your video helped me diagnosed my problem with my 04 Rav4. P0303 misfire. Thanks!!!

I've just bought a used 2003 RAV4 VX 2.0, manual, 60K miles, in good condition. As it's an older vehicle I was looking for information on typical problems so I know what to look out for. This video goes above and beyond what I was hoping to find, really helpful.

Just got a used 2000 rav4 in good shape, 160k miles. It’s been a dream so far. Just wanted to search what I should be prepared for and I appreciate this video!

My 2001 RAV4 has 321K miles on it. I’ve only replaced the alternator so far. Still drives good!

Yeah you got that right our 08 Rav4 rust is a problem here in NJ. I replaced the exhaust, tail pipe & extension halfway at 196000 miles.

Looked at one today, going back tomorrow to look again. Thanks for your time and effort👍

My '04 short wheel base rav hasn't given me any trouble at all in many years of ownership and I will keep it for many years to come!

I enjoy the information Tim. As you might know, I want to rescue old cars and get them back on the road (hopefully at a small profit) so videos like this might be of help in the future. In the mean time I'll just enjoy the visit. You did a lot of editing on this video enhancing the visual pleasure. :)

Thanks for the video. Now I have an idea on some of the issue that will occur to my 04.

Hello way up top! I was up there in '98 (2) days before the summer solstice and hitched my way up to Fairbanks for the Solstice. I stayed in a campground for awhile and then I swapped some labor by an older guy. I went from him down to Anchorage and was out in the woods through about the first week of January 99.

You have a good acknowledge, I can say great mechanic. I do have a 2006 Rav4 with 142,000 millage. I love it, no problem so far. You mentioned a few problems, mine didn't have any of those. I nocke on wood. I can say it will go for over 200,000 easy. I just replace battery twice and the alternator. I'm HAPPY with it. Keep up your hard work

Great advice . thank you. Purchased an 04 for kids in collage to share 134.000 miles it's a great car . Wanted good reliable car so did my research . And found my fwd Rav 4 for 3.400 . Very well made and & useful vehicle

just bought an 05 rav4 at 190k miles.. Just changed the evap canister because I overfilled the fuel tank. Dealership quoted 800-1200 but I did it myself for about $280. This car is so easy to work on.

A few things to add: before the facelift(2000-2002) Rav's ran the standard corolla clutch on the 2.0l models, which proved to be underdimensioned and had problems with them wearing out. My 2000 Rav wore out its clutch in 2016, and you have to drop the engine and gearbox in order to replace it. Which I of course sprang for, I mean these cars refuse to die before you shoot them.

Excellent rundown of the common issues. One more to mention is the head bolt threads pulling out of the block. The telltale is coolant loss with the smell but no droplets in the beginning. Eric O. of SMA did a multi part series a few years back of the repair.

I have an 03 model with the 2 liter motor, automatic with 223.000miles in Utah, USA. Got it at 180.000miles and changed thus far : struts and bushings all around when I got it, battery, bosch spark plugs sterring rack and pinion (the most expensive of all,around$ 800), the ECM had to be reprogrammed ( done that on Ebay with Ecm exchange 150$ or so), original alternator died at 222.000 miles $150 changed myself, leaking valve gasket (15$ and changed myself), 2 brake jobs in 40.000miles but I had it at delivery jobs also.. all in all it still runs awesome, doesn't burn oil or any other kind off leaks.

From Alaska.... I already trust you fully!

I have read the 2.4vvti motor in the later RAV4 4.2's 2004-2005 had more problems than the 2.0vvti engine. One of the reasons why the 2.0vvti was slightly modified and kept in the 2004-2006 RAV4 4.2's in Europe.

Your explanation is quite clear and understanding

With any used vehicle just take a friend along with you to help you look over the vehicle. I picked up a 2002 Rav4 for $2900 Canadian four years ago and the Rav4 is still running strong today in 2022. Depends on how much a person wants to pay and what condition the car is in as well.

Thanks man. Very straightforward.

Awesome video thanks for sharing Tim.

Thankyou, im looking at buying an 09 so this was helpful, and subbed

Thx Doc from Hungary! Planning to purchase a used one tomorrow :)

in rust-belt areas, this is what I've experienced in order. The #1 rust problem is most of the exhaust joints rot out just like you say, yet the pipe itself will be perfect. Rot is also troublesome on the welded section right behind the 2nd cat. The 2nd most-serious rust issue are the gas tank straps. They are lightweight and rot away not much after 100,000 miles. I replaced mine with construction-grade builders tie-strap. The 3rd most-serious rust problem is rusted-out fuel lines inside the left-rear fender well. No matter how well one flushes the protective cover channel, you will be surprised about the amount of sediment, stones, and other stuff that will stay in there and rot the lines to the gas tank, including the filler neck. I would be tempted to leave the cover off but it's a damage-prone area (stones or other debris flung from the tire). The 4th most-serious problem with rust is the top of the gas tank. Just like the inner-fender fuel lines, no matter how well one washes underneath the car, a huge amount of sediment, stones, and other stuff collects on top of the tank and rots it out. There's almost no clearance up there to spray into. Other than periodic removal of the tank (not a simple job), the next best way is to remove the rear seats and the round access covers in the floor to get at the top of the tank. The cover flanges for the rear brake assemblies like to rot away but that's minor. For the Body, if you keep the car adequately hosed underneath and elsewhere, it will hold up quite well. Ours has 260,000+ and going strong, in the mountains with heavy winter salt and sand

Hi, I just retired our 2004 RAV4 that had 175K one owner miles. Encountered the catalytic converter issue you mentioned, as well as the evaporative charcoal canister (fixed that one myself, long story). Always used Mobil1 5W-30 oil and kept up with the rest of the fluids routinely. One common problem from high miles is the intake manifold will warp around 120K miles, particularly when it’s been driven in a warm climate (Texas car its entire life). Using OEM parts is always the best way to go but sometimes budget and availability might preclude going that route. Never had a major issue with engine or transmission, had replaced an alternator and idler pulley around 130K but aside from what I already mentioned it’s been just tires, batteries, brakes, etc. It was a great car and a pleasure to drive for all of those miles.

I have a 02 rav4 270k put gas in in and go its very reliable. Best car for the money I've ever owned!

Very helpful i have a 1999 toyota rav4 with 231,000 miles on it runs good

Thanks for posting. I have a 2001 rav 4 that I had shipped up to Juneau from Bellingham. I’m loving it so far. I have the 420 and 430 errors but I’m just clearing them for now. If the cat is bad it’s not too big a deal in a place with no emissions testing. I replaced the top o2 sensor before getting the 420/430 errors so I was hoping it was a cheaper part than the cat. My front suspension was clunking and it turned out to be stabilizer ball joints. Cheap and easy fix. These things are great vehicles even with higher miles on them. People look at mine and think it’s newer than it is. They hold up very well.

I find , in the Rust belt , that Toyotas are notorious for having brake lines rust out at the end of the line where they are NOT rubber coated . Had this happen on an 04 Rav4 and an 04 4runner .

Tim, very informative and great explanation in detail. great video! enjoyed watching every bit. pointing out the common issues etc.. many thumbs up from me! :-)

Very informative. Great vid.

Hey mate, awesome video! I have an issue with my clutch, it started to fail then I pulled over to check fluids and when I tested it again it was fine. Called road side assist and they said I'll probably need a new clutch box. everything else has been great. 220000km on the odo

I have a 02 that i bought in 04 and still own today, I have never had a problem with anything that was was discussed in this video, just rolled over 225k only thing i have done is brakes, belts, PCV value, and 02 sensors and Batteries. Oh wait i forgot and a turn signal bulb and windshield wipers.

I have an 09 v6 never had a breakdown or anything other than regular maintenance, brakes, rotors and at 150000 wheel bearings. Never had a car like it. I didn't want to defect to a Japanese automobile but they win hands down.

my old 1996 Rav is still going strong. 2ltr manual baby!!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge Car Dr.

Good info Doc. If you are considering one of these, get it checked out. Toyota factory repair parts such as cat converters, evap canisters, gas filler tubes, etc. are very expensive. If it does have a head gasket issue, which seems to occur at some point in the life of these, walk away. Don't waste your time/money trying to repair it.

I have an 05 FWD Sport and it really surprises me how well it handles any terrain. I’m easily going over loose sand and mud while my buddies jeep grand Cherokee is getting pulled out. Doesn’t turn heads on the road, but it definitely does in the woods! My starter did go out on me tonight though at 134k miles (hints why I’m here)

Great vid Doc

On the p0302, can you have a bad cylinder head gasket but a good compression?

Very informative.

thanks , you do great vids !

Had a 2008 Rav4 FWD with 200k miles on it. Only problems were the ECU would constantly throw an error on itself and the O2 sensors were done. Other than that, it ran great and still managed 30mpg. Never stopped working.

I've been driving my 2002 Rav4 3 door AWD for over a year now, bought it used with 197kms on it now it's about to hit 210kms, and since i bought it, it has never let me down, very reliable, pretty quick as well, I take a good care of it mechanically on my own (I'm studying automobile) the only little thing that it needs is a timing chain tensioner cause I noticed an oil leak, but is not too bad, I reckon after I fix it I'll be ready for another 210k easy.

Very useful , Thank you very much

Nice rundown!

My wife’s has 245k I never have to work on it, best car I ever owned

great info!

Thank you 🙏 love from uk

Awesome man! Great video

Another Great Video - Thx Tim

Ive owned 2 RAV4 2 doors, a 2003 extreme (used for 120000km) and 2004 cruiser(used for 40000km). Obvious problem is the recall on auto transmision in models 2000-2003. Autos that have alot of city kms on them often have "sloppy" changes. When the clutch "fails" it fails quickly, some cars ive driven for 5000km after noticing initial slippage, this one had to be changed after about 250km from noticing. Not being able to easily select reverse is an early indicator.

There's something very powerful about recognizing common causes of symptoms is a specific model.

I have a '03 4 cyl. man. with 225,000 miles. Runs smooth as silk with very little maintenance mainly on suspension.

Wow, thanks Car doc! Did not know there could be so many problems with the toy. Engine is mosts worrisome, hope that my new old 'yota will be healthy. Will switch over to full syntehtic from conventional oil, but don't want to stir up a hornet's nest with leaks or anything. Hard ot find specs on when/if to service auto trans, dealers do a power flush but I've been advised no filter change is ncessary. Hard to imagine a back flush which cleans the filter properly. Would you recommend a cooling system flush or just drain and fill. Unit has about 100 k miles, very clean overall. Thanks again for your dedication!

had this car before, loved it, had to drop $300 on ECM repair out of warranty...

2012 rav4 4 cyl, 121000 miles and no issues other than oil, brakes, air cleaner, plugs, tires and o2 sensors so far. At 100,000 replaced transmission fluid. (Best car i have ever owned)

I'm in Australia with a 2002 rav4 awd manual so far I haven't had any off these problems and its got over 260,000kms on the clock

03 RAV4 manual with 305k and still running strong. Great video, but should have noted that 2nd gen RAV's have 2 different engines the 00-03 RAV's have the 1AZFE 2.0 and 04-05 have the 2AZFE 2.4 which was prone to the head gasket/head bolt issues you described. Thanks for the video!!

My dad had a 03 he had the same Trans problem you spoke of

Informative video

Excellent video

I had a first edition which was an M reg and it was ok for a while and then it started revving up at junctions by itself and if you stopped it whilst it was warm and went into a shop and then came out it wouldn’t start...put it into garage and they couldn’t pin point the problem..put it into another garage and he said it was the lamda sensor..ran ok for two days then it went back to not starting when warm..I gave up in the end and scrapped it.. I’m going to get another again but a newer model...it was a great car to drive

Why do I envision an endless, raging snowstorm as Alaska

Cheers mate. Fkn love my wee rav just a aca21

Wow, i wish i saw this video earlier than now. My rav 4, 2001 model has been a thorn in the flesh for me. Checklist issue, misfiring, sluggish acceleration etc. I have changed the gearbox as suggested by a technician but no improvement on it so far.

Thanks again for sharing Tim. 👍👍

Eair play 2 ya. Good vid. Kinda wishing I'd seen it yesterday as I bought 1 of these 2day, but tha said, think I did alright and trust the seller, but now know wha 2 be checking 4 tomorrow, and as longas I own this. So nice un, keep it up.

Thanks for your time, I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK Gracias

I have owned Rav4's most of my life.. The model NRG mostly and a few XTR... I have had no problems at all I think if you have it regularly serviced and take care of it ..the less problems you have.. I love the RAV4 I wouldn't own anything else..

7:13 “problems such as uncontrolled acceleration” That sounds like an awesome experience! LoL

Almost bought one. Got a crv instead and love it. It has more cubbies and is bigger with a bigger engine.

Uh, dives right in at 2:25, lol

I have a 2002 4wd manual petrol 1az-fe. I live in Norway, a LOT of salt on the roads. I bought it at 149000 km, its now at 160000 km. There is a bit rust on the rear axle. Nothing serious. The problems I have had is both sensors (O2 and AFR) on bank 1. Changed both of them. The steering rack also started to click, changed this also. Now one seal at the rear differential is failed, its dripping oil at the exhaust. Going to change that soon. All in all I am happy with it, nothing to bad. Also screams abit for a couple of seconds when its a damp morning.

Great video Very informative 😎🌈

I’ve own a 2005 and racked up 245k miles, unfortunately I had a hit and run. My car Insurance and body shop it said wouldn’t be worth repairing. Other than that if it wasn’t for the accident I would’ve reached 300k. Going to miss my car. As of now I’m planning to buy another one. Rinse and repeat and hope I can duplicate this feat on the next one.

Another cause of the mass air flow sensor failures is these people putting in the reusable air filters.The oil gets on the heating element and kills it

Take a shot everytime he says "what not". Great video though!

I just bought a 1 owner 03 Rav4 manual transmission with 150k miles. The previous owner took it to dealerships the entire time they owned it, so the Carfax was a great reference for maintenance records. They dealership had it for over 3 months, probably because it's a stick and few people want or know how to drive one lol. Anyways, they did replace they head gasket right before I bought it. I'm pretty sure the ECM is only an issue for automatics? Anything else I should expect to go on this year and model? Please and thanks.

13 year old original battery? Holly cow. That must be a record!

2003 Toyota RAV4 shipped from Europe to Africa with 89k miles on the clock. Guess what now it is crawling towards 200k miles. Remember the African roads are bumpy and dusty, the car is still driving like the same. Some of the problems you mentioned may be liked to your geographical location. The bullet proof engine 2000-2005 Rav 4. Not many European and American cars can survive the African terrains. Thanks to the Japanese.

Heya, just bought a 2002 Rav4, and thanks for the headsup. Lucky for me the previous owner did everything you recommended, You were spot on with the issues with these cars, which is not to many !!! Any idea how to turn these DRL's off? Grrrrrrr

It’s crazy because I got a 2007 rav 4 and the transmission is trash on these man. Your definitely not wrong about it shifting wrong because today it went out

Thanks for the heads-up :) and I like how you're so methodical . I own a 2005 automatic (uk) 130,000 miles. The "only" code I've had is the P0420.Took it to Toyota dealer who said it was the CAT and it needs to be changed.I asked how did they determin this? they said " because the code is showing up" I asked how has it just passed the M.O.T emissions test if the Catylitic converter has gone? They shrugged ?? I have been through 3 M.O.Ts since by 3 different M.O.T centres. I' purchased a £20 code reader / eraser and use it before the M.O.T .I have been advised that if the code was showing it would fail? The only mechanical problems I've had are Battery changed,one rear sping, some corosion to the tail end to the exhuast ( had it cut out and new stainless steel section re-welded in £60,Toyota wanted to replace the whole section including the CAT) . Four discs replaced+ brake pads.There is plenty of salt on the roads in our winter months.There is no serious rust on my Rav,best car that we've ever had :)

What about availability of performance parts? (for off road use, of course) Probably non existent?

I have a question my friend has a 2011 RAV4 today while driving it just shut off and wouldn't restart I pulled the cam sensors to make sure the cams were turning in case it was the belt or chain they were spinning, crank was spinning with good compression and soumething that sounded like the fuel pump would run with key an check all efi fuses all were good I couldn't find a fuel pump relay any idea on when I should start or if there's a fuel pressure test port, thank you

You forgot to mention the fact or maybe you haven't come across it yet but if you need to do a clutch on one of these the whole engine and subframe needs to be dropped out the bottom of the car and therefore makes it impossible to do it at home....need a hoist to lift the car off the engine...

thanks good info, any idea on how to remove the motor mount above the transaxel, drivers side? Issue is the fuze box removal. Under fuse panel, there is a clip that says push and it doesn't do anything to allow removal to access bolt holding on the mount.

Had an evap problem with my 2011 Rav 4. Had to replace the charcoal canister.

2000 Rav 4L 2wd 5speed manual 210K miles no major issues. Sooooo reliable, recommended in 2000 by ”Click n Clack, the Tappet Bros.” Radio show.

I have a 2002 automatic Rav4. It has 200,000 miles on it. Previous owner drove it for 12 years with minimal maintenance. Mu transmission is definitely screwy. Sometimes it behaves. Sometimes it doesn’t. The car jerks at times and really struggles to get up to speed at times. Sometimes it gets stuck in a gear and the rpms will twitch between 4,000 and 6,000 until I take my foot off the gas completely and let is reset. It will also make a very distinct vibrating noise when I’m speeding up to merge on the highway. It’s very annoying and unpredictable. I took it in to get the codes read. No major problems other than a minor radiator leak and bad front brakes. But I know codes don’t always reveal problems. Checked transmission fluid. It was full and clean. I’m looking for a new vehicle. My parents are telling me everything my car is doing is normal, but idk.

Thank you so much your video is always help full and ilake it

I'd stay clear of any 4cyl 2004 generation, friend had his headgasket studs work them way out, headgasket sweating, very very common. I researched for him online they make a helicoil/timsert kit, he had a shop do it. I just did his intake manifold it warped and was ticking like a diesel 120k

Thank you

Thanks for information Sir

Helpful video. Thanks

I m in Newzealand My rav4 1.40 km done..no problem.. I love rav4🤩

I have an 05 with 260,000 on it. Only problem I have is the evap. Still runs fine, will fix when the weather breaks.