2010 Toyota Rav4 Engine Problems

Your engine is burning through oil quickly without any visible leaks, and the compression is normal. Every 2,000 miles or so, when you brake hard, the engine stalls unexpectedly—whether in a parking lot or at an intersection. This has happened repeatedly since you bought the car in 2022, and Toyota mechanics have inspected it multiple times without finding a fix, even after trying thicker oil and additives.

Your RAV4 is leaking oil and losing about 3 quarts per week, even though the dashboard warning lights aren't coming on. You'll only discover the leak by manually checking your oil level regularly, since there's no alert to warn you. The manufacturer wasn't able to help resolve the issue. Fixing this will likely require identifying the leak source—which could be a valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, or oil filter housing seal—and replacing the damaged part.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONSUMED TOO MUCH OIL AND WAS TAKEN EVERY SIX MONTHS TO BE SERVICED AT IRA TOYOTA OF DANVERS (99 ANDOVER ST, DANVERS, MA 01923, (978) 739-8300). THE CONTACT WAS NEVER INFORMED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. ALSO, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE ENGINE MADE AN ABNORMAL SOUND DUE TO LACK OF OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.

SUV ACCELERATED WHEN I USED THE BRAKE! I WAS STOPPING AT RED LIGHT!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AND THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EVAP SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE NHTSA HOTLINE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REMEDIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000. UPDATED 03/02/17*LJ *CN

APRIL 2014: AT APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND STABILITY CONTROLS ON DASH WHILE DRIVING. DEALER INFORMS THAT THERE IS A CHARCOAL CANISTER MALFUNCTION AND THE PART NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. DEALER PERFORMED REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT OF TOYOTA PARTS. PAID ~$900. FEBRUARY 2016: SAME LIGHTS ON DASH WHILE DRIVING. TAKE TO THE DEALER AND THE ERROR CODES INDICATE THE CHARCOAL CANISTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. ESTIMATE $1020. THE PART IS NO LONGER UNDER 12-MONTH WARRANTY AS IT WAS REPLACED 20 MONTHS AGO.

LEAKING WATER PUMP, REPLACED AT 60,000 MILE SERVICE INTERVAL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE THE TECHNICIAN NOTIFIED HIM THAT THE O RING SEAL WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING OIL. THE O RING WAS REPLACED. AFTER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE O RING THE CONTACT NOTICED A KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS OUT OF OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE O RING WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWO DIFFERENT TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,806.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT WHEN THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED TO 5000 ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND ATTEMPTED TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DRIVE NORMALLY. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE BUT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 16,000.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT DISENGAGE, EITHER WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED OR THE LEVER PULLED. IT HAS ACCELERATED AT LEAST TWICE WHILE APPROACHING SLOWED TRAFFIC, AHEAD. *TR

WITH THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE ENGINE REVED IMMEDIATELY TO AROUND 6000 RPM WHEN STARTED. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE WITHOUT SHIFTING OUT OF PARK, GOT OUT OF THE CAR, AND VISUALLY CHECKED THE FLOORMAT. IT WAS NOT TOUCHING THE THROTTLE PEDAL AND THE THROTTLE PEDAL DID NOT APPEAR TO BE DEPRESSED. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 1 MINUTE I STARTED THE ENGINE A SECOND TIME AND THE SAME THING OCCURRED. I THEN WAITED APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES, PUMPED THE THROTTLE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES, THEN STARTED THE VEHICLE A THIRD TIME. THIS TIME THE VEHICLE STARTED NORMALLY (ENGINE IDLING). I THEN DROVE HOME WITHOUT FURTHER REVING ISSUES AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY REOCCURENCE SINCE THE INCIDENT DATE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE THE NEXT DAY AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A FLOORMAT ISSUE, AND MY DRIVERSIDE FLOORMAT WAS REMOVED BY THE DEALERSHIP. I DISAGREE WITH THIS ASSESSMENT. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT BEFORE I HAD THE REVING ISSUE UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, MY LAST INTERACTION WITH THE VEHICLE WAS TO HAVE MY FOOT COMPLETELY OFF THE GAS PEDAL AS I WAS STEERING THE CAR INTO A PARKING SPACE, WHEN I WAS USING ONLY THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MODERATE MY SPEED, WITH NO THROTTLE PEDAL PRESSURE BEING APPLIED BY ME, AND WITH THE ENGINE IDLING, AS IS NORMAL. DO NOT SEE HOW THIS COULD BE A RESIDUAL STUCK THROTTLE PEDAL ISSUE WHEN I RETURNED TO MY AUTOMOBLE AND STARTED THE ENGINE TO DRIVE AWAY. THE ONLY OTHER FACTOR WHICH MAY (OR MAY NOT) BE RELEVENT WAS THAT WHEN I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AFTER PARKING, I DID NOT FIRST TURN THE RADIO OFF, WHICH I USUALLY DO. I BELIEVE I WAS TUNED TO A SATELLITE STATION AT THAT TIME (XM). *TR

ON A PUBLIC MAIN STREET TRAVELING 35-45 MPH, STARTED TO BRAKE TO STOP FOR A LIGHT CHANGING FROM YELLOW TO RED. AS THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO REV TO 5000 RPM. THE BRAKES WERE HOLDING BACK THE CAR, BUT THE ACCELERATION WAS PERSISTENT. THE CAR BARELY STOPPED BEFORE ENTERING THE INTERSECTION, BUT THE ENGINE REMAINED AT WHAT APPEARED TO BE FULL THROTTLE. I SHIFTED THE STOPPED VEHICLE INTO PARK ON THIS AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE VEHICLE. THE ENGINE/TRANSAXLE MADE A SIGNIFICANT "BANG" AS IT WAS SHIFTED, THE ENGINE STOPPED REVVING AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SHOT BACK TOWARD MY LEG HITTING MY ANKLE. AT NO TIME DID MY RIGHT FOOT LEAVE THE BRAKE PEDAL. IN FACT, I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE WITH ALL MY STRENGTH TO COMPLETE THE STOP. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED BY FAMILY MEMBERS. IT WAS MY FIRST DIRECT EXPERIENCE WITH IT AND THE VEHICLE IS JUST OVER A YEAR OLD. IT HAS BEEN INTO THE DEALER FOR THIS REASON AND RECEIVED A RECALL UPGRADE SEVERAL MONTHS AGO DURING A ROUTINE FREE MAINTENANCE VISIT. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA DIRECTLY TO TERMINATE MY LEASE ON THIS AND ANOTHER EXACT SAME MAKE/MODEL/YEAR LEASED THE SAME DAY. I FEEL THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT FIXED THE ISSUES FROM 2010 AND THAT ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FLOOR MATS AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARE NOT ADDRESSING WHAT IS REALLY WRONG. THE FACT THAT BOTH VEHICLES WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE RECEIVED "REPROGRAMMING" TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THERE IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM THAT REMAINS UNDISCOVERED. UPDATED 10/03/11 *TR

I WAS DRIVING ALONE INTO THE GERMONDS VILLAGE CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENT LOCATED OFF EASTLYN DRIVE NEAR ROUTE 304 IN BARDONIA, NY. I DROVE SLOWLY INTO THE COMPLEX PARKING LOT. I TURNED RIGHT TO PARK IN A SPACE IN FRONT OF A GARBAGE COLLECTION STRUCTURE. WHILE ENTERING THIS SPACE, I WAS DRIVING VERY SLOWLY. I PLACED MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO STOP WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR ACCELERATED, MADE A 'CHANGING-OF-GEAR TYPE SOUND' AND CATAPULTED INTO THE GARBAGE STRUCTURE AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE STRUCTURE CAUSED THE CAR TO STOP. I PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. NOTABLY, NEITHER THE DRIVER SIDE OR PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I WAS SHAKEN AND VERY SCARED BUT NOT INJURED. THE CAR SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END, FRONT RIGHT SIDE AND THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. THE STRUCTURE (BRICK SIDES WITH GARAGE DOOR IN MIDDLE) ALSO SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE ESPECIALLY THE BRICKS ON THE RIGHT SIDE THAT CRUMBLED. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA AND AWAIT THEIR ENGINEERING INSPECTION.

ON SEPTEMBER 1 I WAS DRIVING IN A CONGESTED AREA APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WITH STOPPED TRAFFIC. AS I WAS APPLYING MY BRAKES I SUDDENLY FELT MY 2010 TOYOTA RAV4 LURCH FORWARD - AT FIRST I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND, BUT A QUICK GLANCE IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR INDICATED THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS STILL AT A SAFE DISTANCE. I QUICKLY TURNED OFF MY RADIO TO HEAR MY ENGINE ROARING AS I WAS CONTINUING TO APPLY THE BRAKES. I THEN PUT THE RAV4 IN NEUTRAL WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ROAR. ONCE IN NEUTRAL, THE RAV4 CAME TO A STOP. I THEN DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR SEVERAL TIMES AND THE ENGINE SETTLED DOWN. AS I APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION I WAS TRAVELING AT A SLOW RATE OF SPEED. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE RAV 4 WAS SLOWLY COMING TO A STOP UNTIL I FELT THE CAR LURCH FORWARD. ONCE I BEGAN APPLYING THE BRAKES I DID NOT TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL, NOR DID I APPLY ANY PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR. IN ADDITION, MY CARPET MAT WAS SEVERAL INCHES AWAY FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT ALL TIMES. IN MY MIND, THIS IS CLEARLY AN ACCELERATION ISSUE THAT EASILY COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT IF I HAD NOT PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL. I ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA. THE TOYOTA CASE NUMBER IS [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I HAVE A TOYOTA 2010 RAV4, BUT PRESUMED ALL NEW TOYOTA VEHICLES, ENCOURAGE RECIRCULATING TOXIC GASES IN A CLOSED VEHICLE. TOYOTA'S AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY PUTS THE AIR ON RECIRCULATE EVERY TIME THE CAR IS STARTED. REGARDLESS OF INSIDE / OUTDOOR TEMP; REGARDLESS OF HUMID OR DRY; REGARDLESS OF EVERYTHING THE AIR IS ALWAYS ON RECIRCULATE WHENEVER THE CAR IS STARTED. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY SENSES AND ADJUSTS ACCORDING TO CONDITIONS - BUT THIS IN NOT TRUE! THE CAR ALWAYS STARTS AND STAYS ON RECIRCULATE. KNOWING THE HAZARDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAFETY LEVELS OF THE TOXIC GASES THAT ACCUMULATE IN A CLOSED CAR (SUCH AS, HTTP://WWW.SNOPES.COM/MEDICAL/TOXINS/BENZENE.ASP), TOYOTA'S CURRENT AIR SYSTEM IS PROVING HAZARDOUS TO EVERYONE'S HEALTH! THIS TERRIBLE FEATURE CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF. TOYOTA'S AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR AIR CONTROL IS NOT RESPONSIVE TO CONDITIONS BUT INSTEAD ENCOURAGES PASSENGERS TO REMAIN CAPTIVE WITH RECIRCULATING TOXIC GASES AND IS IN FACT DETRIMENTAL TO EVERYONE'S HEALTH. (NO SPECIFIC 'INCIDENT DATE', ONGOING) THANKS! *TR