10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
82,699 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Toyota RAV4 engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments (Page 3 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #90

Aug 252017

RAV4

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have changed my oil 3 times and each time it consumes oil more quickly this last time I changed the oil right before A1000 mile trip..when I got back home (2000 miles later) I had less than a quart in there. No leaks..no black clouds of smoke. This was in less than 7 days. Very concerned! I have owned this car about 6 months now.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #89

Aug 152017

RAV4

  • 120,000 miles
Excessive oil consumption. Engine down 2 quarts of oil after 2000 miles of driving after oil change.

- Chiago, IL, USA

problem #88

Jun 012017

RAV4

  • 140,000 miles
Toyota warranty enhancement program (ZE7) phase 2: 2006 - 2008 my Rav4 warranty policy bulletin pol 14-12 12/16/14 due to excessive oil consumption. Toyota failed to notify me of this issue despite my taking my vehicle in for numerous recall issues, and my ordering seals for my oil system due to oil loss.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #87

Jan 012016

RAV4

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own Toyota rav 4 2008 limited for 9 years. I am tired of changing oils for the car for last 2 years. I got a letter from Toyota stating that they will fix the excessive oil consumption issues under extended warranty maintenance. But when I contacted the dealership, they are saying there is rust on the car and they will fix it only if I pay the cost that might be ranging from500 dollars to more than 1000 dollars. I have contacted Toyota executive office to discuss the matter but sorry to inform you all that I got a very harsh treatment from the executive rep. She was not even ready to reply my emails and informed me that she will only talk to me through phone, not thru email. After a serious discussion over the phone, she finally replied my emails but said they won't do anything to fix my issues. I feel terrible now. I am changing my car oil every 1000 miles and Toyota is not ready to do anything to fix my issues. I am scared that my car will stop running soon. I even copied my mail to the president and never got a reply from him also regarding the harsh treatment from the rep.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

problem #86

Jun 102017

RAV4

  • miles
Engine is burning oil rapidly. Have to keep adding oil on a regular basis when red icon button to add oil comes on!!

- Burlington, MA, USA

problem #85

Feb 012016

RAV4

  • miles
I have a 2008 Toyota Rav4 sport that is burning 2 quarts of oil every thousand miles. I took it in for the oil consumption test in February 2016. It past but barely passed. I was told by the dealer that I could only do one test every year. That is all Toyota will cover. So now today at the end of April 2017 I took it back in again since using a lot of oil and now having performance issues (slow acceleration almost causing accidents). Told it definitely fails and they've never seen an engine use this much oil. It is now over 150,000 miles in and October 2016 Toyota change their policy of unlimited miles and unlimited age to either 10 years from first date of service or hundred thousand miles. They said notices were sent out but they did admit that our notice probably went to the previous owner. We bought this is a certified used in 2011. So after admitting that they did not notify us of the change and having them wait to do another test until after the free repairs were authorized they definitely took advantage of this disabled veteran. Totally unwilling to help correct their own engine issue.

- Ontario, NY, USA

problem #84

Mar 102017

RAV4

  • 137,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Toyota Rav4 2008. Excessive oil use. Engine is using excessive oil, about a quart every 1,200 miles and use may be increasing in use. Thus vehicle can use up oil without warning causing an engine failure while traveling the highway/interstate. While vehicle may be well maintained this can happen without warning and strand passengers and be a safety concern should the engine blow while traveling at interstate speeds. Toyota issued a warranty extension to 150,000 miles or 10 years which this falls under but dealer examination indicated it was not using enough oil according to them but in my test I showed using 1 quart in 1,200 miles. Even a little under this amount of oil use is excessive as it indicates this engine has a problem as Toyota has identified. So far they have not been willing to repair. This should be covered under Toyota T-sb-0158-14. Dealer would not tell me how much oil was used in their test. Again anything in the range of 1 quart of oil in about 1,200 miles is a indicator that the engine is experiencing Toyota's identified defect and they should repair it.

- Horn Lake, MS, USA

problem #83

Sep 142012

RAV4

  • 50,819 miles
I purchased this Rav4 new in 2007. I've always had it serviced at the Toyota dealer whenever it was due. At about 50,000 miles the engine started using oil at the rate of a quart of oil every 800 miles or so. I mentioned this to the Toyota service personnel several times and was always told that it was normal oil consumption for this engine. I recently discovered that this is a widespread problem, and apparently Toyota does not seem to want to take responsibility for the engine defect. Obviously, the service techs are instructed to tell the customer that this oil consumption is normal. Toyota should do the right thing and make good on this problem.

- Yardley, PA, USA

problem #82

Feb 172016

RAV4

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the check engine and 4WD warning indicators illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V096000(seat belts); however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was not provided. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #81

Jun 112016

RAV4

  • miles
Excessive oil consumption. Began last summer. I've had to add at 5 qts since then. I bought a carton of 12 and only 3 or 4 remain, so probably more than 5. first occurrence the oil light came on in a hard right (?) turn. It took 2 qts. I'm having to train myself to check the oil far more frequently. The date below is estimated.

- Normandy Park, WA, USA

problem #80

Feb 252017

RAV4

  • 94,559 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine light comes on every approx. 750 miles indicating oil level low. Started doing this 9/5/15 at 90,095 miles. Oil level approx. 1 to 1-1/2 quarts low. Today my husband added more oil. This is still happening and per websites, Toyota recognizes piston design defect, but refuses to repair vehicles out of warranty such as mine.

- New Richmond, OH, USA

problem #79

Feb 232017

RAV4

  • 87,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Rav4. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle stalled three or four times. The oil and maintenance warning indicators illuminated. Once home, the contact checked the oil stick and noticed that the reservoir was empty. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was due to lack of maintenance. The vehicle was scheduled for an oil consumption test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #78

Jan 012015

RAV4

  • 100,000 miles
Oil consumption.

- Front Royal, VA, USA

problem #77

Jan 012008

RAV4

  • miles
Rav 4 has excessive oil consumption issues due to poor engine design from Toyota, they are aware of the problem but choose to ignore the problem.

- Leicester, MA, USA

problem #76

Jun 012016

RAV4

  • 149,000 miles
At 149,000 miles my 2008 Toyota Rav4 started to consume oil. It is currently consuming a little over 3 quarts of oil in 3000 miles. This has caused a noticeable increase in noise in the valve train which I presume is due to oil starvation. I suspect that my vehicle will need total engine replacement at 230,000 miles. This is beyond unacceptable for an auto manufacturer not to recall.

- Jefferson, WI, USA

problem #75

Jun 102016

RAV4

  • 1,006,000 miles
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.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #74

Sep 142016

RAV4

  • 148,000 miles
ZE7 repair oil consumption - I failed this test and the car was repaired. This was after months of having to add oil (after the light would come on). 2 months after the repair the bearings on the balance shafts flew apart rendering the car undriveable. The repair specifically states that the lower block is not to be opened even though it would be on an engine that has had oil problems. This should have been part of the repair (at no cost to me) which would have alleviated this issue. The failure of Toyota Corp to notify owner of Rav4's of this issue, fixing the issue before it becomes a problem and then not inspecting the entire engine for low oil generated problems has now left me with a $6500 dollar repair which more than the kelley blue price of the car. I am hoping to have this covered but so far have not been successful. I am now down one vehicle which has further complicated things.

- Waynesboro, PA, USA

problem #73

Feb 112015

RAV4

  • miles
Excessive engine oil consumption @ 57851 miles.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #72

Apr 012016

RAV4

  • miles
There are have been 6 recalls to date since we purchased 2008 Rav4. Most recently, seatbelts were deemed unsafe in the rear, where we harness our children's carseats. This was in April 2016, and we have yet to be contacted about a remedy. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to push for a fix to this situation. We are frustrated that this car is a lemon, but not according to law, since the recalls are rolled out over the course of the last 6-8 years.

- Pompton Lakes, NJ, USA

problem #71

Jun 202014

RAV4

  • 75,000 miles
Have taken my car in 2 times to get the oil consumption test done and both times the dealer says it's within Toyota's guidelines. The third time I called to have it done they told me I would have to pay so I just continue to add oil every 600 miles. I took to another mechanic they said this is not normal to burn this much oil and it's not leaking oil, they said they could pull the engine apart to tell me why it's leaking for $500, but I wish Toyota would fix the issue knowing there is one, and they have an enhancement warranty for the problem good until 10/2016, however, they say I'm not within Toyota guidelines, the first time I even noticed this issue was after I had car serviced at the dealer prior to a trip I was making, my oil light came on my stick had burnt oil on it as it was bone dry. I added thinking the dealer just didn't do a good job, well come to find out, I have been checking and adding ever since. In between oil changes less than 3,000 miles oil light has come on and completely dry no oil registering on the dip stick.

- Agoura Hills, CA, USA

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