10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
25,423 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.

2007 Toyota RAV4 engine problems

engine problem

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2007 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments

problem #12

May 032010

RAV4

  • 49,411 miles

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

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. While driving at speeds of 30 mph, the contact heard an unusual noise coming from under the hood. The check engine warning light then illuminated and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer advised there was no oil in the engine. The contact confirmed that the low oil level warning light never illuminated. The dealer then informed her that they would not be able to repair her vehicle and that she should retrieve it from the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted but would not provide any assistance. The failure and current mileages were 49,411.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #11

Oct 132009

RAV4

  • 22,000 miles
Uncontrolled and uncommanded auto acceleration of Toyota 2007 Rav4 with subsequent impact into retaining wall, damages in excess of $3000.

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #10

Jul 072009

RAV4

  • 35,903 miles
Engine oil leak over several weeks. Upon opening the oil fill cap, the rest of the oil came out the bottom of the car. I was forced to have it carried to the dealer because of that. The dealer informed me that it is V V T I hose on engine bank 1 that needed to be replaced, that Toyota knew of the problem but they never recalled to fix the cars, they fixed them as customers brought them in (according to bulletin). It took about 10 days to fix. A mechanic I know who saw the invoice told me that Toyota replaced almost half the bottom of the engine( replaced bank vti hose, both V V T I gears, cam shafts and housing a total of 31 parts. I did not have to pay, but I was very upset at Toyota for knowing that a problem existed but did not alerted customers.

- La Mesa, CA, USA

problem #9

Nov 302009

RAV4

  • 38,000 miles

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

Unintended rapid acceleration.

- Groton, MA, USA

problem #8

Feb 252010

(reported on)

RAV4 6-cyl

  • miles
2007 Toyota Rav4. Consumer states dissatisfaction related to the replacement of a defective oil line. The consumer stated she did not experience a failure but wanted the oil line replaced for safety reasons, because it could cause catastrophic damage to the engine and she drives many miles each day week for work. The consumer paid the dealer to replace the part, but they decided to replace it with another rubber oil line instead of the all metal line which she had requested.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #7

Nov 212009

RAV4 6-cyl

  • 28,135 miles
I bought the brand new 2007 Rav4 limited V6 from Chicago grossinger Toyota 2 and 1/2 years ago. There was some boiling water noise coming out from the engine at around 28K miles. I took the Rav4 to the cgt dealer for repair since it was still under the warranty. The customer service rep. Told me that the reason why the engine had some boiling water noise because the camshaft was bended. He lied! he didn't even tell me that the oil hose was the cause of the damage. The noise problem was fixed (hopefully) but I don't know if the actual problem is still going or not because I found there were a lot of complaints about the same problem that I had online. Most complaints said that the problem was because the oil pipe was made with half rubber/metal. The rubber part will soon be cracked due to the weather or something. I called the cgt customer rep to verify this problem and then he told me that my car might have that problem and he was aware of that so he told me that they had switched oil pipe to metal. He lied again! I checked it and the oil pipe is still made with half rubber and metal. He seems like covering something. I believe this problem has had been existing for a long time but Toyota never do anything about it. This is a very serious issue. Toyota has to be liable of the driver and passengers safety if their products are defective.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #6

Sep 142009

RAV4

  • miles

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

My 2007 rav 4 hesitates when I depress gas pedal. It began happening shortly after purchase in 2007 and the problem has increased in frequency & duration. Yesterday I started a left hand turn while oncoming traffic was clear, but because of vehicle's hesitation, in mid-turn, oncoming traffic suddenly appeared and had to stop for me to complete my turn. I narrowly avoided being in an accident, for which I would have been found at fault, as I was making a left hand turn.

- Hatboro, PA, USA

problem #5

Apr 012009

RAV4

  • 28,000 miles
After a dangerous surge-at-stop problem, we took our 2007 Rav4 to our dealer yesterday, but so far they claim they can't find anything wrong. We told the dealer that we don't want the car back until they fix this life-threatening condition. Yesterday was actually the third time that this happened, and each time the problem was more intense than the prior incident. The first time it happened, around three weeks ago, my husband wasn't sure if he had accidentally hit the accelerator, so he ignored it. The second time it happened, five days ago, he was more aware, and knew where his foot was placed, and knew for sure that this was an engine surge entirely unrelated to anything he was doing. It was only because he had his foot placed firmly on the brake that he was able to control the Rav4 and prevent it surging past the red light. Yesterday was the worst incident, since the surge happened, again at a red light, with cars passing in front of our Rav4 (we were first in line) and when my husband jammed his foot harder on the brake, the engine surged even harder, and louder, and he had to really force the brake pedal down. If our daughter had been driving the Rav4 there is no doubt in our minds that she would have gone right into the intersection, and either broadsided a vehicle, or been broadsided herself, with catastrophic results. This seems like the kind of life-threatening condition that NHTSA should really Focus on, and that Toyota should want to immediately fix, before several people get killed.

- Huntington, NY, USA

problem #4

Feb 262009

RAV4

  • 51,126 miles
Oil hose ruptured on '07 Toyota rav-4 dumping all engine oil. Engine then was starved for oil and ruined internal engine parts. Toyota is aware that there is a problem with this hose leaking and a tsb exists for the fix. However, there is no recall or even a mandatory inspection of this hose at regular service intervals. Our issue was a complete rupture and it would have cost us thousands to repair on our own if the car was out of warranty. It could have even lead to a crash as the tires and brakes got covered with oil.

- Ramona, CA, USA

problem #3

Feb 282009

RAV4 6-cyl

  • 46,000 miles
My wife was stranded on the side of an interstate when our Toyota 2007 Rav4 V6 had a catastrophic failure of an oil hose which resulted in the loss of almost all the oil in the engine within a few minutes. The 3.5L V6 engine in this vehicle is identical to the V6 in the Toyota avalon which is experiencing a very large number of failures such that a tsb was issued. The avalon started using this engine prior to the Rav4. I was told by a parts manager that there are so many of these failures that owners are waiting 6 weeks for the backordered replacement part and that 2500 parts are on national backorder. Toyota knows the same problem exists with the V6 Rav4 since the engine is identical but refuses to put out an associated tsb for the Rav4. This failure is dangerous in that it can cause the engine to lock up on the highway potentially causing an accident. Toyota is "quietly" replacing the failing hose with a metal hose only after a failure has occurred.(a defect admission of a design flaw). A recall is completely warranted for this defect. Toyota has issued no such recall.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #2

Apr 242008

RAV4 4-cyl

  • 4,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. While driving at any speed, the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating. The contact did not notice any difference beforehand. The current mileage was 9,000 and failure mileage was 4,000. Updated 11/12/08. Updated 11/18/08.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #1

Nov 292007

RAV4 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,500 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Rav4. While driving 55 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle began to bounce up and down. All of the warning indicators on the instrument panel illuminated. The contact pulled over and called the dealer. The dealer advised him to take the vehicle to a car wash because it had previously been driven through a lot of snow. The failure continued after the vehicle was washed. The vehicle continued to bounce and the contact was pulled over by the police. The dealer was unable to determine or duplicate the failure. The failure mileage was 2,500 and current mileage was 2,600. Updated 02-14-08 updated 02/14/08

- Holden , ME, USA

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