2001 Toyota RAV4 L 2.0 4 cylinder FWD
Summary:
About as reliable as it gets, and very good handling
Faults:
In nearly 16 years it has had virtually no repairs, just regular maintenance: like drive belt, tires, battery, spark plugs, fluids, oil & air filters, brake pads, etc. Major components like engine, transmission, radiator, suspension, brake components ex-pads, steering, radiator, pumps, sensors, most electrical, etc are all original and still working just fine.
The only actual repairs I've done on it is to replace the brake lights, which had gone out after 13 years, and a fuse replacement; and I was easily able to those myself. Oh, and the cigarette lighter wore out after like 10 years of use, which I didn't bother replacing.
General Comments:
Top notch reliability! It is the most reliable car I've ever owned.
It has been well cared for though, carefully driven, and a bit below average miles per year with no off-roading or hauling, but still it's impressive for it to go 16 years without a single major repair of any kind. It's had one recall, for the O2 sensors, and that was in the first couple of years, about 2003.
The other most impressive quality is the handling. The handling is sedan like. It's a fun responsive car to drive.
Ride quality is good but not super-comfortable. You do feel the road a bit, which I actually like. It's just enough to give you good feedback, but not so much as to be annoying - a good balance.
I also like the fact that I can easily remove the rear seats completely, not just fold them down. This helps save on weight as well as space.
Negatives:
The engine is slightly under-powered for this vehicle - corrected in later models. You sense this especially when going over hills. Not a very serious issue at all, unless you're regularly carrying heavier loads, or 2-3 passengers, then it could be.
The only known major potential defect on this model is the resistor solder joints on the ECU, which can come apart and cause transmission malfunction. I've not had this problem though. If it does happen, you have to pull the ECU and resolder those joints.
There was some rattling from a door/power window when it was new. A couple of bolts were improperly tightened on assembly - a minor issue.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th February, 2017
4th Dec 2024, 09:13
Another update, it's now with 196k miles but major problems have come up. The transmission has major issues, and this time I don't think it's the ECU, tried a different reman ECU, same problem, slipping, sometimes doesn't even get in gear. Throws a solenoid B fault. I changed the solenoid and still no go. It's done.
On top of that the radiator sprung a crack recently that I was unable to seal. Not that it matters because the transmission is done. And the cruise control stopped working properly about a year ago.
Finally after 24 years as my daily driver, I am done with it. It was superb while it lasted, extremely low costs on the few repairs in that time. Not counting the transmission, the engine is still good, as are many other parts that are still also original, like alternator, water pump, nearly all sensors, all suspension parts, EVAP system, catalytic convertor, exhaust etc, all still OK after all these years.
20th Apr 2022, 05:59
Update on my review: it's now 21 years and it's still my daily driver. I've had three repairs in the last 6 years though. One of the air/fuel sensors went bad, the thermostat also, and I got the ECU/transmission problem too, finally. Two of these I fixed myself, total cost for all three: about 500 US dollars, which is incredible for a car of this age, with 176k miles.
I have acquired a tremendous respect for the people who designed and built this SUV. Sadly, they're gone from the work force and so are new vehicles that can be this reliable for this long. That golden age is over!