2001 Toyota RAV4 4WD 2.0L I-4

Summary:

A great all-purpose everyday vehicle

Faults:

Rear brake squeal at 7,000 miles, dealer replaced drums according to TSB, covered under warranty.

Check engine light on at 16,000 miles, dealer updated ECU according to TSB, covered under warranty.

A couple minor rattles, fixed most of them myself.

General Comments:

Bought this car used with only 7,000 miles on it, 2 years old, but looked brand new. Toyota certified used vehicles are definitely the way to go, saved quite a bit over buying new, and got great 6yr/100K warranty.

It's no hot rod, but has good performance if you get the 5-speed manual like I did. 4WD is great in the snow even with summer tires on. Would have liked ABS, but really don't miss it, the braking is outstanding anyway.

Interior is quite roomy for it's overall size, and the seats are comfortable on long trips. There is some road noise on the highway, but mostly due to the type of tires.

Sure there are a few rattles and other minor issues here and there, but I'd choose a couple small problems over one large problem any day.

It is definitely a great compromise vehicle, it may not do one thing outstanding, but does many things quite well. Good fuel economy for an SUV, but on the low end for a car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th April, 2004

31st Oct 2005, 22:37

I just wanted to update this review. I now have 82,000 miles on this Rav4 and the only problem I had was last year when the dealer had to replace the catalytic converter under warranty. Other than routing maintenance, I have not needed to fix anything on this vehicle.

This is a summary of all the maintenance I've had to perform from day one up to now: oil changes every 5,000 miles, replaced the tires twice, the front brake pads once, the cat once (under warranty), two coolant flushes, two transmission/differential fluid changes, one alignment, new spark plugs, a few air filters, new serpentine belt, and a new battery. Most of this I do myself in my own driveway since it is easy and saves me quite a bit of money.

2001 Toyota RAV4 AWD L 2.0 gasoline

Summary:

NEEDS HELP

Faults:

"CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" Since 29000 miles, the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on and I have been to the dealer in US, about 6 times until I got tired of it. First they claim loose gas cap, next the charcoal canister, (replaced), then the catalytic converter, (replaced), then the gas cap (replaced), then fuel lines, (replaced), all under warranty. They are guessing and I am very disappointed with their trouble shooting techniques. The dealer meant well and they are trying so hard to fix it, but no luck, up to this date, the light still on. The car runs great and never had a problem starting, running. I decided to live with it since I love their styling and the money that I put in already with the accessories. I will lose money if I trade it in. Disappointing for Toyota. I owned a Toyota before and never had a problem.

General Comments:

Toyota dealers should be well trained to trouble shoot discrepancies. Guessing, remove and replace until we guessed it right is not what the customer wants to experience. It is time consuming and such an inconvenience. Come on Toyota this is not the image that you want to project, you have a history of reliability, don't fail now.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd November, 2003

23rd Feb 2004, 18:40

I think the fact that the dealer is trying everything to fix it for you goes a long way in my book. I think it's just bad luck you got this check engine thing, and there's some small flaw in the car somewhere. So they're replacing everything they can find to try and fix it.

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