Problems · by component
2006 Toyota RAV4 engine and engine cooling problems
40 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2006 Toyota RAV4 cite engine and engine cooling, 6% of all 704 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
40
6% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“2006 TOYOTA RAV 4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DISAPPOINTMENT WITH ALTERNATOR REPAIR WORK AT DEALERSHIP. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED SHE DID NOT THINK SHE NEEDED AN ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENT. AFTER THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ACCORDING TO THE INVOICE, THE DEALER REPLACED THE SHORT ENGINE BLOCK. THE DEALER NOT CHARGE THE CONSUMER FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ALTERNATOR AND ENGINE SHORT BLOCK. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A CHARGE FOR AN ENGINE GASKET AND CYLINDER. *JB”
“I'M A OWNER OF 06 TOYOTA RAV4 IT HAS 152,488 MILES I HAVE BEEN NOTICING OIL CONSUMPTION DRAMATICALLY, THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THAT IS LOW BUT THERE ARE NO LEAKS, TOYOTA SAYS CHANGE YOUR OIL EVERY 5,000 MILES BUT MY ENGINE LIGHT STARTS TO FLICKER AT 3,000 I HAVE STOP TO CHECK MY OIL STICK AN IT SHOWS LESS THAN A QUART OF OIL, I HAVE SWITCHED TO SYNTHETIC OIL AND THE SAME THINGS IS HAPPENING. I'VE BEEN SPEAKING TO SEVERAL OWNERS OF RAV4 AND IT SEEMS THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS A BIG ISSUE WITH THESE RAV4. *TR”
“MUFFLER & TAILPIPE AND HOUSING ON MY RAV4 ARE RUSTING EXTENSIVELY. HAD DEALER CHECK IT OUT. RECOMMENDS I REPLACE MY EXHAUST SYSTEM. THERE WERE HOLES IN MY EXHAUST SYSTEMS DUE TO RUST. CALLED AND COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ONLY OFFER A 3 YR/36,000 MILE WARRANTY. CASE REF #1203230216. MY CAR IS ONLY 5 YRS OLD!!! MY EXHAUST SYSTEM CAN FALL OFF MY RAV4 ON THE HIGHWAY AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. WHO IS TO BLAME IN SUCH A SENARIO? TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY FOR MAKING INFERIOR EXHAUST SYSTEMS? THERE IS RUST ON GARAGE FLOOR WHERE I PARK MY RAV4!!! *TR”
“WE WERE ON THE ROAD (ON A FAMILY VACATION). THE DAY THAT WE WERE COMING BACK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, THE VSC LIGHT AND THE SLIP WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AS WE WERE PULLING OUT OF THE HOTEL PARKING LOT. ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER, I ALSO FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS MISFIRING. THE DEALER FOUND "MULTIPLE CODES P0304, P0305, P0306, P0356, P1578, C1201. #6 COIL MALFUNCTIONING. RECOMMEND REPLACE #6 COIL PACK AND RECHECK. POSSIBLE THAT OTHER COIL MAY FAIL FROM THE RESULT OF #6 COIL FAILING." #6 COIL PACK WAS REPLACED AND THE RAV4 HAS BEEN RUNNING FINE SINCE. THE DEALER ALSO SAID THAT "TYPICALLY AFTER ONE COIL GOES THE OTHERS FOLLOW SHORTLY AFTER", SO I WILL KEEP AN EYE OPEN FOR THAT. IT IS STRANGE SINCE IGNITION COILS HAVE A LONG LIFE EXPECTANCY. I CHECKED ON-LINE AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A HIGH FAILURE RATE WITH COIL PACK PART # 90919-02251, WHICH IS THE ORIGINAL PART THAT CAME WITH THE CAR. I MADE SURE THE PART WAS REPLACED WITH THE LATEST REVISION (90919-A2007) OF THE NEW PART NUMBERS (90919-A2002, 90919-A2004 OR 90919-A2007) THAT TOYOTA CHANGED TO. IT IS ALSO INTERESTING THAT MOST OF THE FAILURES HAPPEN WITH #6, #4 AND #5 COILS (IN THAT ORDER). THE FAILURES SEEM TO CONCENTRATE…”
“I OWN 2006 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH 48,000 MILES. MY CAR WAS DRIVING FINE UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE THIS YEAR. LAST YEAR IN APRIL I RECEIVED RECALL LETTER SAYING I SHOULD REPLACE THE OIL RUBBER HOSE. 18 MONTHS LATER I NOTICE A LOT OF OIL UNDER MY CAR, THERE WAS NONE LEFT IN THE ENGINE. I HAD TO CALL TOWING COMPANY TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THAT THE HOSE IS BROKEN, THE ONE THAT SUPPOSED TO BE UPGRADED LASTED ONLY 18,000 MILES. THEY CHARGE US $700 BECAUSE OUR WARRANTY FINISHED IN JULY 2011 AND THE WARRANTY FOR THE RECALL IS ONLY FOR 1 YEAR. I TRIED TO NEGOTIATE WITH THEM BUT NOBODY EVEN LISTENED. WE LEFT THE DEALER WITH NOTHING, MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE CAR, HE PULLED TO THE PARKING LOT AND HEARD THIS BIG NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. IT WAS 15 MINUTES AFTER WE LEFT THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. MY HUSBAND CALLED THE RIGHT AWAY AND THEY SAID THAT THEY TESTED THIS CAR AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE BUT IF WE WANT WE CAN BRING THE CAR BACK. WE HAD TO CALL FOR TOWING COMPANY AGAIN. THE CAR CAME BACK TO THE SAME DEALER AND THEY ADMITTED THERE IS A NOISE BUT FOR THEM TO EVEN LOOK AT THE ENGINE THEY HAVE TO CHARGE US $1200. I HAVE ALREADY CALLED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER…”
“I OWN A 2006 RAV4 V6. AT ROUGHLY 60,000 MILES THE ENGINE, VSC AND 4WD LIGHT WOULD START GOING ON AND THEN OFF AFTER SHUTTING DOWN. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS PROBABLY THE GAS CAP AFTER FILLING UP NOT BEING TIGHT. AT 64,000 MILES THE LIGHTS WENT ON AND STAYED ON. BECAUSE MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER IS WORTHLESS, I WENT TO A TRUSTED MECHANIC. THE CODES SHOWED A BAD COIL IN THE #2 CYLINDER SO I REPLACED IT. THEY SUGGESTED THAT THESE COILS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BE BAD AND THAT I SHOULD REPLACE ALL OF THEM. I DIDN'T WANT TO DROP $1300 AT THE TIME AND NOW AT 70,000 THE LIGHTS ARE ON AGAIN AND THE CODES ARE SHOWING ALL 6 COILS ARE BAD AGAIN. HOW IS IT THAT A CAR THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO GO 100,000 MILES BEFORE YOU EVEN NEED TO CHANGE THE PLUGS HAS ALL THE COILS GO BAD AT THE SAME TIME. THERE ARE WEB SITES FOR RAV4 OWNERS ALL OVER THE INTERNET COMPLAINING OF THE SAME THING AND TOYOTA HAS DONE NOTHING. *TR”
Showing 6 of 40 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.