RoadVitals

2006 Toyota RAV4 Engine Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Engine reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
149
Latest Feb 24, 2023
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
21%
of 704 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
4
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1

What this page shows

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2006 Toyota RAV4 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 149 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming engine

The 25 most recent of 149, in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Feb 24, 2023

Two days ago my car was driving perfectly on the highway. The oil pressure light turned on I turned off the highway immediately and put more oil in the car. At this point my car is consuming over a quart every week and I don't drive more than a couple of hundred miles every week. I've taken several longer trips with this car. I started the car back up after checking the oil level, started driving and the light didn't come back on. About 10 more miles down the road on the highway the oil pressure light the check engine light vsc light the four-wheel drive light appear. I go to an AutoZone and I get a code p0012. I've done lots of research and I've learned that this is all related to Toyota's well-known defective design and manufacturing of their engines. I have a 2az Fe engine. I bought this car with 125,000 miles on it in 2020. It now has about 154,000 mi on it. I didn't know that the oil consumption was extreme until this point of research. Now my car is making a rattling sound most likely the engine needs to be replaced. Technically yes I can drive it but it will stall and probably light on fire if I do and this is dangerous. They had a TSB warranty extension in 2016 I believe. I did not own the car that time nor do I know if that car was even subjected to the extension notice. But it is well known engine can do this and the Pistons fail around this mileage that my car has. It's out of warranty but I'm reading everywhere people having problems with this year's car and the other cars with this engine right now. There's a whole group of engines that are starting to fail because of these poorly designed Pistons that can affect oil leakage. Not only wasting a precious resource but causing a very dangerous situation for drivers. This should be addressed by Toyota still I want them to fix my engine or replace it before I cause an accident that can lead to death. I'm choosing to not drive it right now but I don't have the luxury of a second car. I may have to drive it.

NHTSA ID
11508837
Incident
Feb 21, 2023
Engine
Filed Nov 14, 2022

2006 Toyota Rav4 with 2.4 liter engine burning oil rapidly. Burning approximately 4 quarts of oil in 3,000 miles. Vehicle currently has 100,000 miles. Issue persists even though I maintain routine maintenance on the vehicle. Luckily no safety hazards have occurred yet, but there is a high risk for potential safety hazard. Vehicle has been inspected by 3 different mechanics. I have been told by 3 different mechanics that this is a common issue for cars with this year/engine. About 2,800 miles after high synthetic oil change the vehicle begins to sound like it is struggling to accelerate at low speeds and the check engine oil light will briefly turn on at random then go away. Light does not stay lit or continuously flicker.

NHTSA ID
11493503
Incident
Mar 29, 2022
Engine
Filed Sep 28, 2021

excessive oil consumption 1 1/2 quart oil every 600 miles

NHTSA ID
11434621
Incident
Sep 27, 2021
Engine
Filed May 19, 2021

This 2006 Rav4 engine is known for its massive oil consumption due to the faulty piston rings. Always kept oil in it and had regular changes because of this issue. Checked the oil 2 days prior to the engine failure, and all was well. Driving down the hwy going around 70mph, the engine started to lose power and sound funny (high rpm sounds with no power), so I took my foot off the gas and coasted for a few seconds. Down to 50mph, I hit the gas pedal, and then a loud BOOM happened and car shook. Smoke from the engine, and then all the dash lights came on. Lost all power. Looked under the engine and a piston had blown a hole through the bottom of it. Needs new engine now. Mechanic inspected it and they documented with a picture. Thankfully I was not injured as that could have caused a serious wreck, especially if there was someone behind me. I've read about these engines being blown regularly online. Even some before 100k miles. No warnings before this happened.

NHTSA ID
11417739
Incident
Apr 28, 2021
Engine
Filed Mar 1, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CONSUMING OIL AT AN EXCESSIVE RATE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE OIL WAS LEAKING AND EXCESSIVELY BURNING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT COULD CAUSE A POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT A WARRANTY RELATED CAMPAIGN REGARDING THE ENGINE HAD BEEN ISSUED HOWEVER, THE TIME-FRAME WAS EXCEEDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

NHTSA ID
11398410
Incident
Sep 1, 2020
Mileage
82,000 mi
Engine
Filed Nov 3, 2020

THE ENGINE IS BURNING OIL DUE TO BAD PISTON RINGS. I DID SOME DIGGING FOUND THAT THAT IT WAS MANUFACTURED THIS WAY.

NHTSA ID
11372912
Incident
Oct 1, 2020
Engine
Filed May 17, 2020

THERE WAS A RECALL REGARDING OIL CONSUMPTION. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THEY FILLED UP THE OIL AND TOLD ME TO COME BACK AFTER 3000 MILES BUT TO NOT FILL THE OIL. HALFWAY IN, THE OIL WAS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED. BECAUSE IT HAD NOT BEEN 3000 MILES, I COULD NOT TAKE IT BACK FOR A FIX. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO ADD OIL OR THE ENGINE BLOWS. WHEN I DID TAKE IT BACK, I WAS GIVEN THE RESPONSE THAT THE VEHICLE BURNS A NORMAL AMOUNT OF OIL AND I TOLD THEM I HAD TO FILL IT IN BETWEEN TO AVOID THE ENGINE BLOWING. THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE RECALL. I CONTACTED TOYOTA WHO ALSO REFUSED TO FIX THE RECALL BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP HAD WRITTEN "NORMAL" CONSUMPTION. THE VEHICLE BURNS OIL AT A VERY RAPID RATE AND I WOULD LIKE THIS RECALL PERFORMED ON MY VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID
11324858
Incident
May 1, 2019
Engine
Filed Feb 27, 2020

THE ENGINE IS BURNING OIL LIKE MAD. I PURCHASED IT THREE WEEKS AGO AND THERE WERE NO ISSUES WHEN I LOOKED AT IT. I HOOKED MY OBD II SCANNER AND NO CODES POPPED, WHICH MADE ME GO AHEAD AND PURCHASE IT. I HEARD ABOUT THE TOYOTA 2AZ-FE ENGINES HAVING OIL ISSUES, BUT THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND. MY MECHANIC CHANGED MY OIL A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AGO AND NOTIFIED ME THAT I WAS A QUART LOW, BUT FILLED IT FOR ME. HE TOLD ME IF I WAS CONCERNED TO MONITOR IT, WHICH I HAVE. TONIGHT, FEBRUARY 27, 2020, I CHECKED MY OIL WHILE IT'S STATIONARY IN MY DRIVEWAY AND HAS NOT BEEN ON FOR OVER FOUR HOURS AND IT'S RIGHT AROUND THE LOW LEVEL LINE. I GOT MY OIL CHANGED AT 163,035 MILES. IT'S NOW LOW AT 163,260 MILES! I'M SCARED AND CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING IT BECAUSE BEING A COLLEGE STUDENT AND WORKING, I WOULD DREAD THAT MY RAV4'S ENGINE BLOWS UP OR SEIZES ON ME OUT OF NO WHERE. PLEASE, THIS ISSUE IS SCARY AND CAN PLACE A LOT OF PEOPLE AND FAMILIES IN DANGER. I CAN PROVIDE PAPERWORK OF THE DAY OF THE OIL CHANGE AND MY ODOMETER. I TOOK A PICTURE OF IT WHICH I WILL ATTACH.

NHTSA ID
11311977
Incident
Feb 27, 2020
Mileage
163,260 mi
Engine
Filed Jul 6, 2019

MY CAR HAS BEEN CONSUMING LOTS OF OIL HOWEVER I WAS NEVER ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHERE THE LEAK WAS COMING FROM. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CERTIFIED REPAIR SERVICE WHEN I WENT TO GET OIL CHANGED THEY INDICATED THEY DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY LEAKS AND THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING CORRECTLY ALTHOUGH I RETURNED TO TOYOTA CERTIFIED REPAIR SERVICE WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS SERVICE ADVISOR ACKNOWLEDGED THAT LEAK SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED CLOSER. SERVICE ADVISOR VIEWED OIL EVERYWHERE UNDERNEATH HOOD AND IT AGAIN REQUIRED 2.5 QUARTS ON OIL IN THIS SHORT TIME FRAME. I WAS ADVISED TO DRIVE ANOTHER 1K MILES AND BRING BACK TO DETERMINE WHERE LEAK WAS LOCATED AND THEY WOULD ASSIST WITH REPAIR COSTS HOWEVER I BROUGHT BACK WITHIN 584 MILES AND VEHICLE AGAIN HAD CONSUMED ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF OIL YET NOW ADVISOR AND SERVICE MANAGER INSISTED THEY COULD NOT HELP WITH ANYTHING. ONLY AFTER BEING VISUALLY UPSET ABOUT THE MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS DID THE SERVICE ADVISOR LIBRA JONES MENTION ANYTHING ABOUNT THE WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT ZE7 BUT ALSO STATED MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND I WAS LEFT TO FEND FOR MYSELF. LIBRA JONES TOLD ME TO CONTACT TOYOTA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD HELP AND BRIEFLY MENTION THE GOODWILL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. HOWEVER AFTER SPEAKING TO MILLIE@ TOYOTA, SHE HAD NO INTENTIONS OF ASSISTING WITH ANY REPAIR COSTS AND EVEN ASKED TO SPEAK TO A MANAGER IN REGARDS TO MY ISSUE AND SHE STATED SHE WOULD HAVE A MANAGER CONTACT WITHING 24 HOURS HOWEVER NO ONE BOTHERED TO EVER REACH OUT TO ME WHATEVER WHICH FORCED ME TO CONTACT MANY OF THE TOP EXECUTIVES TO ADDRESS MY CONCERNS. BASED ON THE EXECUTIVE ASSITANCE EBONEY BLANKS REACTIONS, TOYOTAL NEVER INTENDED TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE AS IT RELATES TO THEIR PRODUCTS. THEY INDICATED THEY MAILED OUT DOCUMENTS TO MY GRANDPARENTS HOWEVER RECORDS WOULD REFLECT IF THERE WERE ANY REPAIRS THAT REQUIRED ATTENTION MY GRANDPARENTS WOULD HAVE DONE PRIOR TO SELLING TO ME

NHTSA ID
11229751
Incident
Jun 14, 2019
Mileage
12,151 mi
Engine
Filed May 9, 2019

2.4 ENGINE BURNS EXCESSIVE OIL. APPARENTLY, OTHER TOYOTA MODELS WITH THE SAME 2.4 ENGINE HAVE HAD FREE REPAIRS. I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD REPAIR THE 2.4 ENGINE IN MY 2006 RAV4 TO STOP THE EXCESSIVE OIL BURNING. IT NOW BURNS ONE QUART FOR EVERY 500-600 MILES.

NHTSA ID
11206608
Incident
May 9, 2019
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed May 2, 2019

TAMARA RECALL ENGINE FAILURE ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THE IT'S AN RECALL BUT, IT HAS NOW EXPIRED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A SAFETY RECALL CAN EXPIRE. I NEED HELP FROM AN ATTORNEY ON THIS MATTER. BECAUSE THIS ISN'T RIGHT. CAN YOU RECOMMEND AN ATTORNEY? THEY SAID THEY COULD ONLY DO NEW RINGS AND NEW PISTONS BACK THEN BUT NOW TOYOTA WILL NOT EVEN DO THAT. SO NOW I JUST HAVE A 5,000 BILL FOR A NEW ENGINE.

NHTSA ID
11205301
Incident
Apr 5, 2019
ElectricalEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed May 2, 2019

LOSING OIL ENGINE MAKING NOISE NO POWER

NHTSA ID
11205296
Incident
Apr 2, 2019
Engine
Filed Apr 8, 2019

OIL LIGHT CAME ON SECONDS BEFORE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND I HAD TO PULL OFF ROAD. ENGINE REQUIRED FOUR (4) QUARTS OF OIL. NO WARNING OF LOW OIL!! I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT THIS TIME!

NHTSA ID
11194572
Incident
Apr 6, 2019
Mileage
138,000 mi
Engine
Filed Jan 18, 2019

EVER SINCE MY VEHICLE HIT 100,000 MILES, IT HAS BEEN BURNING OIL EXCESSIVELY AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 2-3 QUARTS EVERY 800-1000 MILES. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS APPROX. 116,000 MILES ON IT. PRIOR TO REACHING 100,000 MILES, IT WAS TESTED BY TOYOTA VIA A SERVICE "BULLETIN", NOT A "RECALL" FOR THIS ISSUE, AND PASSED. BUT, AFTER REACHING 100,000 MILES IT WAS TESTED AGAIN, AND FAILED. UNFORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER ANY TYPE OF WARRANTY COVERAGE, MAKING REPAIRS FINANCIALLY IMPOSSIBLE

NHTSA ID
11170781
Incident
Sep 17, 2018
Engine
Filed Jan 15, 2019

IT WAS RECALLED FOR MOTOR OIL CONSUMPTION. BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO TAKE IT FORBPERSONAL REASONS. RECALL EXPIRED IT CAN NOT BE FIXED. NOW CAR IS CONSUMING ALOT OF OIL. DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

NHTSA ID
11170095
Incident
Dec 31, 2017
Engine
Filed Nov 22, 2018

BURNING ENGINE OIL, TURNS OUT NEED TO FILL ENGINE OIL VERY FREQUENTLY. SEARCH ONLINE, IT'S A RECALL. BUT IT'S EXPIRED FOR ME

NHTSA ID
11153193
Incident
Jan 1, 2010
Engine
Filed Oct 8, 2018

OIL CONSUMPTION REFERENCE #ZE7

NHTSA ID
11139100
Incident
Mar 3, 2016
Engine
Filed Oct 8, 2018

OIL CONSUMPTION REFERENCE # ZE7

NHTSA ID
11139099
Incident
Mar 3, 2016
Engine
Filed Oct 2, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS USING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL. ADDITIONALLY, A QUART OF OIL WAS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE WEEKLY AND THE OIL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (TOYOTA OF YORK, 1885 WHITEFORD ROAD, YORK, PA 17402, (717) 755-2961), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BECAUSE THE CONTACT DECLINED TO PAY THE FEE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,000.

NHTSA ID
11132933
Incident
Jun 1, 2018
Mileage
142,000 mi
Engine
Filed Oct 2, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONSUMED A QUART OF OIL EVERY 50 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KERRY TOYOTA (6050 HOPEFUL CHURCH RD, FLORENCE, KY 41042, 859-371-3939) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000.

NHTSA ID
11132869
Incident
Aug 1, 2015
Mileage
200,000 mi
Engine
Filed Sep 12, 2018

TOYOTA OIL CONSUMPTION. WHEN CHANGING THE OIL, THE OIL PAN ONLY DRAINS ROUGHLY 2 QUARTS OF OIL. I CHECKED ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON OIL CONSUMPTION FOR THE MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR OF THE CAR AND THERE WAS. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN TYPING IN THE VIN IT DID NOT HAVE A RECALL FOR THAT SPECIFIC VEHICLE. BUT IT DID MATCHED EXACTLY WHAT THE SYMPTOMS OF THAT RECALL WAS. I CALLED THE 1-800 CUSTOMER HELP LINE AND THEY WERE UNHELPFUL. I WAS TOLD THE RECALL EXPIRED AND THE PREVIOUS OWNER DID NOT TAKE ACTION WITH THE RECALL. THIS CAN BE A HUGE ROAD SAFETY HAZARD FOR BOTH THE DRIVER AND OTHER DRIVERS AROUND THE VEHICLE. THE CAR IS CONSUMING OIL DUE TO THE PISTONS RECALL. PLEASE HELP.

NHTSA ID
11129169
Incident
Dec 20, 2016
Mileage
90,000 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 23, 2018

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED LAST APRIL. LESS THAN 30 DAYS LATER I REALIZED IT WAS BURNING EXCESSIVE OIL. I BROUGHT IT TO THE USED CAR DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED IT FROM HE SAID HE WOULD CHECK SOME SPARK PLUGS AND IT WOULD BE FINE. FEW DAYS AFTER HE "FIXED THE PROBLEM" I HAD TO ADD MORE MORE OIL. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO HIM HE SAID THAT 2006 RAV 4 TOYOTA RAV 4S ARE KNOWN TO BURN EXCESSIVE OIL. HE SAID HE WOULD PROVIDE ME WITH CAR TO TRADE AT NO COST. ALMOST ONE YEAR HAS GONE BY AND THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED. I FEEL THAT HE SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK BUT I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD ALSO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE

NHTSA ID
11081060
Incident
Apr 24, 2017
Mileage
132,000 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 11, 2018

2AZ-FE OIL BURNING PROBLEM. CURRENTLY BURNING 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 500 MILES

NHTSA ID
11078608
Incident
Mar 1, 2015
BrakesEngineFuel system
Filed Mar 10, 2018

TWICE IN THE LAST 24 HOURS THERE HAS BEEN SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN BRAKING FOR A STOP.

NHTSA ID
11078459
Incident
Mar 9, 2018
Mileage
85,000 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 5, 2018

I BOUGHT A 2006 RAV4 LIMITED FROM TOYOTA OF ELIZABETH CITY IN NC. THIS RAV4 IS NICE AND RUNS WELL, HOWEVER IT CONSUMES ABOUT 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 1000 MILES. I SPOKE WITH THE PREVIOUS OWNER, WHOM INFORMED ME THAT HE EXPRESSED THE ISSUE TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE HE TRADED THIS VEHICLE IN AT. THE DEALER FAILED TO LET US KNOW ABOUT THIS EXTENSIVE TSB RELATING TO THE EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. IT IS NOT NICE TO SELL A VEHICLE WITH A WELL KNOWN ACTIVE TSB. IT IS FURTHER UNACCEPTABLE FOR TOYOTA TO NOT HAVE A ALL OUT RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. WILL BE CALLING TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE.

NHTSA ID
11076299
Incident
Feb 1, 2018
Mileage
134,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .