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Toyota RAV4 Battery and Electrical Problems

132 messages,  Last post on May 06, 2013 at 1:01 PM

You are in the Toyota RAV4 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota RAV4, Engine, SUV

Messages Page 10 of 14

#87 of 132 Love Toyotas, including RAV4 by toyotalover54

Dec 27, 2010 (6:05 am)

My daughter has a 1997 RAV4 that has 178,000 miles on it and is still going strong. It is messy inside but that is her own habit, and is not due to defects of the car. As her father is a mechanic, she has done all the necessary maintenance on the car and to my knowledge, has experienced no serious problems. Perhaps it's because in 1997, the RAV4s were built better, but it is nice to know that the brand itself is not inherently bad.
 
I just recently bought a 2005 RAV4 and have had no problems, but have had it only a few months. Hopefully, it is a vehicle that is problem free. I do have a AAA membership and a cell phone, however, so maybe I can be worry free.
 
I have owned two long-running Corollas that never gave me ANY problems but I needed a larger, "taller" car for medical problems with arthritis, and since my daughter loves her car, went with this one. I've read nothing about any recalls for 2005. I hope I will not rue the day I bought it!

#89 of 132 short circuit, cluster lights by deloid

Jan 27, 2011 (2:38 pm)

98 Rav 4 with isstrument cluster lights out, shifter stays locked on park unless manually released with the button and tail lights out. Replaced two fuses by the steeering wheel and all worked then the fuses blew again.
Can I get a heads up on where to start? Wiring looks fine, cluster works, doubt it's a short at the headlights...thinking short at dimmer, ignition or a relay.
Thoughts?

#90 of 132 2009 RAV4 won't start in cold weather by missnonnie

Feb 11, 2011 (10:52 am)

Wednesday morning, following a very cold night (but we've had colder!), my RAV wouldn't start. Wouldn't even crank when I turned the key in the ignition.....just dead silence. Couldn't move steering wheel or move automatic shifter out of park. At 3:00 the same day, when it was warmer, it started right up. Thursday same thing......dead silence in the morning, started right up in afternoon. Took to Toyota dealer who did diagnostics and said it was a faulty neutral safety switch which they replaced. This morning.........wouldn't start again! Dead silence, can't even put into neutral to try starting it in another gear. Called the service manager at the dealer and he said he is stumped. I will start the RAV this afternoon, drop it off at the dealers so they can try starting it in the morning, and maybe if it won't start then, it will help them to figure out what is wrong. What on earth is in a car's motor or electrical system that could be freezing overnight, preventing the car from starting, and then thawing out in the afternoon????? They said the battery is fine, by the way. It is only 2 years old. The vehicle has 24,000 miles on it, 90% of it highway driving. It is used every day. Thanks for any help

#91 of 132 Re: 2009 RAV4 won't start in cold weather [missnonnie] by propwash49

Feb 13, 2011 (5:45 pm)

Replying to: missnonnie (Feb 11, 2011 10:52 am)
It might be a relay that is sticking in the extreme cold, and then works OK when the temperature warms up a bit. I had a similar problem once, but it was the fuel pump relay instead of the starter relay.

#92 of 132 Re: 2009 RAV4 won't start in cold weather [propwash49] by missnonnie

Feb 13, 2011 (10:50 pm)

Replying to: propwash49 (Feb 13, 2011 5:45 pm)
Thanks! I'll mention that to the service manager, although he said they checked out the starter and it was fine. I left the RAV at the dealer's overnight, and wouldn't you know, it started fine the next morning! Brought it home on Saturday, and it started on Sunday morning, so I'm hoping that it really was the neutral safety switch and it was just a weird fluke that it didn't start the day after they replaced it.

#93 of 132 2008 Toyota Rav 4 - Starter Problems 3/7/11 by ellenrod

Mar 07, 2011 (5:16 pm)

Hi All:
 
This same 'starter' problem happend to me only about 2 or 3 months ago. The ignition wouldn't start, turn over or make any sound what so ever. I called AAA and their person told me it was a battery problem, so he sold me a new one and installed it. The very next day it happened all over again! Another AAA person came out and said he felt it had to do with how we use our remote control car alarm systems versus the locks on the inside of the driver's door. He said to ensure that all doors were locked each time, to hit the remote three or so times. The same when you want to disarm the locks. So I've followed that directive religiously ever since. Unfortunately, I think it almost happened once again a couple of days ago! It hasn't happened today, but now I'm becoming anxious all over again. I believe I'll follow the advice of one of the other writers/readers here who said what to direct the dealership to do when I take it to them for repair. I've sworn by Toyota for many years and this is the very first one I've ever had issues with. Between this issue and now the recall for the floor mats and excellerator, I couldn't be more disappointed and concerned than I am presently.

#94 of 132 Re: 2008 Toyota Rav 4 - Starter Problems 3/7/11 [ellenrod] by junebug1701

Mar 07, 2011 (10:02 pm)

Replying to: ellenrod (Mar 07, 2011 5:16 pm)
Ellen, don't listen to those AAA people--you know the car better than they do. Next time you have this starting problem, make sure the shifter is in Park and try it again. If that doesn't work, shift into Neutral and try again. There is a switch that prevents the car from starting unless it's in P or N and that switch is either going bad or is out of adjustment. Toyota has issue a TSB for this problem that calls for replacing the switch. In over 2 years of owning my 2008 RAV4, this problem happened to me ONCE. I shifted into Neutral and it started right up, and the problem never returned. Good Luck!

#95 of 132 2005 Rav4 - Starter "hung up"; car starts in PARK & Neutral without key! by lovedmyrav4

Apr 12, 2011 (1:14 pm)

As I was driving my Rav4 in a parking garage I had to backup to make a tight turn. Put car in reverse and the car stalled (so I thought) Put it in Park to restart but before I touched the key the car started on it's own. Put it into reverse, backup a few feet and put the car in drive - car dies again. As I passed neutral on the way to park the car starts on it's own in neutral, put car in drive and pull into the parking spot. Turn off the ignition, starter continues to crank; turn on the ignition car runs about 5 minutes dies and white smoke billows out of the front hood, electrical burning smell. After a few minutes the smoke starts to abate, I open the hood see the smoke coming from the front right (as I face the car) of the compartment. Now everything in the car is DEAD. No lights, no auto locks, so click when you turn the key nothing!
 
Dealer is now replacing the battery & starter because the starter must have been "hung up" (on what?) and the rubber casing melted. Need the battery and the starter to do further diagnostics....
 
Any thoughts? Any similar experiences. RAV has just over 77K miles and the 75K service was completed about a month & a half ago. Do I trust the car going forward?

#96 of 132 When do you stop putting money into a 1997 RAV 4? by rose920

May 07, 2011 (8:22 am)

In 2010, I had a new A/C compressor , alternater, and Distributor O Ring put in to the tune of $1269.
 
That was followed by a door that wouldn't close at an estimate of $487. I got on here and read about Dupont Silicone and fixed it.
 
 In 2011 so far, I have had a Timing Belt Tensioner put it as well as Crankshaft Seal and valve cover gasket -- $703.18. The Timing Belt was changed at 105k and the car now has 156k. I checked to see if it was under warrantee which it was and they were going to replace the whole kit, water pump, belt, etc. but the person I took the car to did not take the "kit" saying it was only the tensioner pully. I have to say that I was not comfortable with this and being a woman, I feel that I may have been "taken" on this. Is there a way to find an honest mechanic who won't take advantage of my female status?
 
Oh did I say the car was still leaking something? So I took it back and was shown that the power steering fluid was leaking. It is now fixed -- $470.
 
When I took it in, I mentioned that the car was making a clunking sound, not the usual power steering squeak. When I picked it up, I asked if they found out what the noise was. They said there wasn't any noise. Well as I drove out of the station and down two blocks, the noise happened again while I was waiting to take a turn. I am so disgusted and so not trusting, I did not return. I did have a muffler replaced a month ago (under warrantee) and by the person who originally put it on who is another person that I am unsure of as to being taken advantage by him.
 
In the old days, you took your car into be serviced or repaired (or at least I did) and the mechanic (my cousin) took the car for a ride to see if anything else was going on. He also washed it for me. He is now deceased and his shop is going and I am still trying to find someone I can trust. I admit to being spoiled but I knew that I could trust him and he knew I was not totally ignorant about cars having worked as a teenager in a dealer service dept so he listened to me if I thought something was wrong with my car.
 
This morning I looked at my car and there is yet another leak under it!!
 
Do I take it back or do I just chalk it up to a car getting old and it will keep having to be repaired? I really can't afford to buy a new one and I really want another Toyota but maybe this is not the time to buy one.
 
Sorry for rambling on.

Messages Page 10 of 14

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