When I got it the cigarette lighter didn't work, took me $100 to fix it.
The safety belt release button had a crack in it. I had to tape it.
Shakes badly when driving above 70 miles. Can't let go the wheel for 1 second otherwise the car will fly to the side of the road.
Spent $60 for a tire balance, did that almost 5 times during my ownership.
After 3 months the engine light was on. Mechanic says its oxygen sensor. Took me about $300 to diagnose and fix.
Break pedal feels too soft, changed the master cylinder. Took me about $240.
One time found the fluid in the shaft broke out. Changed the shaft. Cost me about $1,000.
And spent a lot of money on other minor repairs such as brake pads, head light, battery, air filter.
In the end (above 140,000 miles) bad engine oil leak. Smells like burning rubber when I come off the highway. Can see white smoke coming from the engine.
When it was above 140,000 miles the engine feels very powerless. Cannot even go above 55 mph when it's against the wind.
Very nice looking. But cost me so much to repair its problems.
Interesting. Toyota is supposed to be so good, yet I've gotten over 100,000 miles more out of 3 different domestics than this reviewer has out of his RAV-4 and with NO major problems.
Nice looking is great if one wants a pretty shell. I fell for that owning Mercedes. I'll take the new GM SUV's and have nice looking and high quality without the repairs.
The 100,000 mile warranty is proof that the quality is there, not an excuse that the imports do not need them. The consumer needs a wallet after 50,000 miles; even with stellar maintenance it's no guarantee. Not even a chance it's on the import buyer.
I feel bad for this import owner who spent twice what I did on my import within a short period.
Oh please! This person bought a 12 year old car used with 120,000k miles... This thing could have been badly abused by its previous owner... How can you call a battery, brake pad replacements, and an air filter problems? These are MAINTENANCE items. Also, the cigarette lighter is a sad excuse to hate the vehicle - probably a bad fuse which you got overcharged for. As to the burning smell coming off the freeway - maybe you should check to see if the timing belt and more importantly the water pump were replaced on time. In conclusion: You (the reviewer) failed to do your homework before purchasing this vehicle. You should have had it inspected by your own mechanic. By the way, I think the first gen rav4 (1995-2000) did not look good at all. I think Toyota cleaned up their act with the 2001 and newer models. The new V6 Sport is nice. But I agree with the previous comment saying that imports are overpriced.
To the guy who is looking to buy a GM SUV. Beware!. I have the Montana minivan from Pontiac; I know it's not an SUV, but it does have a truck engine. You should read all the bad things that happened to them (on this site), especially the engine. I doubt their SUVs have any better record.
I saw what added up to not even $2,000 for this older, high-mileage vehicle, yet the owner says $8,000. I would like to see what else cost the additional $6,000 please. If you are counting gasoline, then that is pretty cheap for a car this age with the mileage stated.
To the guy purchasing a GM SUV; yeah a Tahoe/Yukon is pretty reliable, but have fun filling them up! A TrailBlazer/Envoy will not be able to go much past 75,000 miles without some hefty repairs, and the Tracker? Please. The new Acadia would be an excellent choice, but we are talking about a completely different class of vehicle.
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