20th May 2007, 17:15
People you need to see about getting a brand new CPU for your Rav my engine light was on forever. Then my tranny started slipping, changing the cpu fixed everything and the engine light is still off.
2nd Jun 2007, 19:19
It sounds like a new CPU is a promising solution for the many problems some owners have had with the RAV4. I am hesitant to put that kind of money into a vehicle that has already required so many expensive repairs. By the time my RAV4 had 85K miles, the catalytic converter had to be replaced twice. The first time the warranty covered it, the second time I had to pay for it. Now my transmission is slipping and my inclination is to get something new that will be more reliable. This Toyota has given me 6 1/2 years in which there has almost always been something causing the engine light to be on. What I need to decide now is whether or not I'm willing to invest in another Toyota.
18th Jun 2007, 18:52
2001 was an early model year for RAV4. I drive low miles and the catalytic converter
Goes out with just like one month left in Warranty. (Yeah.) Point is they are going out on a time not a mileage basis which makes the root cause of the problem the CPU.
Paid a couple three bills to Toyota in last year for re-setting codes and cleaning sensors
Replacing O2 sensors etc. Recent re-programming recalls of CPU have shows none of this really needed to happen.
It appears the CPU on early RAV4 has reached life expectancy and the best thing to do would be to replace the CPU. If Toyota keeps trying to solve a hardware problem with a software patch it will just drag on. The software patch is cheaper and after 7 years all statue of limitations run out on the CPU. Smart lawyers at Toyota.
14th Jul 2007, 12:45
Add another unhappy 2001 RAV4 customer... same problem here: check engine on and off since the first month of owning this car. The engine light would not stay on for more than 1-2 days in a row; therefore we were not very concerned in the beginning. We phoned the service department several times (car was serviced at the same dealership) and the answer was always that there should be no concerns, that the car is fine and it's probably a fuel tank cap too tight or a gas tank too full...
It was not until we received the "customer satisfaction campaign" letter from Toyota in Jan. 2007, advising us of a problem with the ECM module, that we started worrying about this problem. We took the car back to the dealership and they re-set the ECM module in March 2007. For about a month it was all fine, but after that, the engine light would go on and off again, totally random and for short periods of time. It was 2 weeks ago that the engine light remained on constantly and few days later the speedometer stopped working (constantly indicating "0" km/hr), the odometer stopped working (no mileage recorded) and of course the cruise control was not working as well.
Called the dealership and made an appointment for today. The car was tested and I was told that this is a computer failure and it would need to be replaced. They also mentioned that this is no longer covered by warranty (car has 125,000 km and it's less than 6 years old!). The service advisor seemed extremely surprised that a car with no previous accidents could have a faulty computer...
This is extremely upsetting; we certainly expected more from our Toyota vehicle... we just finished paying it off!
Does anyone here know if the ECM module-computer would be covered under the "specified major emission components" warranty, which provides coverage for 130,000km or 96 months? Or any ideas of what can be done?
6th Sep 2007, 09:36
I own a 2002 Rav4 and while on a road trip, it died on the highway. The Low Engine Oil Pressure Warning Light came on while we were on the road. We pulled over and checked that nothing was wrong. The light went off when we started the car. We decided to go and get an oil change just in case. The car died after being on the road for a little over an hour after the oil change. We checked and the vehicle was not leaking any oil. The car has been towed to a Toyota Dealership and I am told that the engine has seized and I am looking at a repair bill of $2,000.00 to $6,000.00. Did anyone experience the same problem. Can an engine be repaired after it has seized?
13th Sep 2007, 12:50
Another unhappy 2001 RAV4 customer... same problem here: check engine on all time now. The car has only done 35K miles. The engine light is on whenever you are in the car. Looks very guilty with the light on. I have been to the dealer several times, but can't fix the problem, so I just run it with the light on. Now it's time to take the car for its smog check, I don't know what to do now to pass inspection. Can anyone comment on this?
16th Sep 2007, 10:33
Hello, I own the Toyota RAV4 2001 AWD and it has now about 68000 miles. The engine check light came on for the first time 2 days ago and I was very worried after reading the comments in here. Yesterday I took it to the mechanic and it happened that the fuel injectors were dirty. The engine check light was gone after the service. I had very few problems with this vehicle and I'm very happy with it. I guess Toyota makes different versions of the RAV4 even for the same year model and the reliability differs from version to version.
15th May 2007, 21:21
Well, add another to the list of people who have 2001 RAVs with "Engine light" problems. It's been going on since 2003 at 51,000 miles when it was still under warranty. "A computer problem" is what I was first told. The light stayed off for less than a year and has been on and off ever since. Last year it stayed on the whole year and only passed inspection after a re-set of the computer. This year, the same independent mechanic and a Toyota dealership have both told me the reading is indicating that I need a new catalytic converter to the tune of $1,000+. The car now has 122,000 miles on it and is in the shop now having that done. It runs perfectly well and there is no glow from the converter indicating it is hot after driving it long distances. However, it will not pass inspection with the engine light on. If the problem isn't rectified after changing the C.C., I can see from reading other entries that it will cost thousands more with no guarantee that the light will go off or that there really is a mechanical problem. Shame on you, Toyota, for choosing to ignore this problem and not addressing it fairly. I've been a Toyota fan for many years, but after this experience, will never purchase another. The person who suggested that the dealer can install software for $65 to correct the problem, makes me wonder why this isn't being done at every dealership before all of these other costly guessing games are put into action.