Watch This Before Buying a Toyota Rav4 2nd Gen 2001-2005

Just because something is Toyota, does not mean its reliable.
Sure, the Rav4 from 2001-2005 is reliable, to an extent. The years from 2001 - 2003 are far more superior and reliable compared to the 04-05 years due to its engine.
If you are in the market for a 2nd Gen Rav4, then be sure to grab the 2001-2003 model and be prepared to replace its ECM.

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[LaurelBelleW]

2004 owner here. I'm at 300, 000 miles. It often gets mistaken for a new car because I have taken care of it and still wax it and the engine runs like it has another 300, 000 to go. I love the 1st series, but would also challenge the 04-05 have been rocking it as well. Thank you for the vid.

[retrodraggin]

17 years and 200, 00 miles, still running like a Swiss Watch. Just tires, batteries, & oil changes when light comes on.

[carebearboo]

I have an 04 RAV4 with 178k miles on it. I bought it almost exactly five years ago with 130k miles for 5 thousand. The only things I’ve had to have done is get new battery and starter because it messed up at about 160k miles. It had rusted and wasn’t making a good connection to start the vehicle. It has a TON of storage space in the back with the seats down. I recently have hauled a kitchen table in it. I’m not planning on getting another car especially because of the wild inflation going on. It’s nice to have a car with no payment. The only thing I don’t like driving it on the interstate at over 65 because it’s not exactly that smooth over that speed. But in town it’s perfect and on the small highways it’s great. I just calculated that I’m still getting 27mpg.

[michaelreeves]

I have a 2004 model 340000 and still going strong 💪

[thomasburr]

I own a third gen 1998 4Runner and a 2003 RAV4. Both are dead nuts reliable the 4Runner is my off-road weekend rig. The RAV4 is my commuter to work I drive 80 miles to work everyday at 80 miles home. I got the RAV4 with 90k miles it's about to turn over 200k this week I have never done anything to the vehicle besides basic oil change tire rotation / new tires and regular fluid checks and maintenance. Never had a single issue

[happycat]

The earlier 2nd gen Rav4s with the 2.0 engine were built like bricks provided you didn't have ECM issues. The AWD system made the 2.0 Rav4 easy on gas and good in the winter snow as well. Aside the from 2.0 engine and AWD Toyota also made the front quarter and door panels out of ABS plastic which cut down on rust problems that the first generation Rav4s had. If you can pick up a earlier 2nd gen 2.0 Rav4 it's a great small SUV that can plow through snow, easy on gas, and is built to last with minimal maintenance. If you are in the market for a second gen Rav4 try and get the Rav4 with the wheel flares as this helps cut down on rust around the wheel wells tremendously. BTW ~ any second gen Rav4 that has 200, 000 km and has not had ECM / transmission issues will likely be fine for the remaining life of the Rav4.

[mrgallardo]

Purchased a 2005 rav4 in almost mint condition with 140, 000 miles . Had it for 2 years so far and only thing I changed was the battery and alternater. Other than that she runs great and no oil leaks. I don't know where this guy gets his info.

[nampam]

2004-2005 2AZ-FE did not have the oil problem with the rings. Oil change interval should have been no more than 5000 miles even with synthetic. That occurred in 2006. The head bolt problem is related to the cooling - make sure that you keep the coolant at the correct specification, to save the water pump and the engine from overheat. Computer ECU problem was only on the 2001-2003 automatics and was due to mandated change over to lead-free solder. Lead improves vibration resistance in solder: removing it results in solder cracks. Replacement ECU is cheap and fast. These cars go forever if looked after.

[lisarose]

I have a 2003 2 door Rav never failed one MOT from new and runs like a dream at 130k miles on the clock! Dunno where hes got this info but I never heard it anywhere else or experienced it!!! 2003 to 2005 is a brilliant Rav, don't let this nonsense put you off!

[brendanleonard]

I had a 2001 Rav4. The transmission wouldn't shift correctly and lost power at times. However, sometimes the transmission would shift fine! We got rid of the car because transmission replacement was around $4K but I wish I would have tried replacing the ECM first. I did love that car!!!!

[angelgallegos]

I keep having problems with the ball joints. Have replaced them 4 times in 5 years. And the oxygen sensor. But other than that it’s still running great with 270k miles. It’s my daily drive and it still runs and looks good. Really good little suv.

[kari]

2.0 petrol -04 has been the one for me. No unexpected repairs. Around 400.000km rear wheel bearings need to be changed, they have begun to noise alittle at 370.000km. 4wheel system, automatic transmission and AC work as yesterday.

[nessb]

Only issues I've experienced with my 04 Rav with 230km on the clock is with the manual gear box. Shifter vibrates when in 5th gear. The diff mounts will also be getting replaced soon but that's a wear and tear item. Overall its been a fantastic car so far and I don't plan on selling it. Even when my 2021 Rav4 Hybrid arrives.

[live_the_moment_with_arnol]

Best vehicle i ever owned. Very reliable and powerful 👏 🙌

[johnbentley]

I'm currently running a seafoam additive to the engine oil to try and clean the pistons.
After looking into the cause of failure and what their solution was, it seemed that the problem wasn't actually solved, they simply add more holes which will buy you about another 100k+ miles (the remaining life of the vehicle in some cases) so I looked more into the actual cause of failure.

It seems that most modern cars were designed to meet emissions requirements, and one way to do this was to use regular rings rather than high tension. EPA is happy, and cars can be passed and sold. The problem is that depending on how often you do routine maintenance, you can eventually clog these holes in the piston, raising the running temperature above what the engine oil should be at, and creating more carbon build up. It's a snowball effect that only gets worse and gums up the piston rings.

I'll update this comment in the next week or two on the status of what I'm doing and how well it works, but so far it seems promising. There's currently no sign of oil consumption and the vehicle has stopped spitting soot from the tail pipe.

I believe as long as you catch it early enough, use Mobile 1 oil as that is the recommended oil for Toyota, and then add 1 Oz seafoam for every quart.
The Rav4 is a 4 quart engine so add 1/2 a cup of seafoam to the engine with the oil change.
I used high mileage seafoam. High mileage Mobile 1 full synthetic. Drive for 300 miles and then change the oil again.

If problem persists, you can do another 300 miles with seafoam, however, if the engine continues to consume oil, you may be at a point where seafoam won't be enough to remove the carbon build up.

Try this first before you spend money on pistons. It should buy you another 70k miles before it starts happening again, but shouldn't if you start making seafoam additive a routine cleaning process at regular intervals.

[MUKS]

@ The car Angel says the contrary. Stay away from 2001 - 2003 models because of the faulty ecm and go for 2004 and 2005 models.

[azzurroday]

Oil burning on the 2.4 engine did not start until the 2006 model year when the piston rings were updated. I believe a good indicator of the old; is if the oil engine cap says to use 5w-30 instead of 0w-20.

[howardoneil]

skeptic here. just purchased a 2005 rav 4 man with 150k miles. clean. i have done 1 svc including break flush and oil chg. so far so good. i will come back here to keep everyone posted. i am in texas dfw area so i think i can rule out rust as a future issue. never owned a toyota so let's see what everyone is gawking about reliability wise. to be continued...

[christophereakin]

We have an 01 RAV4 we bought second-hand from a dealer (lease buy-back IIRC). Only problem was in cold weather the engine rpms would go up and down as if I was revving the engine. Dealer replaced a few bits under extended warranty then later discovered it actually needed reprogramming - which they did online with Japan. First time didn't work because they couldn't get a strong enough connection. That's what they told me anyway, worked fine the second time. Only other problem is check engine light stays on, something to do with the catalytic converter not being inspect. Both the dealer and my local mechanic said don't bother replacing the converter until absolutely necessary because of cost.

[youeflanierelmumin]

Bought my brand new Rav4 2.0 AT 4x4 in 2004, still running like new after 225000 Kms with routine maintenance every 10000 kms and some minor part replacements...