From excessive oil consumption to sudden unintended acceleration, these are problems that many Toyota owners have encountered.
When it comes to reliability, Toyota is a brand that few can match.
The Japanese automaker prides itself in building the most reliable and durable vehicles in the car market because Toyota has been in this business for over eight decades.
Drivers don’t have to worry about too many problems if driving a Toyota.
However, Toyota cars are far from perfect.
Below are 10 issues mentioned by HotCars related to Toyota models.
Toyota RAV4 2018.
The 2013-2018 RAV4 is equipped with a 12-volt battery, which is susceptible to short-circuiting when there is contact between the positive terminal and the battery’s retaining frame.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received approximately 11 reports of fire incidents, and more than half of them occurred while the vehicle was moving.
Owners of the fourth-generation RAV4 have filed a class-action lawsuit against Toyota because they believe it covered up battery problems.
Toyota Highlander 2005.
Many Toyota vehicles are susceptible to oil sludge, which occurs when engine oil thickens, causing friction and even damaging the engine.
In 2007, Toyota agreed to settle a class action lawsuit over engine sludge that affected approximately 2.5 million vehicles including the 1997-2005 Avalon, Camry, Celica, Sienna and 2001-2005 Highlander.
Although Toyota firmly asserted that the oil sludge problems were due to the owner’s careless maintenance, the Japanese auto manufacturing giant ultimately had to accept compensation.
Toyota Corolla 2011.
The cause of the error is excessive voltage in the airbag control unit (ACU) and this can disable the airbag.
This airbag issue affects 2011-2019 Toyota Corolla, 2012-2017 Sequoia, 2012-2018 Avalon, 2012-2017 Tundra and 2012-2019 Tacoma pickup.
It is believed that the failure of the ZF-TRW airbag control unit caused eight deaths.
According to Car Complaints, bodywork problems account for about 9% of all Toyota complaints, and rust is one of the biggest problems.
2010 Toyota Tacoma.
A 2006 Tacoma owner expressed concern about their vehicle because it was rusted at every joint when the odometer showed the vehicle had only nearly 20,000 miles on it.
The reason a car rusts at such an early stage is probably because it was not properly treated with anti-corrosion chemicals at the factory.
Toyota issued a recall for about 690,000 Tacoma pickup trucks due to rust and agreed to a $3.4 billion settlement following a class action lawsuit by affected owners.
2012 Toyota Avalon.
Some Toyota vehicles have a tendency to accelerate suddenly.
This incident forced Toyota to recall about 3.8 million vehicles.
Toyota’s unintended acceleration problem is believed to have led to at least 89 deaths over the past decade.
A jury in Oklahoma City ordered Toyota to compensate affected customers in the amount of $3 million.
The problem has been reported on model years 2005-2012 Avalon, 2002-2006 Camry, 2004-2009 Prius and 2005-2015 Tacoma.
2005 Toyota 4Runner.
A frustrating problem for owners of the 2003-2005 Toyota 4Runner, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2007-2011 Camry, and 2004-2010 Sienna is a melted dashboard.
Specifically, if you leave these Toyota cars in the heat of the sun, the dashboard will melt, the plastic will crack and warp.
Toyota fully acknowledged the problem in a 2011 announcement, offering repair services for affected vehicles.
Toyota Camry 2007.
Excessive oil consumption is one of the biggest problems Toyota vehicles face and is caused by faulty piston rings.
Owners of 2006-08 Toyota RAV4, 2007-2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2007-09 Scion TC, 2009 Toyota Corolla and 2009 Toyota Matrix are affected.
Toyota RAV4 2003.
Transmission problems account for about 12% of all Toyota owner complaints, so the likelihood of having to deal with this problem is quite high, especially if you’ve owned older models for many years.
In fact, it’s hard to find a vehicle with more transmission complaints than the 2001-2003 Toyota RAV4.
In addition to RAV4, Toyota vehicles such as Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Sienna and Tacoma also have transmission problems such as difficult or delayed shifting.
The culprit for this problem is a faulty electronic control module (ECM – the part that sends signals to the transmission about when and how to shift gears).
Brake problems account for about 6% of all Toyota owner complaints.
The most common brake-related problem is the ABS and brake lights refusing to turn off, which is very common in the 2007 Camry and 2008 Highlander Hybrid.
Toyota has received several reports of the brake booster on the 2007 Camry malfunctioning, causing owners to have to apply the brakes much harder than they normally would to apply the brakes.
This problem increases braking distances and can be dangerous for vehicle passengers.
Toyota Prius 2010.
Lighting problems account for about 6% of all Toyota owner complaints, with the Prius having the highest number of complaints.
If you own a 2005-2008 Prius, it’s not uncommon to see your headlights randomly turn off while driving.
In addition to the Prius, Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Sienna and Tacoma also have quite a few lighting problems.
According to HotCars
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