Toyota Australia reels from second engine blow

[monaroCountry1]

Toyota Australia reels from second engine blow

Ian Porter , drive.com.au, 29/10/07


http://img.drive.com.au/drive_images/Editorial/2007/10/29/RAV4_m.jpg

Local car maker Toyota has suspended sales of another model because of an engine problem, with the new V6-powered RAV4 closely following the Aurion TRD to the medi-lab. IAN PORTER and RICHARD BLACKBURN report.

Toyota has again been hit by an embarassing fault in a new model, with all Australian dealers being ordered to stop selling the new V6-powered RAV4 compact 4WD.

The RAV4 V6 launched only a fortnight ago to join the four-cylinder model launched in early 2006. A problem relating to the engine follows shortly after Toyota Australia's Aurion TRD resumed sales in October after an investigation into an engine failure.

Toyota Australia spokesperson Mike Breen says the RAV4's 3.5-litre V6, which is shared with the Aurion, Kluger, and Tarago, is not operating "as smoothly as would be expected", and there appears to be an issue with the engine's electronic managment control system.

The problem was detected in a couple of company demonstration models and the decision was made to stop customer deliveries as a "precautionary measure". "There has been no customer feedback," says Breen.

Breen says the problem does not constitute a recall. "It is not safety related so it isn't a product recall."

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=45079&vf=12

[GODSMACK]

Oh what a feeling................Toyota!!!!

[seedyrom]

The throttle body was gummed up with a couple of hundred wasps

[Mungrel]

The throttle body was gummed up with a couple of hundred wasps

:rofl::rofl: I like that ad

Toyota's not having a great run atm are they? I like the way they're examining the problem to find out what cause it and how to fix it properly. It shows their pretty dedicated to making a reliable product

[Marco]

To be fair to Toyota, they're not recalling them because they are blowing up engines, or burning oil, or developing piston slap....sounds more like they are pausing sales because the actual running of the engine isn't up to the standard expected.

[Jac001]

http://www.varoomvroom.com/toyota-fixing-600000-sienna-doors-but-its-not-a-recall-mind-you-13840

The door check mounting panel is the piece that keeps the door open, and if the part fails the door can swing freely and unexpectedly shut - obviously a concern for parents with kids. Toyota has traced the problem back to bad spot welds performed at the automaker’s Princeton, Indiana factory.

[monaroCountry1]

:rofl::rofl: I like that ad

Toyota's not having a great run atm are they? I like the way they're examining the problem to find out what cause it and how to fix it properly. It shows their pretty dedicated to making a reliable product

Except with the Aurion where they didnt really fix the issue but just lowered their engine rev limit.


To be fair to Toyota, they're not recalling them because they are blowing up engines, or burning oil, or developing piston slap....sounds more like they are pausing sales because the actual running of the engine isn't up to the standard expected.

Didnt the Aurion have an exploding engine?

Using Toyota's recall requirements, Holden shouldnt have to recall its dodgy piston slapping LS1 engines.

[Holden Man]

The bigger you get the harder you fall.

The 3.5ltr engine is giving them the wobbles.

(I admit that the V6 has some grunt though for a grandpa car ! :)) >

Aurion 0-200kph
YouTube - 2007 Toyota Aurion 0 - 200 KM (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=u6J_I3NHttk)

[BLAQSSHEV]

Except with the Aurion where they didnt really fix the issue but just lowered their engine rev limit.



Didnt the Aurion have an exploding engine?

Using Toyota's recall requirements, Holden shouldnt have to recall its dodgy piston slapping LS1 engines.

Piston slapping LS1's were put to bed after the VX models and even some prior to that still dont have piston slap..ie. The introduction of teflon coated pistons. So would be a little difficult to cull the lot..

[Mungrel]

Except with the Aurion where they didnt really fix the issue but just lowered their engine rev limit.

Stopped the engine destroying itself though didn't it?



(I admit that the V6 has some grunt though for a grandpa car ! :)) >


I reckon, took one for a drive bout 2 weeks ago.
Went quite decently for a stock standard family car.
I'd have one lol (later in life anyways)

[monaroCountry1]

Stopped the engine destroying itself though didn't it?



I reckon, took one for a drive bout 2 weeks ago.
Went quite decently for a stock standard family car.
I'd have one lol (later in life anyways)

It was a solution but did not fix the problem. Its like saying adding more engine insulation so the driver cant hear the piston slapping away.

[Mungrel]

It was a solution but did not fix the problem. Its like saying adding more engine insulation so the driver cant hear the piston slapping away.

Call it a bandaid solution if you will, but if the engines were destroying themselves by revving too hard, and they stopped the engines from destroying themselves by lowering the rev limit, it's still solved the problem hasn't it.

Comparing it to adding insulation to the car so you can't hear the piston slap is quite different IMO.

[BLAQSSHEV]

It was a solution but did not fix the problem. Its like saying adding more engine insulation so the driver cant hear the piston slapping away.

If you want to use unrelated examples try this one They put a limiter in a clothes line so it doesnt wind right out of top and fall on you or the ground and break. So is that a solution that fixed the problem ???? Yes. solution they put a limiter on it to prevent it from happening.So problem was fixed..

[RED R8]

After owning a 3.5 Kluger for the past six weeks all I can say is it is the most smoothest powerful V6 I have ever owned or driven and it even though its still tight (1600ks) returns 12.8 L/100 around town.I spoke to someone I know who had a new motor in his VE GTS who said his motor was number 12 with HSV in line so lets not kid ourselves.One blown motor in a Aurion with a supercharger is hardly cause for concirn...how many of us have had rebuilt motors,diffs,gearboxes in our LS1/LS2's under waranty??? at least Toyota pull the car from sale until sorted, imagine if Holden pulled commodores from sale because of failures....I sense a bankrupt manufacturer.

[turbo2006]

the aurion's V6 is quite zippy as well. Really smooth car indeed.

[planetdavo]

It was a solution but did not fix the problem. Its like saying adding more engine insulation so the driver cant hear the piston slapping away.
I'm sure Holden redline their engines at a certain rev limit to prevent them lunching themselves.
It's hardly a band-aid solution. They just set it a bit high to start with, POSSIBLY beyond the safe limits of the now boosted engine.

[paul05]

Piston slapping LS1's were put to bed after the VX models and even some prior to that still dont have piston slap..ie. The introduction of teflon coated pistons. So would be a little difficult to cull the lot..

wrong !!!!!!!! vx's and early vy's still had oil usage problems.my sons vx 2 ss had this problem and sold it promptly.

[EfiJy]

obviously 200 too many killer wasps

:rofl:

[paul05]

the aurion's V6 is quite zippy as well. Really smooth car indeed.

i can vouch for that,our aurion is 12 months old and not a problem at all.

[RED R8]

The title of this thread states second engine blow ?? I read it as a smoothness issue in the Rav 4 ???

[SchrgdVSV6]

Funny how this forum is always up to date with everything Toyota is doing! I didnt even know the Rav4 came with the 3.5lV6. Should be a punchy little thing.

Back to the article... Im still not sure what the problem was/is, but the article mentions an issue with the "engine's electronic managment control system"? So is it this or something related to the TRD Aurion engine failure? (ie - rev limit fix).

[Hamico]

Toyota here in Australia, and around the world, are having too many quality control problems lately.

Seems they have problems just like any other car company, their image is taking a battering this year.

[emg]

Funny how this forum is always up to date with everything Toyota is doing!

I reckon it's ok, after all... it gives members a break from talking about VE problems.

[Hamico]

.

More bad news for Toyota...................


http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=45063&vf=12


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Toyota's quality reputation suffers a glitch
Christopher Jensen, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29/10/07




America's influential Consumer Reports magazine says Toyotas will no longer be automatically recommended after a Camry V6 and Tundra 4WD recorded disappointing reliability results, writes CHRISTOPHER JENSEN.


Toyota Tundra 4WD


For all its juggernaut progress in sales, Toyota's quality is "showing cracks in its armour" and two of its most important models cannot be recommended for reliability reasons, a survey conducted by a powerful American magazine, Consumer Reports, has found.

Published by the non-profit Consumers Union, the survey - which evaluated 1.3 million vehicles owned by subscribers - found that Toyota's V6 Camry and new V8 4WD Tundra had enough problems that, despite their other virtues, the magazine said it could not recommend them.

Toyota officials responded that the maker still dominated the magazine's recommended vehicles (with 17 of the 39 models) and "overall this survey reflects well on our products". An official said that the maker was constantly taking steps "to continue to sharpen quality and enhance customer satisfaction".

The study put Honda first in reliability, followed by its luxury brand, Acura. Then came Scion, Toyota's youth brand. In descending order the others in the top 10 were: Subaru, Toyota, Lexus, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Porsche and Buick.

Overall the Asian brands are still on top, the magazine says, with Hyundai and Kia taking spots in the middle of the pack.

The traditional domestic American car makers are also doing better with Ford taking the lead, the magazine said.

Ninety-three percent of the Ford models were rated average or better than average in reliability. That compared to 49 per cent of General Motors' models and 67 per cent of the Chrysler models. Ford ranked 13th in the survey of 36 brands, while Chrysler was 20th and GM 28th.
The new survey means Toyota will no longer get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to safety, the magazine says.

"Because of these findings, Consumer Reports will no longer recommend any new or redesigned Toyota-built models without reliability data on a specific design. Previously, new and redesigned Toyota models were recommended because of the automaker's excellent track record, even if Consumer Reports didn't have sufficient reliability data on the new model," the magazine says in a statement.


The magazine says the most serious complaints on the US-built V6 Camrys were problems with the automatic transmission, brakes and squeaks and rattles. (In the Australian market Camrys and the V6 Aurion are locally made.) However, the Camry Hybrid and the four-cylinder Camrys are still recommended, the magazine says.

[RED R8]

Wow they have slipped to third and fifth amongst some top competition,looks like tall poppy syndrome to me.

[BLAQSSHEV]

wrong !!!!!!!! vx's and early vy's still had oil usage problems.my sons vx 2 ss had this problem and sold it promptly.

wrong!!!!! There was no mention of oil usage just piston slap. So my comment on the pistons still stands google & PlanetDavo go take it up with him..
My car has an LS1 in it and hasnt used a drop in 6000 hard kms. Nothing that the naked eye could pick up on a dipsick anyway. Im sorry for your sons unfortunate experience. There are some bad eggs out there:)

[scoot1]

The throttle body was gummed up with a couple of hundred wasps

Hey man, that is a beauty, going to use that tomorrow at work.

I took one of these for a run last week and they bloody fly!! Steering gets a bit nervous when you step on them! Other than that, I would almost trade my trusty Mitsi L200 ute on one!!

Scoot

[RED R8]

Even the same motor in the heavier Kluger flys along very similar 0-100 as the Territory Turbo in fact,when I heard it was going in the Rav4 I couldnt believe it 201kw in a smallish family hack ,not bad.

[BLAQSSHEV]

Even the same motor in the heavier Kluger flys along very similar 0-100 as the Territory Turbo in fact,when I heard it was going in the Rav4 I couldnt believe it 201kw in a smallish family hack ,not bad.

True that I reckon thats gr8 value.. 201kw aint to shabby bout what my old VZ V6 had with a hole bunch of mods..

[RED R8]

True that I reckon thats gr8 value.. 201kw aint to shabby bout what my old VZ V6 had with a hole bunch of mods..

My wifes Kluger is the first Toyota I have owned out of 26 cars and it is by far the best put together best engineered best family vehicle by a long shot I have ever owned.To hear that one out of (thousands) supercharged motor let go I couldn't care less at least Toyota have the balls to acknowledge the breakage and stop sales (effectively making it puplic).I worked at Subaru in the early 1998-2001 and about 1 in five of the original STi two doors came back with dropped motors due to spikes in PSi causing melted pistons and Large amounts of WRX's came back with severe gearbox problems not to mention a family friend who was the ex-service manager for a BMW dealership that told me two months ago when I was looking at a 2003 X5 DO NOT BUY one unless you have very deep pockets , he told me about the worst week they had with (9) X5 gearbox replacements ranging from new cars to 88,000ks was the highest all these issues and Holdens not to great record seem to get swept under the carpet.

[BLAQSSHEV]

My wifes Kluger is the first Toyota I have owned out of 26 cars and it is by far the best put together best engineered best family vehicle by a long shot I have ever owned.To hear that one out of (thousands) supercharged motor let go I couldn't care less at least Toyota have the balls to acknowledge the breakage and stop sales (effectively making it puplic).I worked at Subaru in the early 1998-2001 and about 1 in five of the original STi two doors came back with dropped motors due to spikes in PSi causing melted pistons and Large amounts of WRX's came back with severe gearbox problems not to mention a family friend who was the ex-service manager for a BMW dealership that told me two months ago when I was looking at a 2003 X5 DO NOT BUY one unless you have very deep pockets , he told me about the worst week they had with (9) X5 gearbox replacements ranging from new cars to 88,000ks was the highest all these issues and Holdens not to great record seem to get swept under the carpet.

Yes indeed under the carpet.. As for the Kluger yeah the misses has gotta have nice car too we cant have all the fun.well almost but at the end of the day when we buy my girls next car it aint going to be a big V8 like we all drive she doesnt want that sought of power she just wants a happy medium with a bit of get up and go just like a Kluger for example then everyone is happy might even let her get an exhaust or mafless tune if she behaves LOL

Also want it to be a car that is built by a manufacturer that doesnt release it until the bugs are ironed out..Cant have the family car blowing up on the way to a picnic with a backseat full of kids.. I dont think its that embarrassing for toyota its just a harsh little learning curve.. And better late than never:)

[SmeeAgain]

Hi, I just bought a RAV4 V6 at the end of October for my wife. We traded in our 2006 RAV4 4 cyl as it was gutless. The V6 goes like a shower of shit. Only problem we have with it, is, it loses power when driving at 60km/hr and then picks it back up. Searched on the net to find out that Toyota ceased sales of it either the day we took delivery or the day after due to a problem with the engine. I actually found out that the reason for ceasing sales is more along the lines of the issue we are experiencing. I also found out that the problem is caused by "the computer in the RAV4 is taking too long to send & receive signals from the throttle, delays of up to 2 seconds." Toyota has already been sent an email of please explain from me and first thing monday morning the dealer is going to get a very nasty phone call from me.
I love the car apart from this issue. Almost tempted to get rid of my VX SS and buy a Rav4 as well.

[scoot1]

Why give the dealer a nasty call? Toyota have realised the problem and are going to fix it. It's all good. Relax and enjoy those wasps.

[German Statesman]

Hi, I just bought a RAV4 V6 at the end of October for my wife. We traded in our 2006 RAV4 4 cyl as it was gutless. The V6 goes like a shower of shit. Only problem we have with it, is, it loses power when driving at 60km/hr and then picks it back up. Searched on the net to find out that Toyota ceased sales of it either the day we took delivery or the day after due to a problem with the engine. I actually found out that the reason for ceasing sales is more along the lines of the issue we are experiencing. I also found out that the problem is caused by "the computer in the RAV4 is taking too long to send & receive signals from the throttle, delays of up to 2 seconds." Toyota has already been sent an email of please explain from me and first thing monday morning the dealer is going to get a very nasty phone call from me.
I love the car apart from this issue. Almost tempted to get rid of my VX SS and buy a Rav4 as well.

Leave the dealer alone....he didn't make the car, and its not his fault its failing.

The issue is being addressed - leave well enough alone.

[SmeeAgain]

Good on ya. I understand the dealer didn't build the car but when they tell you like they did today that we will be without a car for 2 weeks, I guess you can say I am pissed off. Go spend $50k on a car and have it for a week to sit in a dealership for 2 more. And they don't even know what the problem is.

[German Statesman]

Good on ya. I understand the dealer didn't build the car but when they tell you like they did today that we will be without a car for 2 weeks, I guess you can say I am pissed off. Go spend $50k on a car and have it for a week to sit in a dealership for 2 more. And they don't even know what the problem is.

So be pissed off at the manufacturer - hit them up for replacement wheels, through the dealership.

The dealer is only telling you what the manufacturer has told them. Why you don't have a loaner after spending $50k is a bit of a puzzle

[theVman]

One thing Toyota is good for is looking after customers in regards to after sales, a little problem like this while annoying should be sorted out for you..

Been looking at the Rav V6 also after seeing it at the Motorshow - its just a shame they dont have a low range box. Power wise they should get a long which will also be handy for beach driving and sand - maybe too much power without the low range box??

Be interested in seeing what people think after a few months of ownership - it will definately take a few sales from the Captiva and others where buyers dont want the built of the larger mid size cross overs.

[Pickles]

I couldn't believe it when I read that Toyota had fitted the 201kw V6 into the RAV4. That'a lot of power in a small car. I reckon it'd go pretty hard, & would be a great drive.
Cheers, PGB005.

[theVman]

I couldn't believe it when I read that Toyota had fitted the 201kw V6 into the RAV4. That'a lot of power in a small car. I reckon it'd go pretty hard, & would be a great drive.
Cheers, PGB005.


Thats what I'm thinking!! I was suprised when I saw the figures!!

[scoot1]

Hey Smeeagain,

Sorry to hear that. Hope they have better loan cars than ours!!

[ATOMIC MALOO R8]

After owning a 3.5 Kluger for the past six weeks all I can say is it is the most smoothest powerful V6 I have ever owned or driven and it even though its still tight (1600ks) returns 12.8 L/100 around town.I spoke to someone I know who had a new motor in his VE GTS who said his motor was number 12 with HSV in line so lets not kid ourselves.One blown motor in a Aurion with a supercharger is hardly cause for concirn...how many of us have had rebuilt motors,diffs,gearboxes in our LS1/LS2's under waranty??? at least Toyota pull the car from sale until sorted, imagine if Holden pulled commodores from sale because of failures....I sense a bankrupt manufacturer.


Thear would not be enough room for them in the dealers holding yards :)