Warning lights and gas consumption abnormally High

Tiny
JESSIE TAHA
  • MEMBER
  • 2006 TOYOTA RAV4
  • V6
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 89,000 MILES
Bought vehicle second hand from original owner who took immaculate care of the car and always serviced at the dealership. Worked well for the first couple of years, then the VSC, 4WD and check engine lights came on. Mechanic said needed to replace plugs and coils, which was completed at a cost of over $2,000.00. Drove almost four months and the same three lights came on again, and the vehicle felt like it was going to shut off, especially when I stopped at a light. Took to a Toyota dealership and they said one of the plus/coils needed to be replaced for $650.00 however, this did not fix the problem and now the dealership is saying need all of them fixed. I am a lady that knows little about cars, I am at the mercy of the mechanics, and it troubles me to know that the dealership diagnostic check could not pinpoint and solve the problem, especially as we thought the replacement of all coils/tubes a few months ago, at an extremely high cost did the trick. As you can appreciate, I paid top dollar for a twelve year old vehicle in excellent condition and have now spent over $3,000.00 more in a couple of years, which I will never be able to recoup if sold today. Also, the fuel consumption is high, I could fill the tank and after driving about 20 kms, literally see the tank gauge indicator move significantly, i.E about 50 kms. And a quarter of a tank later. Can anyone help me solve this recurring problem at a reasonable price so I can still utilize the vehicle for several years? Everyone thinks it is new the condition, way it looks and low kms. I am not sure but could it be that the first time we replaced all the coils/tubes they were not Toyota parts as they were very expensive. Any helpful tips. Comments, suggestions, would be greatly appreciated. I am really distressed about this situation as the repairs are too costly, and I bought used at a high price, thinking I should get a lot more mileage out of the vehicle. Everyone told me Toyota's and Honda's never die, at least not at the low mileage of this one. Thanks.
Thursday, June 14th, 2018 AT 5:40 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi Jessie,
Sorry that you have to go through such a bad patch and the end does not seem near yet.

Ignition coils are are electronic components that have no exact life span so we do not know when they might fail and this can also be said of the spark plugs.

Ignition coils do not fail all at once, which would result in the inability to start engine. Spark plugs on the other hand should replaced as a set so as to make them balanced.

When all these are replaced at once, they should have allowed you to enjoy at least two years of usage but sadly it did not happen. Were the parts used OEM or aftermarket?

Did the Toyota dealership check the spark plugs? They can also fail even though only a few month old, and could be the cause rather than the ignition coils.

When such condition occurs, fuel consumption would be affected so for this you need not worry. What you need to do is to get the misfiring problem resolved.
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Thursday, June 14th, 2018 AT 10:53 PM
Tiny
JESSIE TAHA
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thank you for responding so quickly. You are correct that we replaced the coils with aftermarket ones as the Toyota ones were too expensive.

I am pretty scared of taking another chance on fixing the vehicle by replacing all the coils and/or spark plugs like suggested, for a lot of money, and have this problem re-surface yet again. I truly love this vehicle but have already sunk way more money into it than it is worth. I guess I have no choice but to fix it and then try to sell, rather than take the chance of more coils/plugs failing in the future, the cost to fix is way too high. I am very upset and disappointed that a Toyota product would be this troublesome and costly. I was always told they last forever and very little goes wrong if you maintain them. I do not think I will invest again in a RAV4 due to these difficulties.

Once again, I truly appreciate your thoughts and advice. It is at the Toyota dealership, so if they cannot solve the problem, no one can.
Thanks again.
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Friday, June 15th, 2018 AT 3:37 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi Jessie,
You are welcome.

One alternative for cheaper coils would be the junk yard but then those are not new components so you would be testing your luck.

Too bad you have a bad experience with this vehicle but generally they are not that bad.

Glad to be of help.

K H Low
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Saturday, June 16th, 2018 AT 11:30 PM

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