2004 Toyota RAV4 Engine cooling Problems

“Head gasket on the 2004 Toyota RAV4. I took my car in for scheduled maintenance including changing front brake pads, an alignment and oil change. Within a week of this visit my heat wouldn't work, took it back, was rechecked and advised there was nothing wrong. Within a week after this visit it started to smoke, took it back and was advised that I had a leak, needed a new waterpump. Took it for a second opinion and decided to take it back to my dealership. …”

“Went to get a tire repaired, the manager told me that I had a fluid leak. He indicated it was pretty bad and I needed to get it looked at as soon as possible. I drove it to the shop where they confirmed I had a leak and it was coolant. I left the car for repairs and was called the next day and told that the head gasket was leaking. I went online to research this issue and found hundreds of complaints indicating the exact same issue. They also indicated that Toyota has not and would not acknowledge any defects regarding the head gasket.”

“My 2004 Toyota rav 4 started overheating/smoking while driving at 20 MPH in a parking lot. I pulled into a parking space and saw leaking antifreeze and I hoped it was just a hose or the temperature gauge. I ran to the store, bought antifreeze, filled the radiator and was able to get it home. The next day, I drove it to a friends mechanic. The engine is leaking antifreeze due to the engine bolts stripping. Apparently Toyota installed steel bolts into an aluminum block and if the engine heats too much, the bolts strip out, causing the leakage. …”

“2.4l engine was loosing coolant and overheating. I thought it was a bad water pump due to the leaking on the right side of the engine. After taking it to my local repair garage, I learned that the cause was 3 stripped out bolts holding the head onto the block. Solution....new engine at $5500. Toyota refuses to acknowledge this mfg defect and a couple dealerships I talk with including the one I bought it from never heard of this problem before the exact same response given leads me to believe that was what Toyota told them to say about this recurring problem.”

“8/23/2010 del Toyota in pa, renounce platinum warranty on RAV4. On 8/23/2010 I took my RAV4 2004 to del Toyota in pa for service for an antifreeze leak, underneath the engine. The service department reviewed the leak and totally rejected their own platinum warranty on the RAV4. They said the leak is in the engine block threads and may not be fixable. Engine block threads ? They said I would have to replace the entire engine at my cost, which del Toyota happens to have one in stock. So why did del Toyota in pa refuse to honor their own platinum warranty ? …”