2006 Toyota Rav 4 - A Year and A Half Later

Well, it's been just over a year and a half that I've owned the 2006 Toyota Rav 4. In that time, I've learned that that Toyota is not immune from quality control problems. In the last year, my Rav 4 has spent 5 days in the shop. Here's a list of the repairs I have had to make:

  1. Windshield leak (Covered by a technical service bulletin) - The passenger floor board started to fill up with water every time it rained. - Fixed
  2. Engine control module re-flash (Covered by a technical service bulletin) - The Rav4, particularly when cold, would drive as if you started out in 2nd gear. Kind of like you were pulling a trailer of bricks. - Fixed
  3. Excessive sulfur smell (Covered by a technical service bulletin) - When the engine was cold, the exhaust would smell like rotten eggs. Whenever I came to a stop, the interior would smell the same way. The repair replaced the catalytic converter. Unresolved - This is still and issue even after the fix. My car still smells like rotten eggs when I drive it first thing in the morning. It will have to go back to the shop for this at some point.
  4. Stereo display malfunction (Covered by a technical service bulletin) - The display on this Chinese made stereo would disappear frequently, leaving you no with no control over the stereo. - Fixed
  5. Steering wheel knock - Steering wheel has a knocking sound when you turn left or right, right after you start the vehicle (Unfixed, but after 2 years of denial by Toyota, it's now covered by a Toyota TSB)

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