2008 Toyota RAV4 Engine Problems
Owners have filed 137 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2008 Toyota RAV4, 24% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 86,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “oil consumption” (39% of reports).
- 137engine complaints
- 86,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $7,500typical repair cost reported by owners
- 42%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Oil consumption: mentioned in 54 of 137 complaints (39%)
- Service bulletin: mentioned in 9 of 137 complaints (7%)
- Engine burning: mentioned in 8 of 137 complaints (6%)
- Dip stick: mentioned in 7 of 137 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2008 Toyota RAV4 at $7,500, and half of them between $5,150 and $8,550.
Based on 12 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2021), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 100 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 137 complaints, 4 a fire, 1 an injury.
Toyota RAV4 engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 RAV4 | 13 | 14% | — |
| 2024 RAV4 | 38 | 22% | 13,764 |
| 2023 RAV4 | 24 | 15% | — |
| 2022 RAV4 | 27 | 18% | 52,000 |
| 2021 RAV4 | 41 | 11% | 53,000 |
| 2020 RAV4 | 180 | 28% | 6,000 |
| 2019 RAV4 | 206 | 23% | 6,000 |
| 2018 RAV4 | 33 | 10% | 48,000 |
| 2017 RAV4 | 31 | 10% | 37,000 |
| 2016 RAV4 | 25 | 10% | 14,600 |
| 2015 RAV4 | 37 | 12% | 45,000 |
| 2014 RAV4 | 31 | 16% | 47,145 |
| 2013 RAV4 | 29 | 11% | 20,225 |
| 2012 RAV4 | 22 | 8% | 34,000 |
| 2011 RAV4 | 33 | 11% | 68,630 |
| 2010 RAV4 | 21 | 5% | 80,000 |
| 2009 RAV4 | 27 | 8% | 65,400 |
| 2008 RAV4 | 137 | 24% | 86,000 |
| 2007 RAV4 | 195 | 19% | 97,250 |
| 2006 RAV4 | 109 | 15% | 90,000 |
| 2005 RAV4 | 9 | 6% | 93,732 |
| 2004 RAV4 | 11 | 7% | 100,000 |
| 2003 RAV4 | 21 | 7% | 89,000 |
| 2002 RAV4 | 22 | 4% | 94,615 |
| 2001 RAV4 | 9 | 3% | 135,000 |
| 2000 RAV4 | 2 | 7% | 169,266 |
| 1998 RAV4 | 1 | 1% | 149,000 |
| 1997 RAV4 | 2 | 4% | 81,982 |
| 1996 RAV4 | 1 | 2% | 70,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2008 Toyota RAV4. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My daughter and I are leasing our Toyota Rav4 almost paid off. Our last 2 oil changes done by professional the engine has burned off the oil in between the oil changes. I seen multiple complaints for this same issue for other owners and that there's not been any recalls only investigations. I read…
My engine recently start to burning oil. Toyota had an extended Warranty for this issue which had to do with piston rings failure. which has expired. Searching the internet this problem is popping up all over the internet. Calling you
Issue started when I noticed the vehicle was burning oil, hence why I had to keep refilling the oil levels often. This is an issue many other RAV4 owners have reported. However, the problem was made worse when my mother used my vehicle to pick up some family from the nearest airport. On her way…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Toyota RAV4s have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 137 owner complaints about engine for the 2008 Toyota RAV4 (24% of the 575 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Toyota RAV4 engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 86,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2008 Toyota RAV4?
Owners report a typical cost of $7,500 (half paid between $5,150 and $8,550), from 12 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2008 Toyota RAV4?
The most frequent phrase is “oil consumption”, in 54 of 137 complaints, followed by “service bulletin” (9).
Other 2008 Toyota RAV4 problems
See all 2008 Toyota RAV4 problems or engine problems across all RAV4 years.