Rear Suspension

[Easy]

Hi, i've come from several Lexus cars ie RX 300 to my currant 2006 Rav 4 and as much as i love my Rav, i find the ride very bumpy to say the least, if i drive over a drain cover it sounds like the suspensions about to drop out, god knows what it would be like if i ventured off road. i've had the car since new (march 2006) and its always been the same. My wife has just bought a new Daihatsu Terios 2006 new shape at half the price i paid for my Rav, yet the ride is so much better, are all Ravs like this or do you think something could be wrong!

[Easy]

Hi, i've come from several Lexus cars ie RX 300 to my currant 2006 Rav 4 and as much as i love my Rav, i find the ride very bumpy to say the least, if i drive over a drain cover it sounds like the suspensions about to drop out, god knows what it would be like if i ventured off road. i've had the car since new (march 2006) and its always been the same. My wife has just bought a new Daihatsu Terios 2006 new shape at half the price i paid for my Rav, yet the ride is so much better, are all Ravs like this or do you think something could be wrong!

No one out there want to comment!

[nkabyss]

Greetings from Greece,

Easy,i dont know whats going on there but here in Greece we have been commenting on the rear suspension a lot.I have the car for a month and before that i had the previous one,anyway i am very satisfied with the car except two problems,one is a small prob with my alarm (luxury version) and the other one is the rear suspension.I have been discussing it with other 2006 rav4 owners ,even in greek forums and everybody says the same.Indeed the rear suspension is problematic, adjusted incorrectly ,as a result it makes the sound you are saying,the problem is greater at holes on the road than at bumps and in greater speeds the sound is extremely intense,metallic sound.We are expecting a new directive from the company to be sent to the various representatives for the problem to be solved,since we know that they are already aware of it.I just recommend you all to file a complaint to you dealer so toyota uk gets into too,

have a great summer :)

[Easy]

Greetings from Greece,

Easy,i dont know whats going on there but here in Greece we have been commenting on the rear suspension a lot.I have the car for a month and before that i had the previous one,anyway i am very satisfied with the car except two problems,one is a small prob with my alarm (luxury version) and the other one is the rear suspension.I have been discussing it with other 2006 rav4 owners ,even in greek forums and everybody says the same.Indeed the rear suspension is problematic, adjusted incorrectly ,as a result it makes the sound you are saying,the problem is greater at holes on the road than at bumps and in greater speeds the sound is extremely intense,metallic sound.We are expecting a new directive from the company to be sent to the various representatives for the problem to be solved,since we know that they are already aware of it.I just recommend you all to file a complaint to you dealer so toyota uk gets into too,

have a great summer :)

Hi glad to hear i'm not alone on this suspension, it seems uk buyers have not got the problem as you in Greece and me! perhaps i was sold a Greek model, or is it as i expect a common faullt in the Rav but UK buyers put up with it, who knows. i just wish there was more of an input on the subject. Come on Mr King you must have an opinion on this?

[Ironhead]

Hi, i've come from several Lexus cars ie RX 300 to my currant 2006 Rav 4 and as much as i love my Rav, i find the ride very bumpy to say the least, if i drive over a drain cover it sounds like the suspensions about to drop out, god knows what it would be like if i ventured off road. i've had the car since new (march 2006) and its always been the same. My wife has just bought a new Daihatsu Terios 2006 new shape at half the price i paid for my Rav, yet the ride is so much better, are all Ravs like this or do you think something could be wrong!

Hi

My wife has a new Rav4 ST5 which she got 2 months ago.

We suffer from exactly the same problem, evevn when on a relatively smooth road the car bumps up and down and is most uncomfortable. Seems as if the car needs dampers or the shock absorbers are not right or something like that.

I am going to write to our main dealer that supplied the car so that there is something on record.

Has anyone else had any response from a main dealer over this problem?

[JollyG]

We took a 8month old Rav for a test drive at the weekend and found it had a much harsher ride than our 98 five-door, and the engine seemed noisier too, I was quite surprised... We've decided to keep the old car now!!

[Easy]

We took a 8month old Rav for a test drive at the weekend and found it had a much harsher ride than our 98 five-door, and the engine seemed noisier too, I was quite surprised... We've decided to keep the old car now!!

Well, i'm glad it's not just me complaining about the suspension, phoned my dealer last week and was told they have not had any complaints but would check it out with Toyota, still waiting for a call back. I wish Bob would comment on the situation as he seems to have a great deal of knowledge on Ravs, so come on Bob what do you think. Any help would be much appreciated. Baz

[Easy]

We took a 8month old Rav for a test drive at the weekend and found it had a much harsher ride than our 98 five-door, and the engine seemed noisier too, I was quite surprised... We've decided to keep the old car now!!

Well, i'm glad it's not just me complaining about the suspension, phoned my dealer last week and was told they have not had any complaints but would check it out with Toyota, still waiting for a call back. I wish Bob would comment on the situation as he seems to have a great deal of knowledge on Ravs, so come on Bob what do you think. Any help would be much appreciated. Baz

anything bob!

Hi, i've come from several Lexus cars ie RX 300 to my currant 2006 Rav 4 and as much as i love my Rav, i find the ride very bumpy to say the least, if i drive over a drain cover it sounds like the suspensions about to drop out, god knows what it would be like if i ventured off road. i've had the car since new (march 2006) and its always been the same. My wife has just bought a new Daihatsu Terios 2006 new shape at half the price i paid for my Rav, yet the ride is so much better, are all Ravs like this or do you think something could be wrong!

Hi

My wife has a new Rav4 ST5 which she got 2 months ago.

We suffer from exactly the same problem, evevn when on a relatively smooth road the car bumps up and down and is most uncomfortable. Seems as if the car needs dampers or the shock absorbers are not right or something like that.

I am going to write to our main dealer that supplied the car so that there is something on record.

Has anyone else had any response from a main dealer over this problem?

Hi Ironhead, any feedback from the dealer! A friend of mine has got the T180 with the run flat tyres and says the problem is fast worst with this vehicle! c'mon Toyota sort it out.

[anchorman]

I drove the new Terios, the "old" (2005) RAV and now own the new 2006 RAV.

The Terios was very good at low speed but choppy on the motorway. The 2005 RAV was better under both conditions - I presume due to the longer wheelbase. I nearly bought that RAV but decided just on a whim to try the new 2006 RAV around the block. I actually prefered the 2005 shape but the 2006 ride was a stepped improvement and as a result I bought it.

When you say it seems like something is dropping off, do you mean a banging/knocking noise or it is just bouncy?

Ther is absolutely no noise from mine. I must say that the ride is definately not "car like" but as I would expect for this type of vehicle.

However, as previously reported, there was a noise from the gearbox (see "First Impressions" thread). Toyota offered me a new gearbox (which they say they is a fault they know about) or a new car. I have accepted the latter. In order to validate whether mine was noisy, I tried another 2006 model belonging to a friend. It might be a good idea to do the same (if you know somebody) or if you want a ride to Derbyshire you can try mine.

[Easy]

I drove the new Terios, the "old" (2005) RAV and now own the new 2006 RAV.

The Terios was very good at low speed but choppy on the motorway. The 2005 RAV was better under both conditions - I presume due to the longer wheelbase. I nearly bought that RAV but decided just on a whim to try the new 2006 RAV around the block. I actually prefered the 2005 shape but the 2006 ride was a stepped improvement and as a result I bought it.

When you say it seems like something is dropping off, do you mean a banging/knocking noise or it is just bouncy?

Ther is absolutely no noise from mine. I must say that the ride is definately not "car like" but as I would expect for this type of vehicle.

However, as previously reported, there was a noise from the gearbox (see "First Impressions" thread). Toyota offered me a new gearbox (which they say they is a fault they know about) or a new car. I have accepted the latter. In order to validate whether mine was noisy, I tried another 2006 model belonging to a friend. It might be a good idea to do the same (if you know somebody) or if you want a ride to Derbyshire you can try mine.

Thanks mate but Derbyshire is a bit far for me, the noise it makes is just like a banging/knocking sound so much so that i now find myself swerving to avoid drain covers etc. As i said i have owned several Lexus RX300s and the ride in them is fantastic, the dealers have been in touch and said for me to take it back for an inspection and test drive, not been able to get back down there yet.

[anchorman]

You are worrying me to death with this!

I always said I would never buy a new car and especially a new model. I am getting a replacement new XT4 next week because of a gearbox noise and now there could be a suspension problem.

This may be a bit obvious but have you checked the wheel nuts? Has it had a towbar or any other additions?

Regards.

PS - Please let me know what the dealer says. I am most interested for obvious reasons.

[Easy]

You are worrying me to death with this!

I always said I would never buy a new car and especially a new model. I am getting a replacement new XT4 next week because of a gearbox noise and now there could be a suspension problem.

This may be a bit obvious but have you checked the wheel nuts? Has it had a towbar or any other additions?

Regards.

PS - Please let me know what the dealer says. I am most interested for obvious reasons.

Hi Anchorman the wheelnuts are fine, have booked the car in for a test drive Monday week, will let you know the outcome :(

[Uncle Bob]

Hmmm...sorry to say as i've not driven the new 5 door, i could not throw any light on the subject :( , both my encounters with the RAV4 have been 3 door models (1994 and 2004 spec ).

All i can suggest is go back to the dealer, go out with them on a road test and let them hear the noise.

A new member joined the club the other day, RAY99 is his name ,he is a Toyota technician and gave an in-depth answer on another thread , i feel sure he will have an answer,or can at least advise what to do .

[Easy]

Took the car in for test drive at Toyota, the engineer has said that the ride was normal for a Rav and the stiff suspension was due to the make up of it. He also checked tyre pressures and mountings etc but could find nothing wrong, it seems such a shame as in my opinion it spoils a great car, ah well something i will have to put up with i suppose. Baz

[anchorman]

Took the car in for test drive at Toyota, the engineer has said that the ride was normal for a Rav and the stiff suspension was due to the make up of it. He also checked tyre pressures and mountings etc but could find nothing wrong, it seems such a shame as in my opinion it spoils a great car, ah well something i will have to put up with i suppose. Baz

There is a big difference between stiff suspension and banging and knocking as you described earlier. What did the engineer have to say about that?

I now have my new replacement RAV4 and while the gear selection is much better, it is still quite rough and crude. Do you have the 6 speed box. Is it the same?

I also feel that it spoils a good car and quite honestly it bewilders me that a company like Toyota can release a vehicle with flaws like these into production. It would be a different matter if it were a cheap East European make of some sort be we are talking of £24k and frankly I don't think it's good enough.

Anchorman

[Steve@Aberdeen]

Just done 600 miles in my new XT4 and can't say I'm finding the ride harsh at all - granted, it's firm, but it feels just right to me. It's certainly not as soft as I recall from Citroen's I used to have but they were exceptional - besides, an SUV needs to be firmer because of its higher CoG.

The gearbox feels fine too. When I first test drove a Rav4 last month I didn't like it and found the Honda CR-V box much better. However, a second drive in the Rav4 (same demonstrator) and I got on fine.

[Easy]

Took the car in for test drive at Toyota, the engineer has said that the ride was normal for a Rav and the stiff suspension was due to the make up of it. He also checked tyre pressures and mountings etc but could find nothing wrong, it seems such a shame as in my opinion it spoils a great car, ah well something i will have to put up with i suppose. Baz

There is a big difference between stiff suspension and banging and knocking as you described earlier. What did the engineer have to say about that?

I now have my new replacement RAV4 and while the gear selection is much better, it is still quite rough and crude. Do you have the 6 speed box. Is it the same?

I also feel that it spoils a good car and quite honestly it bewilders me that a company like Toyota can release a vehicle with flaws like these into production. It would be a different matter if it were a cheap East European make of some sort be we are talking of £24k and frankly I don't think it's good enough.

Anchorman

What he said was that the suspension mountings were fitted almost horizontal as against a lot of other vehicles being vertical resulting in a much firmer ride and that the ride with the nocking was quite normal for the new Rav. Its put my mind at rest that nothing is wrong but its still a rough ride for a car as you say that cost me £ 27k.

My car is an auto.

[anchorman]

What he said was that the suspension mountings were fitted almost horizontal as against a lot of other vehicles being vertical resulting in a much firmer ride and that the ride with the nocking was quite normal for the new Rav. Its put my mind at rest that nothing is wrong but its still a rough ride for a car as you say that cost me £ 27k.

My car is an auto.

I think the auto should be better. There is no doubt that the biggest market will be the USA and the auto box will have formed the basis of the development vehicles.

It seems that the diesel and it's 6 speed box will have been developed to fill a requirement for Europe and may not have had as much attention.

My new vehicle is much better in terms of 1st and 2nd gear selection but it makes another noise that seems to be getting worse. It sounds like one of the gears is catching the inside of the casing.

I am now thinking of rejecting this vehicle as it has only done 150 miles.

Is the auto completely quiet as you would expect?

What is the fuel consumption like?

Regards

anchorman

[Frank Ashworth]

Hi, having owned various 4wheel drives over the years (Daihatsu ,Nissan and Suzuki) I find my 2006 XT3 Diesel very smooth and comfortable to drive, with non of the harshness you have described, are your tyre pressures to high? my only criticism of the vehicle is a slightly notchy gear-change between second and first gear and that's at speeds of about 2mph ? the rest is fine.

Frank

[Easy]

What he said was that the suspension mountings were fitted almost horizontal as against a lot of other vehicles being vertical resulting in a much firmer ride and that the ride with the nocking was quite normal for the new Rav. Its put my mind at rest that nothing is wrong but its still a rough ride for a car as you say that cost me £ 27k.

My car is an auto.

I think the auto should be better. There is no doubt that the biggest market will be the USA and the auto box will have formed the basis of the development vehicles.

It seems that the diesel and it's 6 speed box will have been developed to fill a requirement for Europe and may not have had as much attention.

My new vehicle is much better in terms of 1st and 2nd gear selection but it makes another noise that seems to be getting worse. It sounds like one of the gears is catching the inside of the casing.

I am now thinking of rejecting this vehicle as it has only done 150 miles.

Is the auto completely quiet as you would expect?

What is the fuel consumption like?

Regards

anchorman

The auto gear change is very quite and smooth, not got a problem with that at all. The mpg i'm getting according to the clock is 29.3 not the 31 they say i should get, i'm also a careful driver not hammering it etc. I would get your gearbox checked out pronto, something not right there, let us know what the garage says.

[anchorman]

The dealer has been very good (apart from the salesman sulking because I don't like the idea of a replacement box in a new car) but it is in the hands of the aftersales manager now who seems to be very level headed.

I am waiting for the zone service manager to evaluate and we will take it from there.

To be continued.

[Easy]

Now that the second batch of new Ravs, judging by the amount on the roads have been released, i am still interested what you think about the suspension, because mine is really bad, i've heard of firm, stiff, rides etc but mine is awful and shows no sign of getting any better, it really does spoil a great car.

Baz

[Steve@Aberdeen]

Now that the second batch of new Ravs, judging by the amount on the roads have been released, i am still interested what you think about the suspension, because mine is really bad, i've heard of firm, stiff, rides etc but mine is awful and shows no sign of getting any better, it really does spoil a great car.

Baz

At 2500 miles - suspension feels fine.

[anchorman]

Now that the second batch of new Ravs, judging by the amount on the roads have been released, i am still interested what you think about the suspension, because mine is really bad, i've heard of firm, stiff, rides etc but mine is awful and shows no sign of getting any better, it really does spoil a great car.

Baz

At 2500 miles - suspension feels fine.

I find the suspension firm but comfortable. I am getting used to it now although if I hit the right kind of bump it really "thuds" into it. It really doesn't concern me - it's just stiff suspension and the road holding is superb. I supose it is a compromise over soft suspension and poor road holding.

The gearbox saga continues. They have fitted some sound insulation to the transmission tunnel and it is marginally better but still there. I don't like trying to block out the noise as it only cures the effect and not the cause. They are seeing if thicker oil can be fitted to try and dampen it out.

The only thing left is to live with it or try and get the money back because they cannot gaurantee that a new car won't do the same. I have tried two other RAVs and one does it and the other doesn't.

I will wait to see what Toyota say about the oil.

Regards

[Frank Ashworth]