Who still owns a RAV4 EV?

[alflash]

У вас нет этого наоборот?? Я думал, что DC-DC приклеен, и вам придется разрезать клей, чтобы добраться до предохранителей внутри. Загерметизировать его снова, чтобы выжить в подкапотной среде, также является проблемой. Я думал, что зарядное устройство — это более простой ремонт предохранителя. Зарядное устройство можно спрятать под большим количеством компонентов, но добраться до предохранителей внутри значительно проще.

IMO. . Before starting work, if the interior heater is faulty, need check the serviceability of its fuse*. And it's easy and simple to do without opening the DC/DC converter.
*Cabin HTR and COMP. fuses

In addition, before opening the heater itself, it is necessary to check the input resistance of the high-voltage power supply circuit.
*for example

 

[asavage]

I posted the TSB with the test procedure for the heater (and A/C) fuses check inside the DC-DC Converter in this post.

 

[alflash]

I wonder if anyone found in this famous service bulletin that it is necessary/useful to check the resistance of the high voltage input circuit of the cabin heater?
The photo shows one of the possible causes of a malfunction in the cabin heating

 

[Bobgirl]

We are the original owners of a 2013 Silver, which now has 147,000 miles! Motor was replaced twice, once at 78,000 miles and the second time at 89,000. Both under warranty, thank goodness, because the first bill was $12,000 and the second was over $27,000 and took a month to complete.

The car has literally saved my sanity. I'm in Los Angeles and used to drive from the north San Fernando Valley to West LA for work on the 405 Freeway. I was able to use the carpool lane for five years (three original years and then it was extended for two at that time)! When I had to go back to the regular lanes, I almost lost my mind. We are now retired and don't drive much. Range is maybe 80 miles. We are also on the original brakes! I use the regenerative braking all the time.

We will be looking to buy next year. The car has been wonderful and it has served us well for ten years. The only thing we are missing is the long range. We know that other issues are imminent and wish to switch to a new car before costly repairs are necessary.

Like many of you, we will never buy a gas engine again. We were excited about the Chevrolet Equinox EV priced at $30,000, but that price has already been increased and the delivery delayed. Would love to own another Toyota, but I guess we'll have to wait until they decide to be serious about EVs.

 

[Rav4Frank]

I have a 2012, 2nd owner. Runs perfect, no issues, no problems (knock on wood). Has 120k miles, get 95-100 miles on a full charge. Car has been superb.

 

[dfergenson]

We still have our 2013 in Pearl White. Purchased with 37K miles on it in 2018. Now has 138K miles on it. It's my family's only car. If we need anything else, we rent it.

It's had two mechanical failures to date:

I replaced coolant pump in 11/2020.

With a lot of help from jfletter, we replaced the fuses in OBC in 4/2022.

We had the paint redone by a Toyota-affiliated body shop in the summer of 2021.

I absolutely love this car. I intend to keep it on the road for the rest of my life. It was an instant classic the day it was made because it sits so perfectly astride the transition from gas to electric propulsion. The range and lack of a fast charger are problems that I intend to solve someday but not until I have another car so that I could take this out of service during the upgrades.

Alflash warned me that the 18650 cells would be very difficult to replace and he should know. But very difficult is not impossible and I intend to look into this someday since 18650 cell energy densities have been gaining a few percent per year and so may eventually be double the original capacity. And I was very heartened to read about miimura's CCS upgrade.

I've also met a ton or really interesting people from all over the world through this car. Everyone brings something different to the table from jfletter's mechanical abilities to alflash's hacking skills to miimura's prowess with electrical engineering. I realize that my RAV4 EV will become more fragile going forward and will require more and more skill to keep on the road but, even 10 years on, it's still a fantastic daily driver. I guess that's the definition of it being ten years ahead of its time... and counting!

 

[alflash]

We still have our 2013 in Pearl White. Purchased with 37K miles on it in 2018. Now has 138K miles on it. It's my family's only car. If we need anything else, we rent it.

It's had two mechanical failures to date:

I replaced coolant pump in 11/2020.

With a lot of help from jfletter, we replaced the fuses in OBC in 4/2022.

We had the paint redone by a Toyota-affiliated body shop in the summer of 2021.

I absolutely love this car. I intend to keep it on the road for the rest of my life. It was an instant classic the day it was made because it sits so perfectly astride the transition from gas to electric propulsion. The range and lack of a fast charger are problems that I intend to solve someday but not until I have another car so that I could take this out of service during the upgrades.

Alflash warned me that the 18650 cells would be very difficult to replace and he should know. But very difficult is not impossible and I intend to look into this someday since 18650 cell energy densities have been gaining a few percent per year and so may eventually be double the original capacity. And I was very heartened to read about miimura's CCS upgrade.

I've also met a ton or really interesting people from all over the world through this car. Everyone brings something different to the table from jfletter's mechanical abilities to alflash's hacking skills to miimura's prowess with electrical engineering. I realize that my RAV4 EV will become more fragile going forward and will require more and more skill to keep on the road but, even 10 years on, it's still a fantastic daily driver. I guess that's the definition of it being ten years ahead of its time... and counting!

Click to expand...

Dear Sir,
1. I'm not have any education in the field of programming, second, 2. I have never hacked programs,
3. I'm only involved in diagnostics, data collection and its analysis and/or do for free consultation.
Note. I have absolutely no hacking skills/knowledge/habits. and I consider these accusations of yours against me about my hacking to be untrue and they insult me.
Best Regards for You and for your family!

 

[fred_dot_u]

This may be a good time to point out that hacking is a term that had positive connotations for many years. It referenced activities (and individuals) that were extended beyond the "book." Individuals known as hackers were able to extract more useful characteristics from a particular device or action and were admired for skills and abilities beyond the typical user/owner.

I suggest that dfergenson's reference carries this positive connotation, especially as I have enjoyed and appreciated those skills when diagnosing an intermittent OBC problem. It's pretty amazing to have one's vehicle serviced from another continent via the internet. It's a good thing that dial-up has gone the way of the dinosaur (for most).

 

[alflash]

This may be a good time to point out that hacking is a term that had positive connotations for many years. It referenced activities (and individuals) that were extended beyond the "book." Individuals known as hackers were able to extract more useful characteristics from a particular device or action and were admired for skills and abilities beyond the typical user/owner.

I suggest that dfergenson's reference carries this positive connotation, especially as I have enjoyed and appreciated those skills when diagnosing an intermittent OBC problem. It's pretty amazing to have one's vehicle serviced from another continent via the internet. It's a good thing that dial-up has gone the way of the dinosaur (for most).

Thanks for clarification, but according to the wiki, the term "Hacker" has a negative connotation these days.

 

[dfergenson]

Thanks for clarification, but according to the wiki, the term "Hacker" has a negative connotation these days.

I apologize for the negative implication but I consider you (and myself) to be what is referred to as a "white hat hacker".

White hat hackers are people who only breach systems to secure or restore the legitimate access rights of others. I think that the community can reasonably conclude that the rights of people to maintain their own RAV4 EV would be denied us all were it not for the efforts of a small number of individuals, yourself included.

But, if you prefer not to be referred to as a hacker, regardless of the hat color, then I will refrain from doing so in the future.

 

[tguichar]

I’m about to celebrate 10 years with my blue little guy (2012 purchased used in 2014). I’ve gone from 55k (new to me) to 103k (now) and have only ever had to replace the tires. I love him dearly and hope I get another 10 years with him.

 

[Rav4EV4me]

I have a Pearl White 2014 with ~85k miles. Owned since 2016. Love the car. However...

Mine died in April 2023, and has been sitting in my driveway. I have been reading a number of posts here and am now digging in a little deeper to see what my options are.

My car is located in Massachusetts, so not a lot of Rav4 EV repair experience out here from the dealers. After several weeks of diagnosis, my local Toyota dealer has determined that the electric vehicle converter assembly (G9270-0R011) is bad and needs replacement. They have indicated that they would replace it free in accordance with the Platinum Warranty I have. The original estimate for part manufacture and shipment was slated for December 2023. As that has come and gone, the new estimate is September '24. (And, of course, my warranty expires in May '24.)

I have read that there could be some resolution with the replacement of the Bussman fuses. I have also read that this problem could also be a precursor to indicating that the traction battery could need replacement. I don' think I can wait any longer on this and am looking for some insight.

I have some automotive repair experience and some electronics experience, but no real electric vehicle repair experience, as this is my first real electrical problem with my first electric vehicle.

Can someone help me with some next steps? Thanks.

 

[asavage]

The typical failure of the DC-DC Converter is only the fuse(s) it contains inside, which lead to the main water heater not functioning* (or the A/C not working, but that's more a problem on a Model S than the RAV4 EV). Put another way, the RAV4 EV and the first two years of production of the Model S use the DC-DC Converter as a Front HV Junction Box; later Model S moved the fuses to a separate box, so they could be serviced easily. Ours, the fuses are under a glued-on cover, so it's more work to replace them, and Toyota refuses to do so, only offering a replacement assembly.

If you have a problem with the DC-DC that prevents the vehicle from driving, then that's not the typical DC-DC Converter failure. I'm not aware of a relationship between DC-DC Converter failure and the state of health of the traction battery.

Finally, it's reportedly possible to buy a early Model S DC-DC and flash its firmware to work with the RAV4, as they're hardware-identical. The Model S versions run USD$250-500 via eBay.

One thread on fuses replacement is here.

* = The early production Denso water heaters are problematic and fail frequently, causing the associated HV fuse to open. You're not going to get away with only changing the failed fuse, if the water heater fuse has failed; you have to replace the water heater as well. There's a couple of threads on this.

 

[alflash]

I have a Pearl White 2014 with ~85k miles. Owned since 2016. Love the car. However...

Mine died in April 2023, and has been sitting in my driveway. I have been reading a number of posts here and am now digging in a little deeper to see what my options are.

My car is located in Massachusetts, so not a lot of Rav4 EV repair experience out here from the dealers. After several weeks of diagnosis, my local Toyota dealer has determined that the electric vehicle converter assembly (G9270-0R011) is bad and needs replacement. They have indicated that they would replace it free in accordance with the Platinum Warranty I have. The original estimate for part manufacture and shipment was slated for December 2023. As that has come and gone, the new estimate is September '24. (And, of course, my warranty expires in May '24.)

I have read that there could be some resolution with the replacement of the Bussman fuses. I have also read that this problem could also be a precursor to indicating that the traction battery could need replacement. I don' think I can wait any longer on this and am looking for some insight.

I have some automotive repair experience and some electronics experience, but no real electric vehicle repair experience, as this is my first real electrical problem with my first electric vehicle.

Can someone help me with some next steps? Thanks.

As with treating a patient, the main thing is to establish an accurate diagnosis/cause of the disease. Therefore, report
a) all signs of a malfunction in your car;
b) arguments/justifications for the diagnosis/recommendations of those dealer specialists;
c) what fault codes of the Tesla system they read in your vehicle. Otherwise, we will guess on the tea leaves and not be guided by the facts, but use the medicines that helped our neighbor. Although he had another illness. If you have time and mood, describe in detail the symptoms of the malfunction and look through reports on successful repairs at RAV4EV Remote Online Diagnostics – Remote online diagnostics and consultations

p.s. I recommend paying attention to how not to let yourself be deceived by scammers from the dealer service 2014 Rav4 EV Dead - Dealer says cost will be $13k - vehicle will be total loss

 

[Rav4EV4me]

As with treating a patient, the main thing is to establish an accurate diagnosis/cause of the disease. Therefore, report
a) all signs of a malfunction in your car;
b) arguments/justifications for the diagnosis/recommendations of those dealer specialists;
c) what fault codes of the Tesla system they read in your vehicle. Otherwise, we will guess on the tea leaves and not be guided by the facts, but use the medicines that helped our neighbor. Although he had another illness. If you have time and mood, describe in detail the symptoms of the malfunction and look through reports on successful repairs at RAV4EV Remote Online Diagnostics – Remote online diagnostics and consultations

p.s. I recommend paying attention to how not to let yourself be deceived by scammers from the dealer service 2014 Rav4 EV Dead - Dealer says cost will be $13k - vehicle will be total loss

As with treating a patient, the main thing is to establish an accurate diagnosis/cause of the disease. Therefore, report
a) all signs of a malfunction in your car;
b) arguments/justifications for the diagnosis/recommendations of those dealer specialists;
c) what fault codes of the Tesla system they read in your vehicle. Otherwise, we will guess on the tea leaves and not be guided by the facts, but use the medicines that helped our neighbor. Although he had another illness. If you have time and mood, describe in detail the symptoms of the malfunction and look through reports on successful repairs at RAV4EV Remote Online Diagnostics – Remote online diagnostics and consultations

p.s. I recommend paying attention to how not to let yourself be deceived by scammers from the dealer service 2014 Rav4 EV Dead - Dealer says cost will be $13k - vehicle will be total loss

Thanks alflash. I started a new thread in Troubleshooting called Another Dead RAV4 EV. I posted all the info I have at this time.

 

[JasonA]

Hi team! Still have my 2014 Rav, OG owner from Carson Toyota... and I still have the alpha/beta CHAdeMO / Jademo unit on mine which I guarantee no one else has (only Tony and I had these test units) with the both the added diag display units under the hood and display / gateway readout unit that came from my Leaf previously that Gary GID / helped me with.

I've been through 3 motors (all under warranty- no failures- just gear whine/noise).. no other mech issues... 100% perfect except the Perl White Paint!!!

Car has been repainted once already (2021- toy corp paid for it) ... and its currently back down at Hamer Toy right now getting a full body paint again because it started to peal and come off so right now we have a 2024 Rav4 rental and its getting repainted.... UGH...

Otherwise.. the battery is in top notch shape because we treat it well.. and its been awesome!! The new 2024 Rav sucks, its small, cramped with the large center console inside, etc and has less room than our old school Rav's..

Stay in touch everyone! there's not many of us left... I do know personally a few friends that have RavEV's here in valley also.. 4 in total.
Jason

 

[gpearce]

I have a 2013 RAV4 EV. The heater died out of warranty (died in warranty but I was too lazy to get it fixed until out of warranty). It's expensive to replace, so I haven't done it. I keep thinking I will replace the car, but it keeps working. I haven't replaced the coolant in the battery yet. I'd like to find a place that will do an acid test on it to check if the coolant needs replacing. But too lazy so far.

Are there places other than the dealer where I can get it serviced? Will places the specialize in teslas do service for it? At the dealer there is just one guy who is trained to work on the RAV4EVs, so I'd like to find someplace with more expertise.

I’m not 100% positive but I’ve heard that it used the heater from the Nissan Leaf. There should be something on here about that.

 

[asavage]

I’m not 100% positive but I’ve heard that it used the heater from the Nissan Leaf. There should be something on here about that.

Take a look at the pics I posted earlier; at least the upper housing is different, because the Leaf's has a HV terminals socket, and the RAV4 EV has an integrated harness.

The heater is basically the same as the one used on the very early 2011-2013 Nissan Leaf, and here's a short/decent rant about its faults: https://ev-olution.yolasite.com/Nissan-Leaf-Heater-Fault.php

 

[alflash]

I’m not 100% positive but I’ve heard that it used the heater from the Nissan Leaf. There should be something on here about that.

I wonder if the parameters of the PWM signal for controlling the interior heaters of these models are the same

 

[n3ckf]

So i found another Rav4EV still in service... on Youtube.
CalTrans apparently owns some, and there's one in the background of this story on ABC10 Sacramento (which is actually about Caltrans buying Teslas, but they have several existing electric cars they currently own in the lineup where the interview is, spot the Rav4EV... They *say* they bought their first Rav4EV in 2000 actually (which would have been a version 1 vehicle, but there's the same one we all own sitting right there)