ALL POSTS - Heater Failed - Service Bulletin TSB 0111-14

[mark_rivers19]

add me up to the list of the heater malfunctioning.
since it's 40-50ish here in SoCal for the past few days, i have my dual zone climate set at 76 Driver side and 82 passenger side.
using econo LO, it seems there's no air coming from the vent.
What's weird is the automatic activation of the seat warmers.

anyway, in our other vehicles, THIS is a simple AUTO feature.
Set it and the forget it.
i wonder why it's a little complicated with the RAV4 EV

 

[rcsting]

I tried mine for the first time this weekend and it works but it's different from any other heater that I have used. I didn't use the auto climate control. In manual mode be sure to push the A/C button to turn it off.

I set the fan speed to mid and then set temperature to 82. The system was blowing non heated air for about 5 minutes and then warm air started. I was worried that it wasn't working but it just took some time.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kohler Controller]

It's down to 37F in Austin this week. Cranked up the heater to HI and saw about 3kW on the Aux Power display. Not the 6kW like I had expected but it is at least providing sufficient heat.

I notice that the range is knocked down about 20% (not just by GOM but by driving it 70 miles to see the degradation) due to cold cell temperature, increased electrical loads from heater and seats, as well as thicker/denser air to push through. I would guess a realistic 80 mile range on standard charge and 100 mile range with extended charge.

 

[mikegerard]

We saw temps in the teens this weekend

I drove 60 miles on sunday and that was close to the full range (maybe 20 to spare when I got home). I cheat by starting in my attached garage and did a preclimate. I noticed on the trip efficiency graph that the efficiency went up every 5 minutes from low 2. to 3 over the 30 mile drive out.

On Saturday night I was out in 15-20 degree weather for 4 hours. The car had some warning about regen being limited that stayed on for a couple of miles.

So the car can handle extreme cold with drop in range. My gut says to baby the batteries but my brain says that the heat is a much bigger issue than the cold.

Mike

 

[Charlestonleafer]

I turned a/c off, temp set to 85, but aux power draw never gets above 1.5kw. I assume that's not enough power for the heater, and that's why it's not heating.

 

[miimura]

People have had the heater module go bad and they have been replaced under warranty. It's a Denso 6kW resistance water heater.

 

[mikegerard]

I turned a/c off, temp set to 85, but aux power draw never gets above 1.5kw. I assume that's not enough power for the heater, and that's why it's not heating.

Did you try all 3 modes...normal, eco lo and hi?

Next I would pop the hood and check the heater coolant reservoir and make sure that it is full. On the right side there are three liquids...it is in the middle right in front of the brake fluid.


Mike

 

[Charlestonleafer]

Reservoir is full.

 

[mark_rivers19]

it's working now.
the key is to turn OFF the A/C
you should be able to read " AC OFF" next to the Temp set

So even if you pushed Auto and let's say you have it on ECO Lo.
if you don't see the AC OFF, push the A/C button to do it.

 

[Charlestonleafer]

Tried with ac off. I'll try again though, just to be certain.

 

[Dianne]

It's not as quick acting as a normal car because there's no warmth from an engine to pull from, I think. The trick is indeed to make sure the AC is OFF completely, and I find that using the ECO LOW to get the car cabin warm via face/feet at high blast works faster, and then change to ECO HIGH and kick the fan down a bit, eventually to low setting.

This sure is a quirky little car sometimes.

 

[Charlestonleafer]

Tried with ac off for 30 minutes, still no heat. Maybe I'll stop by a dealer. Does anyone think that disconnecting the negative battery terminal to reset the computer might help?

 

[Charlestonleafer]

Tried resetting the computer, issue persists.

 

[Dianne]

I'm planning to bring my car to service just to check the heater module. In CA, it's not that big a deal regarding a heater, as the seat warmers do the trick 99% of the time anyway, but I am going to see if this is an issue with my car and report back in. It doesn't bother me greatly, and certainly not as much as if the AC stopped working (LOL) but I'll report back what I find.

 

[boredcleaner]

I took mine in for 15K service Friday and added a check for the heater. The heater didn't work. The service department gave me a RAV4 EV loaner and the heater works fine. I'm hoping to hear from them today to get an ETA on a fix.

FWIW, the Toyota Rental agency did not want to rent out the RAV4 EV. I was discouraged from taking it (and they had no other vehicle to offer as a loaner!). It had 17 miles on the GOM and it was filthy. Can it be that difficult to put the RAV on the 120V supplied EVSE (if they aren't willing to use any of their 230V EVSE)? I've rented several other vehicles from there and they are always washed before delivery, but not this one...

Maybe if they are really not interested in renting it, they'll offer it up at a steep discount?

 

[doug401]

Another heater failure in Washington State. Not my Rav but co-workers. I suggested that he should just purchase a 2011/2012 Nissan Leaf heater core and replace it himself. No warranty help from Toyota for out-of-state. I seem to remember Tony Williams mentioning that both Leaf and Rav use the same part. I found a Nissan OEM core for $322 online... Anyway, if mine ever fails, that's my plan.

 

[mark_rivers19]

I took mine in for 15K service Friday and added a check for the heater. The heater didn't work. The service department gave me a RAV4 EV loaner and the heater works fine. I'm hoping to hear from them today to get an ETA on a fix.

FWIW, the Toyota Rental agency did not want to rent out the RAV4 EV. I was discouraged from taking it (and they had no other vehicle to offer as a loaner!). It had 17 miles on the GOM and it was filthy. Can it be that difficult to put the RAV on the 120V supplied EVSE (if they aren't willing to use any of their 230V EVSE)? I've rented several other vehicles from there and they are always washed before delivery, but not this one...

Maybe if they are really not interested in renting it, they'll offer it up at a steep discount?

wait a minute, isn't the rental car FREE? since you're having work done.
OR maybe i'm confusing my Lexus with my Toyota service department.

 

[mikegerard]

Another heater failure in Washington State. Not my Rav but co-workers. I suggested that he should just purchase a 2011/2012 Nissan Leaf heater core and replace it himself. No warranty help from Toyota for out-of-state. I seem to remember Tony Williams mentioning that both Leaf and Rav use the same part. I found a Nissan OEM core for $322 online... Anyway, if mine ever fails, that's my plan.

Doug -
Can you post the link for the one you found?

It seems like the failure rate on these is pretty high, so it will be something that the out of state people should know about. I could not get through the winter without heat...

Thanks
Mike

 

[ground_gainer]

I realize that they may not pay for "free" work under Toyota care, but won't they at least do paid work? Or are they even being told from corporate they cannot do that?

I am really hoping my heater does not go... It's single digits all week. Driving home today I had to sit in the parking lot for 5 min just to let the battery warm up enough to drive. It was in turtle mode when I first clicked on and I was advised to wait until it could warm up.

Does the cabin heater that seems to have such a high failure rate also provide heat for the battery management heating system?

 

[mikegerard]

I realize that they may not pay for "free" work under Toyota care, but won't they at least do paid work? Or are they even being told from corporate they cannot do that?

I am really hoping my heater does not go... It's single digits all week. Driving home today I had to sit in the parking lot for 5 min just to let the battery warm up enough to drive. It was in turtle mode when I first clicked on and I was advised to wait until it could warm up.

Does the cabin heater that seems to have such a high failure rate also provide heat for the battery management heating system?

The battery is heated by a different system (that uses the blue Tesla fluid). Tony says it preheats at 0.5 kw if you are running preclimate.
I'm guessing that you could not preclimate due to the cold or the current charge level, right?

Mike