My Toyota Mechanic Hands Me a $2,500 Bill for My Rav4 And Tells Me It Is My Child's Fault ―The Problem That is More Common Than You Think in Some Rav4 Models

As a parent, I can identify with those moments when our inner adult emotions are faced with an unexpected bill, leading us to question whether having children really is worth all the trouble and expense. For example, take this recent repair shown by a Toyota mechanic about how a 2007 Rav4 was brought down by a small piece of candy.

Little Fingers, Big Problems

As it turns out, "Curiosity Killed This Car's HVAC System" because the Rav4 owner's child had fed candy into the vehicle's air vents at some time that did not immediately become a problem until much later when the parent needed to turn on the heater and defrost the car's windows. The heater would only blow air on the face but not on the dash or feet.

The owner could hear the servo that controls the HVAC vent system attempting to actuate the directional vent flaps under the dashboard, but the hot air direction remained unchanged.

Not knowing beforehand that a piece of candy was the source of the problem, the logical pre-diagnosis is that the actuator motor controlling the vents had a broken gear that prevented it from operating as it should. While the cost of a new actuator is not expensive, the problem, as we've learned earlier about the repairs that make car owners the maddest, is that these types of repairs involve having to remove the dashboard to access the HAVC system in most cars.

But wait…it gets worse!

Problem Is Worse Than Mechanic Initially Thought

While removing the dashboard is typically the actual cost of having the repair done, it is still within reason to justify a repair, even in an older 2007 model Rav4.

However, after removing the dashboard and pulling out the HVAC system casing, the mechanic discovered that it was not a broken actuator. In fact, the actuator works—maybe too well.

As it turns out, a small piece of melted candy no bigger than a wad of chewing gum―potentially a Whopper Malt Ball―had trapped/sealed a flap driven by the actuator. Because the shaft between the actuator and the flap was made of plastic, the shaft snapped in half, preventing the flap from moving as needed to control the airflow direction.

The kicker, however, is that the dashboard removal is not the highest expense of the repair. Replacing the entire HVAC box is more expensive because the box holds all of the actual heating and cooling components. To further complicate the repair, the replacement part will take 7-10 days to arrive.

Follow along with the host and see the dilemma this situation presented for the mechanic and the Toyota Rav4 owner. Then, we will find out what viewers have to say about the problem and how often this really occurs.

This Car Ruined My Day and The Owner's Day | The $2500 Candy

What to Do If This Happens to You and Your Car

If your car should happen to somehow inadvertently wind up with some foreign object dropped into the vents, the host offers this useful advice:

"If you know you dropped something here, immediately shut off the HVAC. Do not use it. Do not change the mode or the temperature. Get it extracted. Sometimes, like in this case, we would have known that if something fell in there, you could remove the top part of the dash. Because this is a two-piece dash, you could remove the top part of the dash and remove the vents in this particular Rav4.

You can actually get in here and try to see with a camera (e.g., a borescope) what we have, and try to extract it. You'll get that piece out, and we'll be back in operation without any issues. Unfortunately, that was not the case with this one," states the host.

Which Models of Rav4 Are Prone to Foreign Object Insertion

According to the host, items winding up inserted or dropped through a car's vents are not uncommon. Most of what he sees are pens and loose change. However, some Rav4 models are more prone to this happening because the vents are on top of the dashboard, where car owners and family members often toss everything on top of the dash without realizing they may have just initiated a car repair.

That said, if you own a Toyota Rav4 between 2013 and 2018, you may want to check yours and fit a screen over the topside dash vents to prevent this from happening to you.

In Conclusion: While unfortunate for the Rav4 owner, his story is a good reminder that sometimes it is the littlest things that can cause the biggest problems.

What are your thoughts about this repair situation? Have you had similar experiences with your child and your car? If so, what did you do? What is the strangest thing you've seen go into the vent? Feel free to share your stories in the comments below.

For additional articles related to easy fixes in your Toyota to avoid a big bill, here are three recommendations for your consideration:

1. Toyota RAV4 Diagnosis and Fix You Can Do
2. Toyota Rav4 Maintenance on the Cheap
3. "Replace This Tensioner Pulley Now, or You Will Do It Later Anyway...When The Engine Blows" ―Toyota Warning

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog "Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair" for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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