MajorCommonEngine

Toyota Blade: Excessive oil consumption from carboned piston rings (2.4 2AZ-FE)

Excessive oil consumption from carboned piston rings (2.4 2AZ-FE) is a common engine fault on the Toyota Blade on the 2006–2012 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $2,500 to $5,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 10 documented faults on the Toyota Blade.

Vehicle: Toyota Blade
Engine: 2AZ-FE
Years: 2006–2012
Fuel: petrol
System: Engine

This page covers the Toyota Blade as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Toyota Blade faults10 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the Catalytic converter yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

The 2AZ-FE 2.4 in the standard Blade is the same engine Toyota admitted burns oil in: the factory piston oil-control rings carbon up and stick, sometimes from as little as 100,000 km, and the engine starts drinking a litre of oil every 1,000-2,000 km. In the US this triggered a 2014 class action and an extended warranty (ZE7), but JDM Blades were never covered and any goodwill programs have long expired. Left unchecked it fouls spark plugs, kills the catalytic converter and can run the sump dry between services, seizing the engine. The proper fix is new pistons and rings, which at NZ labour rates often costs more than a good low-km used engine.

What you would notice

Oil level drops noticeably between services with no visible leak
Blue-grey smoke from the exhaust on start-up or hard acceleration
Oil pressure warning light flickering on long motorway trips
Rough idle or misfire from oil-fouled spark plugs

How to check it

Where to look. Engine internals - pistons and oil control rings; check dipstick and exhaust tip

Pull the dipstick cold before the test drive - a low or dirty reading on a car being sold is a bad sign.
Look in the exhaust tip for sooty black oil residue, and watch the mirrors for blue smoke when you accelerate hard after idling at lights.
Ask the seller directly how much oil it uses between services and whether they keep a top-up bottle in the boot (many owners do - check the boot and under the bonnet for one).

Parts involved: Catalytic converter.

What it costs to put right

$2,500 to $5,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“How much oil does it use between oil changes?”
“Do you carry a top-up bottle of oil in the car?”
“Has it ever had a compression or oil-consumption test?”
“Have the pistons or rings ever been replaced?”

Now check the Toyota Blade you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

Toyota (2AZ-FE Engine Oil Consumption)
ToyotaNation '2.4 oil consumption' threads
Top Class Actions: 2014 Toyota oil consumption class action
RAV4World discussion thread

Toyota Blade buyer questions

Is excessive oil consumption from carboned piston rings (2.4 2az-fe) serious on a Toyota Blade?

We rate it major and common on the Toyota Blade. The 2AZ-FE 2.4 in the standard Blade is the same engine Toyota admitted burns oil in: the factory piston oil-control rings carbon up and stick, sometimes from as little as 100,000 km, and the engine starts drinking a litre of oil every 1,000-2,000 km. In the US this triggered a 2014 class action and an extended warranty (ZE7), but JDM Blades were never covered and any goodwill programs have long expired. Left unchecked it fouls spark plugs, kills the catalytic converter and can run the sump dry between services, seizing the engine. The proper fix is new pistons and rings, which at NZ labour rates often costs more than a good low-km used engine.

How much does it cost to fix on a Toyota Blade?

$2,500 to $5,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Toyota Blade years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2006–2012 Toyota Blade. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Pull the dipstick cold before the test drive - a low or dirty reading on a car being sold is a bad sign. Look in the exhaust tip for sooty black oil residue, and watch the mirrors for blue smoke when you accelerate hard after idling at lights. Ask the seller directly how much oil it uses between services and whether they keep a top-up bottle in the boot (many owners do - check the boot and under the bonnet for one). Look here: Engine internals - pistons and oil control rings; check dipstick and exhaust tip