CriticalCommonEngine

Toyota Harrier: Excessive oil consumption - 2.4 2AZ-FE piston ring defect

Excessive oil consumption - 2.4 2AZ-FE piston ring defect is a common engine fault on the Toyota Harrier on the 2003–2012 cars, and we rate it critical. Putting it right costs $3,000 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 26 documented faults on the Toyota Harrier.

Vehicle: Toyota Harrier
Engine: 2AZ-FE
Years: 2003–2012
Fuel: petrol
Gearbox: auto
System: Engine

This page covers the Toyota Harrier 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 Harrier faults26 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

The 2.4-litre 2AZ-FE fitted to base XU30 Harriers is one of Toyota's best-documented problem engines: the oil control ring drain holes are too small, the rings gum up, and the engine starts burning oil heavily from around 120,000-180,000 km. Toyota acknowledged the defect in / and ran warranty enhancement ZE7 in the US (piston and ring replacement), but that program is long expired and never covered JDM Harriers. Left unchecked, a car burning a litre every 1,000 km can run its bearings and destroy the engine. The proper fix is new pistons and rings, which costs more than many XU30s are worth.

What you would notice

Low oil level between services with no visible leaks
Blue smoke from the exhaust on startup or hard acceleration
Oil pressure warning light flickering on corners or braking
Spark plugs fouled with oil

How to check it

Where to look. Engine internals (pistons and rings); check dipstick and exhaust for evidence

Pull the dipstick before and after the test drive - low oil on a car being sold is a red flag.
Have someone watch the exhaust while you start it cold and again when you accelerate hard: blue smoke means it's burning oil.
Check the oil filler cap for heavy black sludge.
Ask directly how much oil it uses between services and treat 'I just top it up' as an admission.

What it costs to put right

$3,000 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?”
“Have the pistons and rings ever been replaced?”
“Do you have service records showing regular oil changes?”

Now check the Toyota Harrier 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 Engine Oil Consumption Repair Procedure'
Toyota Limited Service Campaign / warranty enhancement ZE7 for 2AZ-FE oil consumption
ToyotaNation 2AZ-FE oil consumption threads

Toyota Harrier buyer questions

Is excessive oil consumption - 2.4 2az-fe piston ring defect serious on a Toyota Harrier?

We rate it critical and common on the Toyota Harrier. The 2.4-litre 2AZ-FE fitted to base XU30 Harriers is one of Toyota's best-documented problem engines: the oil control ring drain holes are too small, the rings gum up, and the engine starts burning oil heavily from around 120,000-180,000 km. Toyota acknowledged the defect in / and ran warranty enhancement ZE7 in the US (piston and ring replacement), but that program is long expired and never covered JDM Harriers. Left unchecked, a car burning a litre every 1,000 km can run its bearings and destroy the engine. The proper fix is new pistons and rings, which costs more than many XU30s are worth.

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

$3,000 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 Harrier years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2003–2012 Toyota Harrier. 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 before and after the test drive - low oil on a car being sold is a red flag. Have someone watch the exhaust while you start it cold and again when you accelerate hard: blue smoke means it's burning oil. Check the oil filler cap for heavy black sludge. Ask directly how much oil it uses between services and treat 'I just top it up' as an admission. Look here: Engine internals (pistons and rings); check dipstick and exhaust for evidence